Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45785 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45785 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Guilt weighed down on me, brick by brick, for every time I’d told him he wasn’t Blake’s dad. For every time I had corrected Piper by calling him a stepdad. I was such a fucking asshole.
So was he, for putting himself in danger without cover tonight. Goddammit, we were getting Blake back, and she needed her dad.
I needed him too.
I took another drag from my cigarette and side-eyed Vincente. We were both standing on his side of the desk, and he was a little too concerned with snorting more coke. The evening had made him depressed, he’d said…
I was dead on my feet, but I didn’t see any sleep on the horizon. The secrecy around Vincente’s location had been blown, and we couldn’t stay much longer.
We were certain now. It’d been Carillo’s men. He knew about this estate—and it was only a matter of time before he sent more people.
If I’d only had access to my motherfucking phone, I would’ve been able to warn Vincente approximately two hours before Joel and I had even arrived. Because that was when Darius had reached out through our secure chat.
We’ve apprehended a Carillo associate. Get back to me immediately when you see this, EJ. He left a written note at your house: “If you want to see the little girl, the guy, and the woman again, you will take care of Vincente Blanco for me, Elliott Jones.” It was signed by Carillo and included a Cozumel address.
Those words were etched in my brain now. I’d replied to Darius, but given the hour…
I shifted my gaze to the eight open wallets in front of me on the desk. I’d sent a lengthy message to Squeezy about everything we’d learned, including the names of the men who’d shown up tonight.
I didn’t believe the latter would yield much. One of the biggest reasons cartels were so difficult to bring down was because the upper levels of management surrounded themselves with layers upon layers of men who didn’t know shit. The low-men were given tasks to perform with very little to go on, no questions asked.
It wasn’t like Carillo sat down with eight random associates and told them to come here. Carillo would’ve told someone, who sent someone, who instructed someone, who ordered someone, who recommended eight someones. Carillo associate didn’t mean Blanco member. The Blanco Family had ties to countless smaller cartels with their own order of doing things.
We’d been able to draw conclusions tonight based on a single tie between one of the eight men and a crew who’d done work for Carillo before.
The man in charge of Vincente’s security came into the office and said the helicopter would be here in fifteen minutes.
Vincente dismissed the man and slumped down in his chair. “That’s my ride, my friend.”
I nodded once, put out my smoke, and returned to the other side of the desk.
“You know what to do,” he said. “I’ll have Maria bring up luggage to your new guest room. Help yourselves to clothes, shoes—” He waved a hand. “Weapons in the garage, take whatever you want. Claudia will be up with breakfast at eight. Get some rest and eat before you go. The pilot will be ready at eleven.”
Getting a few hours sleep couldn’t hurt…
“Thank you, Vincente.”
“And here—” He opened a drawer and retrieved a phone that he gave to me. “There’s only one number in here. It goes to someone who can reach me within minutes. Did you get the credit cards?”
I inclined my head and accepted the phone. “Yes. You’re…very generous.”
He lit up. “For you? Bah, anything.”
As long as I didn’t go against him in the slightest. I knew the drill.
For now, we had his support. We had a private jet that would take us to the Dominican Republic tomorrow. We had a driver who would take us to a private marina. We had someone who would take us by boat to Puerto Rico. And then we were on our own, well-funded by coke money, on our way to Europe.
“I’m gonna go get ready,” Vincente said and stood up. “Maybe fuck the maid quick before the helicopter gets here. You know how it is.”
I really didn’t. “Have a safe flight to your next location.”
I caught movement in the corner of my eye and looked over at where the doctor was working on Joel, just as Joel sat up on the makeshift examination table. He rotated his shoulder carefully and blinked drowsily. The cocktail of meds Garcia had given him were kicking in. I’d seen the oxycodone label on one of the bottles.
Crew could learn a thing or two from Garcia. The only thing visible on Joel’s shoulder was a square compress and tape. And I bet the sutures underneath looked all right.
“It was nice to meet you, Joel,” Vincente said as he pocketed some things from the desk. “Your aim tonight—you don’t miss, huh?” Then he gave me a look and gestured to the piles of cash. “Don’t insult me. Take some cash before you go.”