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“Patrón!” Antonio shouts again once he regains his composure. “We have to leave—”
Papá whips his head to thetenienteand levels him with a glare. “I’m not going anywhere without my wife. Where the hell is Katarína?”
“Carlos.” Uncle Joaquín’s voice is quiet and reserved. Papá turns to him and parts his lips to say something, but he stops short and stares out the window.
There, lying in the grass at an unnatural angle, is Mamá.
“No,” I moan, forcing myself to my feet to go to her. “Mamá!”
She can’t be gone. Not now. Not ever.
First Abuelito, then Shinálí…
And now my Mamá.
I throw myself out of the busted window to get to her, hoping there’s a chance she could still be alive. Her skin is still warm, but her big, brown eyes stare up at me lifelessly. Her thick black hair, usually shiny, seems so dull now that she’s gone.
I hold her fragile, broken body to my chest and scream to the skies.
“Victor,” Papá says from behind me. When I look up at him, tears stain his cheeks and redden his eyes. I’ve never seen him look so broken. “We need to go, mi hijo.”
I shake my head. “No. No, we can’t leave her here.”
“We have to, Victor. If we don’t, we’ll perish, too. César Araujo hired fuckingsicariosto take us all out. He’s not even trying to be discreet about it, so we need to leave before cops start swarming the place.”
He gently takes Mamá’s corpse from me, kisses her forehead, and lays her gently on the grass. Just as he pulls me to standing, a third explosion comes from the pool area, shaking the ground.
“We need to leave before we die, too,” he says softly.
With one last look at my beautiful mother, I follow Papá to our Hummer and watch in horror as we drive away from her body.
César and his men will pay for her death.
I won’t rest until their blood stains my hands.
* * *
Thirty-one years old
The sound of the sirens grates on my nerves. I duck into an alley behind a local restaurant, trying hard to steady my breathing.
I did it.
I actually did it.
First, it was the president of Colombia. Now, I’ve just taken down Mexico’s president. Maybe now the DEA will realize I’m not the one they should be messing with, because I’ll come after each and every one of them. I’ve taken down everyone I needed to in order to solidify my place at the top—I don’t mind adding any more bodies to the pile.
Papá should be proud. I’ve done everything he couldn’t in the three weeks since his heart attack. Since taking a step back asel jefeof the Salinas Cartel, he’s been losing his reputation as one of the most ruthless drug lords in Mexico. He hasn’t been in his right mind to lead. I don’t necessarily want that responsibility, but I know that I’ll have to soon. My father won’t live forever, so it’s up to me to keep this operation under control.
The telltale sounds of helicopter rotors start to come closer.
Shit.I need to get the hell out of here.
Mytenientesare waiting for me in a car two blocks down; the hard part is evading the feds so I can get to them before they’re caught, too.
I stay close to the brick walls, hiding in alcoves and ducking behind dumpsters to dodge the helicopter lights.
Once I reach the end of the street, I quickly scan the area to make sure it’s clear before keeping true. Pretty soon, I end up in a random neighborhood where people immediately close their doors and windows when they see me running by.
