The door closed behind them and a single lamp in the entryway turned on to light the room before them, leaving everything else in darkness.
A man sat in the chair in front of them, two large, angry looking men with guns on either side of him. He wore a pressed, gray suit, and reminded her of the man from all those beer commercials, but she couldn’t remember which beer. She stared at him, shocked that the man who had caused so much pain and destruction could be so petite. She’d expected a man the size of Cade, or bigger, but this man was Kelissa’s height if that, and had the muscle tone of someone who didn’t lift a finger for themselves.
“I guess you’re the fun-sized drug dealer,” Kelissa said. “At least I know why you send henchmen to do your job. You’re afraid I’m going to crush you.”
David turned, looking at Kelissa with shock and a bit of amusement. But mostly shock.
“Sorry, David. But you told me this man was scary and he looks like batman’s geriatric sidekick.” She turned back to Chacon. “Are you for real? You can’t come here by yourself and talk? You need babysitters?”
Chacon was smiling, amused by her outburst, but Kelissa couldn’t stop herself. She looked at one of the men beside Chacon and shook her head.
“You again? You want another taste of the wrench? I can’t believe he’s letting you work for him when you couldn’t hold onto one woman. I mean, I was tied up and you still lost me.”
“Kelissa,” David warned under his breath.
She looked at him, shaking her head, then looking back at the trio at the chair.
“You know what, I won’t be silenced. I’m mad as hell, and I’ve spent the entire weekend either in the trunk of a car, next to some stinky man who could use a bath, and in the hospital recovering from a car wreck. You think I’m scared of you, peewee? I’m not. You’re a coward, and you’ll always be a coward. If you had the balls to kill me, I would be dead.”
Chacon was laughing now, and that was only making Kelissa madder, but he held up his hand for silence.
“I can see why David loves you. It’s a shame he had to cross me, and that you both have to die. I’d love to keep you for my collection, but I can’t trust my men to keep you contained, so I regretfully—”
“Your collection? Do I look like a doll to you?”
“You do,” Chacon said, still laughing. “I wish I had seen you jump out of the trunk and attack my best courier here, but I sadly was busy with other endeavors.”
“Like what?” Kelissa pushed, shaking with rage and wishing she could end this now.
Where were Aaron and his men?
“Well, first, I was thinking about taking a trip. Where are some places you like to visit? Florida? The Caribbean? Iowa?”
“You shut your mouth,” she said, her bravado shriveling in an instant.
“Not feeling so brave, now, are you?”
“You leave my family alone,” she said.
“Family? You mean your father?”
“What do you want, Salvador?” David asked.
“It’s too late for that. You let me down, David. When your old man took over the business, he was easily swayed, and he became one of my most dependable assets. No one could turn a blind eye like your father. I didn’t expect his son to have integrity and courage that your father never had. But then, you didn’t have a young child at home and a wife with family back in Mexico. So, maybe you didn’t have as much to lose.” He looked pointedly at Kelissa. “Until now. You sold the business, knowing that the person buying it was going to tear it down and turn it into a dog park. Can you believe it?” he laughed. “A dog park in the middle of the city. As if San Diego doesn’t have enough dog parks. You cut off a large part of my business, and I wasn’t happy about that. But now, now I feel like you owe me.”
“I owe you nothing,” David said through gritted teeth. “I paid my father’s debt, and you got some shipments through before I sold the place. You didn’t deserve that.”
“You’re right, but I find your behavior funny. Do you think that just because you’re a good guy that it’s okay what you’re doing? What you did?”
“I didn’t know what was happening until I took over for my father. I didn’t set it up, and I didn’t just turn a blind eye.”
“But your father did.”
“His friend left him the business without telling him what was really paying the bills. That’s not my father’s fault.”
“Your government doesn’t care about culpability. They want to cut off the arms of the operation, and punish the little guy. But they never cut off the head.” He turned to Kelissa. “Sorry if this is hard to follow, since you’re not a criminal like your friend here, but I’m the head. I’m the leader and as long as I’m around, the Chacon Cartel runs this territory.”
“Your mother must be so proud,” she taunted.
“You haven’t met my mother. She’s a wonderful woman. She would have liked you.”
“I’m sorry I can’t say the same,” Kelissa said.
Chacon shook his head, putting his hand out to one of the men. The man gave him the gun, a confused look on his face, but blind obedience took over and he didn’t question.
He held the gun in his hand, admiring the piece as if it were a fine piece of jewelry.
“You know, I bought this for Efrain on the fifth anniversary of him working for me,” he said, nodding toward the man that had handed him the gun. The man Kelissa had pummeled with a wrench not long ago. “He’s one of my best, and when I have an important job, I always give it to him. I’m not surprised that you almost got away from the three I sent to kidnap you. They are, how do you say, like the Stooges?
They are always making mistakes, but they get the job done. But Efrain; he was the one who was going to keep you safe until I made it to the compound. I don’t know how you managed to get the upper hand with him, but I was upset about it, to say the least. He is my best man, as they say.”
Salvador Chacon’s eyes were locked with Kelissa’s and she glared back at him. She was terrified, but she wasn’t going to show it. If she died today, she was going to spend her dying breath staring into this man’s soul and making sure he knew that she had every intention of haunting him for all of eternity.
The gun went off and she flinched, surprised that she didn’t feel a thing. But then Efrain dropped from where he stood like a bag of rocks, dead before he hit the floor.
Chapter12
“He was one of my best men,” Chacon said, still holding the gun, the large man on his other side looking incredibly nervous.
“I thought you didn’t get your hands dirty,” David said.
“So, you can understand exactly how upset I was with Efrain, that I would kill him myself when I usually order people to do it for me. I’ve killed hundreds, maybe even thousands with a simple order. Having that much power is amazing. You should try it sometime.”
“I wonder what it’s going to be like when you lose that power,” David said, smirking as he did.
His hand was on Kelissa’s back still, but she felt him move, grabbing the waistband of her jeans tight in his hand.
There was a nearly inaudible click, and out of nowhere, a man in black fatigues stepped out of the shadows, his gun pressed against the back of the man standing beside Chacon. The man held his gun out and the agent took it with his free hand, checking the safety with one hand and putting it into the leg pocket of his pants.
“I have the gun pointed at Kelissa,” Chacon said calmly. “I don’t think one man holding my man at gunpoint will be quick enough to save her, do you.”
“Think again, Chacon,” Aaron said, coming in from the hallway, gun trained on Chacon, the other agent moving slightly to stay out of the line of fire. “It’s over. The DEA is raiding your compound now, and the warehouse. You’re through.”
“My country will extradite me back and I’ll be free tomorrow,” Chacon said, laughing and still boldly pointing his gun at Kelissa.
But Aaron moved forward,
what looked like a remote in his hand, which he pointed at a long, narrow table across from Chacon.
“Maybe you can about this,” Aaron said.
The screen turned on almost instantly, and it was clear that the feed was coming directly from the bodycam of one of the agents and not the news stations. The video showed the compound Kelissa had escaped from, and when Aaron pressed a button with his free hand, and the scene changed. Kelissa stared at the picture, wondering what was significant about a large, white stucco house in the distance, a beautiful courtyard just visible from where the camera was perched.
Then there was movement down below, and Kelissa realized that there were at least fifty men surrounding the house. Chacon sucked in a breath, but he recovered quickly.
“I have guards. You’ll never get in.”
“Look at the spot under the tree by your garage.”
Chacon leaned forward, his attention pulled away from Kelissa completely for a brief second. David braced himself, but he didn’t move. It was too risky, but Kelissa knew that he was planning on throwing her out of the way.
“There are more guards than that,” Chacon laughed. “Do you think I leave my wife and my only daughter without their own personal guards?”
“It’s funny you should say that,” Aaron said, changing the screen one more time. “That looks like your daughter’s room, is it not?”
“How did you—”
“Oh, that? We’ve had a guy on the inside for some time. I even have pictures of her last birthday. I really liked the piñata by the way. My daughter went through a mermaid phase, too.”
“I’ll kill you,” Chacon whispered, his light-hearted façade gone in an instant.”
“You have a choice, Chacon,” Aaron said. “Put the gun down and my men stand down. We leave you home alone and your wife and daughter remain safe. But, if you shoot Kelissa or David, I say the word and they go in. And don’t think about killing me, because if I don’t say anything in the next two minutes, they go in anyway. It’s up to you, Chacon. Do you let your wife and daughter get swept up in this and possibly die, or do you hand over the gun like a man and take what’s coming to you with dignity?”
Chacon looked frantic, his eyes darting around the room as he weighed his options carefully. He was such a monster that Kelissa was shocked to see him struggling so much that it was obvious he loved his family. The ruthless, heartless Chacon had a soft spot, and they’d found it. He was sweating now, his body trembling when his little girl appeared on the screen, smiling directly into the camera and giving the bodyguard a warm hug.
“Tell your men to stand down,” he said quietly. “Please. Don’t hurt my family.”
He set the gun down on the floor and kicked it across the tile to David. David picked it up, and an instant later, the room was filled with agents, and Aaron was leaning over to the radio on his shoulder, telling his men to stand down.
Chacon glared at Kelissa, and she glared back, too afraid to move.
“I’ll be home by the end of the week,” Chacon muttered, but Aaron pulled a stack of paper out of his vest and shook it open.
“It seems that you won’t be going back to Mexico any time soon. It seems your friends in high places are tired of all the trouble you bring, and your government has already waived their right to extradite you. You’ll be tried, convicted and sentenced here. You’ll do your time here, and we have you on video killing one of your own, admitting to ordering the murder of hundreds over the years, and threatening American citizens in order to coerce them into working for you against their will. You’re not getting out, and there will be no bail. My boss is preparing a nice cot in general population for you at Folsom.”
“I can’t go there in general population,” Chacon said, paling. “You know the Aryan Brotherhood runs that place. I’ll be dead in a week.”
Aaron shrugged.
“I guess a plea deal and a swift sentence is your best bet.”
“What about the men at my house?”
“Those men are quietly being taken to jail while the men on the inside keep your wife and your daughter occupied.”
“Men? I thought you said you had one man on the inside.”
“I said that we’ve had a man, I didn’t mention that we also had other men.”
“What will you tell me wife?”
“That’s up to you,” Aaron said, cuffing him quickly, then patting him down while another agent stood ready to take Chacon out if he so much as breathed wrong. “I have a feeling she’s going to find out that you’re in prison, though. Word gets around, and with the sheer number of your men we took into custody while you were busy walking right into our trap, it’s only a matter of time before people start talking.”
Aaron handed Chacon off to one of the other men and went to David and Kelissa, moving to the formal sitting room down the hall so they could talk privately.
“That went well,” Aaron said. “You two did great. You were like a couple of seasoned agents. Kelissa, I really enjoyed how you insulted him and kept his attention while we moved in. That was brilliant.”
“I was just mad as hell,” she muttered, leaning against David and letting out a huge sigh.
He put his arm around her and pulled her close.
“You’re shaking,” he said, concerned.
“It’s the adrenaline crash,” Aaron offered. “Owning the world’s most ruthless drug lord takes a lot out of you.”
“I thought we were going to die, and I didn’t want to go out groveling.”
“Your faith in me is humbling,” Aaron joked.
“It’s been a long weekend.”
“What about my parents?”
“I talked to their witness protection handler, and he’ll be bringing them tomorrow night to a safehouse here to wait just in case they need to testify. Once Salvador Chacon and his men are behind bars, it will be up to them whether they want to stay in the program or not. They don’t have to.”
“Your parents are in witness protection?” Kelissa said.
“I told you that.”
“I know, but I thought you were being dramatic or something.”
Aaron chuckled, shaking his head, then looking down at his hands.
“It has been a really big weekend for all of us. Get some rest and I’ll have someone call you when your parents are on the way. Do you want me to leave a few men here just in case?”
“Yes,” Kelissa said before David could answer. “I know it’s silly, but I would feel better if I knew that no one could get to us while we sleep. I’m exhausted, and I just need to sleep.”
Aaron nodded.
“I’ll have them posted at both entrances and make sure that they’re relieved in a few hours. I’ll have someone here round the clock until you say otherwise.”
“Thank you, Aaron,” Kelissa said.
“No, thank you,” he corrected. “What you did was beyond brave, and I can’t commend you enough for putting the greater good ahead of your own safety. You’ve saved countless lives from a monster.”
“What’s going to happen to his daughter?”
“It depends on what the wife decides, but if she testifies against her husband, they’ll be offered witness protection like anyone else involved in a case like this.”
“Won’t he plead guilty?”
“Probably not. These guys are extremely arrogant, and even knowing what he faces while he waits for trial, he’ll probably take his chances.”
“I hope that he doesn’t,” Kelissa said. “I don’t want to have to testify and relive this nightmare all over again.”
“I understand.” He looked at David. “I’ll be in touch. In the meantime, try to get some rest. You look like hell.”
The two men laughed, and Aaron left to let himself out. David went to Kelissa, hugging her once, then releasing her.
“I want to wait until my parents come tomorrow to tell you everything. I know it doesn’t change much, but I did what I did to save my family.”
“It didn’t hurt your startup,” she muttered.
“You’re right, it didn’t. I profited from looking the other way, and that’s something I have to live with for the rest of my life. But that was years ago, and I’m not that person anymore. I hope that you come to realize that.”
“You lied to me and it almost got me killed.”
“I didn’t lie to you.”
“You played it off when you realized that I was in danger, and that’s why I’m mad. When I asked you who you were meeting, and all the other times I asked about what was going on, you acted like it was nothing. But it was something, and I can’t deal with a man who doesn’t trust me enough to tell me something like that.”
“I understand,” he said. “I really do. I was trying to protect you because I didn’t want you to be stressed. But I made it worse and I’m sorry for that. I should have followed my gut and just told you.”
“You should have.”
They stood there in the middle of the room at a stalemate. Apology or not, Kelissa was upset and she felt betrayed. He got it, and he admitted that she was right to be angry, but she wasn’t going to get over this because he was sorry. She had almost died. Sorry didn’t really cut it.
He finally looked away, turning to go toward his suite, shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Where are you going?” Kelissa asked.
“To bed. I’m exhausted.”
“You’re just leaving me standing here alone?”
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t want to sleep alone,” she whispered. “That doesn’t mean that I’m ready to accept your apology. I just can’t sleep alone tonight.”
“I can sleep with you,” he said.
“I don’t want to go through the entryway and have to look at the mess they’re cleaning up.”
“You can sleep with me.”
“I would like that,” she said.
He reached out for her and she took his hand. She felt small and terrified, and that feeling made her angry. She needed a good night’s rest and to know that no one was going to jump out of the shadows and kidnap her. Once she had that, she would be back to her normal, bubbly self.
The Billionaire From San Diego Page 11
