“I’m gonna ask someone to drive me out to the safehouse to talk to Cachi.”
He grinned widely, coming around the desk, and holding out his hand. I took it. “That’s good, Rex. That’s really good.”
Chapter Twenty-One
CACHI
I loved my volunteer job at the Camarillo Animal Shelter even though I’d only been there a couple of days. Like my boss, Maria, had said, they’d started me off doing the dirty jobs. But first, I got to move the dogs to a clean space while I worked, and I usually got to play with them and cuddle them a little.
There was a lot more to it than I realized. Stella and I got into a routine quickly. All the bedding, bowls, and toys had to be removed. Then I had to hose out the dog enclosures, making sure all the solids washed away down the drain designed for it. Once I’d sanitized and scrubbed everything, I had to completely dry it before I could return the dogs to their homes.
I also scooped out litter boxes again since there were a multitude of cats and they had to be done twice a day to keep them fresh and the odor down. I looked forward to next week when I’d go in during the day which was riskier but I’d get to learn the front office and computer system. I didn’t think they’d let me do much, starting me off slowly at first.
Today, I got up early, dressed in faded, old, blue jeans and a ratty T-shirt, determined to mow the lawn and work in the yard since I’d neglected the garden a little. While Tio puttered in the garage, Mamá and Tia were working in the kitchen as always, preparing food for the family and of course, a little extra for the guys to take to Rex.
Marcello said he’d be stopping by this afternoon to see how I was doing. For some reason he hadn’t yet explained, every time I brought up Rex’s name, he got a sour look on his face. It was asif he didn’t like him but that completely puzzled me. He had no reason to dislike Rex unless he counted the way Rex had treated me when he sent me away. I planned on sitting him down and getting to the bottom of it.
I was heading for the sliding glass door at the back of the house when the doorbell rang. We weren’t expecting anyone this early, so I headed for the door. When Mamá came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel, I waved her back to the kitchen.
“I’ll get it, Mamá.”
She smiled at me and headed back to the kitchen. The peephole showed Mars’ face really close and being silly, and I was surprised. When I opened the door and saw Rex sitting in his wheelchair with Mars standing behind him, grinning like an idiot, I felt my entire body begin to shake.
“Rex?”
He looked up and smiled shyly at me. “Hi, Cachi.”
My eyes opened wide. “I no expecting you, Rex.” When he said nothing, I darted a glance at Mars who was still smiling. “What happen?” Mars said nothing as Rex spoke up.
“I-I just wanted to come in and talk with you, if that’s okay,” Rex stuttered. He sounded nervous just like I felt. My knees were so weak with surprise, I thought I’d drop if I didn’t sit down.
I instantly stepped back, opening the door widely. “Si. Of course, Rex. Come in. Come in, Mars.”
The wheelchair whirred to life as Rex wheeled in through the front door. Mars came in after him, holding out a hand. I shook it as he leaned in close to whisper, “’E’s pretty nervous about coming ‘ere.”
I gave him a knowing look as I shut the door behind them. He wasn’t the only one who was nervous. I walked over to Rex just as Mamá came out of the kitchen. The instant she saw him, she threw up her hands and ran over. “Oh, Rex!” She bent to hug him and he reached up, taking her weight as she leaned into his arms. Tears burned behind my eyes as the two people I loved most in the world embraced each other. She hugged him for a long time and when she finally let go and looked over at me, tears were running down her face. I could read the happiness through her tears, and it made my heart do a flip-flop.
“Oh, Rex, we so happy to see you,” she gushed. “Come in. Come in.”
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Adams,” he replied, wheeling the chair into the living room as he followed my mamá. Tia and Tio came into the front room to see what all the commotion was about and when they spotted Rex and Mars, they hurried over with very worried expressions.
Rex greeted them with handshakes. “I can see that you’re all worried ‘bout things, but we actually came here with good news,” Rex said.
“Good news?” Tia Carlotta asked.
“Very good news,” Mars said.
“Please sit down,” Tia said with a smile.
“Thank you, ma’am.” Mars sat in one of the chairs close to the loveseats that faced each other. I sat on one with Mamá and my auntie and uncle took seats on the other sofa. When everyone had turned their attention to the two men, Rex explained how there was no longer any danger to the family, so we were free to go back home. The cartel who’d been trying to kill us, was no longer a problem, and all the bad men were dead.
Tia Carlotta began to cry and watching my tio hug her with tears of his own tracking down his cheeks, made me emotional all over again.
Mamá squeezed my hand, and I looked over at her. She was also crying. “Can this be true, Cachi? We can go home?”
I nodded, looking at Rex and then Mars for confirmation. Their nods and smiles assured me everything was true. “Si, Mamá. We can go home now.”
She threw her arms around me and sobbed as I held her close, feeling tears rolling down my cheeks as she gave praise to God for keeping us all safe and allowing us to return home. The Spanish words were like a balm to my soul. I held onto her until she’d cried herself out as Rex and Mars waited patiently. When she sat back, wiping her eyes, her hands were trembling. She smiled at me, reaching up to cup my cheek.