“What do you want to do?” he asks calmly.
I shake my head. “Tell me what you know?”
“She met this Ramón guy about a week ago. I had only seen her with him once and at the time I didn’t know who he was. As you know, I couldn’t bring all my surveillance equipment across the border and the shit they have here sucks. I did the best I could, Charles. I know that isn’t good enough right now, but I didn’t know. Leave it to that witch to hook up with the son of the head of the Mexican mafia.” He shakes his head and then sighs. “She left with Ramón two hours ago. I followed them to the Cordoza Estate just outside of town.”
I nod and straighten out my suit and tie and then turn away from him, facing the dirt road. I close my eyes and try to steady my breathing.
“Take me to the Cordoza Estate. I will meet with Mr. Cordoza, man to man. I am sure I can convince him to hand her over to us. She owes me a life. She will NOT wiggle out of her debt to me,” I say firmly.
I turn around and face him. He has his arms crossed as he watches me. I walk to the car, swing the door open, and slide inside. I take a long steady breath, getting my composure in place as I prepare to meet Antonio Cordoza, one of the most feared men in Mexico. The door opens on the driver’s side as Elkins slips into the vehicle. When he doesn’t put the car in gear right away, I turn to look at him. He is staring at me speculatively.
“What?” I say in a softer tone.
“I hope you don’t plan on going all psycho at Cordoza’s or you’re gonna get both of us killed!” he says calmly before turning to face the road.
He starts driving along the well-traveled dirt road, not saying anything. I continue to look out at the passing scenery, trying to decide the best way to approach Cordoza. Sonya and his son haven’t been together long so maybe he will be willing to sacrifice her. I glance at Elkins and then back out the window. I shouldn’t have attacked him like that. This isn’t his fault.
“I’m sorry for back there,” I say out the window.
He grunts but doesn’t say anything else as we ride together in silence.
Chapter 7
As we drive through Acuña, Elkins begins mumbling. He truly hates this town and all that it stands for. It stems from an incident about five years ago. When Mark entered my children’s lives, I needed to know that he was legit, so I sent Elkins to do a thorough investigation. Mark is not from Del Rio but his father was tracked there. Mark had said he and his father were estranged and I needed to know if this estrangement posed a threat to my children. Elkins ended up in Acuña when Mark’s father crossed the border. Mark’s dad was a heavy drug user and had gotten involved with a few drug runners. When Elkins tracked him there, said drug runners became paranoid. Elkins was beaten up badly and left for dead. He was in the hospital for a week before I found him and could get him transferred to the states. When we went back to take care of the people who attacked him, they were gone, dead I suspected, but that was never confirmed. Moreover, Mark’s father was later found lying in a ditch just outside of Acuña. The whole incident has left a bitter taste in his mouth, mine as well.
“So what’s your plan?” Elkins asks, as we pull up to the gated home of Mr. Antonio Cordoza.
Before I can respond, three heavily armed guards with automatic weapons over their shoulders walk up to our vehicle. Elkins turns to look at me, expecting an answer, as he rolls down his window.
“This is private property,” one of the guard says, leaning down and into the vehicle. Elkins turns to him, as do I.
“I would like to speak with Mr. Cordoza,” I state firmly.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, I don’t, but I need to discuss an urgent matter involving his son,” I say with an air of superiority.
“What matter?”
I lower my glasses enough so that he can see that I have narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you authorized to speak on Mr. Cordoza’s behalf?”
He stares at me and then stands up straight, pulling out a walkie-talkie. I fix my glasses and smile, hearing him muttering in Spanish to someone, presumably someone that will decide whether we can go inside or not. I glance at Elkins and he is shaking his head at me.
“Do you really need to pick a fight with a man that has a bigger gun than you?”
I smirk. “No one has a bigger gun than me.”
He opens his mouth to say something, but stops just as the gates open and the guard leans in the window again.
“Mr. Cordoza will see you now,” he says, waving us through the gate.
I arch my brow at Elkins in a knowing manner as he turns and starts driving inside the complex. We pull up in front of a huge white house with several men walking around with guns. Elkins looks around and whistles before turning to me.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks hesitantly.
I tap his shoulder and laugh. “Relax! I’m invincible,” I say, smirking before opening the car door.
“Well, I’m not, so remember that, okay?” he mumbles as I close the door behind me.
I look around and eye my surroundings as Elkins walks around the car and comes up beside me. This is a well-guarded community. He has a lot of protection and if he won’t give Sonya to me then I may have difficulty ending this. I frown at that thought. No, I need to take care of her. I just need to convince Cordoza that it is in his best interest to let me have her.
“Do you think your briefcase will be fine in the car?” Elkins asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.
I glance inside and quickly debate whether I should take it with me or not. If I were in this situation, I would have my men check this car thoroughly. I don't want anyone getting their hands on it, and without knowing what I am facing, I would feel better having it with me. Yeah, I’m bringing it inside. I reach in and grab it just as several men walk down the steps and motion for us to come inside. I glance over my shoulder and see four men going through the vehicle and smile at my foresight. Once inside, I slip my sunglasses in my pocket as they pat us both down and motion for my briefcase.
“It’s just papers,” I say innocently.
He motions for another man who walks over with a portable x-ray device and scans my case, revealing papers, pens, etc. I can’t help the smirk that passes over my lips. A half million dollars well spent. He looks at the man, who nods, and then motions for us to follow them again. They lead us to a separate room where an older Mexican man is sitting behind a desk, looking at some papers.
“You need to talk to me about my son?” he asks, not looking up at all as he flips through another set of papers.
“Your son is involved with someone that owes me. I am here to collect that debt,” I say coolly.
He stops what he’s doing and looks up at me, eyeing me as he leans back in his chair. Neither one of us says a word for several minutes as we check each other out and decide our next moves. The tension in the air is palpable. He brings his fingers up into a V and starts tapping them together.
“What debt does she owe?” he finally asks, bringing his index fingers to his chin and eyeing me curiously.
“She tried to kill my son, and for that, she owes me her life,” I say firmly.
“I see,” he says with a sly smile on his face.
He waves at someone, at that moment the door opens, and a couple walks inside. Sonya gasps loudly and wraps her arm around a man that I presume is Ramón. He is young, not much older than Michael. He kisses the top of her head and shoots me a death glare. I let out a chuckle at his response. As if he could stop me from getting my vengeance.
“I have asked my son and his girlfriend to come in as this appears to concern them.”
I am watching as Sonya and Ramón walk over and stand near Mr. Cordoza. Mr. Cordoza turns to Sonya and takes her hand from her sons and places it between his own strong hands. He begins to tap her hand lightly.
“This man says you attempted to kill his son, is this true?” he asks, tugging on her hands and forcing her to look at him.
>
She shakes her head. “No, he has me confused with someone else,” she says in a little girl’s voice.
Elkins grunts beside me. “She’s lying and if…”
I put up my hand and touch his chest. I glance at him and shake my head, letting him know that I don’t want him to say anything else. He frowns but shuts his mouth. He needs to let me handle this. I know how to deal with people like this. All those years around Dimitri and his family has trained me well. I hand Elkins my briefcase and take a step forward. Mr. Cordoza notices our exchange and looks up at me with a smile on his face. I am sure he is trying to decide what kind of threat I might pose.
“I aim to collect my debt. Will you give her to me willingly or will I need to take her by force?”
I place my hands on the front of his desk and lean forward, letting him see within my eyes that I mean business. He drops Sonya’s hand and stands up as several men with guns surround us. I stand up as well and we stare at each other again before he finally smirks.
He speaks to the other men in the room in Spanish and then turns to me. “You have some balls coming in here and threatening me. You’re either stupid or crazy,” he says laughing. “Who do you work for?”
“Myself,” I reply casually.
He grins. “What is your name?”
“Charles Livingston.”
“Well, Señor Livingston, if I should hand her over…” He begins but Ramón quickly pushes Sonya behind him.
“Father, you …” Ramón starts to say but Antonio lifts his hand, motioning for him to be quiet.
“My son has fallen in love with this girl, which makes her family to me. I will not willingly hand over a member of my family simply because you say she did something she denies doing.”
“I see,” I say, looking around the room, knowing I can’t take on all these men. I glance at Sonya who is peeking out from behind Ramón, a sly smirk on her face. I turn back to Mr. Cordoza. “May we speak privately?”
He smiles. “Of course. Let’s walk,” he says coming out from behind the desk and putting his arm around my shoulders.
Elkins looks at me and I motion with my eyes for him to watch Sonya. He nods, a minuscule amount, just enough so that he can let me know that he understands. He hands me the briefcase as I walk back. Mr. Cordoza then walks us outside onto a large deck and I can see many men walking around, several have now stopped and are watching us, making sure that Mr. Cordoza is not in any danger.
“I do not trust her myself, but my son... Ahhh, well, my son is in love,” he says with a shrug.
“Let me take her. I can be discreet,” I say with a sinister smile on my face.
“I am sure you can be,” he replies with a hearty laugh as he sits down on a bench.
I follow him but do not sit down as I continue to scan weak points in his perimeter.
“No, it is not that simple.” He sighs, forcing me to look at him. “I can assure you that I will watch her, and when the time comes, I will take her out myself, but I can’t hand her over to you.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“That’s the best I can offer,” he says casually.
I frown and narrow my eyes. This is not working as planned. I quickly run through some possibilities, but none of them get me out of here alive.
He smiles again and motions towards my suitcase. “What do you carry in there?”
“Papers, pens… calculator,” I say with an arch of my brow.
“Show me,” he demands.
I look at him for a moment, trying to decide whether I should or shouldn’t. If I show him, then I lay my cards on the line. He could take it. But then again, if I show him, he will know what I am and realize that I will get what I want, one way or another. I smile at that idea and decide to show him. I set the suitcase on the bench next to him. I squat down and open it, tapping a button hidden in the side, revealing the true contents inside. He gets a wide smile and then laughs.
“How did you get this past my men?”
“When x-rayed it will reveal the normal contents of a business attaché case. It was specially designed for me and my needs,” I answer with a shrug.
He looks up at me with a smile as he accurately assesses what those needs are. He then starts to reach inside to touch my knife and my hand goes over his quickly, stopping his movement. I shake my head and close the case.
“If I had wanted you dead, you would be,” I say, stepping back from him.
He sighs and nods, tapping his hands on his legs before standing abruptly and walking over to me, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“I wish I could help you Señor Livingston, but my hands are tied.” He glances inside. “Now, you and your friend must leave.”
I sigh and nod. “This is not over.”
“I would expect not,” he says with a chuckle.
“I ask that you not allow her to leave just yet.”
He nods. “I can do that for you. I can give you two days, but I don’t know what you can do in that time to make it possible for me to hand her over to you.”
He walks me back inside and I motion for Elkins to come with me. When I look back in the room, Sonya smiles at me as if she has won. My eyes turn lethal as I stare at her and she runs her hands along Ramón’s arm as he smiles down at her. Yes, you might have won this round, but this is far from over. I will kill you, sooner or later. When we get to the car, Elkins starts driving, and as we exit the compound, he glances at me.
“So, what’s next?”
“Take me the motel. I need to think.”
“You got it.”
Chapter 8
My head hurts. This is not good. Elkins doesn’t say anything as we are driving. He knows better. I run my fingers in tight circles along my temples, trying desperately to stop the pounding in my head. As we step inside the room, I toss my briefcase and bag onto the bed, rummaging through my overnight bag until I find what I am looking for. I quickly open my travel size Excedrin, popping four of them into my mouth and taking a swig of the water on the nightstand.
I start pacing through the room, which is not very nice. It has two double beds with crappy blankets and a standard table with one chair. Elkins’ laptop is on top of the table, he has a set of binoculars, and three cell phones lying there, as well as some primitive surveillance equipment. There are soda cans and wrappers from candy bars and junk food lying all about. He sees me eyeing the mess and starts picking up the trash, throwing it in the wastebasket.
“Alright, well, we can’t take her from the estate. It’s too well guarded. His men are idiots though. They didn’t even attempt to open my briefcase,” I say, shaking my head. I certainly wouldn’t have let anyone see Dimitri without going through everything they had with them.
“Well, I am guessing that she won’t leave the house at all. Why would she?” Elkins asks annoyed.
I nod and run my hands over my eyes, feeling the Excedrin starting to kick in.
“Did you see the way she looked at you?” Elkins asserts, leaning against the table as he watches me pace the length of the room.
I stop and glance at him. “Yes, I saw that.” My lip begins twitching in anger.
“So if she doesn’t leave the estate, what do we do?” he asks.
“Mr. Cordoza doesn’t trust her. He thinks she’s lying but he won’t risk losing his relationship with his son,” I say quickly.
Elkins doesn’t say anything as I pick up my pacing, tapping my finger against my chin while I try to formulate a plan.
“He said he would make sure she didn’t leave the house,” I say more to myself than Elkins. “At least for a couple of days. That’s all he gave me.”
“What good does that serve us if we can’t get INTO the damn house?”
I frown. “At least we know where she is.”
“We need an in. Now if…” he pauses and I stop pacing.
“If what?” I ask, curious where he was going with that statement.
“If you still had ties
with the Komarovski family then that might get us what we want,” he states cautiously.
I glare at him. “That’s not going to happen.” My heart pounding at the mere thought.
“Why the hell not? Call your damn childhood friend and tell him you need his help,” he says, walking up to me as I shake my head. He nods and furrows his brow. “You tell him that you saved his life and that this woman nearly killed your kid and you tell him he owes you,” he continues with purpose.
“No one tells Dimitri what he can and can’t do.”
“You saved his life, Charles. That should garner you at least a phone call to Cordoza.”
I close my eyes and shake my head vigorously. “He’ll kill me if I go back.”
“That’s bull!” Elkins says through gritted teeth.
I take a deep breath and glare at him. “It’s not. When I left, I was given specific instructions to never return. Besides…” I start pacing again. “He disowned me. That means I am nothing to him anymore.” I look away, trying to mask the pain that statement represents.
“He owes you, Charles.” He looks down and then at me fiercely. “I never thought I would see the day that Charles Livingston was afraid of someone. Hell, you marched into Cordoza’s estate, demanding Sonya but now you stand there looking all scared. Of what, exactly?”
I stop moving and push him back with fire in my eyes. “I’m not afraid of Dimitri,” I seethe at him and he narrows his eyes as I step back, not wanting to hurt him twice in one day. “I… I have a lot to lose. It’s not just me anymore. I can’t be frivolous with my life.” I sit down on the bed and look up at him. “I have Estelle, Michael and Beatrice.”
“Yeah, and what we are doing right now is so good for your wellbeing,” Elkins replies sarcastically, calling me out on my hypocrisy.
I run my hand through my hair and sigh. “I can’t just barge into the bar and tell Dimitri that he owes me for all the times I saved his life, all the times I protected him, all the lies I told for him, all the things I sacrificed for him. That’s not how it works. I would be shot on the spot.”
Brothers Forever Page 4
