Page 42 of Cartel King

He practically snorts before he responds. “Like there’s a chance in hell you would do that. Once you have your sights set on something, no one’s getting in your way. Mama’s said it was that way since you were in the womb. If you wanted to jump around and stretch, that’s what you did. You made sure she knew when you were hungry.”

“You say when I have my sights set on something. Elodie is not a thing. I’ll wait until she gets back and speak to her about this. I’ll know if she’s lying. Until then, if we can’t find her, there’s nothing any of us can do but wait. In the meantime, let’s get Alejandro down to Brazil and set up a meeting with Ignacio. Find out what the fuck is going on with them.”

I can’t force her to want to be with me, even if I think that’s what she wants. Even if I’ve made it clear to her, that’s what I want. It’s up to her in the end.

“Tío, Ignacio’s disappeared somewhere into the jungle. Nobody’s seen hide nor hair of him in two weeks. He’s hiding from us, but I think he knows as pissed as we are, the Vizzinis are even angrier. It wouldn’t surprise me if Tommaso put a hit on the piece of shit.”

I’m staring at Alejandro on a video call with the computer in the center of the table, so my other nephews and brother can see too.

“What are your informants telling you?”

“That’s as much as any of them know. He took off on his own with only two of his personal guards. He told no one where he’s going. Benicio’s been silent. Thatchismosobrags about everything. Thecabrónthinks putting all their family news out into the world intimidates people. All he does is piss off his father. But since he cleans up all of Ignacio’s mistakes, there’s not much the father can do about the son short of killing him.”

Disgust drips from Alejandro’s words and all of us nod in agreement with Alejandro’s assessment, since Benicio is a gossiping asshole.

“Tío,do you want me to track him down or wait until he comes back to Rio?”

“Do we have the resources in place yet for you to look? Or is your time better spent in the city?”

“I think it can go either way,tío. There’s plenty to learn here in the city, and I can stir up plenty of shit. But whatever is going on is serious enough to make Ignacio turn rabbit.”

“And we all know what a fucking warren the jungle is. Unless you have solid leads, you’ll go in and find nothing, or you’ll wind up finding somebody who doesn’t want us looking. We don’t have time to deal with that right now.”

“Fine. I’ll stick around in Rio for a couple more days and see what I hear. Like I said, I suspect the Vizzinis sent somebody down here to put a hit on him. They won’t leave until the job is done. He can’t stay hidden forever unless he wants Benicio to run the business into the ground.”

“Then wait him out a few more days. Keep your informants well paid in Rio and São Paulo. Have the drones go out over the areas we know he’s set up labs in the past.”

As I hang up the call, Luis’s phone vibrates on the coffee table. He picks it up, and his brow furrows. He slides his finger across the screen, unlocking it. I assume it’s a text since he takes a moment to read, then scrolls up and down before looking at me. I see his head tilt slightly toward the guys. I jut my chin toward the door, and they know they’re dismissed.

“Keep me posted on anything else. Find out what Pasha’s up to. I’m certain he’s the one helping Ignacio hide.”

“Will do,tío.”

Javier is already tapping his phone screen as the guys stand up. We exchange a round of“te amo”before they leave.

My mother and father insisted we always say “I love you” before we leave because, in this world, you never know when it’s your last chance to do that. Since Luis and I went to boarding schools in New England and our parents lived in Colombia, we went long periods without seeing them. Luis and I went to different schools, so it’s not like we saw each other every day, either.

It wound up being a good rule to live by because I got a call that my father was dead an hour after I hung up with him. The one person I’ve never said it to in my immediate family is myTíoHumberto. That piece of motherfucking shit is the reason my dad’s dead. I’ve never loved him. He’s rotting in the Colombian jail I made for him. I gave him a luxurious home he hasn’t left in nearly thirty years.

Luis was my first call after I found out. I had to tell him, and with my little brother, we told our sisters and mother. That life lesson taught us never to take for granted the opportunity to let our loved ones know they’re important to us.

“It’s Andrés. He got a text from Elodie. He screenshot it.” Luis stands and crosses a small space to my desk handing me the phone.

Elodie

Sorry to bother you but I hope you can pass this message along to el patrón and he can pass it on to el jefe. I just wanted to let him know that all is well and I arrived safely. I’ll be back in a few days. I also wanted to let el jefe know Constantine misses him.

I hand the phone back to Luis, keeping my expression neutral. I don’t want him to know I’m equal parts giddy to hear from her and hurt that she’s still away on this mystery vacation she forgot to mention to me.

She doesn’t have my number, and since she didn’t call Luis, she doesn’t have his number either. My brother explained the other day that she spoke to him on Andrés’s phone. She had his number as her bodyguard in case she needed him for anything.

“She checked in with you. Do you think it’s a guilty conscience? Does she feel badly that she’s on a trip with someone else?”

“Maybe.”

“Do you think she’s trying to distract you from what she’s really doing?”

“No, I think she’s considerate. She hasn’t heard anything from me either. I’m guiltier than her. I haven’t contacted her.”

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