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“You can have me now or wait ‘till I find you. But I promise you, I’ll burn every farm of yours along the way.”
Esteban glowers. “You have no idea which crops are mine.”
Oh, how the tables have turned. It’s my turn to laugh maniacally. “I know every single one you own in Argentina. Maps as blinds—very clever.”
The color drains from Esteban’s face.
Maceo 1; Esteban 0.
“Gotcha, dickhead,” I say with a triumphed smile. “Take the deal, or it all goes up in smoke.”
Esteban smirks, his face showing something similar to pride. “Truly, you are my son. Well played, Maceo, but the world is vast. South America isn’t the only place to grow coca. Argentina has treated me well. I’ll miss it if you force my hand. I’ve grown quite attached tomi nuera.”
Fuck his trump card. He knows I’ll do anything to keep Josephine safe.
“Stop the burning. And let us discuss this some more,” he suggests.
“No deal. Turn her over—NOW!”
“Seems you need more time to think about your priorities, and I need time to mull over your offer as well. I’ll be in touch.”
“Don’t you dare hang up on me!” I seethe.
But it’s too late. The line is dead. I try the number again, but it doesn’t connect—it’s untraceable. “Sonofabitch!”
Fury flares within me with such force, I shake. My first reaction is to punch the dashboard of the jeep, but I stop myself. Josephine would not want that. If she were here, she would be snug against my side, whispering reminders in my ear to be a better man, to use my anger constructively.
For the life of me, I’m not sure what that would be.
“Atlas,” Chase begins, concern laced in his voice. “You don’t intend to switch places with Josephine? It’s a ruse, correct?”
“Yes, I do. This is Jo we’re talking about. It’s what we do,” I say with finality. There’s no reasoning with me when I’ve already made the call. Getting Josephine out of Esteban’s grasp is our top priority, and me swapping places with her is the fastest way to make it happen.
My brothers are silent. We’re all aware of the danger I’ll be in, but I’d rather it be me than my wife and kids. They know better than to question me. It would have set me off in the past, but I promised Josephine and myself to do better.
Gauge clears his throat, diffusing the tension. “What now, Atlas?”
I don’t know.
Typically, I would press on, make good on turning those fields to ash. Yet, his threat… Would he follow through and skip the country with Josephine?
Who knows how long Esteban will wait this time before contacting me. Fuck, what if he waits until the twins are born? I can’t risk it. I need to do something now, force his hand for once.
My head may explode from suppressing all my rage, but then I hear her voice in my head.“There’s power in numbers.”
Ah, of course!We call in the troops.
“We press on to the Andes. Search the fields adjoining properties for Esteban. We need to bring Piero in on this, get us the backup we need going into war.”
My brothers approve and I call Piero.
