Page 69 of Violent Skies

The trucks she’s talking about are federal vehicles running back stolen property to the US. They’re heavily guarded trucks with an escort, but they never bring in less than half a million. Stealing it for ourselves crosses my mind for a split second, but it would bring too much heat down on us and I’d rather let Liloa deal with that. He’s equipped for it.

“Set up a meeting.”

“I always knew you’d come crawling to me, Monroe.” Liloa stands on his porch with Jesse standing behind him looking nervous. It doesn’t matter how badly Liloa wants Birdie to work for him, it’s still a risk to be here and he’s one of the most dangerous men in this state.

“I had to drag him,” Birdie quips, following me up the steps. “You look a little round, Li. Nani must be feeding you well.” She pats him on the shoulder like they’re close friends and it rattles me how good she is at it. For a second I can feel Koa’s presence all around me and it’s suffocating to know he’s still coursing through her with such potency.

“Too well, Bird.” He turns his head and kisses her hand.

“You gonna stand outside all evening?” He glares at me when I stop before coming up the steps.

“Thinking about it.” I say honestly and he laughs, it’s dark and hollow. When he smiles it brings me no comfort, instead I suddenly feel like a mouse caught in a trap.

Liloa shifts on his feet. He’s a big man, broad and thick-set, with a mean, swollen face that has seen the worst sides of life growing up. He crosses his arms when I don’t make a move to follow him and opens his mouth again.

“You came for help because you aren’t enough to protect them on your own. I know because I stood where you’re standing, I refused to beg. Thought I could handle my shit on my own.” he says tightly, stepping down off the step to get in my face. “We can’t be everything for everyone without losing pieces of ourselves,” he says. “It doesn’t make you less of a man to admit defeat, Monroe.”

“I’m not admitting defeat,” I keep my tone flat, curbing the anger and frustration that bubbles beneath.

“So what’s this then?” He looks me up and down.

“Knowing my strengths and weaknesses.” I tell him.

“And what is that weakness?” he asks, and I know I shouldn’t tell him but Liloa is a man that runs on violence and brutal honesty. He wants the truth in exchange for his help, and at this point I’m willing to give it to him to stop the game of cat and mouse.

“My family,” I admit. “Birdie, the boys…”

“Cress Taito.” Her name rolls off his tongue and I’m not surprised but I still flinch. “She’s causing quite a bit of trouble for your little family. Isn’t she?”

“She’s worth it,” I don’t hesitate to say.

“She must be, if you're the second man willing to die for her.” Liloa’s smile grows.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I cock my head to the side, suddenly realizing that he’s not playing cat and mouse, and I’m caught in another game I don’t have the rules for.

“Secrets destroy families faster than guns,” he laughs. “She wanted him to prove himself so he did, in a pretty spectacular fuckin’ way.”

“She had nothing to do with his death.” I shake my head. Now he’s just spouting nonsense to twist me up.

“Are you sure?” Liloa asks. “Because the conversation I had with him the day before he died would suggest otherwise, Monroe.”

I swallow tightly, desperately wanting to ask him what he could possibly have spoken to Koa about that would indicate Cress is the reason he did what he did. But I don’t, because it’s just another game I can’t afford to play with an animal looking for blood. “I didn’t come here to have the knife twisted, Liloa. You said you could help.”

His smile turns sick and it churns the contents of my stomach. “Ask for it.”

I grind my teeth together.

“Oh, come on,” he teases. “It’s as easy as that.”

“It’s never that simple and you know it. What do you need us to do?” I spit.

“There’s a transport coming in from Mexico that I have good information on. It’s a haul of cocaine; nine bags, uncut,” he explains. “I want you to take it off the detail transporting it.”

“You want us to rob the DEA?” I laugh. “In the city?”

“Six bags,” he repeats. “It’s two SUVs. I have their plates. They left yesterday morning, and should be in the city within the next three hours.”

“You want us to rob the cops with three hours notice?” I scoff. It was his job that night. Koa was running for Liloa on short notice. “You’re fucking insane.”