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“Understood.”
“I trust you, Eric. Don’t let me down.”
“Have I ever?” I shot back, and he raised an eyebrow at me as he tossed his half-smoked cigar into the corner of the room and left. His entourage of men who might not be here next week followed.
I moved back toward the fan and closed my eyes with a huff.
“What we got, Eric?” Alejandro asked as he came back inside. “What did the Big Boss man want?”
“A severed head.”
* * *
I spent a good number of hours making sure I visited every piece of shit in the area where the Blackstone team had hit. I made sure my efforts were getting back to Castillo. I knew more than anything he needed to know that I had his back. He was, after all, my boss and someone I needed to remain in good graces with if I ever wanted to get to the top of the Cartel organizations. Grunt work sucked, and normally I’d send my own dipshits to do it, but Castillo asked me personally, and I was determined to make sure he saw me doing it. I knew I needed to provide someone to take the blame, since no one had been seen entering or leaving that night.
And who better than the dumbest of them all.
I dragged one of his shirts through the dust and rubble from that night. I ripped the sleeve to add to the affect. His body jiggled when I used the end of a nail to tear his skin and rip his flesh open, then I used gauze to wrap it up. I rubbed some dirt around the edges of the bandage to make it look a few days old. Then I removed his nasty shoe and pressed it into the powder for a partial print and slipped it back on. I tossed his severed head into a box and then snapped some photos of my “findings.”
I carried the box outside and wrapped it in a tarp in my trunk then headed to the meeting spot I was ordered to use once I found something.
Castillo met me at the steps of the place deep in the desert. His men scanned the horizon for any visitors.
“I hear you found my guy.”
“I did.” I popped my trunk, grabbed the box, and tossed the head on the ground.
“That was quick.”
“You gave an order, and I’m good at what I do.” He twisted his lips at my comment. I knew Castillo enjoyed a level of cockiness in his men. He didn’t want a lap dog. He needed someone who could do a job and do it well. That was me.
“Who is it?”
“A local named Juan Diaz.” I pulled out my phone and handed it to him so he could see some photos of what I found in the house. “I’ve worked with him a few times. Dumb as shit, stupid as shit, and now dead as shit.” I smirked at my poetry. “The shoe and the cut on his arm are all consistent with the house. I looked around and found a small tunnel running from under the house to a road just southeast of the property. My guess, that’s how he wasn’t seen.”
“And do you have a why for me?”
“He made a bad deal with some guys in El Salvador. When it went south, he used the only resource he had left, his cousin. His cousin lives in Washington and works near a military base. He’s got connections. One thing led to another, and Juan flipped and now feeds them info.” I took back my phone and replaced it with Juan’s. “That’s the number he used. I figured you might want it.” I watched him scroll though how many times Juan had called it. “By saving the Army team, he was promised a life in Texas. He’s to leave in four days. Well, was.” I smirked darkly.
“Well done, Eric.” He tucked the phone in his pocket. “I want to meet this cousin of his. Maybe we can encourage him to do work for us, too.”
“He’s already been contacted,” I assured him. I’d actually sent men to kill him. I didn’t need any loose ends, and I was tired of this shit and wanted to get back to moving my girls.
Castillo held out a hand, and one of his men handed him a thick envelope of cash.
“A thank you for your quick work.” He handed it to me. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Anytime.” I tossed the wad of cash on the passenger seat and started my car blasting the AC. I gave a nod before I sent a dust cloud into the air and headed back to the city.
Ty
Cole had updated Frank on the situation when we arrived home. I knew there would be a lot of questions about how it all played out. The death of those girls weighed heavily on all of us. A strangeness was in the air. A tenseness I could feel. I looked around as I approached the house and spotted a woman putting travel bags in the back of a truck. There was a vibe about her, and I knew some shit must have happened. I gave her a glance as I passed her, but she didn’t look up.
“I understand you had a rough trip.” Dr. Roberts stopped me when I stepped inside.
“It could have gone better.” I shrugged. I caught a glimpse of Keith and his son on the patio.
“Tonight’s protocol will have to be a little different, but I will ask you this.” He studied my face. “How’s your body from the blast?”
