The goon paces the conference room like a caged animal. When we have confirmation Müeller and his men are gone, the three of us walk into the conference room and close the door. Rodrigo closes all the blinds and Marco sweeps for cameras. The goon is frozen in place now, staring with petrified eyes. It’s almost funny.
“All clear,” Marco informs me.
I step toward the goon. “You made a big mistake,” I tell him. He doesn’t say anything as I pull out my gun and hold it at my side. “No one touches my family and gets away with it.”
Rodrigo fires a shot, shooting the goon in the foot. He falls to the floor, screaming and grabbing his bloody shoe. Marco takes a shot from behind me and gets him in the arm. Now the goon has no idea which limb to cradle. He looks like a fish out of water thrashing around.
“I’m sorry, Sir. I promise to never do anything like that again.” He’s crying, blubbering, and begging me to spare his life. I laugh at the sheer stupidity before me. The fucker pretended to not know English. This ridiculous excuse for a human being thinks he’s going to walk away from this room. He held a gun to my wife’s head. No one is ever going to do that and get away with it.
“You held a gun to my wife’s head. Do you really think you’re not going to pay?” I ask.
“It was a miscommunication. I didn’t know Müeller had made a deal with you,” he says.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Please, Sir. I didn’t mean to disrespect you or your wife.”
His pathetic sobbing and begging is getting on my nerves. I point my gun and place a bullet between his eyes. Blood splatters the wall behind him, making it look like a paintbrush exploded. His body slumps over. I take a step forward and put a bullet in his chest, just to be sure. This fucker doesn’t deserve to take another breath.
“Nice job,” Rodrigo says.
I smirk at him.
The three of us walk out of the room. We keep our guns drawn in case of any unexpected surprises as we make our way to the car. We quickly get in and it moves away from the building. Amelia grabs my arm and pulls me close to her.
“I was so scared. I’m relieved you’re safe.” I bring my hand up to her cheek and place my forehead to hers.
“I love you,” I say, kissing her.
“I love you, too.”
I look away from Amelia to check on Isabel. She’s sitting quietly next to Marco. My eyes scan over her for any injuries but don’t see anything.
“Isabel, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
She looks at me and smiles. “No. They treated me well, all things considered. Thank you for coming to get me.”
I laugh. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re Amelia’s sister, which makes you my sister. I’ll always protect you and your whole family.” Her smile gets wider as she looks at Amelia.
“You’re very lucky.”
“I know it,” Amelia responds, winking at her.
“Thank you all for working so hard to make sure I’m safe,” she looks at Rodrigo and Marco when she says this.
“Like Santiago said, you’re family,” Rodrigo reminds her.
Marco nods but doesn’t say a word. I take Amelia’s hand in mine and the rest of the ride to the plane is quiet.
Chapter 17
Amelia
Hours later, we’re heading toward my family’s home. Isabel is excited to be back home, and I’m relieved to be able to return her safely. I couldn’t live with myself if she got hurt because of my husband’s business. I trust Santiago and I know he’ll do everything in his power to keep me and my family safe. But I’m not naïve. I know it’s impossible. It’s a risk I took the moment I chose to be with him. Things with Isabel could’ve been much worse, and I know I could’ve been hurt, too.
Santiago acted quickly and got us out of harm’s way. I don’t know the details of what happened after we left the building, but I’m pretty sure Santiago killed him. I shiver at the thought but understand it’s business. It needed to happen. Santiago squeezes my hand and it’s as if he knows what I’m thinking.
We pull up to my family home. Mama and Papa are waiting outside for us. Isabel barely let the car come to a stop before jumping out and running to them. Santiago and I join her a minute later. Tight hugs go on for the next few minutes. Santiago takes a step back and watches all of it, smiling. Papa breaks away long enough to open his arm up for Santiago to join us, and he does. I feel his strong arms wrap around me and I can’t help the joy I feel.
Moments later, we break apart and head into the house. Mama sets some appetizers on the dining room table that we are all sitting at.
“Santiago, thank you for all you did to bring Isabel home,” Papa says.
“Thank you isn’t necessary. We’re family and we do for each other.” Santiago squeezes my thigh under the table. “Amelia didn’t get married in the traditional way, but I’ve fallen in love with her. She’s the best thing to happen to me. On our wedding day, I was already in love with her. So, with that, my love extends to all of you.” My heart swells at his words.
“Leonardo and I have always loved you, Santiago. We’re honored you’re our son-in-law. Thank you for loving our daughter. Please know we’re here for you and your family as well. If there is ever anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Mama says.
“Thank you, Senhora.”
“No more with the senhor and senhora. We are Serafina and Leonardo.”
Santiago nods at her.
For the next hour, all of us talk, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s comfortable and normal. Santiago and I haven’t had this since our wedding and it just occurred to me how important it is to connect sometimes. I’m going to request we have a family dinner once a week, whether it’s here or at our house with Rodrigo, Marco, and Julia too.
My father stands and asks to speak to Santiago alone in his office. I don’t ask questions. I know Papa needs to know what happened. Papa needs to be sure no one will be targeting this family. They retreat to the office and I help Mama clean up the table. Mama is putting away the leftovers as I bring them from the table. She places her hand on mine when I bring in the last of the food.
“I’m so happy you and Santiago are happy,” she states.
I smile. “I love him more than I thought I ever would. When you and Papa told me about the promise, I was angry. I decided I would make the best of it, even if we had to stay far away from each other. It turns out we enjoy each other’s company and spend as much time as we can together. I was already in love with him on our wedding day. Of course, we hadn’t admitted it yet, but the feelings were there. I don’t regret marrying him.”
“That’s wonderful. You deserve it.”
We finish up in the kitchen and I ask Mama to share some of her recipes with me. We entertain ourselves until Papa and Santiago walk into the kitchen twenty minutes later.
“Querida, we need to get going. It’s been a long few days, and we need to get some rest,” Santiago says.
“Yes, I’m tired.” I stand. We say our goodbyes and head out. The drive home is quick and quiet. The craziness of the last few days caught up with us and we’re exhausted. As soon as we get home, we retreat to our bedroom.
Once we’re lying in bed, my back to Santiago’s front, I make sure he knows how grateful I am for making sure my sister got home safely.
“What I told your parents earlier is the truth. Your family is now mine. I’ll protect all of you as best I can,” he says, his arms bringing me tighter up against him.
“I love you.”
“And I love you.”
Chapter 18
Santiago
The next two weeks are quiet. Business continues, but it’s running smoothly. The last couple of weeks have been rough. Amelia and I needed a little quiet time. Amelia’s been hard at work balancing the accounts for the business and getting to know how things work.
My brothers and I have been busy making sure the business is running without any hiccups and ev
ery one of my father’s associates know that I’m now in charge. There are parts of our business that just found out about my father’s passing. I’ve had phone conference after phone conference reassuring business associates everything will stay as my father was running it. Rodrigo and Marco will be here any minute to discuss any new business.
A knock comes from the door and Rodrigo pokes his head in. “Come in,” I tell him. Rodrigo strides in and takes a seat in one of the two chairs in front of my desk. “How are things today?”
As usual, he’s dressed impeccably in his suit. “Quiet. I hate quiet,” he says, and I laugh. “It makes me nervous when things are quiet.”
“I know, but quiet allows us to take a breath and regroup. A lot has gone on lately and we need the time to get our heads on straight.”
Another knock comes from the door. Marco comes in and sits next to Rodrigo. “What’s going on?” Marco asks.
“Nothing. I was just saying I hate it when things are quiet,” Rodrigo says.
“I don’t like it either, but I need a breather,” Marco sighs as he rubs his forehead.
“That’s exactly what Santiago was just saying.”
I sit back in my chair and rest my elbows on the arm rests. Bringing my hands up, I steeple my fingers. “Is there any new business?”
“No. Everything has been running smoothly,” Rodrigo informs me.
“Agreed. All of our contacts have been responsive and no issues with payment,” Marco adds.
My phone rings and I answer.
“Sir, you need to get to the warehouse now. Polícia Judicíaria has just intercepted one of our containers. The container just arrived on one of the cargo ships. This container contains items for the grocery store, not our other supply. They want to open the container,” Tiago spits out quickly.
“Let them know we’re on our way. Is there a specific reason they want to look?” I ask.
“They received a call from the Criminal Investigations Police in New York saying there may be some criminal activity in the container.”
“Understood,” I say, hanging up. I stand, throwing a frustrated look at my brothers. “Let’s go. I’ll fill you in on the way there.” I reach into my desk drawer and pull out a piece of paper, dropping it into my coat pocket before the three of us head out.
Ten minutes later, we arrive at the warehouses. On the ride over, I briefed my brothers and called Bento Cabral for an inventory of what was in the container. He emailed me a packing slip for reference. My brothers will be working on finding out who tipped off the police while I work on getting them off of our backs. I’m relieved this container is legit or things would be getting really sticky right now. I need to know why Tiago is acting the way he is. He knows better.
I step out of the car and meet Tiago and Gustavo. They brief me on what the Polícia are saying. Both of them are nervously talking and I put my hand up.
“The container is fine. Relax,” I tell them, forcing them to shut up. I start toward the officer and they follow. When I reach the officer, I stretch my hand out. “Good morning, Officer. I’m Santiago Almeida, the owner of the container in question.”
The officer shakes my hand. “We need to open and inspect the merchandise, Mr. Almeida.”
“I understand. Go ahead.”
“Who are the two men behind you? They were very insistent that I do not touch the container without you being present.” The officer is piercing me with his eyes. He’s looking for a reason to make trouble for me.
I smile and introduce them.
“This is Tiago, and this is Gustavo. They are my business associates. They make sure my business is running smoothly. They’re doing what I pay them to do.”
The officer nods. “It will be a few minutes. I need an agent of the Autoridade Tributária to open the container and inspect it.” The officer picks up the phone and dials some numbers. Meanwhile, his eyes never leave the three of us. For years, these officers have tried relentlessly to find something on us. They’ve never been successful and they’re bitter about it.
“Yes, Sir. Understood.”
The three of us walk back to the car and I look at Tiago. “You need to calm down. The container is all groceries, nothing to worry about.” Tiago visibly relaxes. “They can do a complete investigation of the container. Cabral sent me a packing slip and assured me the container has nothing to worry about. You know Cabral always gives us the heads up when a shipment needs our interception.”
“I know, but lately things have been a little insane. Nothing would surprise me at this point,” Gustavo says.
“Yes, but you brought attention to us. The officer is suspicious based on the way the two of you handled the situation. I’m not pleased.”
Both men shut their mouths and wait for me to continue.
“Remaining calm in all situations is how we have credibility. If you act like you both just did, there is cause for suspicion. If you can’t handle this job, I can find someone else to replace you. Believe me, it can and will happen if you don’t stop this shit.” My warning rings loud and clear.
“Yes, Sir,” they say in unison.
“We’re ready for you,” the officer calls out to us. I give a stern look to Tiago and Gustavo as we make our way over to the container.
An hour later, every single pallet of food and drink has been unloaded from the container and inspected. Of course, nothing was found, and we are cleared. I showed the officer and inspectors my business license, and all the contents were released back into my possession.
“Get this inventory to this warehouse,” I tell the men and head back to the car.
Chapter 19
Santiago
Rodrigo, Marco, and I walk into the office in the warehouse bay we have. We are discussing how to handle Tiago and Gustavo’s behavior today. Meanwhile, the merchandise in the container is being brought in for storage until it’s sent to the store. I look through the window in the office and watch how Tiago and Gustavo nervously move around.
“They could have cost us this shipment,” I tell them.
“I understand, but this shipment was nothing,” Marco says. I turn and shake my head.
“There’s a million dollars’ worth of heroine hidden in some of those packages,” I tell them.
Rodrigo starts to laugh and Marco stares at me.
“What the fuck?” Marco says.
“I didn’t tell Tiago and Gustavo because I wanted this shipment to go off without a hitch, yet here we are. They have been doing this for us for a long time. Why the hell did they act like that today?” I ask them. Neither of my brothers has an answer.
“What are you thinking?” Rodrigo asks.
“I think they need to be taught a lesson they’ll never forget,” I state, turning to watch the men loading the warehouse. “They know better.”
“Agreed, but what do you want to do?” Marco asks.
“Follow my lead.” They follow me out of the office. I dismiss all the other men so only Tiago and Gustavo are left alone with the three of us.
“Sir,” Tiago starts.
“Shut up!” I growl. I step closer until I’m in his face. “What the fuck were you thinking today? How many times have you intercepted shipments for my organization?”
“Many,” he says.
“Then why were you acting like that today?”
“I don’t know. I panicked when they wanted to get customs involved. Customs has never gotten involved in the inspection.”
“I’m disappointed and angry. You were hired because you were exceptional at this job.” I look at Gustavo. “You too. I never expected either one of you to do what you did today. I should fire both of you, but I won’t.”
I step back and walk toward a pallet holding boxes of cereal. Pulling out my pocketknife, I cut the tape holding the pallet secure, then grab one of the cereal boxes and dump the contents on the floor. I look up at the two men “Because of your foolishness, we almost lost a million dollars’ worth of heroin and we co
uld’ve ended up in jail.”
“Fuck,” Gustavo mumbles.
Tiago looks like he’s about to fall to the ground in tears.
“Now, how do you suppose I handle this situation?” I ask.
“Sir, I assure you it will never happen again,” Gustavo pleads.
“I know it won’t. I need to be sure you remember though.”
The two men exchange a look before looking back at me. I quickly pull out my gun and shoot Gustavo in the pinkie toe of his right foot. He screams, immediately falls to the ground, and grabs for his foot. Blood covers his entire shoe and hands. I look at Tiago, whose face has gone pale. I shoot Tiago in the pinkie toe of his left foot. Tiago is now on the ground, holding his bloody foot. I holster my gun and look back at my brothers.
“Take care of this mess. I have business to tend to.” I walk to the door and turn back around. “Cross me again and I promise I won’t be so nice next time. I consider you both family and you’ve been with me a long time but don’t underestimate me.”
Later, I walk into Amelia’s office. She sits behind her desk, buried in a huge binder. She looks up when I enter, a disturbed expression on her face. She doesn’t smile and waves me over.
“You need to see this,” she says as I come around the desk. She points to the spreadsheet open on her computer. It shows a deficit of almost five hundred thousand dollars. “I was leaving the grocery store for last. But when you said you were going to deal with a shipment, I decided to make sure the books with the store were good. When I started plugging in numbers, the deficit appears, but it shows as a gain in the handwritten books. I thought I made a mistake and ran the numbers three times. This is only for this year alone.”
“Are you telling me five hundred thousand dollars was stolen?” I ask.
“Yes, I believe so. Ten thousand in five thousand dollar, increments were added to certain things but not summed in the final total,” she explains.
“Does it say who was doing the books?” I ask.
Santiago: The Almeida Brothers Trilogy Book One: Social Rejects Syndicate Page 7