Alejandro
I sawthe call coming through as I drove along the interstate. I frowned as I pressed the button to answer.
‘Hey, amigo. Where are you?’ Jax asked, his voice coming through the speakers of my car.
‘Just dealing with something. I’ll be back later.’
‘Something I should know about?’
‘It’s personal.’ I snapped.
I heard his soft chuckle. ‘Just don’t kill him, amigo! We’ve got enough to deal with without me having to hide another body.’
‘If you know where I am, why did you ask me?’ I snapped.
‘I suspected. But I wasn’t sure. I could have dealt with this for you.’
‘Not a chance!’ I growled.
‘Well, like I said, don’t kill him.’
‘I’m just going to talk to him.’
‘Okay. I’ll see you later,’ Jax laughed again.
‘Later, amigo.’
I pulled up outside the hotel and turned off the engine of my car. The valet was waiting for me when I stepped out.
‘Good afternoon, Mr Montoya,’ he said with a slight bow of his head.
‘Buenas tardes. Did you get me what I asked you for?’ I asked him as I handed him my keys.
‘Of course,’ he replied as he slipped the key card into my hand. ‘Room five one two.’
‘Gracias,’ I nodded as placed the key in my pocket. ‘Give my regards to your mama.’
‘I will, Mr Montoya. And thank you.’
‘Look after that car, Henry. I only just bought it.’
‘You betcha,’ he nodded eagerly as he opened the car door.
Henry was a good kid who had ended up getting into a lot of trouble with some very nasty people a few months earlier. He was a talented thief, but he was also stupid enough to steal something he shouldn’t have. Fortunately for him, his mama and mine came from the same neighbourhood. So, I helped him out, and recommended him for a job in this hotel. It was the second best hotel in L.A, and now that Bobby Conroy was no longer welcome in any of mine, he had no choice but to stay here.
I walked along the hallway until I came to Bobby’s room. Taking the keycard from my pocket, I swiped it into the lock and smiled when I heard the satisfying click. A few seconds later, I was stepping into the room closing the door behind me.
Bobby strolled out of the bathroom and his eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw me standing there.
‘What the fuck! How the hell did you get in here?’ he snapped.
‘I think you’ll find there is nowhere in this city where I can’t go, Bobby.’
‘This is my fucking hotel room. I’m calling security,’ he snorted as he looked at the phone on the nightstand, the one he would have to walk through me to get to.
‘Be my guest,’ I said as I held my arms open in invitation. I would like nothing better than for him to put his hands on me, because then I would be entirely justified in breaking every one of his fingers.
He stared at the phone and then back at me. ‘What the hell are you doing here in my hotel?’ He straightened up, puffing his chest out, as though that would somehow intimidate me.