Page 82 of Cartel King

I tap on Enrique’s office door and wait for him to tell me to come in. Instead, Joaquin opens the door for me. He strikes me as the shyest in the group. I’m certain he can have the machismo every syndicate man needs, but I don’t think it comes as naturally to him as it does for others.

Enrique’s office is far larger than I expected. It tucks back behind the building in a way the front exterior didn’t hint at. He’s seated behind his desk, much like a king on his throne, except there’s now a chair beside him I doubt usually remains there.

No one’s seated in it, and a muscular giant stands beside each of the other spots. Obviously, it’s reserved for me. That screams a pretty fucking significant commitment to have me next to thejefe de jefesas though I have my own queenly throne.

La reina. That reminds me of the TV show about the Mexican narco-queen. It was a good show.

I never thought I’d have anything in my life that could make me resemble a narco more than I already did, but I guess life just had to one-up me. I walk over to the seat, and Enrique adjusts it for me. Nobody sits until I do. Chivalry isn’t dead, I guess, after all.

Enrique sticks out his hand. At least he’s not overly obvious about it, but there’s no way the others don’t notice. As our arms lie on the armrests, his hand is at the end of my chair’s, so I don’t have to stretch.

“Ellie, I’ve filled them in, and they know most of what I know.”

That one word “most” makes me want to cringe. It screams secrets, and that’s the last thing I want, but it’s the first thing that’s inevitable.

“What else do you want to know?”

I sweep my gaze around the room, keeping my tone even, hoping I don’t sound defensive. Pablo checks with Enrique first, who nods before looking at me.

“How did you create an alias that has no records at all, not even falsified ones that match your fingerprints? There’s nothing at all.”

“I am whoever I want to be whenever I want to be. Elodie McCann is one of many identities I have. You’ve probably heard of me a dozen times over. I’m Yuliya Koritrova. I’m Elizabeth O’Donoghue. I’m Samira Abbas, Katarina Kowalski, Hanifa Soloman, and Angelina Rosati. I’ve been Maggie Sinclair, Madeline Garnier. I’m Rebekah Horowitz and Sarah Goldman. I’m plenty more people I’ve either killed off or retired over the years.”

“You’re Yuliya Koritrova?” Disbelief hangs in the air when Luis says that name.

That is my most infamous identity. It’s the one that’s done the most damage. It’s the one that stole twenty million dollars out from under the Albaniankyre’snosea few years ago when his bag of shit son terrorized a woman who’s now a bratva wife here in New York. He was so distracted he didn’t realize what he signed over to the woman with the low-cut blouse, negotiating circles around him. To make my point at the end of the meeting, I shot each of the men he had guarding him at his house. I picked off the ones in his office with us. Then I conveniently hid around the corner from the office door and took out each additional guard as they entered.

“Yes, I am one and the same.”

“And we’re not supposed to fear you’ll kill our uncle in his sleep?”

Pablo doesn’t just have dark eyes. There’s a darkness I think life has ground into him. It wouldn’t surprise me if he and Alejandro are the chief enforcers in the family. But something tells me Pablo is the one who wages the psychological warfare that takes a toll on anyone after years at it. He’s the one I should be most wary of, but he’s also the one who needs the most patience and kindness.

What was that embroidered sign I saw once?

Children need love the most when they seem to deserve it the least.

If anyone fits that description, I think it’s Pablo.

“If no one found those aliases, I was confident no one would figure out Elodie McCann since I went to even more trouble to make her a ghost than I did anybody else. If anyone makes me, then I have what I need to disappear again and start over.”

“You hide in plain sight?”

“I suppose you could say that, but I hid out of sight so much over the years, people don’t know who to look for. They wouldn’t recognize me since I do my best not to be in those circles anymore to avoid people who might recognize me. At least until now, I did. But I don’t regret admitting to you or your uncle who I am.”

“Because you assume we’ll protect you.” Jorge is the family’s accountant, so I imagine he has the strongest grudge to hold.

“All I wanted was a quiet life away from the family I belonged to. For the past year, I’ve had no contact with anybody in the Vizzinis except for my sons and periodically my ex-husband. And that was usually when he couldn’t find something. How was I supposed to know a bossy man on a run would demand I let him clean my rain gutters? And that I’d find it endearing when my overgrown puppy wags his tail so hard he shakes every time he sees your uncle? We didn’t know the truth about either of us until neither of us had the choice but to reveal it. I think we both would’ve maintained ignorance is bliss for even longer if we could’ve. But rarely does this life allow us to get all that we want, does it?”

Everyone remains quiet for a moment, then Luis speaks up. “What do you expect us to do when Tommaso’s the one who puts a hit on you?”

I can’t help my laughter. “Tommaso Vizzini would’ve killed me years ago if he could have, but he can’t. My father is loyal to him and has been since Tommaso was acapothen the underboss. He was one of the first men to pledge his fealty to Tommaso when he killed his uncle and took control of the family. But he will be the first one to exact the worst kind of punishment on Tommaso if he ever ordered my death or approved it. That’s also assuming any of his henchmen would come near me and survive. I trained half of them how to shoot, and I’m still better than them. They know they’re more likely to die. There’s a reason I’ve lived to the age I am after the jobs I’ve done. I’m damn good at what I do.”

I look at Alejandro, and he nods when the others follow my gaze. I look back at Luis.

“I doubt Tommaso would believe Enrique would forsake me like that. Tommaso knows if he confronts me, I’ll shoot him then disappear. And if it means I run for the rest of my life, so be it. He knows my bite is far worse than my bark. I’m one of the few people he knows not to push too far. And after sending me down to Rio, that’s what he did. Honestly, if I weren’t involved with your brother, Luis, Tommaso Vizzini would have lost a shit ton more than you as potential business partners.”

I look over at Enrique, and our gazes lock.

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