Livewire

Chapter 38

Kyle walked down the road, away from the boat shed, toward Andrés's house, clutching a piece of crumpled paper in his hand. On it he'd scrawled the things he needed from César to make his escape with Trudie, after the heist. On his back was the bag of money from the last heist.

The door to the house was open when he approached. He was not expecting it to be and he froze a few metres away. With cautious steps, he neared the open doorway and peered into the dark void beyond.

"Andrés? Hello?"

There was no answer. He stepped closer and poked his head inside. The place was deserted. Inside looked clinical. Nothing was out of place and everything was spotless. If he didn't know better he would assume no one actually lived there.

"Hola Kyle."

He leapt out of his skin. Andrés walked up behind him and stepped past, into the open doorway.

He held up the list "I've brought the things I need from César."

Andrés took the paper and his eyes scanned over it. "When do you need it all?"

"Tomorrow night."

"That won't be easy. It's going to cost you."

He pulled the bag off his back. "I understand that. I'm prepared to pay."

"Very well I will make the call. Wait here." Andrés stepped inside, leaving the door open. It caught Kyle off guard. Andrés was usually more cagey. He always closed the door. His body language had been different too. He was not so guarded toward Kyle this time. He might even be acting friendly towards him.

Kyle could hear words being exchanged inside over the phone. It was inconvenient having to go through Andrés every time he needed to speak to César, but he understood the precaution. Despite the trust that was building between them, César had only known Kyle for a short time. Not long enough to truly let him in. Especially when he had a business shipping elicit goods across the continent.

He stood and waited, tapping his foot on the dusty ground. A moment later Andrés returned.

"It can be done in time. César wants fifty thousand US dollars."

No small amount but Kyle had the cash. He plunged his hand into the bag and pulled out the bundles of cash, untouched from when César had first given them to him.

Andrés took the money handed to him. "I'll deliver it all to the boat shed this evening."

With that business concluded, he returned to Trudie at the boat shed. He hadn't told her the final escape plan yet. That would wait until it was time to enact.

When he arrived, he found her kneeling next to a cardboard box, piling in the remainder of her cash from the first heist. He smiled and handed her his bag of cash. They were pooling the last of it together and giving it to Elvira.

She placed the last bundle in and stood up. "Don't you think we should speak to her about it?"

"I want to. But it's best she knows nothing. What if the cartel gets to her? You can be sure they're watching her."

"I guess."

"She's our weak spot. If they suspect anything of us, they'll be on her and then they'll have leverage on us. I can't take that risk."

"You're right, I know. I just feel so bad leaving her like this, with no word. She's already lost so much."

"Trust me, I wouldn't do it if I had any other choice. I'd take her with us If we could. She won't leave though and it would be too suspicious if all of us disappeared. The cartel would be after us and we can't take that risk. She's got friends around her here. And I know it will hurt her to lose us, especially so soon after Emilio."

"Everything you're saying makes logical sense, but it doesn't make it any easier."

"No. I know."

He dropped a hand written into the box - 'For Elvira. From a friend." Then he taped it up and wrote Miguel's address on it. Sending it directly to Elvira was also too suspicious. He knew Miguel and Anna would see to it that she got the money. They were her only family now.

* * *

The sun had not long dropped below the horizon, its orange glow fading across the sky from west to east. The meeting time was approaching. His phone buzzed in his sweaty hand. It was Felipe.

"Hola, Felipe."

"Hola Kyle. The truck is in position. Jorge is sending you the coordinates now."

"Gracias amigo. I'll send Leon over to collect you now."

He put the phone down and turned his head to Leon, who was sitting in the driver's seat of his van. The coordinates came through on his phone, then on Leon's, Marta's and Trudie's. He nodded to Leon. Leon nodded in reply then pulled away, sending dust up into a frenzy around the tyres.

He turned to Trudie and Marta. "Before the others arrive I want to destroy some evidence. Can you give us a hand?"

He led them into the boat shed and grabbed an old metal barrel and a can of petrol.

"I want to burn any evidence, so chuck it in here."

They went around the shed, grabbing maps, notes, and anything that might relate to either of the heists. It was all dumped in the barrel, then he poured the petrol over it. Finally he grabbed an old rag, soaked it in petrol and lit it, dangling it above the barrel until the flames engulfed the whole rag.

His fingers loosened and the rag dropped. Woof. The petrol ignited and flames jumped up in a column of intense heat. Orange light danced around the room and on their faces. He stared at the flames, enraptured.

His heart was pounding in his chest and his hands were shaking. The clock was counting down and soon everything would be set in motion. Again he'd made a plan to avoid any violence, but it relied on successfully pulling the wool over the cartel's eyes. No mean feat.

Given they were hitting a cartel operation, he was confident there was no need to worry about the police. But there was every need to be cautious of the cartel. They were armed with handguns as a precaution, but he wanted to avoid using them.

The flames had died down to embers by the time Leon arrived with Felipe and Jorge. Kyle walked up to the guns laid out on the workbench and handed one to each member of the crew.

"Remember, these are a last resort only. Everything becomes a thousand times more complicated if we end up using them."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his bike keys. The room went silent and all eyes were on him. His hand reached out, extending the keys to Marta. Tentatively she reached out and took them.

He stared deep into her eyes. "Not a scratch."

She nodded. "Don't worry. She's in good hands."

"Right, it's time. Let's go."

They all left the boat shed. Marta climbed onto the Harley and everyone else got into the back of Leon's van. Kyle looked at his watch. It was exactly 2100.