Me and Rivera were released from jail the next morning and are back at the rental house doing the things that couples would do at their place. It's full of mismatched used furniture and drapes and some pictures that were put together by the tech department to make it look convincing. We have movies to watch and laundry to do. Some food to cook and beer and whisky to drink.
Rivera's drinking a beer watching some sports on T.V., I'm cooking getting dinner together. We don't discuss anything that went on at the meeting we just act as if everything is normal as we wait on delivery. Plus since we know that they were able to bug the motel that quickly and cleanly, they could do it here too.
Someone is supposed to drive by and do a bug sweep and find a way to let us know if we got any. I'm putting food on the plates when I hear a tap, tap, tap, on the sliding glass back door. I look over and it's Lar.
"What the fuck?" I go and open the door smiling, "Lar?! ¿por que estas aquí? (why are you here?) Come on in." I motion for him to come in, "Babe! turn off the damn game! Dinners done and Lar is here!" I yell out to the living room.
"Hola Mija, sorry to interrupted your dinner. I'm here to give you your delivery." Lar smiles up at me and takes a seat at the table.
Rivera comes in and sits down with his beer, "Sup Lar, que paso, you brought the stuff?"
"Si, Juan, Lo tengo aqui. (I have it here.)" He snaps his fingers and it appears on the table around the food.
"Hijo de la Chingada! (son of bitch!) Damn Lar, do you do parties amigo?!" Rivera says excited and surprised at what just happened.
My mouth was open in awe as well. "Lar, You want a plate?" I ask after closing my mouth from the shock.
"Oh gracias, mija. I'd love one."
So we sat down with a couple grand of blow on the table and had dinner with Lar, the redcap.
After the food was gone, Rivera went and started separating and weighing the coke for sale. Lar waved for me to follow him out side and so I did closing the sliding door as I did.
"You know mija, if I were you, I'd be careful sleeping around on your man." Lar looks at me concern showing through his features.
"What.. I mean.." I pause and Lar interjects.
"I can smell the difference between. No need to feel ashamed, Mija. I can sense you are more my prima than Alex. We tend to be more, how should I say, free about giving our love."
"I'm sorry Lar, but what do you mean I'm more your cousin?" Shit, shit can he tell I was gifted?
Lar cocks his head at me, "You know how, mija. Do not worry, I will not tell Alex, nor will Farel. I have to ask though Mija and do not lie to me, for I will know."
'I'm so fucked is all I can think right now.'
"Why are you with Juan if you're sleeping with another man? You should be with a man who'll make you happy and will full fill your desires as a woman."
'Oh damn okay it went that route.'
"Shhh... Lar not so loud. If he hears you...." I'm not sure how'd he react. "I don't know what to do with this one, I love the other one but he's married to a woman who keeps hurting him." The sadness in my eyes isn't faked and my words were true too. I played it as safe as I could telling the truth but not all of it.
"Oh mija, I can tell you're hurt. Come sit down by Lar." He pats the little brick wall container on the patio and I take a seat.
"Okay, if you're not happy and he," he motions towards the house, "well you know ever finds out, or you need my help, use this." He drops a red thread in my hand and then ties it around a finger like a ring. It disappears and I start to get worried, and it shows on my face.
"Oh do not fret mija, watch." he feels my finger and finds something and I feel the tug. The string reappears on my finger.
"Whoa!"
"See mija, no problemas, you take this string off or pull it apart, Lar will be there."
"Thank you, Lar." My heart just swelled this redcap just met me and is already wanting to protect me. How do I come across these individuals that make me feel so loved?
"Oh, de nada mija."(it's nothing) He waves his hands at the sight of my misty eyes.
"No, muchos gracias, Lar, me, Sin, encanta.(I, Sin, love it)" I give the redcap a hug and it sits still kind of shocked. Feeling it's tension I back off.
"I'm sorry Lar, I shouldn't have done that." I apologize.
"Sin???" Lar looks at me curiously.
"What did you call me?" I pause.
"You called yourself Sin." Lar looks at me doubt starting to fill his eyes.
"Yeah it's just my nickname, but I thought you said something else." I'm quick to say with as much truth as I can.
"Why Sin?" I can see there is still confusion on his face.
I blush, "Because some one likes to call me their favorite Sin."
"okay Mija." Lar holds his hands up, "You don't have to explain any further than that. I'm gonna tell you this bit of advice mija. You deserve a man who'll treat you right and be with just you, a married man, is still married. He owes nothing to you. There are plenty of good men out in the world that will treat you right."
He pats my hand, "It's okay you hugged me too, No me importa, (I don't mind) simplemente no pasa, es todo. (just does not happen, is all.) Humans tend to be afraid of us."
"We don't see many Fae here in the states. We see trolls and a few others from time to time but that's it."
Lar laughs, "Because you live in the city, tonta. (Silly) We prefer to not be around cars and other things since humans don't pay attention."
"But you live in a area with a lot of humans?" I like that I'm getting this information, I could use it to help me find the queen who gifted me.
"Si, pero soy diferente. (Yes, but I'm different.) My kind like to stay near lugares de muerte. (places of death.) We can help cleanse the area of the bad ones."
"Bad ones?" This is news to me.
"The rogues, mija. They love despair and cause more problems and suffering. We take care of any rogues showing up. We keep our king happy that way and our Queen, wherever she is." Lar looks thoughtfully off in the distance a hint of regret in his eyes.
"What happened to your Queen?" I ask curiosity getting the better of me.
"Who knows? She just disappeared one day despite our best efforts, we have not found her. When she wants to be found is when we'll see her again."
"Hey Maria, where did you go?" I can hear Rivera calling me in the house.
"Well mija, I will go back now. Remember what I said chica.( girl.)" He pats my face and snaps his fingers and disappears.
I feel something appear in my hand and it's a slip of paper.
'Here's Alex's number mija, you call Lar if you need to talk, save the string.'
The number was on there as well and I couldn't help but think, 'Well that's something you don't see everyday.'
Rivera stuck his head outside, "What the hell? You didn't hear me calling you?"
"Oh chill Juan, I was saying bye to Lar." I roll my eyes and walk inside.
"Yeah, what you getting a thing for redcaps or something?"
"Oh please." I shrug that off real quick.
"What you invite him in for dinner, you have to go outside to say bye to him? Or maybe he's just your go between for Alex?" Rivera really knows how to play a part. I feel like he should have been an actor instead.
"Whatever, your tripping ese." I walk off into the room and help with the packaging of the product for our 'buyers' to come get.
Rivera gives one of the DEA agents burner phones a call. "Hey man, orders up, but the price went up 20 a head." He pauses and continues, "Inflation homes, see you soon."
Rivera gives me a nod and tells me that we just sold 1/4 of what we had purchased and finish getting it ready, "Cause I need another beer."
Part of me wants to get up and go slap him, he can stop acting like an ass. I let it go and just continue what I'm doing.
......
"Damn Lar, you get lost coming back?" Alex laughs form the kitchen table when he sees Lar appear back in the kitchen.
"No primo, I had a little talk with Maria. She also let me sit at her table and eat." Lar smiles his intimidating grin full of boastful pride.
"Oh did you now? What you two talk about?" Alex looks over intrigued and points at the chair for him to sit.
"Well, primo, I can tell you this much, she is not in love with that hombre she lives with." He took the seat and snapped his fingers for a cup appear and a dark bottle. He poured the thick dark liquid into his cup and took a drink.
"Really? What makes you so sure of that?" Intrigued Alex leans closer as if he'd miss a word that was said between the two.
Finishing the cup Lar sighs and snaps his fingers for the bottle to disappear. "Because I could smell another hombre on her, she doesn't love Juan, she loves that other man." Lar shakes his head.
"Then why the hell is she with that fool?"
"Because the other man, he's married." Lar smiles his teeth are coated in red from the drink and his breath reeks like copper.
"Damn, so she's strung up on a married man while with this fool? I didn't think she was that kind of woman." looking disappointed he tips his beer back and finishes it.
"You should not think ill of her, Alex. Lar knows she is one of a kind. Very precious. I gave her string from my cap." Lar taps his hat and starts to hum a tune.
"Damn, really? Guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions right? You never have steered me wrong before Lar. Now how do we get that fool out of the picture?"
"No worries, primo. I did some checking, he had a warrant put out for his arrest this evening. Looks like that money he used was for his fines. Plus he violated his parole coming here and going back under the influence. Tomorrow he may just be out of the picture." Lar laughs and Alex leans back while the other redcaps bring him a plate of food.
"Well you guys better get down there. I know there's some hungry kids tonight." He thanks them and they all snap fingers and they disappear with the food that was prepared earlier.
Lar gets up and pats Alex on the leg, "Don't get to excited with Maria, she really loves the married man. I do not know how that is between them."
"It's cool he's married, he can't offer her all of him. I can, I just got to show her what she could have. I wish mom was still alive, I think Maria is one of those girls I could've taken to meet her."
Lar smiles and snaps his fingers, disappearing as well. Alex pulls out his phone and starts the video of 'Maria' and 'Juan' having sex so he can hear her sounds and see the movement of their bodies under the sheets.
"I'll make you mine eventually, Maria....." Alex says finishing his food while still looking hungry as the glow of his screen reflects off his face.