Not only was everyone in the Castillo cartel compound dead thanks to me and my guys plus the compound burned to the ground, the fire started by me striking the match after pouring gasoline on that bed in that room in the sick fuck’s basement after I’d taken my time with vengeance against Castillo as well as Earl Johnston.
If I’d found the corpse of the motherfucker who’d laid his hands on my girl I’d have fed Earl that corpse’s cock before I shot him. Beyond that, I’d secured a deal with another cartel who helped me orchestrate the downfall, handing them the Castillo business and fortifying a deal that would nearly triple our profits from Mexico. Part of that deal included an exit strategy in a year’s time, which the cartel was more than happy to agree to because it meant 100% of the profits for them from that point on and it meant a lot to me because I didn’t want to be in the drug business. A smooth transition was important, though. I couldn’t just make an instant break.
Earl had said some things, made some accusations that I was troubled about. And a few comments from Castillo in the minutes before he died were either enlightening or designed to plant the seeds of doubt about some of what I knew about my Pop. I had some legwork to do to see if it held any truth. At the moment, I was taking all that’d been said with a grain of salt. He was gone now; they both were, so I couldn’t go back to either of them for more information.
My Pop didn’t even ask what made Earl defect, which made me think that maybe Earl spoke the truth. Why wouldn’t he at least wonder why a trusted employee would suddenly steal his future daughter-in-law and shoot a colleague in the head in cold blood?
Pretty telling to me that Pop was impressed, however, with the way things turned out. He didn’t know about the exit strategy but then again he didn’t need to know. I’d be in charge long before that would take place.
Thankfully he didn’t commend me on my lemonade-making skills. He’d taught me a long time ago to take opportunities wherever you could get them, even in the face of tragedy. But I think he knew better. The lemons I’d just been served had a pretty profound effect on me. I was pushing away thoughts that this shit was all my Pop’s fault. I needed more info first.
But damn, the way she wrapped herself around me in the shower when I was home and tried to take care of me and then handed me control this morning…it did something to me, fortified me. Today I felt like I could rule the fucking world. But I didn’t really want to, for once. I just wanted to go back and climb in bed with her, smell her, feel her, touch her. Make up for lost time. Try to make up for the tears I’d caused her.
When I walked into the office my father handed me a brass skeleton key that was about a foot long.
“What’s this?” I jerked my chin up.
“Key to the city. Symbolic, my boy. When is the wedding?”
I laid it on his desk and smiled a little, “I’ll keep you posted.”
“A month? Do it at my house. I’ll tell Lisa. She and your sisters can help. We’ll call that planner that put my and Lisa’s wedding together.”
I shrugged, “That could work. Let me just talk to her before you get the girls involved.”
He clapped his hands together, “Good. Now that that’s settled, on to other business.”
“One sec,” I told him and reached into the inside pocket of my suit jacket and slapped an envelope on the desk.
Pop raised his chin, “What’s that?”
“35K. I’m clearing O’Connor’s debt. Twenty-five for the debt; ten for the juice.”
“Huh?”
“You heard; payment with interest.”
“I gave her to you as a gift, my boy, and even if I didn’t, the vig didn’t run that high.”
I shook my head, “I’d rather clear it.”
“I’m not taking the gift back, son.”
I nodded and shoved the envelope closer to him and looked him in the eye, “Now you can’t.”
“And you’re marrying her. That makes her even more yours.”
“Take the money.”
Pop stroked his chin and looked at me, perplexed.
“The business between you and O’Connor, whatever it was, is done now. If anything further needs to be done about him, I do it,” I told him.
He sighed, looking a bit defeated, “Fine.” he agreed and put the envelope of money into the inside pocket of his blazer.
“You gonna fill me in?” I asked.
“Why? You’re already digging around. I know you; you’ll find all the answers eventually. Why spoil your moment of triumph?”