Page 1 of Diesel's Perseverance
Prologue
The wind thrashedthrough the trees while rain pelted against the windows. She was on her knees cleaning up the mess, so much bleach it burned her eyes and gave her coughing fits. There was so much blood. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but the fact that Freddy had disappeared meant that he’d done something devastating and had left her behind to deal with the fallout.
The last time she’d heard from him, he was in San Diego. He promised to send for her, but she doubted that he would. Looking down at the bleached-out spots on the hardwood floor, a mixture of emotions swirled inside her: fear, disbelief, anger, sadness, confusion. A few days before, she’d made up her mind to leave Freddy. The man she’d fallen in love with three years earlier had been changing for the last year in disturbing ways. The final straw was the beating he’d given her just a week ago.So much has changed since then.She’d planned to steal away from him while he was at work, but fear kept her from taking concrete action. But now he’d screwed up big time, and this was the window of opportunity she’d been waiting for.
But he could be in trouble.It seemed that Freddy had gotten mixed up with the wrong kind of people for the past two years. He’d assured her all was good, and when she’d asked how they could afford a mansion in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Denver, he’d simply laughed, pulled her close to him, and told her that he finally got the break he’d been waiting for all his life. He never mentioned what “the break” was, but she suspected it had something to do with the pain clinics he’d opened. Dr. Stauber seemed like a decent enough guy. He reminded her of the type of dad she would’ve liked to have had, but when she met Peter Cano last year, he’d given her the creeps right off the bat. She’d told Freddy about it, and he’d laughed and said she was being silly, but her gut feelings were usually right. She’d spent most of her twenty-six years trusting in those vibes.
The sound of her cell phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. She jumped up and hurried over to the wet bar.
“Hello?”
“Where’s the fucker?” a gruff voice said, causing chills to run up her spine.
“You have the wrong number.”
“No, baby, I’ve got the right number, and if you want to keep breathing, you’ll tell me where that coward is.”
A sick feeling twisted in the pit of her stomach. “I don’t know where he is,” she croaked out.
“Don’t fuck with me.”
“I’m not.” She recognized the voice now: it was Peter Cano. “I came home, and he was gone.”
“He didn’t call you?”
“No.”
“I’m not believing any of this, baby. Let’s you and me have a nice talk in person.”
“I’m not home.”
“I don’t wanna hurt you, but I’m gonna find that asshole one way or the other. Did you know he was gonna do it?”
“Do what?”
“Kill my brother.”
She glanced over at the blood on the floor. “Freddy did what?”
“I’m not buying your act, baby. I’ll be in touch.”
The line went dead. Rising panic clawed its way up her throat.What the hell did you do, Freddy? How could you kill anyone?Trying to remain calm, she took several deep breaths.Maybe you had to. Maybe it was self-defense.
She rushed into the storage room, pulled out two big suitcases, and threw clothing, toiletries, and ten large jewelry pouches into them. She dashed around like a mad woman, trying to find as much money as she could. Freddy loved to put spare change and dollar bills in jars that he’d stash around the house.
After thirty minutes, she backed out the BMW Freddy had bought her the year before for her birthday, jumped on the freeway heading west, and hit the accelerator.
The only place she could think of going was Pinewood Springs. Freddy’s brother lived there. She’d corresponded with him when he was doing time in the penitentiary. They’d actually become friends through the numerous letters they’d exchanged.
Diesel will know what to do. Damn you, Freddy.
She turned on the radio and glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure she wasn’t being followed.
As the lights of the city lights fell behind her and houses gave way to clumps of evergreens, she began to relax. Once again, her life had been upended. She sighed. Nothing ever seemed to work out for the long haul. She leaned back against the seat and rolled down the window. The cool night air washed over her as she drove toward the unknown.
Chapter One
Diesel leaned backin the chair and counted the wad of bills in his hand.
