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He stops, glancing over his shoulder. “Right. The time to attack will be on us before we know it… I’m doing what I can from here—No, I’m not hiding behind the fortress walls.”
Juan stiffens, his face darkening. “I don’t care… Either we kill them both, or we kill him and break her. If it’s the latter, then she’s mine… That was our deal… I’ll survive if she dies, but you’ll owe me more than a favor.”
“Who is he talking to?” Lory asks, more to himself than me.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” I mumble. “I’ve never heard him mention a name.”
Juan pours himself two fingers of whiskey from the corner bar. “Fine. I’ll kill her after I’ve had some fun. Happy?”
“He sucks at negotiating,” Lory comments.
“No finesse,” I add.
Juan shakes his head as he tips his glass side-to-side. “I have enough on her without my laptop… I’ll find out what we need on both of them, and then I’ll show Eduardo that she’s doublecrossing him. The greedy cunt is probably selling her body for secrets…”
“Ouch,” I whisper. “Never heard that one before.”
Lory snorts. “He’s so creative.”
“I’ll let you know when I’ve got the information.” Juan ends his call, frustration making him slam the screen closed over the keyboard.
The Maldonado advisor throws his ancient technology across the room in a rage, though he aims for the soft cushions of the couch. After he drinks his whiskey and stews for a moment, he strolls over to retrieve his burner phone. He wanders out the back door toward the patio, his fingers furiously tapping as he passes the pool on his way to his designated house.
“I don’t know what to do with that conversation,” I mumble, closing my laptop. “We know he wanted us dead, so that hasn’t changed. But every time I hear these calls, he gets more desperate and aggressive. He never mentions who’s on the other end, though. Not even a hint.”
“It could be anyone,” Lory says, staring into space as he guesses, “Another advisor, Estrada, Trevor Harrison, some new threat, or an outside force wanting to use the cartel numbers to help them with world domination.”
I fight with the smile on my face. “That’s a little far-fetched.”
“Is it?”
“World domination is definitely a stretch,” I say, nodding as my thoughts solidify. “But owning the city? That’s what they’re after.”
“Why do you say that?” he asks, shaking his head. “I mean, I know it’s true. But what part of that conversation leads you to—”
“They want us dead,” I remind him. “Senior and Dad are sitting ducks in jail cells. If they kill us first, then the others will be easy enough to pick off or sway.”
He slowly nods. “Fair point. Who do you think it is?”
“Either the advisors are plotting something, or Juan is a solo defector and possibly working for Estrada.” I wrinkle my nose. “Trevor is too stupid to plan this deeply, but he could be a part of it. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“Have you ever seen Estrada?” Lory inquires, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. “In person? Because I haven’t.”
“Yes and no,” I answer. “I’ve seen him a few times at the auctions, but he’s always wearing a mask. Dad told me Senior and Estrada looked just alike as kids, but Senior destroyed the photos when he found out his mother was showing them to her grandson. As far as I know, there’s nothing linking them, unless there are old records floating around. But even then... That feels like something they’d both want covered up.”
Lory pushes off the rock, standing to pace in the sand. “We need to find footage of Estrada. A picture, at least. It’s going to be difficult to fight him if we don’t even know what he looks like.”
“I’ll ask my informant,” I reply. “I don’t know if he can get a picture, but if anyone can... It’s him.”
“Who is he? One of your guys?”
“No. He’s…” I trail off, wondering how to explain who Tico is.
“Just tell me,” he gently demands. “If we’re going to do this, then we’ve got to stop keeping so many secrets.”
I grimace. “He’s Estrada’s grandson. My cousin, I suppose.”
Lory blows out a harsh breath. “You’re joking.”
