Chapter 12 #4
Angelo grinned. Finally, something was going right.
He’d finally gotten a message back. He’d either groveled enough, or somehow made it clear that he’d left South America against his will.
And that he was still very loyal to the cartel and would do whatever it took to get back there to start working again.
And this time he wouldn’t screw up. He’d learned his lesson.
And he’d done it. Pablo had reached out.
Pablo
Where are you?
Angelo
Fucking America.
Pablo
Where?
Angelo
New Mexico. I want to come home, but I have no money.
Pablo
Is your sister with you? And the American?
Angelo
Yes. They’re getting married. I want nothing to do with that. I just want to come home and work for the cartel. There’s nothing for me here in the US.
Pablo
Why should we take you back? You fucked up.
Angelo
I know, and as I said in my messages, I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I am loyal to the cartel. I swear it.
Pablo
It won’t be easy.
Angelo
I can do it.
Pablo
I am not so sure. You will have to prove your loyalty. Saying the words does not make it true.
Angelo
What do I need to do?
Pablo
How do we know this isn’t a trap? That you aren’t now working with the American to bring trouble to our door?
Angelo
I’m not! I swear!
Angelo
Pablo? Are you still there? I don’t even like my sister’s boyfriend. I hate his friends. I just want to come home. Here, I am nothing but a stupid foreigner. Back home, I’m respected.
Pablo
Fine. I will wire you money for a bus ticket. You can take it to Mexico and an associate will pick you up.
Angelo
Thank you!!! So much.
Pablo
I need an address.
Angelo
I’m at a place called The Refuge. It’s literally in the middle of nowhere.
But they have cameras. And I don’t think I should get mail here.
It would be weird if I got a letter from Colombia.
They are paranoid. My sister says the reason we haven’t already left is because they are worried the cartel is looking for them.
I asked why the cartel would care about someone as unimportant as her or her fiancé. She looked at me like I was dumb.
Pablo
I’m not sending you a letter. I meant, I need the address of the place where I can send money. Wire, like send it electronically.
Angelo
Right, sorry. I’m sure there’s a place like that in the town near here, Los Alamos. I’ll get back with you.
Pablo
Tell anyone we’ve talked, and you’re dead.
Angelo
I won’t! I promise. I just want to get out of here.
Pablo
You do this, and you’ll belong to the cartel. We don’t give money to just anyone, and we don’t go out of our way to rescue members who’ve screwed us.
Angelo
I know, and I’m ready to pledge my loyalty to you and to the cartel.
Pablo
We’ll see how loyal you are. Get me that address.
Angelo
I will.
For the first time in weeks, Angelo was excited. He was going home! He’d tried to be a little more receptive to the people here, but inside it was killing him to smile, to pretend he was happy, that nothing was wrong.
As a car approached the cabin, he glanced up to see Isabella. Returning from town with Reese…the cause of all his troubles in the first place.
Angelo scowled. He didn’t like the woman, but he understood her loyalty to her brother.
Angelo loved his sister more than anything…
but he wasn’t a kid anymore. She had to see that.
Had to know he was ready to be his own man.
She didn’t approve of the cartel, but she’d never actually given them a chance.
Couldn’t understand how much better their lives would have been if he’d started working for the cartel years ago.
They would’ve had money. A lot of it. They could’ve moved to a bigger house, she could’ve quit her job working for foreigners and lived an easy life.
But instead, they’d been going without. Scrimping and saving and they still never had enough.
He didn’t want to leave her behind…but once he was back home and making good money, he’d reach out to Isabella.
Tell her how much he missed her. If given the chance, he knew he could care for his sister better than the American.
He’d have more money than Woody could ever dream of making.
Maybe he could convince her to return to Colombia.
Isabella had taken care of him when their parents died, going without for years so that Angelo could have more. He wanted to return that loyalty, be the provider for once, but his sister was so stubborn! She wouldn’t listen to him.
Angelo sighed, some of his excitement dimming.
He knew it wouldn’t be as easy as asking Isabella to come home.
But he also knew that one day, she’d be sorry for her choices.
When the American got tired of her and dumped her, when she was alone and broke and had no one, she’d reach out to him.
And Angelo would happily welcome her back.
He’d prove to her that all her ideas about the cartel were wrong.
That they were savvy businessmen who were providing a product that was very much in demand.
Why was it wrong to make money? It wasn’t. If the cartel didn’t distribute the drugs, someone else would. And someone else would make all the money that Angelo wanted his share of, desperately.
It was only a matter of time before he was back where he belonged.
Where he could be someone. But first, he had to find a place in Los Alamos that transferred money.
He could make some calls, but it wouldn’t be easy since he’d have to find a place that spoke Spanish.
Then he needed to find a ride into town to retrieve the cash.
He couldn’t drive himself, and he couldn’t ask his sister or Woody. They’d ask too many questions.
He’d figure it out. His friend Pablo was going out on a limb to bring him home, and Angelo wouldn’t let him down. He’d do whatever he had to, including smiling and laughing to convince everyone that he wasn’t planning on leaving here as soon as possible to go back to South America and the cartel.