Chapter 6
N avarro
I’d spent most of my life reliving the violent acts I’d endured as a teenager.
I’d been told by my teachers that I needed professional help in dealing with my grief, ridiculed by counselors in telling me they had no interest in assisting a monster, and mocked by a court system that had no issue releasing a juvenile delinquent into the world.
After losing everything I held dear, I’d been saved not by the grace of God, but by Rafael Torres, the now retired patriarch of the dangerous Spanish regime. In a sense, I’d been provided with another opportunity to gain a family, only not in the traditional sense.
I’d become a soldier, a trained killer whose rage and hatred had been put to good use. For two decades, I’d ceased wallowing in pity and despair, shutting down all emotions and becoming a killing machine.
The shift had served me well, the bluntness in my methods of extracting information from spineless traitors and slaughtering the bastards determined to destroy my new life had been unprecedented.
And brutal.
I’d been happy over the years, quick fucks satisfying my carnal needs, with millions of dollars and lavish toys.
During the years after the massacres had left the city streets of Barcelona strewn with bodies, I’d thought little about a typical nuclear family.
In my world and in my mind, they didn’t exist. Why was it that spending limited time with a woman determined to kill me had brought back both memories and emotions from a past I wanted no part of?
Was it about Fallon’s sense of family, her obvious determination for rescue and retaliation?
I couldn’t be certain, but one aspect of our electric connection remained locked in the forefront of my mind.
She was someone from my past. Perhaps not in a critical way, but there was a strained tether that had lasted through decades.
Unfortunately, I’d dealt with far too many people to pinpoint where and when the memory lay hidden.
Sighing, I had no idea what I was going to do with her.
What nagged at me was that while I didn’t know her and certainly couldn’t turn my back on the dangerous woman, I wanted to ease her pain. In any way I could do so. That definitely wasn’t like me in the least.
Why did I have the distinct feeling I’d need to keep a short leash on Fallon or at minimum lock her inside a room?
Maybe a cage was more appropriate for the wild tiger.
The thought was colorful and amusing. Next, I’d be purchasing a whip.
Not a bad idea.
Yet as tempting as she was, her accusations wore heavily on me and I wasn’t certain why this time was more profound than any other. She’d simply joined a long list of people who either blamed me for the destruction of their tiny worlds or had accused me of something I couldn’t possibly have done.
“She’s inside.” Silvio pointed toward a closed door as we walked past, heading for Eduardo’s ridiculously large office.
“Make certain she doesn’t leave while I make a phone call. She’s clever.”
He grinned. “You certainly have your hands full.”
“Yes, I do.” I pulled out my phone, both fuming and more intrigued than I’d been before. I moved toward the office, calling Jago as I did.
Silvio retreated and I didn’t bother closing the door. But I did pace the room.
“I got your text,” Jago said as he answered. “You’re certain about Fassi’s men being in the area?”
“As certain as what the old guy told me.” We were both eager for the cat and mouse game to end. Fassi also had a vendetta against us and in my mind, his acts of revenge had always seemed personal as well.
“What exactly did this informant say?”
God, I needed a drink. It felt as if I’d been in an MMA fight. “That Fassi’s men were in town, possibly hooked up with another organization but he wasn’t certain whom. Definite sighting. Definitely asking questions about your cousin.”
“Alcarez Cartel,” he muttered. “That doesn’t surprise me.
The fuckers are opportunists, selling their souls and everything else including their firstborn for money and drugs.
But it would seem they’re stepping up their game.
As you know, the cartel gained additional power over the last few months.
From what I heard, they absorbed another cartel. Eduardo was right to be concerned.”
“Are we certain someone from the Alcarez Cartel shot him?” The man had in place more security measures than I’d ever considered, yet he’d been gunned down just outside the pristine iron gates. Where the hell had his men been hiding at the time?
“My cousin seems to believe it was retaliation for the help he provided during Kruz’s quick stop in Mexico a few months ago,” Jago gritted out.
Kruz Blanco, the Druglord’s dictator, a man I’d sparred with several times.
While we were like oil and water, our different strengths had created a powerful team over the years.
With Farid Fassi remaining at large and eager to retaliate against his crushing defeat by destroying the Torres Empire, it was of vital importance we worked together.
“But you think otherwise.”
“I’m not putting all the cards in a single basket,” Jago said with a deep and exaggerated breath.
“That’s why Kruz and I are headed to Mexico as we speak.
Now with Fassi’s men detected in the area, my guess is we’ll soon be aware of their presence.
Or vice versa. Maybe their presence is nothing but a lure.
Maybe I’m wrong, but if they’re going after a warehouse, we need to know.
I’ve already put some feelers out of my own.
If what Eduardo told me is right, there’s one warehouse in particular the Alcarez Cartel would certainly appreciate getting their hands on. ”
“Let me guess,” I piped in. “A nice dark rural area perfect for a hijacking.”
“Or murder.”
“Understood. What I can also tell you is that it would seem the Alcarez Cartel is aware I’m in town.” I’d debated what and how much I wanted to share at this point about Fallon. I’d simply mentioned I’d been accosted and accused by a woman of a kidnapping.
Jago laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me.
You do make grand entrances, or maybe I should say you’re like a bull in a china shop.
But you do need to be careful. You’re a caretaker, but I don’t like that someone accusing you of a crime out of the United States.
The question is why go to the trouble unless she’s a willing participant and important to Fassi. ”
Fassi had attempted to infiltrate the New York Diamond Exchange months before. It was natural for Jago to think he’d use a woman. Especially since he’d done so before, a beautiful plan that had backfired thanks to Kruz and his now fiancée.
Powerful women seemed to run in the Torres Empire. My thoughts drifted back to Fallon and it was tough not to smile from the filthy images popping into my mind.
Snorting, I rubbed my eyes, still feeling the slight sting from the blade slicing my skin.
Every time I thought about my beautiful yet mischievous guest, my cock twitched.
What did that say about me? “Fallon’s sister wasn’t kidnapped after I arrived in Mexico.
Keep that in mind, but without learning every detail, I don’t know how to handle dealing with the aftermath. ”
“Fallon. You’re on a first-name basis.”
As Jago laughed, I gritted my teeth. “I assure you up until now she’s refused to tell me anything worthwhile.”
“I guess you know what you need to do but be careful she’s not playing you.”
I had to laugh since he’d married the daughter of what had once been considered our most dangerous enemy. That was after she’d nearly kicked his ass not only in his own game, but by brute force. They were a match made in heaven.
Jago chuckled. “I’m curious. How many Alcarez Cartel soldiers did you eliminate?”
“Three. I doubt they anticipated my appearance even if they were brazen enough to strut inside Eduardo’s club.
” Their tattoos had indicated their gang affiliation.
I glanced down at my hand, half laughing.
She’d truly believed I’d been one of the ugly bastards.
“They could have been doing nothing but casing the place in Eduardo’s absence. ”
“But you think they were purposely after Fallon.”
“Yes. She also mentioned she’d been threatened.”
“Not traditionally their style.”
Sighing, I rubbed my eyes again. “No, it’s not. But I intend on finding out who the woman is.”
“Then it would seem you have a houseguest for the time being. I don’t need to tell you this, but I will since women have a way of seducing their way into gaining information.
You need to discover everything she knows.
If she’s another one of Fassi’s mistresses, get rid of her.
We can’t have your attention drawn away from the main reason you’re in the country. ”
Farid Fassi. I couldn’t wait to snap the man’s neck.
“You seem to forget women aren’t high on my trust list.” I’d fallen prey to a single woman who hadn’t ‘fallen in love’ with me for my sparkling personality.
He laughed. “No, I remember. Still, the timing of her accusation doesn’t strike me as a coincidence.”
“No, I get it. She insists I was in LA. Whatever proof she has, I need to get my hands on it.”
“The Alcarez Cartel has their hooks in the city as well as in parts of Mexico,” Jago gritted out.
Hearing the news didn’t shock me as a solid dozen cartels had made their way into LA alone, with more in Arizona, New Mexico, and even Miami.
However, the added information was something I’d need to keep in the back of my mind.
That fueled the thought that perhaps Fallon’s sister hadn’t been the innocent flower the lovely Amazon had believed.
“Fascinating. I need to ask you a question, Jago. Do you think Eduardo had anything to do with this false accusation?”
His sigh was deep. “I doubt it as my cousin isn’t that clever, but we may need to visit him in the hospital to see if he can shed some light on what the hell is going on.”
Maybe he was right, but I continued to have a nagging feeling another game of chess was being played.
“I’ll have Silvio check with the various warehouse managers to ensure there are no security issues,” I told him.
“Perfect. I’m certain Fassi wasn’t happy Eduardo provided assistance to us a few months ago either. He could use my cousin’s absence to draw one or all of us out in the open. That’s why we need to keep our arrival quiet.”
“I got it. If we get wind of a location, I’ll text you.”
“Good. I have a bad feeling Fassi is trying to end the game between us.”
Fuck, I hoped so.
“Diamonds aren’t just a girl’s best friend any longer,” I said, laughing.
We’d taken a strong foothold in several countries with our diamond business, including New York.
Fassi had hoped to claim ownership of the Big Apple, asserting control over several crime syndicates and politicians. He’d failed. We’d succeeded.
He was pissed, which could mean he’d do something stupid. We’d be ready when he did.
“Just keep me informed. We’ll be landing soon. I’ll make a few calls. Find the location of the warehouse Eduardo mentioned.”
“Will do.” With the call ended, I slipped my phone into the pocket where I’d shoved the knife.
I’d learned something else about the halcón seductor .
She was no killer. Had she been, she would have used the knife on the soldiers who attacked her.
In confronting me, she’d been fueled by her anger.
Another reason I knew her vendetta was very personal.
The intense desire had been unexpected for both of us.
Time to have a longer chat with my guest.
Silvio remained in the hallway, talking with Alonzo.
“Check with the men securing the warehouses, especially the one Eduardo called The Devil’s Den.
If what the informant told us is true, Fassi might be working with the Alcarez Cartel to raid that warehouse first.” While Jago seemed convinced a possible attack on Eduardo’s warehouses was based solely on drawing us out in the open, my gut told me there was more going on.
Eduardo wasn’t the brightest bulb in the world, but he was a greedy son of a bitch.
If the asshole had gotten us in the middle of a turf war no one could win, I’d kill him myself.
I glanced at Eduardo’s most trusted lieutenant, who was none too happy I’d replaced his boss even in the short term. “Santos, have your men keep a close eye on every warehouse as well as the estate. In addition, I have a guest that I want to protect, but who could also attempt escape.”
Santos laughed. “I’ll instruct the men at The Devil’s Den to keep a close eye on the infrared cameras. Plus, I’ll make certain security is beefed up around the estate. Just in case.”
“Good.” I continued moving to where Fallon was waiting. Alonzo grinned as I approached. “Any issues?”
“No, but never a dull moment,” Alonzo barked. “She’s been making noise.” He nodded toward the door.
I shook my head and walked past. “A word of advice to all of you. Don’t let your guard down. Especially when women are involved.”
Their grumbles at least brought a smile to my face.