Chapter Two Patricio
I’m sitting in the dark-lit area of the Hotel restaurant. This is usually the place where I handle any outside business. I’m waiting for my socio Ignacio Fernandez, better known as Conejo. One of the deadliest sicarios on this side of the Houston-Mexico Border, and my right-hand man. As a former cartel hitman, he is loyal and trustworthy when it comes to the tainted side of my business dealings.
For the last three years, my nephew, Adrian, has been helping Conejo to form an alliance with Los Antros, a powerful prison gang within Houston’s Federal Detention Center. In order to provide our men going in security in the FDC, we need to have an alliance. It is hard to get into Los Antros, and Ivan’s reputation was the only thing we had to benefit us when Adrian approached them. He was our ticket in .
I put off looking for Adrian after he was born. After his mother, Soledad, begged me to leave them alone. I distanced myself more when I saw the destruction my brother, Ivan, had caused in his own daughter’s life. Thalia had endured so much because of her father. He controlled her every step and even bargained her hand in marriage to gain an ally. Not uncommon in our world, but she was thirteen when he had started offering her up for allies. I was always one step ahead of Ivan to make sure Adrian and Soledad’s location was hidden.
I knew all too well that Ivan Consuelo was a monster. His ability to detach from human emotions made him successful in carrying out missions and securing territories for the cartel we worked with, but it made him a horrible brother, son, and father. His need to control and exert violence was his only focus. He had an unhealthy craving to be feared amongst everyone, and he was willing to sacrifice any morals to prove himself a threat.
Growing up, we competed for our parent’s affection. Everything I sought to accomplish came from a desire to honor my father’s hard work and legacy. Our connections to the Houston Cartel Connect have always been professional as we laundered their money in exchange for the advancements needed to create the name we hold for ourselves. When my father and his brothers came to this country, many of his white competitors sought to destroy them with their corrupt politics and racism. The cartel protected them in exchange for a small percentage.
For Ivan, it was different. He wanted the power that came from being a member of the cartel rather than a business that benefited from them. He never cared about the legacy our father and uncles built. He wanted power and respect. When my father saw these tendencies and his thirst for power, he sent Ivan to live with his brother, Rogelio, in California.
With Ivan gone, my family could finally breathe. Especially my younger sister, Adriana, and me. We were able to live our lives more freely without him trying to control us or bully us. We started going out more, socializing, and bringing friends around. That was how I met Soledad.
Originally, she was a friend of Adriana’s, but the more time she spent at the house, the more I found myself canceling plans just so I could be around her. She was unique compared to the other girls I knew. She was beautiful, and she was kind. She was a good friend to Adriana and respectful to my parents. Most of the girls I met through Saint Rita’s had a false sense of entitlement that always turned me off. It wasn’t long before I fell in love with her.
I was na?ve to think Ivan would return and be a changed man. That I could introduce her to him and he would be happy for me. I never thought he would come back more heartless than he already was. The moment he came home and saw how much I loved Soledad, she became his next target.
Conejo walks in, drawing me out of the memory. I pour him a shot from the bottle of 1800 in front of us. He lifts his glass to me, and I return the sentiment before letting the liquor slide down my throat.
“Everything okay, compadre?”
“Ya. Just thinking about Adrian coming home.” He nods. He knows the backstory. The hurt and betrayal that was involved. He was the one who helped me through the first few years, whether that meant reckless weekends in Vegas or sleepless nights in California. I wanted to drown in my sorrows. I wanted to die altogether, but he was there for me through it all. Even though I had lost Soledad, I still had to protect Adrian, so I got my shit together and did what was always expected of me.
“This is what I have so far.”
Conejo hands me a manilla folder. It outlines several possible human trafficking operations within the Houston area that might have connections to Soledad. After I found out Adrian had been incarcerated, I went to visit him in the FDC. He told me about his past and his concern for Soledad. Conejo and I searched Adrian’s old home and found it had been vacant for over a year. The landlord told us once Adrian got locked up, there was no money coming in to pay the rent, and Soledad was nowhere to be found. Adrian confided in me about her addiction, and I knew the root of it.
Ivan had raped her, and her overly religious parents forced her to have Adrian. A story that was not mine to share. I tried to convince her that I would say it was mine, and that we could raise Adrian together, but she could never look at me the same again. Her addiction likely stemmed from everything Ivan took from her, just as my drinking and partying were fueled by losing her. It was his final jab to let me know he was still very much in charge of our family business. He used her at his disposal, and after putting her through the hell of having his child, he left her wounds raw and open for the world to feast on.
From then on, she would find any reason to escape. He took the only thing I ever loved. He not only stole her from me, but he took her from Adrian as well. He was neglected and alone as a child and had no idea why. My family was haunted by Adrian’s absence. My mother left this world wondering where he was, and my father would cry for him every time he had too much to drink. We all felt it, but never spoke of it. We would all live to know the true meaning of Soledad’s name. Loneliness.