Chapter 17 #2
He parked, and I glanced at myself in the mirror.
I hated that I looked like the past. “This is our only chance.” I fixed my shirt and threaded a pair of sunglasses through my shaggy wig then stuck the toothpick back between my teeth.
The beard that was glued to my face felt like I was suffocating.
All signs of Agent Paul were gone. “For the record, I hate every second of this.”
“I know, brother.” Chili held up his hands as Armondo approached with a gun pointed in our direction.
“What the fuck is going on here, Chili?” he boomed then whistled for his men to get Bruno. “This was a meeting with you, not…” He squinted at me and his gun wavered. “Impossible.”
I greeted him with a nod then was shoved from behind to start walking around the side of the house.
I’d been to the place a few times in the past but was never welcomed inside.
To even get past the gates required an extensive background check.
One of Frank’s specialties. It was the Perez family’s property.
I knew it was where Bruno had been born and raised and I also knew it was his mother, Esmeralda’s, main place of business.
It was heavily protected and well patrolled by soldiers and attack dogs.
We were directed through to a room that led out to the back patio where Bruno Perez greeted us. His face registered shock as he set his eyes on me.
I expected it; after all, I was dead.
“Eric Noah?” He said my name like he couldn’t believe it. “You’re the last face I expected to see,” he paused, “well, ever again.” He quickly pulled a gun, and we heard the clicks as his men did the same. “You tried to kill me. What makes you think I shouldn’t return the favor?”
I shook my head at Chili so he wouldn’t speak. I knew it was me Bruno wanted to hear from.
“You can,” I lifted a shoulder, “but something tells me you’d be more curious to hear about my sudden resurrection before you decide to splatter my brain over your patio.”
Bruno might seem unpredictable to most, but not to me.
I understood him. He thought of himself as a badass, but he was just a spoiled boy with a temper and a mother who loved to order him around.
I knew he hated that his mother still had control.
It was almost pathetic the way he stood there waving around his gold gun with its ivory handle.
He was all show. Evil and dangerous, though, so I knew I’d have to handle him carefully.
“Sit.” He pointed to the table with his weapon, and Chili and I took a seat. A beautiful humidor sat in the middle of the round marble top, and I leaned over slowly to raise the lid and took an appreciative sniff. If I was to appear the same man as before, I had to act the part.
“Cohiba Behike.” Bruno nodded, and I reached in carefully and held one up to show Chili.
“You have always had excellent taste, Eric.” He nodded at me in appreciation.
“When those were first released, they sold for eighteen hundred US dollars a box. That humidor was one of only one hundred sold and held forty cigars.”
“Really? That’s incredible.” Chili blew out an amazed breath and leaned close to take a whiff, but he didn’t dare touch it.
“You were always a man of incredible taste.” I eyed Bruno. His chest puffed up as he accepted my compliment. We made ourselves seem comfortable. Hopefully, it would convince him to let his guard down.
“I enjoy only the very best.” Bruno’s cocky side showed, and I knew it was time to dive in. “Well?”
I gently replaced the cigar and closed the lid. To show appreciation was one thing, but helping myself to one would be going too far.
“So, Bruno, I want you to know I had no idea that when I ran up behind your vehicle someone had planted a bomb inside.” I started with the betrayal first. Bruno was an emotional man, and his ego needed to be stroked some more.
“I can’t figure out who was behind that.
Though I have heard rumors.” I made a show of glancing at Armondo.
“Interesting how you both were there but only one of you was burned.” I stated that quietly for only him to hear.
A flash of memory found me of when I attached the explosive under the vehicle and how it had let go on one side.
Then it must have fallen to the ground before it ignited.
Bruno rested his hand on the table, but I noticed he still held his gun. “The full story.”
“That night, I was being followed by Rafeal Cruz on Perez territory. I was coming to get you so we could circle around, trap him, and kill him for trespassing.” I gave him a wicked grin.
“You know like the old days.” The crease in his jacket around his shoulder smoothed out as he visibly relaxed at my comment.
“Only I didn’t get the chance.” I pushed up the short sleeve on my shirt to show him where my fake burn started and traveled down to my hand.
We had made sure the cosmetic scars covered the length of my arm in order to conceal my tattooed sleeve.
“You weren’t the only one who was left with a reminder of that terrible day. ”
He studied the ugly grooves and, without thinking, touched his own. My eyes shifted to Chili, and he gave me a slight tilt of the head that he’d seen too.
“I had every intention of finding you after the blast, but Rio got to me first.”
“Rio?” he interrupted, and I swore I saw Chili’s lips twitch. Bruno loathed his mother’s right-hand man. He knew he’d never measure up to him.
“After your car exploded, I woke up in the back of Rio’s car. My arm was bandaged, and they’d drugged me up with something for the pain. The stuff knocked me out for hours. Now I know the reason.”
“Which was?”
“Well, after the fog from the drug wore off, I realized your mother had joined us in the car. She said you were alive, but things were going to be different.” I knew the next part would raise his temper. “She thought our plan for Talya wasn’t being handled correctly.”
“Of course she did,” he muttered more to himself. “What did she say?”
“She thought it would be a good idea for you to pretend to stay dead and for me to keep working our angle with Talya.”
He cursed and shook his head. “She wanted me out of the way, you mean.”
“No, look,” I leaned my elbows on the table and lowered my voice, “you and me, we had come up with the perfect plan. We had the Canos daughter betray her own blood to work with us!” I added a level of excitement to my voice.
“She was feeding us information, and we were actively stepping in and blocking their drug runs. We were making a dent, but your mother saw the writing on the wall and wanted in on it. Can you imagine if shit hadn’t gone sideways?
” I shook my head with a sly grin. “They would never have seen that coming.”
“I know it was a great plan, because it was my idea,” he said through a clenched jaw. “What else did my mother have to do with this?”
“Everything.” I didn’t miss a beat. “After the attack on you, she wanted you to lay low, so the Canoses thought you were out of the picture. Maybe she thought the Canoses suspected you or something.” I went in for another dig at Esmerelda.
“You know your mother, she hardly ever shares her plans. Anyway,” I waved and let that sink in, “not long afterward, Jerry started to suspect something between me and Talya, even though she’d worked hard to keep Grim as her cover.
So that day, when the soldiers from the north showed up and attacked Martin’s house, your mom ordered me to fake my own death.
” I cleared my throat and scowled to show I didn’t agree with it. “You know Esmerelda; you don’t say no.”
“Mm.”
“But there was so much shit from the explosion, it was logical to think I’d get killed in the process, and from what I know, no one since has questioned my death.”
His mouth sagged open. “My mother has known all along that you are alive?”
“Yes.” I lied so easily. “Talya found me a few months later. Distraught about her parents’ decisions and the direction they were taking their business.
” I kept this part vague because fewer details were better with a lie.
“She decided she was leaving but gave me a parting gift.” I wiggled my brows at him.
He leaned forward with interest. “Which was?”
I carefully reached for the USB stick in my shirt pocket. “Financial reports, drop-off and pick-up locations, and how the Canoses were using my fucking tunnel to transfer money. I didn’t come to you until now because I needed to see it for myself, and guess what? It’s true. I have the proof.”
“You have all this?”
“Yes, enough to set up the American soldiers and have them take out the Canoses, and just when they think they’ve won,” I looked excited, “we strike and end them!” I smacked my knee then set the USB stick down between us.
His eyes locked on it, like Gollum as he stared at the golden ring.
I could practically see his obsession with ending Blackstone once and for all.
His hand jerked forward, and he snatched it up and held it closer to his face.
He flicked his wrist at his men. “Chili, give us a moment.” Armondo stepped forward and avoided eye contact with me as he motioned at Chili to leave.
“Of course.” Chili walked with Armondo across the patio, out of hearing range.
Bruno pocketed the USB. “Did Chili know any of this?”
“No. I didn’t think it was wise at the time, but he knows everything now. I filled him in yesterday and asked him to find a way for me to see you.”
“Chili stayed to work your tunnel after what happened with my uncle. Do you think he has any loyalty to the Canos family?”
“No,” I held his stare, “he’s loyal to a fault. I trust him with my life, as I do you.” Bruno loved when I played we were brothers. He hated his own, so I often used that angle on him.
Bruno let out a long breath. “You slept with Talya?”
I gave a sleezy smirk, channeling the darker part of Eric. “That was a product of too much tequila, an empty bar, and, well, a gorgeous woman who wanted it as badly as I did.”
“I understand that.” He gave a wide smile. “A man needs release, and why not with a beautiful woman, ah?” He patted his crotch and looked up. I followed his line of sight, and my stomach dropped as I spotted Nicole up on a balcony.
Fuck!
I turned to stone. Lungs, heart, stomach, and brain frozen in time.
No. That isn’t happening. Not here, not now, it’s impossible.
I knew I couldn’t let her see me, not as Eric.
Even though I doubted she’d recognize me, I knew someday she’d have to find out.
I didn’t want her to have the mental image in her head.
“So, the kid is yours?” I barely heard his words and had to replay them twice to form an answer. Focus.
“Not sure, but for the sake of letting the Canoses panic, yes.” I turned my back to the window with my mind still reeling. I had to ground myself to fight the panic. “If I am, then so be it. I’ll only believe it once I get tested.”
“Do you have the boy?”
“No,” I squinted as if confused, “the last I heard, you had won the bid with Rafael.”
Bruno looked up at the balcony again, and I dared a quick glance. She was gone. “Things did not go as they should have, but it won’t be long before I’ll have the child. In the meantime, I’m dealing with it.”
All I had to do was jerk forward, grab the gun he left so carelessly on the table, and drive a bullet through his sweaty forehead. The world would be such a better place.
“All right,” he pulled me from my murderous thoughts, “so, what do you propose to do?”
“I want to finish what we started.”
“I want to trust you, Eric. Give me something more.”
I pulled out a photo of Jerry Canos, courtesy of Mike’s Photoshop skills. The one thing about Bruno was he was dumber than dumb when it came to technology. “And?”
“This was taken two days ago, and look who’s he’s talking to.” He squinted to see Archie Kidd, all smiles as he stood behind Jerry. He looked completely at ease in the presence of the Canos family. “You have a mole, but before you plant a bullet in his head, I think we can use this.”
He scratched his upper lip as he flipped the photo over as if it offended him. He was pissed. “How?”
“Let’s just say I’ve been watching the Canos family, and that’s how I got it.
Bruno, I’m tired of all our best laid plans going sideways, and I bet you’ve had enough of stepping back until your mama says when it’s time.
Let’s take control ourselves.” Whether he meant to or not, his interest showed.
I could see it in the way his skin tightened around his eyes and mouth.
“Let’s use Archie to lure Jerry out, then we start swinging and wipe the Canoses off the map.
We’ll take back the land, you take your Uncle Martin’s spot at the top where you belong, and we go back to doing what we were meant to.
Money, control, and power will be our reward. ”
He couldn’t hold it back anymore. His lips stretched wide, and his teeth bared.
He stood, and I did the same. “Now, that sounds like the perfect plan.” He clapped me on the back, then we made arrangements to meet the next day to work out the details.
I sweated every moment, as I desperately needed to get out of there without Nicole seeing me.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I found Chili and waved him toward the truck. Neither of us said a word until we were a few miles away from the place.
“Chili, pull over!”
Before the truck had completely stopped, I jumped out and pressed my palms flat against the truck’s hood.
“Wanna fill me in?” Chili sounded worried, but I needed a minute to stop the magnetic pull that was trying to suck me back there. “Hey? You okay?”
“Give me a sec,” I gritted as I dug my cell phone out from under the seat. I tapped on John’s name and waited for him to answer.
“You’re on speaker. Where are you?” He sounded pissed.
“She’s at the farm, boys. He took her to the fucking farm.”
“Farm?” John sounded confused. “That sounds like it means something?”
I wanted to scream with frustration. “It means getting Nicole the fuck out just became ten times harder.”