AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My mind went to the tattoo Sasha and the man who had attacked me at Secrets had. “All members had one on the inside of their arm. Half was the Potens logo, and the other is their own design. It’s how you can tell who they are without having to say it. They were very paranoid and extremely secretive. They rose to the top of the crime syndicate here in US because they were patient, still, and played the long game like a lion in the grass.”
“What were they after?”
“Control, mostly.” He finished off his drink. “They wanted everything. Money, of course, control of the drugs coming in and out of the borders, politicians, businesses, they had a hand in it all.”
“Did something happen?”
“Jimmy got greedy, then became sloppy, thought he was untouchable and killed another family that was trying to mess with his business. It was all the FBI needed to take him down, and when they did, it was like the organization just closed its door and fizzled out.”
“Why?”
He shrugged like he was frustrated he didn’t have the true answer. “I don’t know. It’s a fascinating story with no real end. I’ve read more than one article on them. Some say he told them to fade away until he got out. Others speculate that the leaders of each state were rounded up and killed. Either way, Jimmy got life, and the Potens never resurfaced.”
“So, they’re not around today?”
He poured some suntan lotion on his shoulders and rubbed as he thought. “I’ve heard rumors, but nothing concrete. I keep my head up because I’d be a target to the Potens these days. I spread my money all over the world and move product through Vegas now, thanks to the Gates’ connections.” I knew product meant cartel drugs.
“Okay, this drawing,” I had to dig further for Leo, “why would someone draw it?”
“It’s their signature.” He smiled and waved at one of his clients who held up his drink as he enjoyed a lap dance in the water.
“So, a member of the Potens would draw this if they did something bad, like kill someone, and you could tell by their drawing who did it?”
“No,” he laughed, now preoccupied with the woman's dance moves, “they’d hire a hitman. You know, they’d tell someone to get the word out, and it would go out to hundreds of hires, and whoever picked up the hit first would draw the Potens symbol, then mail a photo back to get paid.”
“And if they were active in today’s world, they’d most likely send a text back and forth?”
“I would. Who mails things anymore?”
“Is there any way you could link the photo to the hitman?”
“Not normally. It’s more about the Potens getting credit for the murder without getting their hands dirty. They were smart because they stayed under the radar. Patience and brains, that’s a missing art nowadays.”
I leaned back and let all the information sink in. If I hadn’t seen the tattoos myself, I would think the drawing was there to send us on some wild goose chase.
“Why do you have a picture of it, anyway? Are you interested in crime symbols and history yourself?”
“Not really. I just found it in an old book and wondered what it was.” I shrugged it off.
“Well, I hope I didn’t bore you with too much detail.”
“Why not enjoy a little dance yourself?” I noticed he still watched the lap dance. “Do you mind if a slip away a little early?”
“Not in the least.” He waved me off as the bartender gave him a refill. I jumped out of the pool and spotted Calli and Knox. She laughed as she replaced the empty drink in his hand with a full one. I hated that she was with him; he deserved someone better.
“Hey,” Simon was suddenly in front of me, “have you seen your father since he came back?”
I thought back to what I found in my dad’s desk and wondered if Jesse had found out who they belonged to.
“No,” I lied. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he pushed up his glasses with one finger, “I just figured, given what happened to Leo, you two would have touched base by now.”
“I will,” I felt a flicker of pain flash through me, “but I have to find Jim right now.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you.” He smiled kindly. “Have a good day.”
“You too.”
