AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The woman came back with a cold Coca-Cola, and my mouth nearly watered at the sight of it.
“I thought you’d appreciate a little taste from home.” He waved off the woman, and then one of his guards closed the door and left me alone with Castillo.
“I have something very sensitive that I need your help with.”
“I’m listening.” I took a sip of the soda and let the bubbles linger on my tongue to ease my nerves.
“You’ve proven you’re trustworthy. My men report that you do an excellent job with the women.” I nodded at one of the brothers, who gave me a quick look. Nice to know I’m being watched, guys. I would address that later. “And the way you handled the situation before speaks well of your work ethic.”
“Was there any doubt?” I again used my cockiness to entertain him.
“You amuse me, Eric. Not a lot of men would be so,” he paused while he thought of the right word, “comfortable with someone in my position.”
“When you’ve got nothing to hide, and you know where your loyalty lies, it’s easy to be comfortable,” I assured him. I wanted to ease any fear he might have about me. My future depended on him, and I needed him to know I was reliable. “What is it you need help with?”
He fiddled with the cigar in his hand as he watched me from across the room. He suddenly leaned forward, pressed a button on the table, and a door opened behind him. A strange clicking noise could be heard. It became louder and louder. I looked at him while he watched my reaction. An elderly lady entered the room. She held a black cane, and I saw the darkest eyes I’d ever seen on a person. Her stark white skin looked like it had never seen the light of day. My gaze dropped to her bony ankles, which were fastened with cuffs and a thick chain.
Who the hell was this?
“Eric Noah, meet Rosa Coppola.”
What?
“As in the Coppola syndicate in Rome?”
Holy shit.
“Well, what used to be a syndicate. Things have changed now.” He looked at the old lady, and she met his eyes for a moment, her hatred burned clear, but then she dropped her eyes and looked away as she muttered something in Italian.
“Okay.” I waited for him to go on. “Why is she here?”
“She’s here to pay off a debt.”
“A debt,” I repeated as I scrambled to follow.
“All right,” he clapped his hands, “go away.” He waved her off, and she glared at me and slowly walked out of the room and the door slammed shut.
Jesus, she was creepy.
“Now to business.” He leaned toward me. “I’ve got some special girls coming over, and I need this to go very smoothly. No mess ups, you understand.” He looked directly in my eyes. His eyes were cold and sent a shiver down my spine.
“All right.” I shook it off. Why was I here? “So, why this special visit?” I gave him my own cold stare to gain some ground.
“This is not like any other drop. This is her drop, her payment for sins she brought on me.” He pointed to the door where Lucifer’s wife had emerged. “I need someone I can trust to handle this. It must go perfectly.”
I shook my head, trying to process it all.
“Can you handle this, Eric?” I looked up at him, and his eyes now sparkled with excitement. “Because I’m about to become the most wanted Cartel member who’s ever lived when I pull this off.” He leaned back and laughed so hard he nearly hacked up a lung.
He had me at most wanted.
A slow smile spread across my lips as I turned to him, and I happily joined him in his laughter. I perfectly matched his ruthless dark side.
“Fuck yeah, I’m in.”
On the drive home, I sat in silence and tuned out Alejandro’s need to chat. He wasn’t sure what had happened back at that house, but I knew he wanted to know. When we grew closer to Rosarito, I leaned forward.
“Take me to church.”
