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Easton
"I thought for sure we’d be able to find him after the funeral," I told Maverick, my tone laced with frustration.
The last place I wanted to be today was at Alejandro's funeral but I figured it would be the best place to locate his former second-in-command, Manuel Ortega. And we had. During the funeral, we’d seen his smug face countless times. Once the funeral was over, a blacked-out SUV had swooped in, and now Manuel was nowhere to be seen. He was worse than the damn FBI.
We had asked around the neighborhood but we kept getting the same answer. The man had been scarce for the last few weeks.
Neither of us wanted to be roaming the streets of Dallas. After living in a small town for even a short time, stepping back into a city was overwhelming. People were constantly in a hurry, and pushing to get their way seemed to be the norm. I would take the quiet streets of Willow Creek any day.
I couldn't wait to get back home. And by home, I meant Kati's house because after earlier this week, she was my home. Screw dating. I was ready to spend my life with that woman in any way I could get her.
"Last time I checked, it was disrespectful not to celebrate their former boss," Maverick grumbled.
"Right? Unless Manuel is behind the murder. I wonder if he managed to pull off a coup?"
"But what does that mean for Lucien?"
And that was the million-dollar question. If Manuel had pulled off a coup, did he see Lucien as a threat to his new position? Would he be coming for the young man that I was starting to see as my own? I hoped the answer was no, but I knew better. Gangs were an entirely different entity. They ran with their own set of rules. If Manuel considered him a threat to his position, he wouldn't think twice about ending a teenager's life.
"It means Kati and I need to stay vigilant."
We were weaving our way through pedestrians and past businesses on our way to another known hangout of Manuel’s. We hadn't been lucky with the first two but maybe the third time would be a charm.
"I take it things are getting serious between the two of you?"
"Serious enough that I'm spending every night in her bed. And Lucien is okay with the arrangement. Well, okay in the sense that he caught me coming out of his mother's room and hasn't said anything. We haven't exactly talked about where this is going, but I think it's serious enough."
Maverick clapped me on the back. "I'm happy for you, man. Did you ever think it would take until you were fifty to settle down?"
"Not fifty yet," I scolded him. "And truth be told, I never expected to settle down at all. I was fine with how my life was going and maybe that's why this came so naturally. Neither Kati nor I were looking for someone to spend our life with. It kinda just happened."
I was sure glad I found her though. Once I was able to allow myself to just be me, things were smooth sailing. I seemed to fit easily into Kati's life and I think that's why she didn't fight the attraction. I didn't bring a complication for her, and I didn't push for more than she was willing to give.
"Glad to hear it. Gives hope for the rest of us."
I thought about what Maverick said as we walked into a dark bar. It was one of those hole-in-the-wall places that had been around forever. The beer was cheap and the pretzel bowls on the bar top were probably constantly refilled but never cleaned out. Hundreds of people stuck their grimy hands inside, but the patrons didn't seem to care. I, on the other hand, wouldn't be going anywhere near the pretzels, or the drinks.
It was the middle of the day and the place was mostly packed, but no one bothered to look up from their glasses as we walked through. We headed straight for the bartender and motioned for him to meet us down the end.
The gentleman tossed the bar rag over his shoulder and followed us with a frown.
"I take it you guys aren't here to drink."
"Nope," Maverick answered quickly. "We got just one question for you and then we’ll be on our way."
This wasn't the kind of place we wanted to spend too much time in. Right off the bat, I recognized multiple cartel members. None of them were high ranking but well known enough that I could identify them based on the tattoos they were sporting.
"Go ahead. Can't promise to answer though."
"Fair enough. Manuel Ortega. Have you seen him around lately?"
I expected the bartender to get shifty. In both places before this, the people we spoke to were nice until we mentioned Manuel. Then they couldn't get us out fast enough while assuring us they hadn't seen him lately. I tended to believe them only because they didn't appear to want him around any more than we wanted him popping up in Willow Creek.
The bartender scoffed. "Are you kidding? He's too good for a place like this lately. Ever since word got out that Alejandro lost all his appeals, Manuel has slowly been making his move. I wasn't surprised to hear Alejandro bit the dust. It was only a matter of time based on how Manuel was acting lately."
"You think Manuel had him killed?" I couldn't help but ask.
"I think you already asked your one question and I gave you an answer. Sorry, gentlemen I have a business to protect and it does me no good to piss off the hands that feed me. Manuel might not show his face in here anymore but his guys sure do."
