J Roars by Emily Eck Read Free Book Online Page A

could communicate to each other. He'd even set up a search function so you could enter a zip code or any identifying landmark if an address wasn't possible. Once we had the coordinates, we sent them to one another. Upon receiving the coordinates, we'd punch them into the devices Son had rigged up for us, and it worked backwards to spit out the exact or nearest location the other person was at.
    I knew something about technology, but Dig was still living in the dark ages. I think this is why Son made sure to go over everything with his dad almost daily, to make sure he understood how to use it, and to use it to its fullest potential to keep us safe and the plan running smoothly. Or maybe he did it daily because it drove his dad crazy. Eh, either way, Son hooked us up. This was how I was able to have my empty burner phone with Elle's pictures. It was my untraceable photo album.
    Son came up with the idea the first night I'd met up with him and Dig to talk about Dig's plan. Elle was still in the hospital, and I was carrying around Gram's ring. I had it on my pinky finger, twirling it around, wallowing in remorse. Fucker used my pain to come up with a brilliant idea. Guess I couldn't hate on him for it. Especially since it allowed me to locate them in Little Rock, where I headed straight to after leaving Elle at Chris' house.
    We met up in a gas station, pissed, and hit the road for San Antonio. We'd stop off there for a few nights and then stay in Monterrey, Mexico until after the first of the month when Burns' drugs didn't get delivered to him. The Zetas kept residence outside of Ciudad Victoria, a city just south of Monterrey, but felt it safer and less conspicuous for us to stay in Monterrey due to its massive size and population. It's not like we blended in exactly, but we were less obvious in a bustling metropolis than a smaller city like Ciudad Victoria.
    The drive was just what I needed. There was nothing like the open road to help clear your head. Though my time with Elle had been brief, I'd felt a sliver of hope that we'd be OK. She said she'd wait, that she couldn't love anyone else.  I wanted to ask her about José, to grill her for every detail of what happened on that dance floor. I didn't though, knowing that whatever happened, she'd chosen me in the end. I was going to give her Gram's ring, do it soldier style, before Chris arrived. I guess it's what the universe wanted or else my plan wouldn't have been cut short, or at least that's what Gramps would say. It wasn't time for Elle to have the ring.
    We met up with Jorge and Beto in San Antonio. They would head to Missouri to handle things once shit popped off—when Burns didn't get his drugs. Dig had Fret come to San Antonio at one point to meet the Zetas he'd be working with. Everyone was skeptical of everyone, so in-person introductions became routine. I forgot when Dig had Fret down to San Antonio, probably on a day I was wallowing hard enough to not remember their meet-up. Those days had been frequent, but I hoped I could get through this next leg of the plan with my head in the game a bit better, if nothing else than for Dig. He saw the distance I put up, not wanting to let anyone too close to my pain. No reason for everyone to be pulled into the pit of despair I'd been existing in. Maybe knowing Elle loved me and was willing to hang in there until I returned would allow me to be a better right hand man to Dig.
    We eventually left San Antonio and the English language behind, and headed to Mexico. Jorge had hooked us up with a quinta —what I interpreted to be a cabin-like summer house, on the east side of the city, more so on the outskirts of Monterrey. It wasn't far from the heart of the city, yet it was isolated enough to keep us under the radar. The first few days in Mexico, Dig forbade Son from going out trolling for women, instead telling him he needed to stay on top of our technological situation. I wasn't sure what our "technological situation" was,