The Pimp (Colombian Cartel Book 2)

by Suzanne Steele

“I agree with my son,” Ricardo interjects. “Tony is more than prepared to help you. Taking Santiago out is one thing,” he says with a glance my way, “but now there may be a hostage involved, and one of considerable personal interest to people in this room.”

  Tony nods in agreement and leans back in his chair. Interesting…

  Ricardo continues solemnly, “Circumstances have changed, with Santiago coming onto our turf and taking one of Diego’s women.”

  At that, Tony frowns, his eyes narrowing at Diego. The young man stands and takes a step forward, meeting Diego’s steady, unblinking gaze head-on. Um, alpha males at three o’clock… What the hell’s going on here?

  “He crossed a line when he did this,” Ricardo continues, seemingly oblivious to the pissing contest that’s taking shape before him. “As far as I am concerned, this is an act of war and provides ample justification to break the peace treaty with Sinaloa cartel.”

  Antonio’s the first to react. “Like I said: anything happens to that boy and my anger will be insatiable. But with that said, you have my blessing.”

  Tony approaches Diego and me, his voice low. “You’ll have to forgive my uncle; family is everything to him.”

  “As it should be,” Antonio mutters before returning to his newspaper.

  Ricardo claps his son on the shoulder and grips the back of his neck. They face each other and exchange a long look, then the older man pats his son’s cheek in an unexpectedly tender display of affection and dismisses us with a wave of his hand.

  Tony escorts us out into the hall. “If you two will follow me to my house, please, we can get to work on a plan to safely extract Caden and take that asshole out.”

  The drive to Tony’s house doesn’t take long since he has a bungalow on the edge of the compound.

  “If I didn’t know you like I do, I might be jealous,” Diego says a little too nonchalantly. “You stared at Tony the whole time we were in there.”

  “Same here; I wasn’t expecting you to stare him down over his interest in Caden. Anyway, I was studying him. He’s different than any cartel I’ve ever met.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t let that laidback persona of his fool you. That boy can shoot a fly off a horse’s ass from a mile away. There is no better shot that I’ve ever encountered. He was born to be a sniper.”

  We pull up to a beautiful log cabin. It sits on about ten acres with pasture and a barn. The horses grazing as they swish away any flies with their tails give testimony of a man who’s living in his element being this far out in the country.

  “The horses are beautiful. It’s heavenly out here, you must love living out here,” I tell Tony sincerely. I can feel Diego’s jealous eyes boring into me, but his attention is soon diverted by Tony’s next words.

  “I know Caden pretty well, actually.” Tony leans his hip against his vehicle and crosses his arms over his chest. “We’ve been…acquainted…for the last few months. Ever since I got out of the military. I have to admit, I like her—a lot.”

  “How do you know her?” I ask, just as surprised as Diego appears to be by this revelation. If this guy is friends with Caden, why wouldn’t Diego know about it?

  “I came to The Club my first night back home after my final deployment. You know, just wanting to blow off some steam. That’s when I saw her. I wasn’t looking to get involved, you know? But she really got to me. It had been a long time since I’d even talked to a woman – I mean, really talked to a woman – and all I could do was stare at her. I’d never seen anything like how she moved on that stage. After she finished, I waited for her to come out from the dressing room, but when she did she headed straight to a corner booth and kept this guy company for the rest of the night. He was a big spender, as the song goes, I guess. I know now that it was Santiago. Even back then, I didn’t like the way he looked at her, the way he always had to be touching her. When the place closed for the night, I wanted to kick my own ass because I didn’t say a word to her.

  “So I asked around and found out she was sort of a Jack of all trades at The Club -- lead dancer, den mother to the women who work there. And she manages The Club’s online presence – the website, social media, all that. So I did a little digging and contacted her online. She wouldn’t give me the time of day at first, but eventually we struck up a pen pal kind of thing.

  “Like I said, I’d just gotten back from being deployed in the Middle East. I was involved in some bad shit over there, didn’t really want anybody getting too close. So we texted and emailed more as time went on. Nothing too heavy at first, but it was a safe place for both us, I guess. Eventually, we got to know each other pretty well. Anyway, she gave me my sense of humanity back. Helped me remember that I’m still a human being…that I’m still very much a man. Before I knew it, we were communicating online every day. She told me she was stuck in a bad relationship and the guy sounded like a real asshole. For some reason she opened up to me. She’s kicked him to the curb, sounds like.”

  “Thank God for that,” Diego muttered.

  Tony grinned, “Yeah, well, my motives are totally selfish, believe me. Up until now we’ve only been friends. She doesn’t even know my real name or that I’m a Ramirez. Hell, we haven’t even met in person but we’re still friends. I don’t want to mess that up, but I want more from her. A lot more.” His eyes meet Diego’s in a blatantly challenging look. “I mean to claim her and I’m not going to sit idly by while that asshole Santiago puts her at risk.”

  Diego speaks up. “Caden’s my friend, too, so you’ll understand if I need to check you out, make sure your intentions are acceptable. The fact that you’re willing to risk life and limb to protect her tells me a lot already. I appreciate it.”

  He steps forward and the two men shake hands in one of those bone-crushing-alpha-male tests of strength that has me rolling my eyes.

  “Now let’s go inside and review the layout of her house,” Tony says as he gestures for us to accompany him to the front door. “Right now, time isn’t on our side. I’m wishing I’d gone ahead and moved on the feelings I have for her.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Diego asks.

  “Well, at first she had the boyfriend, even though it became obvious pretty fast that he was a worthless piece of crap. She’s fresh out of the relationship now. I don’t want to disrespect her and I’m nobody’s Transition Guy. But believe me, I want to break through the friendship zone. I’ve restrained myself because I didn’t want to overwhelm her. I didn’t want to come off as pushy like that guy who has her now. But now she’s at the mercy of a real sicko, all because I sat on my hands trying to be a gentleman. But no more; I’m in it to win it, brother.”

  “Good man,” Diego says, clapping him on the shoulder as we enter the house. I follow along behind them and listen as Diego fills Tony in on all things Santiago: “He’s always wanted her. But I know Caden, and she’ll have him wrapped around her finger. We can use that to our advantage. When we get to her, she may have him tied up and held hostage himself.”

  “I hope so because I don’t want to see anything bad happen to her. Let’s not forget this sick son of a bitch is a killer. I dealt with his type during my tour of duty. Doesn’t matter how friendly he is to her, if he’s developed a fixation on her and she rejects him, it could be the trigger that finally sets him off.”

  Tony leads us across the foyer and up the stairs to his home office. He gestures for us to sit on a sofa and tosses a pad of graph paper on his desk.

  “I’m assuming you already know where she lives,” Diego drawls.

  Tony directs a sheepish grin our way as he answers. “Yeah, those Ramirez stalking abilities are in the blood. I like to think of it as Intel.” He settles into the chair behind the desk and starts asking questions as he sketches.

  Diego immediately starts giving details. “Her house is a two-story bungalow with a pretty basic floor plan. The front door opens onto a large living room. It’s right there when you first enter. The walls are pale yellow. She decorates with
homey, cheerful things like bright sunflowers. She keeps it tidy, says it’s her refuge from her job and any chaos in the world. She likes peace when she goes home.

  “There’s a dining room to the right with a large table that will seat eight people—twelve when the leaf is in. All her furniture is done in ‘shabby chic’, whatever the hell that is.” He smiles deviously at Tony with his next words. “Her favorite flowers are sunflowers and daisies. You need to know that shit if you’re going to be romancing her. It’s hard to believe but she’s a basic, down-to-earth kind of girl when she’s not at work.”

  Tony chuckles as he continues to map out the floor plan. “A country girl at heart. I knew she was perfect. No wonder I’m falling for her.” His eyes go serious and his lips press into a hard line as he declares, “I won’t hold back when I get her this time. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her, Diego.”

  In his own way, he’s standing up to Diego, and Diego nods in understanding. Tony’s clearly drawing a line in the sand but Diego doesn’t seem to mind. He would have high standards for any man who pursues Caden, and it appears that Tony meets with his approval.

  “Past the dining room there’s a library. It’s small but it’s wall-to-wall books. She a voracious reader.”

  Tony dramatically puts his hand over his heart and says, “Oh, heart…be still. She’s perfect.”

  “Let’s stay on task here, Casanova. There’s a bathroom at the front of the house by the living room. There’s also another one on the first floor back by a utility room; that’s where the back door is. The stairs to go up to the master bedroom and a guest room. Oh, and there’s an office upstairs too. She likes to journal, writes some pretty funny stuff based on some of her more eccentric customers. I keep telling her she needs to get that shit published, she’s fucking hilarious.”

  We spend the next thirty minutes going over every detail of her home and even some of her personality. By the time we’re finished I feel like I know her and I can see how Tony would be smitten with her. She has a whole lot more going for her than just a beautiful face and those long legs. She’s smart, she’s funny, and I can see her getting into another line of work before she ages out. Anybody who works as a stripper knows the career comes with a shelf life. It’s just a fact of the business.

  By the time we finish, I’m glad Tony is going to be working with us. If anybody can be Caden’s knight in shining armor, it’s him.

  Chapter Forty

  His Doll

  I bend my knees and lower myself down until we’re face to face. I push a long strand of her blonde hair out of her eyes and tuck it behind her ears before stroking a fingertip along the shell of her ear.

  “If you were my woman…” I begin, my voice husky with need.

  “If I were your woman,” she interrupts flatly, “I’d be in the same room with you of my own free will and you wouldn’t need to stock up on chloroform.”

  I grab her chin with a snarl, squeezing so hard that she cries out in pain. It pleases me because I intend to send her a clear message. She’s only seen my good side—elusive shadows of the man I wish I could be. That’s what I’ve wanted her to see, but it may be time to show her something else, something real. So often people mistake kindness for weakness; it would be a fatal mistake on her part to do so.

  She jerks her head to the side, glaring at me, her plump lips pressed into a hard line. “Damn it, Santiago. What do you expect? I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, I need coffee, and I need to pee! I thought we were friends, but you’ve got me tied up like you’re going to kill me. You can’t expect me to be good company when you’re treating me like a prisoner.”

  I’m not stupid. I know she’s trying to trick me again, to persuade me to drop my guard. The problem is… for the first time in my life I want a woman to like me. I want her to like me. She has a point: if I treat her like shit she’ll never open up to me. I need for her to let me in; I don’t know why, but I do.

  “You’re right. I can’t very well treat you like shit and expect us to remain friends, now can I?” I reach down and untie her, then pull her up by an arm and walk her across the room. “Come on, we’re going to the bathroom. And don’t even think about telling me you can’t piss in front of me. We both know what you do for a living; it’s a little late to be so prim and proper.”

  “So you just assume a stripper would have no modesty. How cliché is that, Santiago?”

  She sits down on the toilet and pees, glaring up at me defiantly. She’s the first captive I’ve ever had who hasn’t whined about not being able to pee in front of somebody.

  “Now wash your face. We’re going to get you into some comfortable clothes.” I’m mesmerized by how sensually she moves even while doing the most mundane tasks, like pulling her hair back in a ponytail, washing her face, brushing her teeth. I follow her from the bathroom back into her bedroom. When she moves to open a drawer, I approach her quickly, shoving the barrel of my gun into her side. “Not so fast.”

  “Damn it, Santiago! You do realize you could accidently shoot me, right? There’s nothing in this drawer but shirts and yoga pants. You said to get comfortable and that’s what I’m doing.” She slides out of the dress, letting it fall to the floor, and stares me down in a lacy thong and no bra. In all the times I’ve seen her strip down to even less than this on stage, she’s always worn pasties. Kentucky’s lawmakers are conservative like that. The sight of her beautiful, bare nipples renders me speechless and overheated. She selects a white t-shirt and black yoga pants and slips them on, and I do my best to keep my distance as her firm tits quiver and bounce.

  “Is that better?” I ask, hoping she sees that I’m trying to be attentive to her needs. I hate that I’ve had to take such drastic action but, really, this isn’t my fault; it’s Diego’s. If concern for his friend doesn’t persuade him to change his mind, then I’ll have to have to use another pilot when I move the cocaine. Maybe I’ll let her go when the shipment is done. Maybe not.

  “Come on, let’s get something to eat. I’ve got a phone call to make. I want you to know it isn’t my fault you’re in this situation. I asked Diego to do me one favor. I just needed him to fly into Colombia for me.”

  “He got out of the drug business. You know that.”

  “One more job wouldn’t have hurt him.”

  “Yeah, right. One more job is all it takes to land a man in prison for life. Ironically enough, that’s how most drug runners get caught. Fate is a nasty bitch sometimes. She bides her time, waiting until you think you’re finally safe, and then she sucker punches you.”

  “What I was saying a minute ago about if you were my woman…”

  “What? What, Santiago?” she asks with her arms stretched out wide before crossing them over her chest. “What would you possibly do different than any other man who has been in my life?”

  “For one thing, I would keep you safe, cara mia. Tonight you used the Club’s rear exit, in the dark, and walked to your car. Alone. That sort of thing wouldn’t be tolerated if you were mine. No, you wouldn’t be able to sit down for a week if you pulled a stunt like that with me.”

  “I’ve been doing it for years and I’ve never had any trouble.”

  “Like you said, it only takes one time to get yourself in trouble.”

  “It isn’t Diego’s responsibility to keep me safe. He’s my best friend, not my man. I get the impression you’re just looking for anything to make him look bad. It’s pathetic. Be your own man, Santiago. If you want to impress me, do it on your own merit and not by trying to drag Diego down.”

  Her eyes are clear and direct. She gets through to me like no other woman ever has. I want to be a better man when I’m with her. I just wish she could see that. And I wish it could be true.

  Chapter Forty One

  Diego

  Tony is proving to be more efficient than I expected. Not only has he come up with coordinates on the local stash houses, he also has the location on the Colombian pick-up point. Perhaps more importantly,
he also understands Santiago’s record book much better than we do. His military training is proving to be quite helpful. Mix that with his cartel training and the guy is damn near invincible.

  “I’ve got my men hidden, waiting at the landing strip. I’m still waiting on confirmation that he’s going to do the flight without you. This one must be the mother lode, man. I’m going to be honest with you, the organization is keeping the money.”

  “What about the drugs?”

  “My father and uncle are going to turn the Intel over to agent Turner and his partner. It will put us in his good graces.”

  “Your father’s influence reaches all over the world. Central and South America. It’s impressive.”

  “Yeah, and now he’s talking about going into TV. He says with all the celebrities here because of the Kentucky Derby, there’s no reason we shouldn’t capitalize on it. He’s buying a TV station to turn it into Latin TV. There are a lot of Latin Americans here so I can see his point. It will help us to go legit—well, somewhat legit.”

  His face holds no expression, yet it says so much. I just go ahead and say what I know we’re both thinking. “Colombian cartel will never be completely legitimate. We’ll only go further underground.”

  “Well, let’s get through this first. Now, we’ve got satellite set up so we can see what’s going on at the airstrip in Colombia.”

  He punches in numbers on the laptop, his fingers tapping out a steady rhythm. His work station looks like something straight out of the military. Computers and high-tech gadgets that do various things. Black boxes that I have no idea what they do. One whole wall is covered with an L-shaped desk that leads around to several maps on the wall. There’s a closet with guns, grenades, and even a rocket propelled grenade launcher.

  “An RPG, Tony? What do you in your spare time anyway?”

  “Man, you don’t even wanna know…”

  “Do we have eyes on the stash houses here?”

  “We’ve got eyes and ears in the form of my men waiting at the locations we’re aware of. We’re going to take out everything this guy has in one day if everything goes right. The problem with these guys is they’re always on the move. Whether it’s a dope house, warehouse, or stash house, they can have it broken down in a couple of hours. They disappear again and you can’t find them. It’s like playing fucking Whack-A-Mole.