Chapter Six
Six hours later...
The Marauders all had coffee and were yawning as they tried to get awake. The room seemed quiet for a long while then conversations finally started as a low hum of talk rippled all around.
Titus stared across the table at Nita and tried to pick up the conversation where they left off last night, “So if they are traveling to us we don’t know when they left. Did you see them leave?”
Nita shook her head. “I hiked up here early yesterday. I left town the night before. They hadn’t left when I took off.
I figure that you might have less time than you think.
As soon as they realized Ricco was on his way here, they all gathered and followed him.
And it wouldn’t take Joel Prescott long to get his plane here. So you have maybe a few hours?”
Titus nodded then looked around the room. “Ulysses, Ridge and Ironman, get the rockets ready then man the towers. Send the lookouts back here to rest up. If this vulture guy likes to come in the backdoor, one of you face the road and the other two face the back door.”
“You might recognize his plane from the Vulture he’s got painted on the cabin,” Nita offered. Shrugging, she said, “He thinks that damn bird is his calling card but really it just makes him a target if you know what to look for.”
Boomer nodded. “His calling card? What a dumbass.”
Nita nodded. “He doesn’t think anyone would dare to stop him, that people fear him but in reality, he has to cheat to win and that’s never a good thing.”
Hot Rod chuckled. “He’s a coward not a real man. Only cowards need to cheat and by coming in the back way, well that says a lot about the man, doesn’t it?”
All three men for the lookout points then stopped at the armory and grabbed a couple of handheld rockets and some rifles then they disappeared out the back door.
Nita drank the rest of her coffee. No one said a word when she pushed the journals into the middle of the table.
Bouncer and Boomer reached for one and began reading her words about what the Sanchez family was really like. Titus and Ridge grabbed another book and soon they were all reading her view of the situation.
Titus looked up after reading the book for a while. “Is this accurate?”
Nita stared at him and asked, “What?”
“That you think Ricco was phasing his father out of the business?” he asked.
Nita nodded. “Oh yeah and pushing into Gabriel’s territory was his way of gaining more for pushing his father out of the way.
Ricco had a bigger army of men he would put in front of him, he had more guns, more money, just more.
Gabriel was there at the bar that night to confront his little brother and I think his own people told him his brother was there and rather than face him, he just blew the place up. ”
Areille gasped. “You think he knew Gabriel was there? Really? He didn’t believe me when I told him Gabriel was dead.
Ricco told us all that even if we killed him, his big brother would come and kill us all.
He looked shocked when I told him he blew his own brother up and then he seemed to deflate and chose to die by a bullet instead of facing his father. ”
Nita just stared at her. “Yeah, he knew his brother was at that bar, in fact he was counting on it. He knew all too well his father would insist Gabriel be there. But Ricco played the game well enough didn’t he?
It was the part about his father knowing he killed Gabriel that scared him.
He had you all convinced he didn’t know.
Except for the fact that he had Dagger, one of his men standing there watching Gabriel enter the bar and at Dagger’s signal that’s when he loosened the valve and started the gas flow.
He knew Gabriel smoked and waited until Gabriel lit another cigarette.
Then just in case it took awhile, he walked over to the back door and threw a lit lighter inside.
He didn’t want to wait for them to maybe smell the gas before his brother had another cigarette.
He was there standing just out of range of the debris when it began falling.
I saw him, he was there and he was wearing a half smile on his face when the bar blew all to hell. ”
“Damn,” Arielle swore in disgust. “I never saw that but I didn’t have a close spot to watch them from. Good thing his demise is no loss to the world. Just be a fucking lowlife liar till the very end.”
Titus cocked his head at her then looked over at Nita.
Nita slowly nodded her head. “All of them live for themselves. They lie on the daily.” She reached for her phone and scrolled until she got the right video. She hit play and handed Titus her phone.
Titus watched the whole thing from start to finish. When it was finished, he laid it carefully on the table and just sat there.
“Now do you believe me?” Nita asked softly.
Bouncer reached for her phone. He and Boomer saw the video.
The whole room went silent.
Titus sighed heavily. “Ricco died too soon. He should have waited for the rest of his family to get here and they could have seen that video. It would have been interesting to watch him explain that to his father.”
Nita snorted. “That’s why he insisted on a bullet.
I think the old man knew that it wasn’t really any kind of accident.
I think he already knows what Ricco did.
The only problem is that Gabriel was his favorite son.
Yeah, no parent should have a favorite but ole Eduardo did and that was Gabriel.
I think he considered Ricco to be reckless and stubborn but there were times I could tell he was pissed at the grabby hands Ricco had.
” She shrugged. “It was just one of those things, I guess.”
“What does he think of Lily and his other son?” Hot Rod wanted to know.
Nita shrugged. “That old man has always pitted one child against the other. I think Lily grew so cold because she had to. She knew that the only way she would survive in that family was to be as cutthroat as they were. After a while it was routine for her and she just didn’t know any better.
” She shrugged, “Maybe she just got used to the way she was raised. Her mother passed away when she was too young to know better and this was the one way she got noticed in that house. But don’t be fooled, she is just as crazy and lethal as her brothers. ”
“And Canto?” Boomer asked. “What kind of man is he?”
Nita was silent for a moment, then she said, “He’s the only one in that whole family that I think could walk away from the violence, from the mayhem and the blood.
And not be bothered by it. But he’s a Sanchez.
He would have to follow in his father’s footsteps.
He could never just walk away. The rest of the family would never allow him to do that.
He would be dragged back inside to rebuild his father’s house of pain. ”
Hot Rod just shook his head. “So even if he wanted to leave, the rest of his family would just drag him back.”
“But Eduardo has a lot of friends,” Nita told them. “Ricco thought he held all the cards but Eduardo still kept him on a short leash. And Daddy knew Ricco’s business, all of Ricco’s business.”
“And just what does that mean?” Boomer growled.
“He knew about Todd Lawler. Ricco had to use family money to get a foot into Lawler’s protection racket.
And Ricco used more muscle to try and take over the business.
Todd tried to fight Ricco’s encroachment but Ricco wouldn’t let him.
I think maybe Todd tried to get out of the deal but Ricco wouldn’t let him.
And now while Todd is dead, his two sons aren’t and they just joined Ricco’s crew.
I saw them with the Sanchez family at their estate the day before yesterday.
” Shaking her head, she added, “And while they think they were only dealing with Ricco, I think those two boys are going to have a fit when Eduardo decides to step into Ricco’s shoes.
If he survives your war, he will be taking over the reins of Ricco’s businesses.
And even if he doesn’t survive, his brothers and cousins will grab those deals.
Those two brothers think they can just walk away from the Sanchez’s after Ricco’s death?
That ain’t gonna happen. Eduardo’s brothers and cousins won’t let that happen.
Todd owed Ricco money and they won’t stop until the money is back in their hands, plus interest.” She looked at Crank.
“You may not ever see your brothers again by the time that family gets done.”
“Well, shit?” Crank shook his head. “I have to wonder if my stupid brothers know just how deep Dad got them into shit. I have a feeling my brothers will wish they never heard the Sanchez name.” He paused, then asked, “How many Sanchez’s are there anyway?”
“Eduardo has two brothers and about five nephews,” Nita told them. “One of the brothers died a year ago in a police shootout but he left two sons alive. He has one brother left and three more nephews that are just as barbaric as he ever was.”
“So even if we take out Eduardo and his kids we might still have to worry about his brother and five of his nephews?” Boomer asked in disgust.
Bouncer nodded. “Maybe, but let’s just concentrate on one branch of the family at a time.”
“Let’s not forget about my brothers,” Crank reminded them. “They might be stupid but they have reach they don’t even know about yet.”
“What does that mean?” Titus frowned.
“I found Todd had connections with Cartels and most of the sleazy underworld,” Jep informed them. “Now that daddy dearest is dead, these other bad dudes might come together and start a war no one can win.”
Titus just shook his head. “Holy shit,” he muttered under his breath. Turning to Crank, he asked, “Do you think your brothers realize that?”
Crank just shrugged. “No fucking clue. I know one thing for sure, my father never thought he’d die like he did.
Sleeping with Stella Sanchez was just fun for him.
That was his way of thumbing his nose at Ricco.
He probably never realized that dipping his cock into someone else’s woman could be his death.
Most people might think twice about something like that but not my father.
Bet he regrets that now.” Crank shrugged. “Well, while he’s in hell, that is.”
The room went silent with this statement.
Nita stared at him as she had curiosity in her eyes.