Thick As Blood - Nestor Oceteva

17. Living Proof

I pushed the metal doors open and entered the chilled room lined with fridge chambers for bodies. A old man was in the middle of an autopsy but he put the scalpel down as we made eye contact.

"C3." He said as he pointed to the fridges.

I nodded my thanks and opened the door and pulled the tray out to reveal a black body bag. I unzipped the bag to reveal two smaller duffle bags. After checking the contents were all there I pulled the bags out and slung them over my shoulders.

"Hey Francis, any chance of passage for two?" I asked the man who was elbow deep in intestines.

"Anything for you Lily. Just let me finish up here. The office is free." He replied.

I led Nestor next door to the Morticians office and sat on his couch putting the bags at my feet. I kicked one towards Nestor and he opened it to reveal a cache of guns and ammunition.

"Can we trust him?" He asked me.

"Francis? Yes." I said with certainty. "I'm sorry I got you into this Ness."

I put my head in my hands and felt him sit next to me. He pulled me into his lap facing him and raised my head to look at him.

"Don't. Don't apologise." He kissed me softly. "You're worth it."

I looked into his eyes and the intensity set my body on fire. I kissed him back hungrily, feeding on the passion until a knock sounded on the door.

"Ride is here."

I climbed off his lap and we both took a bag each to the garage. Backed up into the loading dock was a tinted hearse with the back door open. Two black body bags were laid out on the stretchers, open and waiting for its occupants.

"I hope you aren't claustrophobic." I looked out the corner of my eye at Nestor.

"No, but it's also not my idea of a good time."

I laughed as we climbed into the bags and zipped them almost all the way up.

"Romero brothers scrapyard please." I yelled from the bag to Francis.

We rode in silence and I closed my eyes in the already dark bag. There was so many things that I needed to organise. I couldn't simply run like I would have two weeks ago. I had a baby, my nephew, depending on me to find him. And Luisa, she needed my help too. This wasn't about me anymore, I had to protect the people I cared about from the people I called my family.

I didn't notice we had arrived until Nestor unzipped my bag and blinded me with light. The back door was already open and a group of the bikers were standing there watching me climb out of the body bag. I held my hand out and Nestor pulled me up and out the door. I handed Bishop the letter I printed in the mortuary office, a copy of what I had sent to the orphanage.

"Angel needs to get to the Children of God Orphanage in San Diego with his birth certificate or passport and this letter. If Potter catches on before Angel gets there they could move him elsewhere." I looked around the motley crew of men before focusing back on Bishop. "Can I speak with you and your VP alone? I'll be right back Francis."

Bishop, his VP, Nestor and I entered the room we were in last night and the door was closed behind me. The VP introduced himself as Taza before we all sat at the table. I pulled a tablet from the duffle bag and placed my palm on the screen to unlock it and handed it to Bishop.

"What is this?" He asked.

"An opportunity. I have shipments of drugs arriving weekly inside imported cars from Japan. They go to ports all over the world but the men who were in charge of collection from the San Joaquin River in Stockton will no longer be of use to me.