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Dante knew every movement I made far too well. He was just as dangerous and ruthless as I was, only his methods of destruction were entirely different than mine. He was cautious where I was cunning. That’s why we usually worked so well together.
“What am I thinking about? Who the fucker is that is trying to slide into one of our territories.”
“Any ideas?”
“None. Yet. But it’s just a matter of time.” I fisted my hand, forcing the nervous tic to cease before moving it to the trackpad of my laptop on the other side of the desk. The reports on the overdoses barely provided any decent information, nothing that would draw me to the responsible party anyway. However, it was obvious that law enforcement had their hands full.
“I was thinking I’d head to Alaska to help out.”
I’d already toyed with the idea. While the two men I’d brought with me were savages, I might need to be in two places at one time. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”
“Incidentally, the meeting with the Brotherhood is next week.”
“You might need to go for both of us. I have no clue how long this is going to take.”
“But the party favors are secured on the ship?” he asked.
While transporting our high-quality cocaine on the cruise ship had its share of concerns, including several requests to make the boat a party cruise from the various wealthy guests headed to Alaska for whatever adventure they were seeking, our company policy prevented that from occurring.
I did have certain scruples after all.
Plus, the diamonds on board had been purchased two months before, the client paying top dollar to have them brought to Alaska.
The thought brought a slight smile to my face. “Yes, perfectly secured. Not even a goddamn drug dog could sniff out the shipment. Why are you asking?”
“Because I had an interesting call from a DEA agent yesterday.”
I sat up, staring at the iPad screen. “About what?”
“Curiosity regarding guess which drug?” Dante grinned, his eyes twinkling, which meant he’d handled the situation just fine.
“Fentanyl.”
“You got it. The dude was fishing.”
“Which means the substance is floating around in California.”
“Not floating around, bro. It’s here to stay. Word on the street is that the New Generation Cartel is back in town. I’m not sure I buy it but it’s something we need to keep abreast of.”
I could tell by his face he had something else on his mind. “But?”
“But I don’t like what else I’m hearing. There’s some activity in Colombia as well, some baggage from the past creeping in. I have a bad feeling several cartels have banded together.”
That certainly wasn’t unheard of. But usually they turned on each other, unable to play nice in the sandbox. That’s one reason the Brotherhood alliance had worked for years. There were rules, including not stepping on the other’s turf. To date, it had been honored, which had led to additional wealth and power for everyone involved. That was the only reason I’d allowed myself to remain involved.
“Does Emmanuel know?” Emmanuel Santiago was the brutal dictator of the most powerful cartel in all of South America. He was also my biological father, something learned after the death of the man I’d always believed had sired me. The secret was one that no one could ever learn, the information far too damning. While it had taken a significant amount of convincing, Dante had agreed to take Xavier Santos’ name to avoid conflict and possible death from both Emmanuel’s enemies as well as our own. We’d broken ties with the powerful Colombian, acting as if the man was an enemy while keeping the peace.
It was a dangerous scenario to be in, but the only possible outcome otherwise was the continued attack on our two syndicates. Not even the Brotherhood knew all the details. However, I was well aware that Dante had remained in contact with the man given their background together, Emmanuel once considered his godfather.
“Emmanuel does continue to keep a firm grip on everything. Do you want me to have a conversation with him?” he asked, the smirk on his face a clear indication he knew what my answer was going to be.
No matter if the man’s sperm had brought me to life, I didn’t trust him. That wasn’t my nature. “Not yet.”
“He could prove to be helpful, brother.”
“Not yet,” I snarled in repeat.
“Fine. You’re hardheaded as fuck. Do you know that? Our real father has offered his help more than once,” Dante pressed. “He’s brought us connections for the diamonds, prevented the smaller cartels from heading our way, and even provided us with advance warning when our enemies were about to arrive on our doorstep.”
