Chapter 8 TREJO'S CARTEL

"Serena?"

"Mm."

"You have that look," Anna said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"What look?" Serena asked, not sure what Anna was talking about.

"The look you have whenever you get a crazy idea."

Serena chuckled. Indeed, she had a crazy idea-the craziest idea she'd ever had. But Serena was not sure whether or not to tell Anna about it. Anna would surely try to talk her out of it.

"I'm just throwing a couple of ideas around in my head. Nothing serious," Serena shrugged.

Anna arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Bullshit."

"What?"

"You heard me. Bullshit. I know you. And I know you've come up with a terrible idea that I would never agree to. So spill it. Now!"

Serena exhaled loudly as she leaned back in her chair. There was no hiding anything from Anna. Anna knew her far too well-well enough to see through her fake laughter and lies.

"I can try to find the Trejo cartel."

Anna's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you crazy, or do you have a death wish, Serena?"

"What other choice do I have? Adrian will kill me and Rita if I don't have two million by Friday."

"So what? You'd go to the cartel and tell them what? 'Can I get two million dollars, pretty please?'" Anna asked, staring at Serena as though she had grown a second head.

Serena already knew how crazy and terrible the plan was, but it was certainly worth a shot. Maybe it could just be a loan, and she'd work hard all her life to pay it back. Heck, she could even work for the cartel just to repay the money. She'd do whatever it took as long as she could save her sister and herself.

"How do you even intend on finding them?"

"I'd ask around. I'd go to that biker bar downtown. It looks like a place where drug dealers hang around. I might be able to find somebody who knows someone who knows where I can find the leader of the cartel." Her plan sounded insane, but it was doable.

Anna raked her hand through her hair in agitation. "Serena, you do understand that if you do this, you may never be free of the cartel. They'd own you."

Serena sighed. She knew the risks, and it scared the hell out of her. But unless there was two million dollars hanging somewhere in her backyard for her to find, this was the only way.

Anna could see the resolve in Serena's eyes; there was no changing her mind. "We can go to the police and tell them everything. They might be able to help us," Anna said in a desperate attempt to change Serena's mind.

Serena scoffed. "I'm certain Adriano has some members of the police on his payroll. The police would be useless. And all that would do is anger Adriano, and he might kill Rita."

Anna remained silent, staring into space. "Then I'll come with you."

"I already dragged Rita into this. I'm not going to get you involved too."

"I won't let you do this alone. These are dangerous people we're talking about here."

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't get involved."

Anna just rolled her eyes as she cleared the dishes. Serena knew Anna wasn't going to cave; her harebrained friend was as stubborn as a mule. It didn't matter what Serena said-Anna's mind was made up.

Serena lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling, while the tinkering sound of pots and cutlery reverberated from the kitchen. All Serena could think about was how she would get to the Trejo cartel and what she would say to convince them to help her. For all she knew, they might turn her down, or even suspect that she was working for Adriano and decide to kill her.

Anna returned from the kitchen, wiping her hands with a cloth. "I thought of something," she said, snapping Serena out of her thoughts.

"What is that?"

"My weed dealer, Aziz. He-"

"You smoke pot?" Serena asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

"No, I don't. But I do use some in my brownies," she shrugged. Serena just shook her head. "Anyway, he might know something about the cartel. I already texted him to meet up with me at the diner."

"Why not here?"

"There's no way I'm letting a drug dealer know where I live."

Makes sense, Serena thought.

"We'll be meeting him tonight."

Serena nodded, and Anna disappeared inside the house. Serena couldn't help but feel grateful. Anna had come through for her in so many ways that Serena had already lost count.

She hated having to drag Anna into this mess too, but Serena needed her. Hopefully, everything would work out, and Anna would be safe in the end.

Serena didn't notice when she dozed off. It wasn't until Anna shook her lightly that she woke up and noticed it was already dark. She had overslept.

Serena stood up and stretched, yawning noisily. Her muscles still ached from having to sleep on that trashy mattress in Adriano's cell.

"Let's go," Anna said as she picked her keys up from the table.

Serena ordered some fries while they waited for Aziz to arrive. He showed up much later, wearing a black leather jacket over faded blue jeans. He also wore two gold chains around his neck. Serena was certain they were fake. He had a tattoo on his neck, though Serena wasn't sure what it was, as most of it was covered by the round-neck T-shirt he wore underneath.

He looked really thin, with bags under his eyes. Serena disliked him already.

"Yo, Lizzy," he said, stretching out his curled fist, and Anna bumped her knuckles against his.

Lizzy though? Serena thought in amusement. She found it funny that Anna had even gone so far as to use a fake name. It was a smart move, but unnecessary.

"Who's this fine chick beside you?" he asked, winking at Serena. She immediately felt repulsed by the gesture, but she knew better than to call him out, especially since she desperately needed his help.