Love y Lucha

Part 6

Even though Paco probably stood a whole foot taller than Señor Hernandez, he couldn't help but feel intimidated as they walked in near silence from the office to the arena. He felt like he was in trouble somehow, that he had misused the man's trust. He had felt el Señor's eyes burning through him as they had discussed the coming show at the desk, and felt obligated to push his infatuation with Rita out of his mind. It was true Paco had jeopardized his relationship with both of them by indulging his mutual attraction to Rita, and explanations ran through his head with each passing step in case el Señor brought it up, but he never did. It was a blessing and a curse at the same time.

Paco took him through the introductions with the rest of the luchadoras, Estrella Linda and Roxanne, las técnicas, and big tease Sandra Q, who it turned out was in her first year in the ring. Tani, the obvious ruda, kept her distance, but Paco knew it was simply so she could observe better.

Once el Señor had indulged a few minutes of small talk, he excused himself to return to the office. El Chivo had come out of the woodwork to take his place, and the girls surrounded him, laughing and shit talking.

All except Tani. She eased up beside him, pretending to stretch against the ropes. "You and that girl," she said. "You've got a thing going on?"

"Leave it alone," he urged. "How do you even know?"

"She looks at you the way I used to look at you," Tani said. "With jealousy."

"No."

"Ay, Paco, breaking hearts everywhere you go. What happens when she realizes you have no time for her once you hit the road?"

"I don't know. None of your business anyway," he replied. "I haven't thought about it that far."

"You never do," Tani chided. "Well, maybe you're just the flavor of the month for her too. She seems like the type."

"Cállate, Brujita." He didn't like the seeds of doubt she was trying to put in his head. He remembered the ravenous kisses Rita had planted on him that night. Were they the result of passion that had brimmed over from someone whose life had been all work and no play for way too long, or the forward actions of someone well experienced in making the first move?

A strange atmosphere came over the arena, apparent when El Chivo and the girls stopped talking. Paco craned his head around towards the entrance.

"Another blast from the past," he said. "Bienvenido, Alberto."

Alberto Araya, otherwise known as Inca King, stood at the base of the ring, his face like it was carved out of stone, sharp edges of a wide bridge nose and broad jaw, his long mouth cracking into a smile.

"El Hijo," he said.

He strode past the other luchadores who were now purposely receding into the outskirts of the ring, packing up shop like a town in the Old West. Coming down the stairs, he came face to face with his former opponent.

"Nice hair," Paco said amicably.

"Agh," Alberto said like it was more a nuisance, his long black hair, like corn silk, hanging loose over his shoulders. "That look is working for you, too."

Paco nodded, smiling. "I don't remember calling La Ele."

"You didn't."

"He's a free agent now," Tani said behind him. "Like me."

Paco felt cornered suddenly. Tani had been one thing, but Inca King was more than coincidence. Two incarnations from his past with La Ele, two spies for El Rey. Paired with the kid with the picture of El Devioso from opening night, and Paco knew he wasn't just paranoid.