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“I was told your family had been overthrown…” He trails off when my eyes narrow on him. I take a step forward and he flinches back, falling to his ass from his knees. “I’m just telling you what they said.”
“They who?” The bracelet I’ve kept on shines in the sunlight, the black azabache beads at the end near the clasp drawing his attention. These stones are used heavily in Spanish countries to ward off the evil eye. Babies especially wear them after birth, and Thiago gave me this special one as a joke since I’m the baby of the family. Asshole. Yet it does come with a special extra that I’ve saved for this piece-of-shit family. “Give me a name.”
“Jaime Uriel.”
At that, I snort and meet Dalian’s eyes. “You’re nothing more than a puppet they use.”
“Fuck you, De Leon.”
“No, thank you.”
“You won’t kill me. Motherfuckers like you don’t have the…Christ,” Dalian cries out at the end, bending at the waist after my father stabs him once in his stomach. One. That’s all it took for a few tears to fall.
“Pathetic.” Turning back to Kyle, I wave him on. “Finish the story. Jaime called you, I assume?”
“Yes,” he whispers.
“Louder. So everyone can hear you.”
“Yes, he called with President Rodriguez on the line listening in.”
“The fuck did you say?” Dalian’s face pinches tight from his position, but he still hasn’t straightened up. “That can’t be true. My brother wouldn’t lie to me.”
Dad meets my eyes briefly, his knuckles white as he grips the teak cane tighter.
“I’m not lying. I have a recording of the conversation in my office back in D.C.” Little Uriel’s face becomes red, angry, but when the muzzle of a gun is placed at the back of his neck, he’s smart enough to keep those lips shut and lower himself to his knees. Montgomery, on the other hand looks troubled. Very much so. “I never questioned the call or how they got my phone number—things in this business move fast—but Jaime did ask me to be discreet. To not tell anyone about the call, not even his brother, as he supposedly knew and wasn’t interested in the details.”
“And why do you think that is, Dalian? Are you discardable?” No answer from the man. “Continue, Kyle. Tell me everything discussed.”
“Of course.” Again, he licks his blood-stained lips. “Jaime assured me there had been a takeover of the De Leon operations and that you and Thiago stepped down. That the business had been sold for a reasonable sum to him after a bit of forcible persuasion, but you’d be staying on as intermediaries between them and the suppliers for the time being. From my understanding, your family agreed to keep a member safe and that your next shipment, which includes Mac-10s and other military-grade weapons, will be here next week and would be mine. I already have a client waiting for these.”
“That’s a lie! You’re in a bidding war with a South American country; I promised you the rights to it if you doubled your original offer.”
“What else?” I ask, not giving much thought to Dalian’s outburst.
“I’d be given first right’s refusal to all shipments following this first purchase.”
“Hmmm.” Walking over to Dalian, I crouch down and meet his bloodshot eyes. “Wonder why they made you their bait? What made them betray you?”
“They wouldn’t.”
“Are you sure about that?” He’s right, but I’m not going to tell him that. Betrayal stings on his face, this pain-filled look that comes from family cutting deep, but I do keep my smirk. “Sounds to me as though you’ve been set up.”
“Lies. All lies.”
“Are they, though? Is Cindy as easy to manipulate?”
“They’d never.” Yet at the mention of her name, he twitches. “She’s loyal.”
Exactly. She’s dirty, and I’d bet my left nut that’s not her real name.
19
“YOU’RE DUMBER than you look, Dalian.” Eyes narrowing, he tries to rebut, but I grip his chin tight. The force grinds his teeth and hollows his cheek, while I hold a hand toward my father. “Knife, please, and text Miguel.”
“Here you go, son.”
“Thank you.” I grip the blood-stained gold handle, weighing and testing my hold. “You’ll get this back in a minute.”
