“Of course,” Hernandez says. “My men will be there soon, depending on how my next shipment is handled with my new territory…Well speak to my men…I don’t have time to meet up for this deal…Ugh. Fine. Since you leave me no choice. Respect is respect after all, and I need you to trust me.” After several seconds, she scoffs. “El Jefe?” She then laughs. “I know he’s looking for me. He’s not going to find me. Right now, he’s probably trying to figure out how to win his territory back without being seen…Trust me, he won’t do a damn thing… once I do what I need to do, no one will give a damn about El Jefe. No one will respect a man who gave his position of power to a woman…No need to be afraid. Forget about him, okay? I was told we could work well together…I hope I won’t regret it…Good. I’ll have my men take care of him once this is all over, and you’ll only have to deal with me from now on. You just worry about getting me the coke and the boat for clearance, okay?”
That. Bitch.
She thinks she’s so smart—so bold and confident and invincible. If Draco hadn’t already called dibs, I’d kill her my goddamn self.
Draco clenches his gun tight, fisting it until his knuckles turn white. His jaw is pulsing rapidly, eyes a shade darker as he stares at the screen.
“How long can you keep track of her?” he asks through clenched teeth.
“As long as she has that phone and continues making calls, I’ll receive waves of it. If she ditches it then I’m not sure,” Allen says.
“She’ll most likely ditch it by the end of the day,” Draco grumbles. “Like she said before, she learned from the best.” Draco steps around the desk and looks at Patanza. “We need to figure out who the cocaine is coming from and who she’s meeting for it.”
“How, Jefe? She didn’t mention a location. We don’t even know who she was talking to,” Patanza tells him. “Most of the men in the territories she took have boats and marinas. We can go through all of them, but it’s going to be impossible to get to her on time if we sift through every single person you gave her access to. By that time she’ll have everything she needs.”
Draco breathes hard through his nostrils, turning his back to her and looking at one of the computer screens again, his hand on his hip now.
“She was talking to someone who seemed concerned or afraid,” I mention. “Or maybe worried about you?”
“They’re all fucking afraid of him,” Clark gripes before pulling out a cigarette and sparking it.
“No, but this person seemed like he didn’t want to do it and was only going through with it because you gave her the territory—like he is still hesitant and would gladly pass up the opportunity out of respect for you. Any of your suppliers still that loyal? Loyal enough to be worried about you?”
Draco peers over his shoulder at me, head shaking.
Patanza frowns a bit, like she has a clue, and right before she speaks, her cellphone rings. She snatches it out of her back pocket and looks at the screen. Draco turns fully to face her when she answers the phone.
“Who is it?” he asks.
When she looks up, her eyes are round and wide, and she murmurs a name I have never heard before.
“Ruben.”
36
DRACO
Ruben Andrés.
A friend from private school who grew up with rich, part-time parents, anger problems, and always picked fights. Despite it all, he was a fucking bulldog and always had my back before I was homeschooled.
He’s one of my biggest suppliers and transporters—always cutting deals for me, showing up for me. He’s always been loyal, even though there are times when he has annoyed the fuck out of me by showing up late for certain drop-offs and pick-ups.
It has never mattered, though. He always shows. He never disappears, and every sprinkle of coke ever weighed is exact when imported and delivered to me.
Giving Ruben up to Hernandez was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. His territory—his boats—play a huge role in my cartel.
I didn’t think she’d go for Ruben so quickly, knowing the type of relationship he and I have. Either she’s that fucking dumb, or thinks I’m too stupid to figure it all out and take action. She thinks she’s doing this under my nose.
She’s the stupid one.
I know exactly where he schedules his drop-offs and where he docks his boats for imports.
He’s always respected me, just as much as I’ve respected him. I have other loyal men, men who fear me, but not as much as Ruben. Ruben both fears and respects me. I know working with her doesn’t sit well with him, which is why he’s just called Patanza.