28. CARLOS
CARLOS
A s I walk back up to my room, I notice the blaring sunshine flooding through the windows. I’ve no idea what time it is. Time has lost all meaning here in the last twelve hours. I need to get a plan together and meet Pedro.
When I finally arrive in my room, Lucas and Mark are waiting for me. Both of them look as exhausted as I feel. But we have work to do.
“Have you just been to see Simon?” Lucas asks as I sit on the edge of my bed. The room has been tidied up since Simon's jealous outburst. By whom I have no idea.
“Yes,” I say as I lean my elbows on my knees, rubbing my forehead, trying to get our conversation out of my head.
“How is he?” Mark asks.
“How do you think? He fucking hates me, his back is messed up and I think we’ve managed to screw him up for life,” I say, annoyed at such a dumb question.
“Hey, he was only asking. We know this is hard, Carlos. But you have to bury any feelings to the side and focus on the task.”
“I know. What did Dima say when you called him?”
“After he went crazy on the phone, they are flying out here.”
“What?” I say, surprised.
“Yeah. There was no way to talk him out of it. Someone they know has access to a jet, so they were leaving within the hour,” Lucas says.
“How long ago was that?”
“Six hours ago.”
“Six hours! What time is it?”
“Eleven thirty,” Mark says. Shit.
“Fuck, I need to go meet Pedro.”
“We will follow close behind,” Lucas says.
“I’ll be fine. Trust me, my father will have this place on lockdown so I can’t leave. Otherwise he wouldn’t be allowing me to move around so freely.”
“Don’t care. We stick together,” Lucas says, and I relent.
“Fine. Let's go.”
As we head downstairs, Diogo, one of the guards, stops me.
“I was just coming to find you. Gabriel wants to see you at dinner tonight,” he says. I was expecting this. I don’t reply, I just nod and walk away, Lucas and Mark trailing behind me.
The sun warms my skin and hurts my eyes as we make our way through the gardens. The warmth turns to a singe the more exposed I am as we make it to the opening of the beach where there is no shade.
“You two wait here,” I say, and walk over to the old boathouse on the other side of the beach that has never been used. It used to be mine and Pedro’s secret place where we’d meet up, away from prying eyes.
I open the worn wooden door to see Pedro standing there waiting for me. He’s more casual today, white shorts and a pink linen shirt.
“I got your message, is everything okay?” he asks as he approaches me, frowning lines on his forehead from worry.
“No. I need your help. I want you to put me in contact with the Marins. A meeting of some kind.”
“The Marins? Jesus, Carlos, have you gone mad? Why the hell would I do that?”
“To save me.”
“Save you? You’re going to have to explain what's going on.”
“I don’t want to go too much into detail, but I’ve had to come back to the family. My father found a way to make it happen by taking someone I care about and hurting him. Badly. I had to agree to save us until I could get help.”
He nods in an understanding way, but doesn't pry.
“And you think the Marins will help? They’ll kill you on sight, Carlos.”
“No they won’t, if you explain I’m wanting to take down my father and that I will give them what they want. In exchange for force. We can come to a deal.”
“Are you serious? You want to give them the holdings in Leblon?” he says, voice a higher pitch than normal from shock.
“More than that. I’m willing to hand over more than that. With conditions, of course.”
Pedro moves close to me, his hands up in a plea.
“You do understand what you’re asking, don't you? To betray your family? You won’t be able to go back on any deal you make with them.”
“I don’t give a fuck if they flatten everything my father owns. I want out, with nothing left to pull me back. I want him safe.”
“Who is he? Is he safe now?”
“Just a guard from back home who came out here. I’ve fucked up. I couldn’t help him when they hurt him. He wants nothing to do with me.”
“Give him time. He’ll understand that you were not in a position to fight.”
“Could you explain that to him?”
Pedro smiles.
“I don’t think I’m the best person for that. Just use your powers of persuasion.”
“Oh, don’t worry. He’ll have no choice.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he says, sighing.
“Anyway, can you help?”
“Leave it with me. Wait for my call.”
I put my hand on his shoulder and give a gentle squeeze.
“Thank you, Pedro.”
“I was always weak when it came to you. Just remember you owe me,” he laughs and I join him, even though I don't feel it.
We leave the boathouse and go our separate ways as I walk back to where Lucas and Mark are chatting.
“All good?” Lucas asks.
“Yeah. Listen, I have some things to work out. Lucas, would you go sit with Simon? You’re the only one I trust with him. I don’t want him to be on his own.”
“Sure.”
“Mark, I need you to find a location just outside the area that would be safe for a meeting. No risk of being seen or caught.”
“Why do you need that?” Lucas asks.
“Because we are meeting someone who can help us get out of this shitstorm.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Lucas says as we all start to walk back to the house, just as my phone blares. Fortunately Simon only cracked the screen. I look at the shattered display. Shit. Dima.
“Hey, Dima.”
“Hey? What the fuck is going on, Carlos? I’m stuck on a fucking flight with these assholes, Simon isn’t answering his phone. Can you explain to me what happened?”
“Simon’s hurt. My brother and father did some pretty nasty stuff to him. He’s recovering. He’s alive.”
The line goes quiet and the last thing I need is the Kozlovs turning on me too.
“Dima, are you there?”
“Yes. I’m just trying to decide if we should leave you alive after this. What the fuck were you thinking, going there? Did you know this would happen?”
“Of course I didn’t fucking know!” I shout. “I would never intentionally put my man in harm's way. But you gotta look at the bigger picture here. How are three men supposed to take on twenty? Would you have done it?”
Another stretch of silence.
“Listen, Dima. I just want to get us all out of here and kill the fuckers. But I need help for that, which I’m arranging. Having you here too will make it easier, but this isn’t New York. Things are different here.”
“Obviously,” he mutters down the phone.
“How long until you land?”
“Another two hours. We’re trying to find somewhere to stay nearby.”
“Good, I doubt my father would welcome you.”
“No shit. It's lucky for you we have contacts to be able to get out to you.”
“Whose plane is it?”
“Tyler’s brother-in-law. That crazy ass, Noah. Can’t believe the guy owns a fucking jet.”
“Text me when you land and I’ll come over.”
“And what about Si? He is all we care about, Carlos. Don’t forget that. We’re here to help him home.”
“He’s in our private infirmary. Lucas is sitting with him.”
“You better protect him, Carlos. Or I fucking swear I’ll have Lev skin you alive.”
“Dima, if something else happens to Simon, I’ll sharpen the knife for you.”
All I get in response is a grunt before the line goes dead.
“That went well,” I mumble to Mark and Lucas.
“At least we will have more support. We are gonna need it,” Lucas says, and I agree.
We leave the beach and go off in different directions, all with our own tasks.
My task now is to work out what I’m going to say to the Marins.
Then plan my family's deaths.