“Just roll down your window and don’t burn my seats,” I warned. “What’s a teniente?”
“A lieutenant. They’re just under the boss, who’s called the capo, and each has his own section throughout whatever territory the cartel has in its grasp. From what I gathered, Dantes is a teniente.”
“That’s not good, is it?” I said, the hollow feeling in my stomach giving way to a leaden sensation.
“Well, not in as much as he’s got his fingers in almost the whole pie of the operation, but it doesn’t mean he’s without resources. He should have a whole team of people under him. Of course, it also makes him a prime target for law enforcement and rival factions.”
“So, what you’re telling me is if I somehow came to terms with what he does and could find a way to accept it, I’d still have to live in fear of something happening to take him away from me, whether through jail time or death.”
“In a nutshell,” Carmen replied before slipping the cigarette she’d been holding between her lips and lighting it with a slim, gold lighter.
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?” I asked angrily. “Didn’t you think it was worth sharing?”
“Slow down, Mia. I only just put everything together from bits and pieces I overheard from my father, then seeing him in Dantes’ office tonight. Before now, it was all suspicion.”
“Still you could have shared with me,” I ground out unhappily.
“You live in a world viewed through rose-colored glasses. I doubt you’d have believed me if I tried to explain it to you.”
As much as I hated to admit it, she wasn’t wrong. Hadn’t my own family tried to warn me? I didn’t even care whether it was true. Now, knowing for certain, I didn’t know what to do. My morals rebelled against the idea of having anything to do with criminal life, but I also couldn’t picture my life without Dantes. I was intrinsically tied to him, and I didn’t have the strength to turn my back and walk away. My sense of self-preservation—and obviously, my sense of right and wrong—weren’t strong enough, even if he had shattered my heart tonight. He could send me away, but I wouldn’t stay gone forever, as pathetic as that might be.
We drove the rest of the way to my apartment in silence. I was lost, my whole world having been upended in one visit to The Pistol. I’d expected to take Dantes by surprise, to force him to be upfront with me, but instead, I’d been dealt a blow, finding my father there. Did my mother know he was striking a deal with a cartel? Did Hayley? I parked my car and climbed out, motioning to Carmen to do the same.
“I’m going to have several glasses of wine. Stay or go, I really don’t care. Everyone I’ve ever cared about has let me down within the space of a week, so I’m going to spend the rest of the night self-medicating.”
“I’ll stay,” she replied meekly. “You shouldn’t be alone.”
“Whatever,” I replied as I shoved my front door open.
We killed the first bottle in no time flat. I was secretly glad Carmen had decided to stay, even though I was just as fed up with her as I was with everything else in my life. I wasn’t ready to be alone, so her presence wasn’t entirely unwanted. Her eerie calm in the face of finding out her own father was crooked was also comforting. Hearing her talk, she wasn’t shocked; she’d overheard enough in her house to suspect him over the years. She’d never put her father on a pedestal like I had mine. He might have treated me like a child, but I still held him in the highest respect for being a strong influence and role model in the community. I swallowed the last of the wine in my glass and tried to push my shattered illusions out of my head.
Carmen reached for the remaining bottle, but her increasing intoxication left her clumsy and uncoordinated. Instead of picking it up, she knocked it over, spilling the rest of the bottle onto the coffee table between us. Thanking God, I had hardwood floors rather than carpeting, I stood to retrieve a roll of paper towels. Before I made it to my tiny kitchenette, the doorbell rang. I looked at Carmen, wondering who the hell would be at my door at three in the morning.
“My guess is it’s either Dantes or our dads,” she half-slurred. “Might as well get this over with. Let them in.”
When I reached the door, I tried to look out the peephole, but it was too dark to see anything. The light in the hallway of the old warehouse building was always going out. I’d complained a million times to management, but they ever seemed concerned enough to check the wiring, taking the cheaper route of just replacing the bulbs. Certain Carmen was right, I opened the door a crack, thinking I’d find any one of the men in question waiting to speak to me.
Before I could identify the silhouette of a tall, muscular man, I was stunned when he shoved hard on the door, slamming it into my head and knocking me to the floor. Three guys rushed into the room, the first one leaning down and grabbing a fistful of my hair to lift me back to my feet. Swinging my arms wildly, I tried to connect with any part of my attacker I could. He pushed me away roughly when my fist came down on the bridge of his nose. I Toppling over, I crashed into a side table. I tried to scramble away, to get to my phone on the coffee table, but he was on me in a flash. We wrestled as I scratched and kicked, doing my best to head butt him, but I was no match for his brawny strength.
The other two men had gone straight for Carmen, pulling her off the sofa and attempting to restrain her, but she wasn’t having any of it, either. One man had her arms pulled behind her, but she kicked her legs frantically, trying to keep the other man away from her as she struggled to break free.
Vases, knickknacks, and picture frames were jostled out of place and came crashing to the floor in shattered heaps as we tussled around the room. I screamed as loud as I could, hoping to alert one of the other tenants to call for help, but no one came. The man trying to subdue me slapped his hand over my mouth. Seeing my chance, I bit down hard, tasting the copper tang as I drew blood. He yanked his hand back, shaking it as he looked at me angrily.
“You’ll pay for that,” he said, drawing back his arm before he punched me in the face. My vision swam as I saw stars, the heat of a new bruise swelling over my cheekbone. He drew back one more time, then landed a blow on my temple. The room went black, just as I realized I’d seen the man somewhere before.
19
Dantes
“I thought you said we’d have privacy for this meeting,” Sheriff Bernard hissed.
“Both your daughters were forbidden from coming here,” Oscar replied. “Their appearance tonight took us off guard, as well.”
“Where the hell is Tomás?” I growled as I sat back in my chair. “He’s supposed to be guarding the door. I can’t imagine two little women overtook him.”
“I’ll go find out,” Oscar said with a lift of his chin before hustling out the office door.
“I’ll help smooth the situation over with Mia, Sheriff. However, we still have business to conclude,” I said, trying to keep up the bravado of a high-ranking cartel member when all I wanted to do was rush after Mia.
“Where did they go? Did you take them already?” Cisneros asked, the tension rising in his voice.
“No, they simply left. However, if you don’t begin to privately support our endeavors and provide cover against the Soldados, that’s still a real possibility. I’d hate to see that happen.”
“You claimed you had nothing but good intentions toward Mia,” Sheriff Barnard spat. “How would abducting her be in her best interests?”
“It’s not my call, it’s El Tuerto’s. This is his offer to you, and his warning about the consequences should you choose not to play ball with us.”
Bernard sat there stewing while I gave him time to come to terms with his predicament. I was fuming Mia had shown up again—Carmen clearly had too much influence over her. The criminal in me found the timing of her appearance advantageous though, it underscored the urgency of cooperating to the Sheriff. The man who was in love with her was in a near panic.
“Fine. I’ll direct the force to intensify their investigation
of Luís Mendoza’s activities, while subtly discouraging any further attention on the Desalmados. Just remember, you need to provide cover for me, as well. The election is in just a few months. If I don’t win, you lose your strongest allies in the city.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be taken care of, financially and professionally. Just keep the Soldados in check, or better yet, shut them down.” The two lawmen stood to their feet as Oscar returned to the room.
“See them out, Oscar. I’m going out to try to defuse the situation with Mia and Carmen. I probably won’t be back tonight.”
As the men shuffled back to the club’s entrance, I pocketed my wallet and keys. I didn’t know how I’d be able to disguise the reason I had Mia’s father in my office, but I figured I’d come up with something on the spot. Or just maybe, I’d tell her the truth and see how everything shook out.
When I arrived at Mia’s loft, my stomach sank to my shoes when I found her door ajar. Reaching beneath my jacket, I drew my Taurus from its holster. I always had a round chambered, but I double checked just in case. I slowly pushed the door open with my foot, peering inside before entering the room.
It was a disaster. There were shards of glass and ceramic everywhere, even a few shredded canvases tossed around the room. The furniture was completely askew, with a side table upended and two of the legs broken off. My blood ran cold when I saw small splotches of red on the cement floor. I bent and drew my fingertips through the glistening wetness, rubbing it between them and my thumb. I gave a small prayer of thanks there wasn’t more of it, but the beast inside me was already screaming for vengeance, even though I had no idea whose blood it was.
I was grateful the apartment was one giant room, save for the tiny bathroom just off to the side. I quietly eased my way toward it, checking inside to make sure it, too, was as empty as the main room. Finding no one, I holstered my gun and pulled out my cellphone, calling Arturo.
“I need your ear to the ground, pronto,” I said when he answered. “Mia Bernard and Carmen Cisneros are missing. I just arrived at Mia’s place, and it’s trashed, no sign of them anywhere. Find them,” I barked before ending the call. I knew Arturo would jump into action. Then, I called the sheriff. He had resources he could quickly mobilize. I assured myself, between our two forces, we’d find them.
“The girls are gone,” I informed Bernard as soon as I heard his voice.
“What do you mean? I agreed to help you!” he said, sounding equal parts angry and frightened.
“It wasn’t us. The only logical conclusion is the Soldados are responsible. They obviously had similar ideas and want to persuade you to take their side.”
“I’m just supposed to take your word for it?” the sheriff ground out. “You’ve hardly earned my full faith and trust tonight, Belisario.”
“Your opinion of my character aside, your daughter is missing. If I had anything to do with it, my call to you would be with a list of demands, not a warning.”
“If the Soldados have my daughter as you suspect, what choice do I have but to jump to their side?” he asked, his voice raspy and harsh.
“You have El Tuerto’s entire organization at your back for this, as well as your own force you can put to finding them. I already have someone investigating who’s directly responsible. I vow to you, whoever has your daughter will pay with their life. If either girl is harmed, I will tear that entire cartel apart with my bare hands, one man at a time.”
“Not without my help,” he muttered. “As soon as you hear something, you call me. Meanwhile, I know Jose has a few deputies we can trust. We can’t let this become too widespread without risking exposure.”
“Bueno. Expect to hear something from someone in their organization shortly. When you do, call me, and I’ll tell you our next steps. We only need law enforcement to help locate the girls. Once they’re found, leave the rest to me.”
“You’re not leaving me out of this. If you find them before I do, you’d better let me know. I’m going with you to get her back.”
“Only if you allow me the same courtesy. I don’t want you reneging on our deal out of fear or worse, going on a solo rescue mission.”
“You have my word,” he replied solemnly.
“I’ll have a few halcones come by to keep an eye on the apartment until your men get here. I’ll be in touch.”
I felt like a caged tiger. I couldn’t stay in one place, pacing through the demolished living room as I called Arturo back and instructed him to send two of his compadres to the loft. There was no reason for me to stay. It wasn’t like I was going to give a statement to the police. I didn’t really need to have my guys on hand, but I felt better knowing someone would be there waiting. After pocketing my phone one more time, I left.
When I was back in the car, driving back to the club, I called El Tuerto. He’d been waiting for an update on my meeting with the sheriff. I was sure he wouldn’t be happy it had taken me so long to report back to him.
“Dantes,” he answered. “Tell me you have good news.”
“I do. The sheriff agreed to side with the Desalmados and ensure we continue to operate smoothly in the city. He’ll help keep the Soldados back and do their part to take them down legally. You don’t need to meet with Bernard yourself.”
“Fantástico,” he replied, the sound of him inhaling deeply on one of his cigars carrying over the line. “Why don’t you sound more enthusiastic about the agreement? Are you still worried about Mia? You did it; we don’t need to involve her now.”
“We don’t, but we have a problem. She and Cisneros’ daughter have gone missing. All respect Señor, but did you have anything to do with that? You didn’t have Oscar do something with them, did you?”
“Claro que no. Of course not. I agreed to give you time to try things your way. You should know better than to question my word to you.”
“I didn’t think so, but I had to ask,” I replied deferentially, though the hair on the back of my neck was standing on end. “I’m certain the Soldados had the same idea you did, hoping to sway Mia’s father and turn the tables on us.”
“Then they will pay,” he said offhandedly. El Tuerto was always ice cold. He never reacted, only carefully plotted out his next moves when something went wrong. He also knew I’d be there to fulfill whatever he wanted me to do.
“You’re working on finding them, I expect?”
“I am. I’ve already sent Arturo to investigate. The sheriff is calling in trusted reinforcements. We’ll know where they are by tomorrow night, at the latest.”
“Keep me updated. I don’t want anything to jeopardize our new partnership. I’d hate to have to remove the sheriff from the equation and start all over again with whoever takes his place.”
“Understood. I’ll be in touch,” I replied as the line went dead.
With my report given to El Tuerto and having deployed Arturo to find out more information, I was left with nothing to do. I felt inept and impotent, two words I never would have expected to use to describe myself. I was a man of action. I made things happen. I tackled and dominated every problem that came my way, but this… The feeling of helplessness only infuriated me, making the bloodthirsty killer inside me desperate to make every last one of those motherfuckers pay.
There was only one thing I could do, and that was to go straight to the top of the Soldados. I was going to pay Luís Mendoza a little visit, and if he wasn’t cooperative, I’d deal with him the same way I had his father.
I called Oscar next, instructing him to mobilize my other two sicarios and have everyone meet at my penthouse to formulate a plan for getting the girls back. I had a cache of weapons stored at my place. We could load up and go into the Mendoza compound, such as it was, with guns blazing. That’s what the warrior in me wanted to do, to annihilate everyone and eliminate any problem they posed for us. The calculating part of me reined in my violent thoughts, telling me it was time to be cunning, to outwit Mendoza, and get the girls’ location before ending his life.
Once I had that, Mendoza would take his last breath.
“So, what’s the plan? Do we just knock on the front door, then force our way inside?” Santiago, my second Sicario, asked wryly, as he loaded a clip into his gun, then holstered it.
“Hardly,” I replied as I handed him another one to keep in his pocket. “I doubt they’ve done much renovating around the Mendoza compound. That shithole is easy to get into. We’ll go in just before dawn when everyone but the guards on patrol are sleeping. We may have to do a bit of searching to get to him, but the place isn’t that big. As long as we’re not detected, we’ll be able to grab him.”
“Where’s Oscar?” Mateo, the last hitman in my group, piped up.
“With all the crap happening tonight, we almost forgot the weapons shipment was supposed to come in tonight. He offered to oversee the transactions. If the Soldados make a move to intercept it again, he’ll be ready to fight them off on that front.” The truth of the matter was I’d lost faith in Oscar. He’d proven he had no loyalty to me, only the cartel. I couldn’t trust him to act with the girls’ safety, foremost on his mind. His offer had been a welcome surprise.
“Won’t we be able to extract that information from Mendoza as well?”
“Most likely, but I keep all bases covered. You know that.” I replied as I pocketed my own set of clips. “One of the halcones is meeting us there. He’ll scale the perimeter wall and report the positions of the guards, so we can take them out. Cut their throats, if you can. Once that’s done, we’ll search the compound. If you run into anyone, I don’t care if it’s a maid, kill them. Our war with the Soldados comes to an end tonight.”
We set off for our destination in silence, each one of us mentally preparing for the challenge ahead. Normally, I’d do a lot more research ahead of time to make sure we didn’t run into any nasty surprises, but we didn’t have time on our side. We needed to locate Mia and Carmen fast.
Leave Me Breathless: The Black Rose Collection Page 130