Hector didn’t wait. He was already making his way over to the second building when Colby started the first fire.
They dashed out the rear entrance and double-timed it across the lot.
By the time the second fast food joint was ablaze, the Starbucks they’d come from was a roaring inferno. They could already see movement at the hotel.
“It’s working,” Eva said.
Moving quickly, they crossed Henry Miller Avenue and entered a broken window to begin the third and final fire. Outside, the two buildings were ablaze, filling the night sky with smoke, ash, and an orange glow.
The reaction they got, though, was different than expected.
No one approached to investigate. It was almost as if they knew it was a distraction or they’d been ordered to not leave their post. Outside, crouched down behind vehicles, Colby brought up the binoculars. “They’re not moving. Shit.”
“Would you?” Hector said. “The building is far enough away that they won’t be affected by the blaze. Three fires. Looks obvious to me.”
Colby shot him a glance. “Did you have a better idea?”
“Yeah, yeah, I did. I guarantee this will work, but you and Eva might want to get up near the bridge at the highway before I begin.”
“Aren’t you coming?”
“An old man like me will slow you down.”
Colby stared at him. “You’re going to lure them away, aren’t you?”
“Something like that.”
“No. We’ll try something else.”
“There isn’t anything else,” Hector said. “Whatever the hell they’re storing there, a few fires aren’t going to draw them away. You need to bring the fire to them. That will keep them busy.”
“And how do you expect to do that?”
“Using a 1969 International Scout,” he said with a grin.
“Yours?”
“Of course not.”
Colby offered a confused expression.
“Look, I can explain it, or you can go and wait for my signal.”
“And how will I know what that is?”
He turned away. “Oh, you’ll know.”
Colby groaned. “I don’t like the sound of this.”
Hector laughed and slapped him on the back before leaving. “We tried your way, Colby — now it's my turn. Give me twenty minutes. Tops. Head to the overpass and wait beneath it.” He took off at a crouch.
Eva frowned, confused. They waited a moment longer before making their way down Henry Miller Avenue to skirt around the back of the hotel. They stayed low and used darkness to their advantage. The blaze of the three buildings would still serve its purpose if only to keep their eyes facing west. They reached the overpass and moved sideways down a steep slope. There they waited, watching through night-vision binoculars. Eva glanced at her watch. “I appreciate you helping me.”
“Kid, I would like to say it’s because I’m a nice guy, but…” He tapped his head. “I’m not sure what kind of guy I am.”
“What you said about them beating you. Do you really not remember what happened before?”
He dipped his chin. It was frustrating. “No. It’s a blur. There are pieces. Images. Feelings. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle that’s all out of order and doesn’t make much sense.” He looked at her. “Listen, after the signal, you stay close to me. Okay? The only reason I’m bringing you in is so you can identify your sister, otherwise, you’d stay out. Even then I don’t like the idea. If everything goes south, and there is a chance you can get away, you run and don’t stop running. You hear me?” She shrugged. He took hold of her arm. “Eva. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Tell me about the woman and the dog. You said you saw them.”
“The day after the evacuation. She has dark hair. The dog is a Belgian Malinois. Does that ring a bell?” Colby nodded. The dog he could place, the woman he couldn’t. “They brought her in with a group of other women. She was holding the dog on a leash. They entered through the main entrance.”
“And?”
“That’s it. I didn’t see them come out but then again I haven’t been watching this place around the clock. I need sleep.”
“Right.”
He looked back and peered through the binoculars. “If you find your sister. Do you have any other family to go stay with?”
She nodded. “I have an aunt in Los Banos.”
As he continued to look at the hotel, Eva began to sob. Colby placed a hand on her shoulder. He didn’t need to ask. It was obvious. “I’m sorry about your parents, kid.” He wished he could say more but what was there left to say? She wasn’t the first to have lost someone. He wished he could recollect who he’d lost. Had he lost anyone? In some ways suffering from amnesia was both a blessing and a curse.
Right then, an engine roared. Colby brought up the binoculars and saw a truck barreling up the road toward the hotel. He couldn’t see anyone in the driver’s seat and yet it was moving at a fast clip.
Pop, pop, pop.
Gunfire erupted as guards at the hotel opened fire on the approaching vehicle.
They were unable to stop it. The truck plowed into the front of the hotel, and seconds later a deafening explosion followed. Debris went everywhere. Brick and glass rained down through a plume of smoke before rounds were fired, one after the other. Men at the front of the hotel scattered, seeking cover from a hidden shooter.
He couldn’t see him but Colby knew it was Hector — out there, somewhere, laying down gunfire, taking out as many as he could.
Colby tapped her leg. “You ready?”
She looked scared. He was too. They were venturing into the lion’s den with no hope of coming out alive.
“Now that’s a distraction,” Eva said.
“That’s our signal,” he replied.
“I told you he was a loon,” she added.
He chuckled and jerked his head.
They burst out of the shadows and headed toward the east side of the hotel once he saw armed men at the rear race around to help the others.
This was it, make or break.
At the rear of the hotel was a large courtyard with pathways that snaked
