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“There's no difference. I wanted you to be aware you had the option.”
“Changing my name would probably only delay the inevitable. Anyone who wants to find me will.”
“You made sure Muriella appeared to be dead, and I did whatever I could to support that. Is there any way you could do the same?” Daniel asked carefully.
I hadn't considered that. I’d torched the entire compound. It wouldn't be that difficult to prove I'd gone down with it.
I’d dealt with people all over the globe under the guise of expanding our operation. What I'd really wanted to know was who I needed to take out when the time was right. Slowly, I'd squeezed the necks of the smaller cartels, but I'd barely begun to work on the bigger ones. My priority had been dismantling my own and eliminating my father. There was still much to be done.
“It's possible.” The more I tossed around the idea, the better I warmed to it. I'd planned on flying under the radar. Eduardo was overseeing the quinoa project. We'd already agreed that when questions were raised, he'd say he'd been contacted anonymously to do the work. It would be nothing for him to find my remains while prepping the land. If all my business associates believed me dead, it would be easier to operate without signing my own death warrant.
Daniel set his fork down, pushing his salad away. He leaned his forearms on the table. “I made it my job to know everything I could about your family's business. You're a target. There's already a lot of speculation about who took your father out or if he's really dead. I know your motivation, but I sense there's more. What can I do to help?”
“I'd like to take out all the cartels, but that's a pipe dream. Even if I could, for every one I eliminated, another two would pop up in their place. But there is one that needs to go down. They aren't only involved in narcotics but arms as well. Of the nuclear variety. They are ruthless and dangerous. I had to do some fucked-up shit to gain their trust, and I thought I'd already seen everything.” Nicanor Rosca had me torture a man and watched the entire ordeal like it was a spectator sport. If I hadn't done it, that would have been me on that concrete floor. Yet another precarious situation my father had gotten me into. He'd wanted to form an alliance with the Roscas. Stupidly, he believed we could take them over, but these people were bigger, and there was nothing they wouldn’t do, including making the heir to a large cartel kill an alleged double-crosser to prove his loyalty.
Even if he'd deserved it, I hadn't wanted to do it. That was the most vile and disgusting thing I'd ever experienced, and it took everything I had not to vomit. The stench of his piss and shit hadn't covered up the rank smell of his insides, but once I'd done it, my reputation as the most ruthless motherfucker in Central America had been solidified. Not many men in my position got their hands dirty, but when the men at the top weren't afraid to soil their designer clothes, it elicited fear. My father had gotten off on the torture and was well-known for the inventive ways he’d dealt with his enemies, though he’d been nothing compared to Nicanor Rosca.
Rosca was untouchable. He was a phantom on the most-wanted lists all over the world, yet no one knew how to get to him. But I did.
“Make me someone else on paper. I don't care who it is.”
Daniel nodded. “What do you need from me to make you dead?”
“Have either of you ever pulled out a tooth with pliers?” They stared at me as I took a bite of bread. I stared back. This was my world. I had a pair of pliers in my bag for this very reason. Well, not my own teeth, but if that was what was necessary. “I have a gold molar. My father had it plated without Novocain when I was seven.”
Stone shuddered. I continued eating like it was nothing. That had been the start of building my tolerance for pain. I had a pretty high threshold.
“I have a dentist we can use,” Daniel said, picking up his phone. His fingers moved swiftly over the screen, and then he placed it on the table, eyes turning hard. “How much danger is Muriella in?” If I hadn't already fully respected the man, I would have at that moment. She was more important to him than I was. I couldn't ask for any more than that.
“I believe anyone who had a clue she's alive is no longer able to speak.” I'd made those deaths as quick and painless as possible. “But it's impossible for me to know for certain.”
“Who knows where you are?” Daniel was as intimidating as any man I'd ever come across. He had a quiet demeanor that demanded attention, but I wasn't afraid of him. He wasn't my enemy.
“Only all of you. I left a man to do cleanup at the compound, but he doesn't know where I am. That's for his own good as much as mine. He's the one we can trust to prove my death.”
“We'll use him if we need to, but I'd prefer we handle everything on our own,” Daniel said as if he were in this with me. I'd use his help on some things—like a new identity—but he had a wife and my sister to protect.
“It's best you stay out of this,” I said resolutely. “I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to pursue at this point. Things have changed in the past few days.” Understanding flashed on his face. “The man helping me is Eduardo Sandoval. Do you have resources that can protect him? He's a sitting duck, though he knows the risk. When my father's rivals come for answers, they will use whatever means necessary to get them. I have plans for that land, and the last thing I will allow is for it to be stolen. Though I will never return to it, I will ensure some good comes from that place.”
“I have a friend who can help if you're willing to take it. He's trustworthy, though I suppose my word doesn't mean much to you at this point.” Daniel's expression was impassive. He was a difficult man to read.
“You've taken care of my sister for over twenty years. There is no one on this earth I trust more than you. I am forever in your debt,” I said earnestly. He had taken Muriella in as if she were family and given her this life. I could never repay that.
“The only thing I ask is you not bring trouble to our doorstep. I've done enough of that on my own over the years, but I believe we're through the worst of it. What I need to know is, who is the biggest threat to Muriella? Who will come after you and use her to do it?”
The man's instincts were eerily accurate. Or perhaps it was experience guiding him. Either way, I wouldn't lie to him. “Nicanor Rosca.”
His brows lifted. “Do you know him personally?”
“Unfortunately, I do. Until I arrived here, I had every intention of taking him down.”
“And now?” Daniel prompted, jaw tight and body rigid.
“I'm delusional enough to think if we convince the world I'm dead, maybe he'll forget I existed,” I returned.
“What do you owe him?”
“Nothing. The only man I'm indebted to is you. But I supplied him with a high-quality product. Our business together was lucrative, and I've essentially cut off that entire supply. I guarantee when he realizes it, he won't be happy,” I admitted. I hadn't swindled or done wrong by him. In fact, I'd filled his order just the previous week.
