“Hey bro, how you doing? No, I wasn’t snoozing. I’m at the gym.” Julius Gallegos sat on a bench and wiped his sweaty face and tattooed torso with a t shirt. He picked up his boxing gloves and moved away from the ring he had been sparring in with a workout partner.
Grunts and groans from late-night training sessions bounced off the concrete block walls. He headed out a back door into a dimly lit alley off Zuni Avenue.
“Glad you called. I was about to get hold of you. I heard some things.” Julius looked up and down the alley as he talked. The area was smack in the middle of a gritty part of southeast Albuquerque known as the war zone.
The boxer interrupted Jack’s barrage of questions. “Bro, I’m glad you’re ok, but I’m not surprised Para had you followed. El es un demonio. Be careful, even if you think cops are watching your back.
“Things are dope back here. Eloy and Lorena are fine. I stay there at night and I’m headed back now.” Julius lowered his voice. “I’m not a Lobo no more, but I see those guys all the time, at the gym and other places. They heard my brother was hurt bad, and they come up to me and ask how my family’s doing. No one likes Sonny Para and how he operates. The guys I ran with, the Lobos, are like the Boy Scouts compared to Los Brutos. Those types respect no one. To get what they want, they’ll hurt old people, little kids, women. I heard about dudes who worked for Para and wound up disappearing. One guy who never came home, his girlfriend went to Los Brutos asking about him, and now she’s missing too.”
Julius continued. “Rumor is that Para does business somewhere in Albuquerque. By that, I mean drugs, big time. Lot of money involved.”
The boxer lifted a scarred hand. “No, no, I never told anyone about you going to Tucson. I would never do that.”
Julius walked slowly down the alley, glancing behind him. “I heard Para’s telling people you were on his payroll, that Albuquerque PD put that bomb in your place. He’s crazy, like a fox. In a twisted way, maybe he’s right. He might be paying off cops. Have you thought about that?”
Julius turned on his heel and headed to the gym back door. “Anyway, bro, I might just run into you. I’m leaving in a few hours for Tucson. I have a gig there tomorrow night at Casino del Sol. It’s part of the Desert Slam series. I’m up against a former Golden Gloves winner who thinks he’s hot stuff. We’ll see. But don’t sweat it, mamá and papá are in good hands. I’ve got guys watching the house.”
On the other end of the call, Jack gave a curt goodbye. He wasn’t sure about Julius’ supposed friends. If something happened to their parents, he’d never forgive himself. Or his little brother.
***
“They put a bug in the Jeep.” Jack inhaled steam from a mug of chamomile tea Cait’s brother set before him.
“At least you figured it out.” Chris sat at the kitchen table.
“Wish we could pay them back.” Cait paced around the kitchen table. “Was that Julius you called?”
“He’s coming to Tucson for a boxing match. He says his buddies will take care of my parents. I don’t know who these guys are and it worries me. I really want to get back to Albuquerque. I’m also concerned Para’s people know about this place and are going to show up on your doorstep.” Jack looked at Chris.
“I’m ready if they do.” Chris gave a lopsided grin. “I can take care of myself.”
“What do you mean?” Cait flashed her brother a look of alarm. “Do you have a gun?”
“Of course. I know you don’t like firearms, but they’re useful. I learned a lot last year,” Chris said, referring to the training he’d received in Georgia to become a law enforcement ranger.
“I should get a gun, but I worry about shooting the wrong person.” Cait wiped a tear of fatigue from her eyes. “I’m beat. Let’s get some shut eye.”
“You can take my bedroom. Jack and I’ll stay in the living room. If those guys try anything, we’ll hear them coming up the road first.”