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Greyson ran over the info, reading it out for the rest of us. “Name’s Victor Paez. He runs a cartel out of Colombia, close to the Venezuelan border. Been in a turf war with the Osorios for the last decade.”
“Why?”
“Why else? Money. Power. Prestige. Take your pick.” Nate shrugged, turning to Greyson. “There’s a number here, but can you obtain the rest of his info?”
“If not, I know who can.” Moore and Tennessee were the best people to dig up information people didn’t want found, so I had no doubt he’d pass the job to them if necessary, but we all wanted to give them some space. Besides, ferreting out my cousin’s helpers was more important than deep-diving into a cartel leader.
For a moment, I considered asking Rafael for his assistance, but I hadn’t heard from my uncle in a while, and I was still pissed off at him for refusing to help. Was it fair? Probably not, but I felt what I felt.
“What do you want to do, Mari?”
I walked over to Nate, slipping my hand into his pocket to grab the burner phone from it. “I’m going to send him a message.”
He hauled me into his body, pressing himself against my back when I twisted to face the others. “Will he answer?”
“No.” Not now, anyway. We needed more incentive to coax his attention to Seattle, but we’d find it. For now, I just needed him curious. In seconds, I had the number typed in and the message delivered.
I heard we have a mutual friend. I’d love to talk green when you have a chance. –Queenie
Short, sweet, and to the point. Hopefully, it would get me what I wanted.
“Will he know it’s you?” Nate asked, reading it over my shoulder.
“She’s the only queen on this side of the world. He’ll know,” Greyson answered, snatching the phone for a once-over. He nodded once and tossed it back to Nate.
The moment Nate’s hands left my body, Dominic hauled me over his shoulder, smacked my ass, and rushed toward the door. “Since that’s done, we’re taking a shower. Don’t wait up.”
“Is there room for three? I could use a cooldown, myself!” Nate called. Grey just jogged ahead and opened the door for all of us, and the stark reminder of what I was fighting for was exactly what I needed.
My family. My men. My future.
Chapter Thirteen
Dominic
Cash’s reaction to O’Bannon’s death was akin to a toddler’s temper tantrum. He let his Aces go wild and fell right into the mayhem. Every day, there was something new to discover. He looted businesses, burned cars, kicked down doors, and terrorized neighborhoods.
The most interesting part was he didn’t just stick to Marcosa territory; he hit everyone equally. Three of Haru’s businesses were demolished, and a fleet of cars went into one of Two-Bit’s men’s homes. He nearly blew up Ajilon’s place entirely, and the bar Kosas’s crew met up at was set on fire. Even Kieran’s territory got trashed.
It was like Cash needed to test his little truce from the get-go, and he was giving it his all. Yet the other leaders didn’t flinch. He could burn their shit to the ground, and as long as they lived, he was golden. It pissed me off.
Even if Mari wanted to put an end to things, she couldn’t trust the other leaders not to turn on her the second Cash commanded them to. So we watched and waited, hoping he’d burn himself out.
He never did.
In the span of a week, he became Seattle’s boogeyman. Not just in the shadows, but in the light too. People were terrified to leave their houses. The news was constantly streaming live updates, and we were getting more and more nervous glances from the rest of the country. Too many prying eyes were finding their gazes drawn to Seattle, and it made conducting business of any sort twice as dangerous.
Hence why our guest was so irritated.
Two-Bit paced the living room, tapping viciously on his phone, while Griz hung out by the door. He watched all of us like you’d watch an uncontained viper, ready to cut our heads off if we so much as twitched toward his friend. Boss? Who knew what the hierarchy really was. Nate watched him right back from where he perched on the arm of the couch beside Mari. If Griz’s pinkie wiggled toward his gun, Nate would blow him away without question.
With Mari protected and Two-Bit occupied, I got to take my time and actually study him. He’d always been unassuming, someone I barely considered a threat, and it was hard to let that original instinct die.
It was automatic to compare him to Mari, though.
“He takes after his mother,” Grey whispered at my side, where we stood adjacent to Mari’s couch.
That much was obvious. He was light where Mari was bronzed. Their eyes, noses, and hair were completely different. Honestly, if Rafael hadn’t confirmed it, I’d never have believed they shared genetics at first glance. There was something about the way he moved that reminded me of Mari, though. That self-contained strut that people who knew their place in the world had.
