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Chapter Three
Carlos
I landedthe plane on the runway of the obscure Connecticut farm I'd purchased several months ago. It was an easy gateway between the United States and Nicaragua, one I could use undetected. For all the security measures the US had put in place, it was easy to enter and leave the country without a trace if one had the means. I did, and it wasn't my father's blood money. I was returning all of that to the impoverished people he'd stepped on for his own gain. I couldn't touch it for my personal use. It represented everything I hated—greed, death, addiction.
I wouldn't insult Camila—Muriella—by offering her any of the spoils from our father's evil empire. Muriella. That name was going to take some getting used to. It suited my sister perfectly. She seemed to have moved on with her life and had some semblance of happiness. That she had overcome to any degree what our father had done to her was commendable. I'd only partially witnessed it, and it haunted me every day of my life. I couldn't move on.
Not only did I bear part of the responsibility for our mother's death, but the fact Muriella had endured our father’s abuse without my knowledge . . . I would never get over it, and I couldn’t understand how she forgave me. Completely oblivious, I'd lived under the same roof for years while he raped her.I'd been so consumed with grief and guilt that whatever I could put in my body to forget, that was what I did. My selfishness had contributed to her pain, and I hadn't been there for her after Mama died. Hadn't been there to protect her from our father. Even though over twenty years had passed, it never got any easier for me to deal with.
I reached in my pocket for Mama's rosary as I walked from the plane to the SUV parked outside the hangar I'd had built. The beads had slipped from her hand as her abductors had shoved her into the back of a car. I often wondered if she'd let go of it for me. She'd known she wouldn't be coming back to us. Deep down, I had known too. I shuddered at the thought of what she’d suffered, gripping the rosary tight in my palm. It brought no comfort, yet I couldn't bring myself to part with the relic. This and our family photos were all I had left of her.
I wasgrateful for the drive to the city. “Disarm” by the Smashing Pumpkins was my soundtrack. I needed the time alone to reset my mind and push away the events of a few hours ago. With each mile I drove, I distanced myself from what I'd left behind and focused on what was ahead. Every few seconds, I looked in the rearview mirror, expecting someone to be following me. Old habits died hard. I imagined I'd always be like that, looking over my shoulder at every turn. If it wasn't my father breathing down my neck, it was one of his enemies. For nearly thirty years, I'd been sleeping with one eye open. That wouldn't change because he was gone. I still had enemies, ones I'd earned on his behalf. Despite business being practically closed, they would still want justice, which was another reason to come to New York. The city was my escape; a place where I could disappear.
The biggest concern I had at the moment was that I was almost two hours late. Because I didn't know my sister anymore, I wasn't sure what kind of reaction I would get from her. I probably should have called when I landed the plane, but I didn't, and it was too late now.
I pulled her SUV into the underground garage of their apartment building. In a few minutes, I'd know exactly how she felt. Good or bad, that excited me. I didn't want her to be angry but learning something about her would be worth it.
Sweaty palms were an odd sensation for me. I'd become numb to my surroundings, another side effect of being the son of a drug lord. But as I stood at Muriella's door and pressed the bell, I realized I was nervous.
As soon as Stone Jacobs, my brother-in-law, opened the door and stuck out his hand to shake mine, he surprised me by pulling me in for a man hug. My nervousness evaporated.
“'Bout time you got here, man. Come on in,” he said, ushering me inside. “Let me take your bag.”
“You don't—” His stern look stopped the words on my tongue. “Thanks,” I amended, handing over my large duffel bag. He took it and led me to the kitchen, where the sound of chatter filtered out into the hallway. My steps faltered. For a moment, I was back home listening to my mother, grandmother, and aunts when they would gather in the kitchen to cook and gossip. A trace of longing expanded in my chest. Life had seemed so simple then. There was no constant fear or terror. There had been warmth, smiles, strength in gentleness.Family.
“Carlos.” Muriella practically sprinted to me, flinging her tiny arms around my neck as best she could. I had my reaction, and it was much better than I'd expected. First new fact about my sister: she would forgive me when I was late. “You smell like a bonfire,” she observed, taking a sniff and wrinkling her nose.
I froze, the image of our burning father flashed through my mind.Not now. He will not infiltrate my time with her.I relaxed my smile. “I’ve been roasting marshmallows. That's why I'm late.” It was a lame excuse, but the best I could come up with under the circumstances. The smile I'd plastered on my face became genuine when I realized Muriella was letting me embrace her. The thought of making her uncomfortable troubled me. I didn't want to touch her in any way that would upset her. It was why I'd been so tentative toward her. She didn't seem bothered in the least as I held her tightly in my arms. In fact, she appeared as pleased and comfortable as I was. “I'm glad to see you,” I said softly.
“Let me fix you something to eat,” she said. Second new fact about my sister: she was more like our mother than I’d thought. A nurturer.
“Think I could shower first?” Since our mother's death, there had been no women in my life to spoil me the way she had. I'd shut out my aunts and everyone else, fending for myself the only way I knew how.
“Not until you come over here and give me a proper hello,” Miss Ruby said with authority. She was Stone's grandmother, the matriarch of the Jacobs family, and she knew how to take care of a man without emasculating him.
I released my sister and went straight over to where she was sitting, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug. She kissed my cheek and heat crept up my face. In the short time I'd spent with Miss Ruby, I'd grown fond of her. She reminded me of the good things in life and treated me like I was part of her family.
“Hello, Miss Ruby.” The old woman dredged up a part of me I’d thought was long gone. I'd quarantined how it used to be as a boy, when my family meant everything to me. The possibility of getting my sister back, along with meeting the Jacobs, had unearthed old feelings.
Muriella's mother-in-law was seated next to Ruby. She stood, and I hugged her, holding on a little too tightly and a little too long. “Hi, sweetheart. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly because I could barely find the ability to respond. Those words. This feeling. There was no hidden agenda. No need to watch my back. For the first time in a very long time, I felt wanted. This felt like home.What home was supposed to feel like.
Perhaps it was this love, this genuine acceptance that had helped Muriella heal. I closed my eyes, savoring what I knew was precious. Because if these people ever found out exactly who I was and what I'd done, they'd never have anything to do with me again.
Chapter Four
Carlos
As soon asI closed the door to the guest room where Stone had placed my things, I pulled out a burner phone and dialed.
“Has it started?” I asked when Eduardo Sandoval, a man I'd come to trust, answered. We'd formed an unlikely alliance when I'd discovered him attempting to assassinate my father. The man was fortunate it had been me who had thwarted his plan. Otherwise, he'd have met an untimely and brutal death. His brother had been lured in by the promise of riches if he pushed cocaine for the great Juan Carlos Calderón. If he earned a spot, he'd move up the ranks and be protected under my father's hand, but that had never happened. Eduardo's brother was murdered on a deal gone wrong, and Eduardo had wanted revenge for his brother's life. So we'd forged a relationship that revolved around taking my father down, a plan I'd had in the works for years. It took time to dismantle a drug empire, at least the way I'd done it, but I'd found Eduardo to be trustworthy. We were working toward building something for the future. That too would take time, but it would be worthwhile.
“The equipment has arrived. In a day's time, there should be no remaining evidence,” he assured me.
“And we're on schedule to prep the land?” Single-handedly destroying an entire compound and then cleaning up the mess was a practical impossibility. I'd done the destruction, and Eduardo would handle cleanup and rebuilding.
“Yes, if the weather cooperates.”
