11. Rook
ROOK
I’m not entirely sure when this became my role, but somehow, I’ve ended up taking the lead on this call from Hector.
Is it because Ghost asked for me by name when he called? Did that somehow elevate me in everyone’s opinion? Or is it because I am the man who watched over Jack after he’d been shot?
Perhaps it’s a combination of both.
It wasn’t so long ago that I was fighting for my life to even stay in the club.
I’d been sure Jack was going to kick me out after I acted alone to find Camile.
If it hadn’t been for her, he’d have asked me to leave.
Now, the most senior members of the club are looking to me to lead, and it’s a headfuck.
We’re crowded back in his office, watching the clock and waiting for Hector’s call.
My palms are slick with sweat, my heart hammering.
Nerves clench my guts. I know how much is riding on this, and it’s fucking terrifying.
I keep thinking about how it’s going to kill Camile if something bad happens to Ghost—something else bad.
She’s already blaming herself, and this voicemail message thing is her idea, so if we can’t pull it off…
My heart tightens at the thought. She’s already been through so much, and I’m petrified that if we lose Ghost, it will break her.
And that will break all of us.
The phone rings. We’ve had it automatically forwarded to Jack’s office. The air is sucked out of the room as we inhale in anticipation of the next few minutes.
I hope the others don’t notice the shaking of my hand as I lift the receiver.
“Yeah?” I do my best to sound cool and calm, though inside I’m quivering.
“It’s Hector Sanchez.” His accent is starting to sound familiar. “Let me talk to my son, or your man will lose body parts.”
“I hear you. Give me a minute. I need to take the phone to him.”
I hit the button to mute him on our end, jerking my chin at Phoenix, who is in charge of the recording.
I unmute the phone. “Okay, you can talk to him now.”
I hold the receiver next to the phone we’ve put the software onto.
Hector speaks in Spanish.
My stomach drops. Fuck. We’d never thought of that. He’s going to expect a reply in Spanish, too, something we can’t provide. I throw a look to the others, and they all have the same shocked expression on their faces that I imagine is on mine.
Thinking quickly, I speak. “You need to speak English, or we won’t let you talk to him. We need to understand what’s being said, or you could be making arrangements for his rescue.”
Hector’s response is gruff. “You are telling me I cannot communicate in my own language.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. And don’t start making threats to remove body parts from our man. We’re perfectly capable of making the same kind of threats. I’m sure you don’t want your son back in pieces.”
A pause comes down the line, and my heart hammers so hard I feel nauseated.
Then Hector speaks. “Very well. English only.”
“Okay, you can talk to Ledger now.” I give Phoenix a nod.
“Son, are they treating you well?” Hector asks.
Phoenix hits play on the recording and Ledger’s voice, albeit distorted slightly to make him sound like he’s in distress, plays back.
“I’m not hurt.”
“That’s good,” Hector replies. “We will get you free of these sons of bitches soon enough.”
I look around at the others, trying to get a feel about whether they think Hector is buying it.
Phoenix hits play again. “I’m okay, I swear,” Ledger’s voice replies.
It doesn’t quite fit with what Hector has said, but hopefully it’ll be enough.
I take the phone back. “That’s all you’re getting. Now we need to put plans in place to make the exchange.”
“I have an offer to make you,” Hector says. “I will exchange your man for my son, and, as an apology for shooting your president, I will also include the girl’s mother. I will use one of our private planes to bring her to the United States, and I will guarantee both of their safety.”
“What about the brother?” I ask.
“The brother is… how do you say it? Fair game.”
“I don’t know…” I look around at the others, hoping for some ideas, but none of them seem to know how to react to Hector’s new offer either.
Hector clucks his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
“The one problem with my offer is we don’t know the location of the mother to return her safely.
She’s in a safehouse somewhere, and the information the girl gave Ledger before was incorrect.
She wasted a lot of our time and resources with her lies. ”
I understand what he’s getting at now. “You want the location of the safehouse.”
“Exactly.” He blows out an annoyed breath.
“And if we are able to get the location of the safehouse, you will guarantee the mother’s safety and transport to the US? And you will leave Camile alone, for good, this time?”
“That’s what I’ve said. It’s a fair offer. It means Camile and her mother will have complete immunity from the cartel. It limits the fighting and the fallout to just the men, the way it should be. I’m a man of my word.”
Somehow, I doubt that.
“You’re going to need to leave it with me,” I tell him. “Camile isn’t here right now, and we need to convince her this is a good deal. You’re asking her to give up her brother’s life.”
“I’m asking her to bring an end to a feud, and secure safety for herself and her mother.”
“A feud you started,” I can’t help throwing back.
He chuckles at that, and the sound infuriates me.
“It’s been ongoing for many years, perhaps even many generations.
Who is to say who started what? All the girl needs to know is that she will be safe and so will her mother.
I’m aware there is a second brother, yes, but he has cut ties from the family business and has set up his home in Europe.
So long as he remains there and does not try to seek revenge, I will also let him live.
This is an extremely good deal for the girl.
The alternative was her being brought back to Mexico to marry my son, and knowing my son as I do, I’m sure that would not be a pleasant experience for her. ”
I grind my teeth. Even though I know Camile marrying Ledger is a physical impossibility, it still makes me rage. I’m thankful she isn’t here to listen to this conversation, though we’re going to need to fill her in on it.
How will she make such an impossible choice?
She’s literally going to be signing her brother’s death warrant.
I’m sure she loves her mother, but, given the choice, would her mother exchange her son’s life for her own?
I doubt she would make that decision. Most parents would always put their children’s lives first, even when those children are grown.
However, it also brings Camile long-term safety and protects the club from reprisals.
In a way, there’s a poetic justice to it.
Camile was part of a college that basically trains girls for marriage.
They are seen as nothing but things to be traded away for alliances.
Perhaps it’s fitting that the mother and daughter are the ones given priority this time?
Would her brother do anything to save her life?
Would her father have? Or is she just an asset to them?
I know what I want her to do because I just need her to be safe.
But knowing Camile, she’d never agree to end her brother’s life. She’s far too loyal.
Also, how much can we trust Hector? What if Camile gives him the location of the family’s safehouse on the promise he’ll bring her mother to her, and he reneges on that and kills them all?
The only way to prevent that from happening is if we hold on to Ledger until we get her mother into the US, but then what do we do, because we don’t actually have Ledger to exchange for her mother and Ghost.
I want to yell with frustration.
“You’re going to need to give us some time,” I say down the line.
“The offer won’t stand forever,” Hector warns.
“I’m aware.” I glance at the faces of the others, but they’re unreadable.
The line goes dead, and I drag my hand through my hair.
Fuck. Now what? We could agree to make the original exchange, just Ledger for Ghost, but we don’t have Ledger to swap.
The other club members are going to be more focused on getting Ghost back than worrying about the safety of Camile’s family, or her.
The one thing we have going for us is that we believe we know where Ghost is being held.
Of course, we might be wrong, and if we are and we don’t make the swap, Ghost will be killed.