Perfect Chemistry

“Man, she was kissin’ you like it was the last kiss of her life. If she kisses like that, I wonder how she—”

“Shut up, Enrique.”

“She’s gonna ruin you, Alejo,” Enrique continues, calling me by my Spanish nickname. “Look at you already, spendin’ time in jail last night and cuttin’ school to get your motorcycle back. Granted, she’s got a buena torta, but is she worth it?”

“I gotta get back to work,” I say, my mind whirling with Enrique’s words. And as I work under a Blazer for the remainder of the evening, all I want to do is make out with my mamacita again and again.

Yes, she’s definitely worth it.

“Alex, Hector is here. With Chuy,” Enrique says at six o’clock when I’m ready to head home.

I wipe my hands on my work pants. “Where are they?”

“In my office.”

A feeling of dread washes over me as I approach the room. When I open the door, Hector stands there as if he owns the place. Chuy is in the corner, a not-so-innocent bystander.

“Enrique, this is a private matter.”

I hadn’t noticed Enrique behind me, acting as my ally should I need one. I give a nod to my cousin. I’ve been loyal to the Blood, there’s no reason Hector should doubt my commitment. Chuy’s presence makes this meeting a big deal. If it was just Hector, I wouldn’t be this tense.

“Alex,” Hector says the moment Enrique is out of sight. “Ain’t it good to meet here instead of the court house?”

I give him a weak smile and shut the door.

Hector motions to the small, ripped couch on the far side of the room. “Sit down.” He waits until I take a seat. “I need you to do me a favor, amigo.”

There’s no use in delaying the inevitable. “What kind of favor?”

“A shipment needs to be delivered October thirty-first.”

That’s over a month and a half away. Halloween night. “I don’t deal drugs,” I cut in. “You knew that from day one.”

I eye Chuy like a pitcher in baseball does when a guy leads too far off base.

Hector stands over me and puts his hand on my shoulder. “You’ve got to get over what happened to your old man. If you want to lead the Blood, you’ve got to deal drugs.”

“Then count me out.”

Hector’s hand tightens and Chuy steps forward. A silent threat.

“I wish it were that simple,” Hector says. “I need you to do this for me. And, quite honestly, you owe me.”

Shit. If I hadn’t gotten arrested in the first place, I wouldn’t owe this debt to Hector.

“I know you won’t disappoint me. By the way, how’s your mother? I haven’t seen her in a while.”

“She’s fine,” I say, wondering what mi’amá has to do with this conversation.

“Tell her I said hello, will ya?”

What the hell does that mean?

Hector opens the door, motions for Chuy to follow him, and leaves me to stew over it.

I sit back, staring at the closed door, and wonder if I have it in me to do a drug deal. If I want to keep my family safe, my choice has been made for me.