AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Who the fuck—”
“Ivan De Leon.”
Recognition dawns on his face; I notice the subtle shake of his hand still holding the bottle. “I thought you said he was in Miami. That they didn’t know about our arrangement.”
“Interesting.”
“I want no issues, De Leon.”
“Name.”
“Kyle Montgomery.”
Arms dealer, but his business is mainly with the US military. I’ve never met the man but know plenty, and it makes sense in a way. While I deal more with the narcotics department—you can call it perico, yayo, or simply cocaine—it’s the same thing, but Thiago’s brought black-market weapons into our arsenal. Untraceable and handmade, the pieces coming out of the Philippines are shipped to us using the scraps from the family yard in Hialeah and are better than anything you can find in the country. We provide the metal, but the supplier is a true artist and can recreate anything the large companies produce for a fraction of the cost.
Montgomery knows this. Has wanted to buy from us, but Thiago dealt with and denied him.
That’s the only reason I’ve never seen his face before today: I trust my brother and his judgment in the matter while I’ve been watching our deliveries through our ports.
“You have some explaining to do, Montgomery.”
“I meant no harm.”
“Yes, you did.” Sliding out, I stand and fix the watch on my wrist. “Let’s go. We have a lot to discuss.”
“Me too?” the woman asks.
“All of you.” Dalian’s been quiet, too quiet, and I find him looking toward the emergency exit. So does one of my soldiers, and I give him a nod. Within seconds, the muzzle of a gun is at the back of the bastard’s neck and his two companions pale and nearly yell out. “Draw attention to yourself, and I’ll kill you here. Don’t tempt fate.”
“You can’t touch me, Ivan. My uncle—”
“Made a grave mistake in trusting an irresponsible cunt like you.” Before the last word slips past my lips, there’s a loud commotion near the main stage, howling, and Dalian is struck at the base of his skull. At once he slumps forward, his face meeting the tabletop and his empty glass cracks at the impact.
Blood begins to pool, and the woman whimpers.
Montgomery is grabbed from behind while Israel handles Dalian.
“Miss, I suggest you don’t make this hard on yourself and follow me outside. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I’m just an escort. He paid me to spend the weekend with him through an agency,” the brunette pleads, tears brimming in her over-made dark eyes.
“And as long as that’s true, then you have nothing to worry about.”
18
“YOUR NAME, PLEASE.”
The woman sitting across from me on a picnic table is shaking, tears running down her face. Those ten pounds of makeup have begun to melt and the mascara tracks make her look like shit, so I hold out a napkin and bottle of water. She doesn’t grab them right away; it’s smart to be wary, but I don’t hurt women.
Never have and never will.
In our family, if a woman is to be dealt with, my mother or another trusted female does. That’s always been the rule, but this time I take the lead while my parents arrive. They’ve caught a bit of traffic.
We’re away from the other two: a still knocked-out Dalian, and Montgomery, who’s tried to buy his way out of this mess.
Placing the items atop the table, I push them forward. Now she grabs them. “Thank you.”
“No worries.” I give her a few minutes to right herself. Standing from the table, I walk over to Kyle and remove his blindfold. I’m not worried she’ll try to run, not in the Everglades. We’ve brought her deep enough that one freaked-out wrong turn will land you face to face with a gator, or worse, a constrictor. Both will kill her. Both these dominating species have overtaken the wetlands and grow to be huge and aggressive. “Kyle, I’m going to ask that you please stop talking. When I’m ready to deal with you or hear out your plans to make amends, I’ll let you know.”
