Page 94 of Empire of Carnage
“Thank you for clearing your schedule for me on such short notice,” I told her.
“I understand you’ve had a family tragedy recently. Is that where you’d like to start?” she asked, getting down to business without asking a single word about me.
I fidgeted with my hands nervously on my lap.
“Actually, I’m not sure. I’ve never really done this before, I’m not sure where to start…” I told her truthfully.
“Here’s the thing Cecilia, in order for me to help you out of the grave you’ve dug for yourself, I need to understand just how deep you’ve dug it. That’s the only way therapy can work.” she said, as if she somehow knew everything that was going through my head without knowing anything at all. “Start with what hurts the most.”
I nodded my head, letting out a deep exhale before opening my mouth.
“I spend a lot of time wondering what would have happened if my father had a son…”
35
Epilogue
Two months later
“Congratulations to the newest mayor of our beautiful city,” Ramírez announced in the town square in front of El Palacio. “Celia Flores has my vote of confidence not because of the legacy her father left behind, his footprint stamped into the sand of our city’s history, but because of her passion to do the right thing for our people, for my home town. I can’t wait to see what she does in the upcoming years.” He raised a glass of champagne into the air as he talked me down from the podium.
I had just delivered my acceptance speech, thanking all those who campaigned for me and the citizens who supported my infiltration into politics. They didn’t know Celia Flores wasn’t just their mayor, but the jefa of the biggest crime organization in central America.
Not knowing would keep them safe.
Coming to terms with the fact that there were no good guys or villains was something I had to do as a child in order to sleep at night. There were just people, some who did worse things than others. Some of us enjoyed doing bad things, and some of us did it under a justifiable premise that it was for a better cause.
I wasn’t ready to define where I fit into that mold and there was likely a good chance I’d never need to.
Dominico and Luiciano waited for me on either side of the steps as I descended from the stage, joining the crowd to listen to the rest of President Ramírez’s speech. He had big plans, which required big money, and that’s where his vote of confidence started and ended with me.
But I’d already proven to him that I was a woman of my word, spreading the message loudly that any child found being used under my name would result in lethal consequences to the perpetrators. With the dungeons reopened there was no need for deaths in the streets anymore, we handled our business quietly and in private.
I’d made fast changes and lucky for me, I hardly had to lift a finger to do it.
“They are waiting for you inside for photos, let’s make this quick eh reina? We have that amnesty meeting with the new Bratva leader later today,” Dominico reminded me.
It was just a video call, but it was necessary to be punctual, to be civil. Allisher Sokolov’s eldest son, Viktor had taken over after his father’s untimely death. There was no hiding the cártel’s involvement, especially when I sent my sister’s head and his men’s desecrated corpses back to his door as a message.
He was fresh on the throne, just as I was. We both understood the nature of the game and his father’s death benefited more than it hurt him. The sting of my sister’s loss and knowledge that the cártel couldn’t become something under his control and manipulation likely didn’t feel great either, but now he was free to marry whatever unfortunate soul would capture his attention.
If anything I’d done him a favor.
But still, we had to make nice. Forgive, not forget, but let el pasado ser el pasado.
Set up rules and establish boundaries.
The border would be one, to start. Some shithead racist had been elected and it looked like we had gotten the hell out of the United States just in time to watch the fireworks from the good seats.
The military police nodded towards my men, an amusing show of respect, considering they still covered their faces in fear for what my soldiers would do if their identities were discovered. Ramírez and I had an understanding, as long as they stayed out of my way, I had no reason to get in theirs.
Politics were boring, I knew well why my papá dreaded his civil duties. I was much more inclined to the blood and gore side of the business. Reporters and photographers took my photo, all of them calling to me at once and not giving me the opportunity to focus on a single camera at a time.
Flashes filling my eyes and a sense of victory and accomplishment washed over me at the realization that I’d done everything that I’d set out to.
Not bad por una muerta.
Hell, I’d even been resurrected from the dead.
