Livewire

Chapter 18

It was already dark when they reached the outskirts of the city. Heading down the freeway the urban sprawl was illuminated ahead of them, drawing ever nearer. Kyle turned the pickup off the freeway, onto the quiet streets of the barrios. A high pitched whirring sound grew in the back of his ear, getting louder and louder until a firetruck burst past. A moment later the quiet whirring returned and the firetruck was followed by an ambulance and two police cars.

Kyle and Trudie turned to each other with wide eyes. He put his foot down on the gas pedal to try and follow. They followed the flashing blue lights, winding through the quiet suburban district. No one else was on the roads. They took a left turn and the cause of the commotion became apparent. The orange glow ahead reflected down the street, flickering. Somewhere in the barrio was a raging inferno.

The closer he got to the end of the street grew, the orange glow diminished. A crowd had gathered blocking the road. The neighbourhood had turned out to look at the fire. He stopped the truck and they got out, to join the people. The firefighters were taming the fire, blasting torrents of water into the burning building. Orange light blended with the flashing blue of the emergency vehicles lights.

A fireman emerged from the smouldering house, with a person over their shoulder. He placed them on the ground and a moment later another fireman emerged with a second person. The paramedics rushed in to look at them, obscuring his view.

The crowd grew a little more while the firefighters extinguished the flames. The smoke clogged the air. It smelled and tasted foul. Once the flames were out the remains of the house hissed and steam evaporated into the night air. Paramedics had transferred the two people onto stretchers and carried them to the ambulance. Their bodies were blackened but they did not look burned.

His eyes were drawn to the large circles of dark red stained on their clothes. They had been shot. Others in the crowd had seen it too. There were gasps and exclamations. People scattered, many hurting away to their homes. Only a few remained. He looked up the street to his right. There was a large silhouette skulking at the next intersection. There was something ominous about them and a shiver ran down his spine.

Trudie looked around and the dispersing people. "What's going on?"

"This was a cartel hit."

"What? You're serious?"

"Those two people were shot before the fire was started. It wasn't an accident."

"You think they set the fire to burn the evidence."

He shook his head. "The fire was a statement. A warning to others not to cross the cartel." He looked back up the street to his right and the silhouette was gone.

She stood with her mouth open. "I'd heard stories but I never knew they were true. I thought it was just an exaggeration. What do you suppose they did?"

"Who knows. Perhaps they owed money. Maybe they just interfered with cartel business. The cartel runs the streets through fear. Sometimes they don't need a reason to lash out. If they feel their grip has loosened too much, they might have just wanted to remind people who's really in control. Emilio has plenty of stories like this from growing up. He said you learn to live with it when it's happening every other week. I've heard shooting from my flat too. You know when it's the cartel. Usually no more than five or six shots. This is the first time I've seen them burn somewhere too."

The ambulance and fire trucks left. The police ushered the remaining onlookers away from the scene. Someone was sobbing. Probably the family or a loved one of the victims. No one was there to comfort them now. The families in the immediate neighbouring houses were dislodged too. The flames had spread and damaged their houses. It was not surprising in the tightly packed streets of the poorer barrios.

He grabbed her arm, "We should get out of here."

She nodded and followed him back to the truck.

The engine struggled as he tried to turn it over. It took a few twists before it spluttered into life. He cursed Emilio under his breath but heaved a sigh of relief.

Trudie fidgeted beside him. "Are we in danger?"

He thought for a moment before responding. "I don't think so. I've been here ten years and never run afoul of the cartel. But they're usually closer than you think. Hector is cartel. Connected to Baldo personally. I know your dad has dealings with them so we'll be careful."

"Once this job is done we should have enough money to move on." She hesitated. "You wanna come with me right? I know it's a lot to ask. I just thought..."

He couldn't answer straight away. His throat stuck. He would be giving up a lot - Emilio, Elvira, even Hector. This had become his life since leaving London. He liked it. But he liked Trudie too. There were feelings there he hadn't even admitted to himself.

"I haven't had a chance to think about it. Everything has been moving so fast these last few days–"

"I understand. I'm sorry. That's a lot to put on you right now. You need your head in the game, not distracted by me."

"Thank you. We can talk about it after. I promise."

She rested her hand on his leg. It was comforting but did little to soothe his anxiety. Maybe he should be worried about the cartel. Tonight was no idle threat. Though not specifically aimed at him, it was there as a sign to anyone who might test the cartel. All he had to do was keep his nose clean until Joe was paid off. Then he could fade back into obscurity. This time hopefully for good.