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The Ramirez cartel has run Mexico for many, many years. Right now, the top dog of the Ramirez cartel is Alejandro Ramirez, who is the brother of his predecessor. “What sort of ripples?” What Ludvik is saying to me doesn’t make much sense at the moment. Sure, there are always small power plays in any cartel, but the Ramirezes have had their hierarchy solidified for years now.
“Well, let me ask you this first. Do you know what happened? Rather, how Alejandro gained control of the cartel?”
It takes me a moment, but things start coming to my mind immediately. “I believe Alejandro’s brother, Rafael, was killed. He’d been tied to some nefarious acts over the years. What of it?” I don’t have to tell Ludvik that Rafael was a known serial rapist, had his hands deep in human trafficking, or that he’d kill people for the hell of it. Most know of his reputation, which is how he made so many enemies. I’m sure that’s what ultimately led to his demise in the first place.
“There’s a new player throwing his name in the ring. He says he’s the rightful heir to the Mexican cartel and that he should be leading. He claims to be Rafael’s son.”
I let out a bit of laughter at this notion. Rafael could have many children running around in the world. Why does this one think he has any claim to Rafael’s former throne? Alejandro’s been leading well for many years, and even more importantly, he’s been leading with peace. Rafael was so dead set on causing as much mayhem and bloodshed as he could. People would hide their children and families at the brief mention of him visiting their town. Imagine how much fear must’ve been going through their minds if they were so careful about protecting their own. With that much fear comes a reputation, and not a good one at that.
“Go on,” I urge Ludvik because I want to know about the information he has on this new Ramirez.
“As you and I know, since Rafael’s death, the Mexican people have been more than happy with Alejandro’s rule. He took a fear-driven rule and turned it into one where the people could trust that they wouldn’t be hurt, nor their families. Now, since this new Ramirez has come up out of the woodwork, a war is starting to brew across the border.”
“I’m sure it is. Alejandro has to be up in his years by now, but I’m certain he’s not keen on someone wanting to ruin the trust in the people that he’s earned.”
Ludvik nods. “Correct. The one who claims to be Rafael’s son is named Julio. He’s been telling people he’s Rafael’s youngest son, and Julio has a son named Santos, who he says will continue the line of succession within the Ramirez family. Julio’s stated time and time again that he doesn’t care how he has to get his power. He’ll rip it from his uncle’s clutches if necessary.” If Alejandro’s heard of what Julio is declaring, I’m certain at some point he’s going to hurt his supposed nephew, if not kill him. No one ever takes kindly to someone trying to undo all the good work they’ve put forth.
“Do you see this becoming a problem for us or the Umarova family’s business ventures?” I question Ludvik, genuinely interested in his input. One of the things I appreciate about Ludvik is his way of finding information. This, with the Ramirez family, is a huge example of how resourceful he is. It’s one of the many things that makes him a great right-hand man to have by my side.
“I’d like to tell you it won’t, but the truth is I’m not sure. Julio’s son, Santos, was born here in Atlanta. If they eventually overthrow Alejandro, who’s to say they might not make Atlanta their second headquarters? Julio could be in Mexico, while Santos could be set up here. The truth is we don’t know what’s going to happen. Only in time will we know. I wanted to present this to you, so you’re aware of it in the back of your mind.”
“I appreciate that. If you find out anything else about the Ramirezes’ power play issues, be sure to tell me. In other news, is there anything else you need to tell me about? The Italians, Romanians, Irish, Russians, any of them?”
Ludvik shakes his head. “No, there’s nothing new coming from them. I don’t anticipate there would be anything shifting the tides with those key families. They’ve been ruling for many years, and anyone who dared to speak against them would surely be executed.” Ludvik isn’t wrong. All these families are ready for war at a moment’s notice.
“Thank you. Do let me know as soon as you hear something else about it.”
“I will.” Ludvik rises from his chair and buttons his suit jacket again, then heads for the door. Before he walks through it, I look over at him.
“Ludvik, shut the door if you don’t mind.”
Ludvik nods and doesn’t say a word, then shuts the door.
I grab my cell from where it sits on my desk and unlock it. Once it’s unlocked, I search my contacts for my brother’s name and then call him. It rings and rings, and he doesn’t answer, but I know he’ll call me back within a few minutes.
While I wait for Ruslan to call me back, I wonder what Emily’s up to or if she has any plans this evening. Ruslan still hasn’t called me back, so I press Emily’s contact instead. By the third ring, she’s already answering the phone. “Hey there,” Emily says into the phone.
“Hey. I was wondering if you had any plans for this evening?”
“The only ones I had were drinking some whiskey and watching trashy TV on the couch. What do you have in mind?”
“I thought I might be able to take you out on the town. Maybe we can get some food and drinks and go dancing. But the date you have with your couch sounds very exciting. I’d hate for you to cancel important plans like that.” I love how Emily and I can throw our sarcasm back and forth. It makes for better conversation, and the fact we can mess around with each other like that only makes our connection that much better.
“Oh, wow. Yeah, I think going out with you would be a total drag.” There’s a brief moment of silence before Emily speaks up again, “So, what time are you coming to pick me up?”
“I can be there in two hours. Would that get you enough time to get home from work, get ready, and all of that?”
“Yeah, it’ll be more than enough time. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” Emily and I both say our goodbyes, and then she hangs up the phone. Meanwhile, as soon as my call with Emily ends, Ruslan’s finally calling me back.
“I was worried I might not hear from you until tomorrow,” I comment, and Ruslan groans in the background.
“You wouldn’t have, but Karim woke up, and Amelia got him last time. I assume your call has something to do with business.”
“More or less, yes.”
“All right, so get on with it,” my brother tells me.
“Ludvik found out some information about the Ramirez cartel. I thought you’d want to know about it as well,” I start off, and after a few moments of silence, I continue. “Long story short, there’s a man claiming to be Rafael’s youngest son named Julio. He’s trying to make a claim to the throne for the cartel, and this man has a son as well. His son, Santos, was born here in Atlanta, and if Julio gains control over the Mexican cartel, it could mean that it poses a threat here.”
