More tears streamed down Tina’s cheek. The blonde wanted to believe Helena’s words and she did. She did believe, because she had no choice either than to have faith that Bette was at least alive.

***

Marcus looked around the deserted street, at the broken and boarded windows of the forsaken houses. The sun had almost set over Tijuana, turning the sky red and orange, then intense purple, then intense red and orange. Marcus stood still, watching the sky till the colours were gone and the city swam away into the night. Letting out a sigh, the troubled man made his way back into the crummy building that resembled a big old ranchhouse.

Opening the door, he bumped right into Mark.

”Oh, hey,” the young man said, stepping outside, ”just need fresh air,” he added before lighting a cigarette.

”Any news?”

Mark shook his head, falling pensive for a few seconds as if trying to recall the sequence of events. ”Did you talk to Arnodelo?”

”Yeah.”

”What did he have to say?”

”Said that his guy Doyle Bogan didn’t bomb the car.”

”So, the cartel did it then? But why would Lebron bomb the car if Bette said they reached agreement?”

Marcus ran his hand over his bald head in frustration. ”I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Leaving Mark by himself, he entered the building to find Tasha in the dim lighting of the shabby interior. The sullen woman was slouched in the chair behind the table. Her midriff was wrapped in a compression bandage and one of her hands was put in a cast.

Marcus took a seat opposite her and tried to relax, but found it hard due to the depressing sounds of voices, tools tossing and mild rustling that were coming from the other room. The sounds had been the same and nonstop for about two hours already, and the fact that there was no update so far evoked anxiety.

Just as Mark was coming back inside, a man dressed in a bloodstained medical gown emerged from the other room. He was Arnodelo’s acquaintance and a chief physician in one of Tijuana’s hospitals. Additionally to his main job he secretly treated criminals as it was high-paid and high-demand in Mexico.

Marcus and Tasha jumped to their feet at the sight of the doctor.