Chapter Thirty-One

“I haven’t been here in ages.” Cookie surveyed the meeting spot that Marissa had chosen. The two stood in an open field overlooking an aging structure. Jamie had no understanding of why anyone would want to hang out in an old park showcasing an old performance stage. The metal stairs leading up to the stage were weathered and peppered with rust spots. The wooden roof hadn’t seen glory in some time, the slats home to gaping holes and a section on the end that had collapsed entirely. Clearly, this popular venue was no longer loved.

“Is this where music comes to die?” Jamie asked.

“This place used to be hopping every weekend, many years ago,” Cookie explained. “Lots of small-time bands would come and play. There was a huge concession stand over there.” He pointed to a shack that no longer had a roof and had likely been raided of any valuable cooking equipment. “I remember coming here as a kid, but it was already at the end of its heyday by then.”

Jamie tried to imagine this music venue filled with families eating, drinking, and listening to local bands. Knowing its history made her appreciate the space more, although she wondered who would let such a revered local hotspot slowly devolve into an abandoned field.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a figure walking toward them, coming from behind the old concession stand. She could see Marissa’s confidence in her stride, even from far away. The woman reached the duo in short order, and Jamie could hear her boots crushing the dead grass as she walked.

Jamie waved a hand at the open field. “If you were looking for desolation, you found it.”

“You’ve never been here?” Marissa asked.

“Nope,” she said. “Cookie was telling stories of local bands and weekend festivals, but it looks like that was a long time ago.”

She smiled at him. “I had some of my best times with my family here.”

He nodded, a small smile showing on his lips that quickly disappeared. Jamie could tell he had harbored hate for the Deltone family for so long that he couldn’t yet allow himself to feel anything else.

Marissa looked at Jamie. “So, tell me what you need. And what’s in it for me.”

“Our friend, Erin, the one whose warehouse Boxer kept you in? He’s got her. We’re not sure how, but he’s holding her somewhere, and we need to get her back.” Jamie pulled up her phone and showed the photo to Marissa, hoping she would remember what it felt like to be in that same position not long ago.

Cookie straightened his stance. “Boxer has her, but we know he was working with Kristen’s father, Brian, because they’re both trying to make inroads with the Acuna family.”

Marissa’s eyes narrowed at the utterance of her rival’s name. “Boxer’s been making inroads with them and what? Brian was trying to do the same thing?”

Jamie nodded. “Boxer wants Kristen’s journals—the ones that outline what she knew about Deltone business. He’s willing to trade Erin for them.”

Marissa took a step back and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “So why would I help you with this?”

“We know where the journals are now,” Jamie said, not revealing that she actually had them in the trunk of her Tahoe. “If you can help us get Erin from Boxer and his thugs, we’ll give you the journals instead.”

Marissa’s arms relaxed, as did her expression. She put her hand over her mouth, tapping her finger on her lips. “So we need to figure out how to convince Boxer that you’re going to hand over the journals. He will need to have them in his possession for you to get Erin. We then need to get Erin to safety”—she looked at Cookie—“all of you to safety, before we can do anything.”

“We can’t give him fakes, either,” Jamie explained. “One of the books she used is a travel guide from long ago. I actually gave it to her when she was in high school, and he’s going to recognize it. This won’t be easy.”

Cookie and Jamie exchanged a quick glance as they watched Marissa’s wheels turn, considering how they could leave Boxer on the losing side of the negotiation.

“He’s going to want to meet somewhere deserted, like this, but he has a reputation for doing business at Drake’s Den. If we get that lucky, I can figure out some logistics ahead of time.”

Jamie’s instinct of calling in Marissa’s crew had proven to be on point. What they needed to do was not only a bait-and-switch but also a rescue mission. In both of those areas, she and Cookie could claim zero experience, whereas Marissa’s family had likely negotiated many hostage exchanges and even double crosses in their line of business.

“Give me your phone,” Marissa commanded.

Jamie hesitated but then unlocked the screen and handed it to her. Marissa typed on the screen and handed it back to her. “My number is in there. It’s under Sophia. That’s my abuela’s first name.”

Jamie sent a quick text to the number with only her name in the text line. “Now you have mine, too.”

“You let me know the moment you hear from Boxer,” Marissa said. “The where, the when. We’ll work out something and be ready.”

“What if we don’t have time to discuss the plan ahead of time?”

“I’m not going to discuss the plan with you ahead of time,” Marissa said. “If this is going to work, the less you know, the better. You don’t want to be anticipating anything. He’ll be able to sense if you’re worried or holding something back. All you’re going to do is follow Boxer’s instructions. We’ll take it from there when the time is right.”

“So I need to trust you?”

Marissa looked at Cookie and nodded. “Yes, you do.”

“This is new for me,” Cookie said.

“I’m sure it is,” she replied. “And I can’t guarantee that no one will get hurt. I’m confident we can get what we want and also keep Erin safe, but Boxer is a wild card here so you need to know that going in. My guys are the best, but each extraction has risks.”

“Extraction?” Jamie asked. “So you’ve got some experience here?”

“You don’t want to know that.” She held her hand up and waved. “You text me the minute you hear from Boxer, and we’ll take it from there.”

Marissa turned and walked away, leaving Jamie and Cookie standing together, watching her figure get smaller as she traveled across the open field. Once she was gone, Jamie turned to her friend. “You okay with this?”

“You’re right. It’s the best chance we have at getting Erin back safely. I don’t trust Boxer—or Brian—to just let her go once we give her the journals. I can’t say my conscience is clear making deals with the Deltones. My grandfather, rest his soul, would be rolling in his grave if he knew.”

“What choice do we have?” Jamie asked.

“None,” Cookie replied. “This needs to work, for Erin.”

“This needs to work for all of us.”