Read Online The Dead Women of Juarez by Sam Hawken - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sam Hawken
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but he didn’t turn from them any more than he’d turn from a pack of feral dogs.
The truck dragged on another twenty feet and then the driver gave it the gas. One of the boys in the back tossed an empty bottle in Kelly’s direction and it smashed in the crater of a pothole. “
¡Maricón!
” the boy yelled and the others all laughed.
FIFTEEN
K ELLY PAID HIS RENT REGULARLY and on time, which was more than many could afford even with a steady job. The men who ran the
maquiladoras
liked to say that they paid more than the average worker could ever hope to make outside the factory and that was true, but factors balanced out when apartment space grew short and prices for food and rent rose.
The landlord didn’t seem to care where the money came from so long as it came, so he didn’t bother Kelly back when he mounted his heavy bag on the balcony. Nor did he come around when Kelly bought a metal pipe from a scrapyard and figured out a way to make a pull-up bar out of it with nails and screws.
Today it was nearly one hundred degrees and the air was paper dry. Kelly perspired putting the pipe up, but he never felt hot; his sweat wicked away almost as quickly as it came.
He didn’t hear Paloma at the front door or her key in the lock. He saw her shadow against the window and got down from the milk crate he used as a stepladder. “Hey,” he said, “come see.”
She came onto the balcony looking pretty and tanned and smelling faintly of something sweet. Kelly grabbed the pipe and did a half pull-up to show off. The pipe stayed in place.
“I thought you were going to that gym,” Paloma said.
“Yeah, but I want to get more workout time at home.” Kelly wiped his face with the back of his arm. His skin felt hot. “You thirsty? I got some Gatorade in the fridge.”
Kelly served up lemonade-flavored Gatorade in plastic glasses.His refrigerator was clean inside and the cabinets in the kitchenette were neat.
They retired to the couch. Paloma watched him over the rim of her glass. “How do you feel?” she asked.
“Good. It’s working out.”
“When are you going to fight?”
“I don’t know. I have to talk with Ortíz.”
Paloma frowned. “Why Ortíz?”
Kelly looked back over his shoulder to the balcony. He could just see the pipe. It could take his weight, so now he just had to get out there and use it. “Urvano doesn’t have the juice to get me booked in sanctioned fights.”
“And Ortíz does?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“You should stay away from him, Kelly.”
“Don’t start with that again.”
“You don’t know the things about him that I know.”
“Then tell me.”
Paloma shook her head. “It’s not time for that. Just… stay with Urvano. He’s a good man. Not like Ortíz. And besides, Ortíz won’t be around for much longer.”
“How’s that?”
“When people find out what he’s into, he’ll be gone.”
“How are people going to find out? You going to tell them?”
“Maybe.”
Kelly rubbed his eyes and pushed away a burgeoning headache. “You’re just talking crazy. I was thinking I could fight under another name. Ortíz has some pull with the right people; he can get them to book me without too many questions.”
“I’m telling you, Kelly, Ortíz knows all the
wrong
people.”
“Will you cut it out? All I need to do is make it in. That’s the hard part.”
Paloma nodded as if to herself. She put her empty glass aside. “You can do it,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She leaned in to kiss him and everything else fell away. Kelly found wells of that sweet smell behind Paloma’s ears and at the base of her neck and she breathed deeply when he kissed them. In the bedroom he lay her back and went between her legs with lips and tongue, tasting salt and wetness and feeling the heat of her. She was still trembling when he moved on top of her and pushed his way inside.
After they lay on the bed facing each other. Kelly traced the curve of her hip
The truck dragged on another twenty feet and then the driver gave it the gas. One of the boys in the back tossed an empty bottle in Kelly’s direction and it smashed in the crater of a pothole. “
¡Maricón!
” the boy yelled and the others all laughed.
FIFTEEN
K ELLY PAID HIS RENT REGULARLY and on time, which was more than many could afford even with a steady job. The men who ran the
maquiladoras
liked to say that they paid more than the average worker could ever hope to make outside the factory and that was true, but factors balanced out when apartment space grew short and prices for food and rent rose.
The landlord didn’t seem to care where the money came from so long as it came, so he didn’t bother Kelly back when he mounted his heavy bag on the balcony. Nor did he come around when Kelly bought a metal pipe from a scrapyard and figured out a way to make a pull-up bar out of it with nails and screws.
Today it was nearly one hundred degrees and the air was paper dry. Kelly perspired putting the pipe up, but he never felt hot; his sweat wicked away almost as quickly as it came.
He didn’t hear Paloma at the front door or her key in the lock. He saw her shadow against the window and got down from the milk crate he used as a stepladder. “Hey,” he said, “come see.”
She came onto the balcony looking pretty and tanned and smelling faintly of something sweet. Kelly grabbed the pipe and did a half pull-up to show off. The pipe stayed in place.
“I thought you were going to that gym,” Paloma said.
“Yeah, but I want to get more workout time at home.” Kelly wiped his face with the back of his arm. His skin felt hot. “You thirsty? I got some Gatorade in the fridge.”
Kelly served up lemonade-flavored Gatorade in plastic glasses.His refrigerator was clean inside and the cabinets in the kitchenette were neat.
They retired to the couch. Paloma watched him over the rim of her glass. “How do you feel?” she asked.
“Good. It’s working out.”
“When are you going to fight?”
“I don’t know. I have to talk with Ortíz.”
Paloma frowned. “Why Ortíz?”
Kelly looked back over his shoulder to the balcony. He could just see the pipe. It could take his weight, so now he just had to get out there and use it. “Urvano doesn’t have the juice to get me booked in sanctioned fights.”
“And Ortíz does?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“You should stay away from him, Kelly.”
“Don’t start with that again.”
“You don’t know the things about him that I know.”
“Then tell me.”
Paloma shook her head. “It’s not time for that. Just… stay with Urvano. He’s a good man. Not like Ortíz. And besides, Ortíz won’t be around for much longer.”
“How’s that?”
“When people find out what he’s into, he’ll be gone.”
“How are people going to find out? You going to tell them?”
“Maybe.”
Kelly rubbed his eyes and pushed away a burgeoning headache. “You’re just talking crazy. I was thinking I could fight under another name. Ortíz has some pull with the right people; he can get them to book me without too many questions.”
“I’m telling you, Kelly, Ortíz knows all the
wrong
people.”
“Will you cut it out? All I need to do is make it in. That’s the hard part.”
Paloma nodded as if to herself. She put her empty glass aside. “You can do it,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She leaned in to kiss him and everything else fell away. Kelly found wells of that sweet smell behind Paloma’s ears and at the base of her neck and she breathed deeply when he kissed them. In the bedroom he lay her back and went between her legs with lips and tongue, tasting salt and wetness and feeling the heat of her. She was still trembling when he moved on top of her and pushed his way inside.
After they lay on the bed facing each other. Kelly traced the curve of her hip
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