“Finally.”
I mutter to myself, but in the quiet SUV, everyone hears me. We just passed the sign welcoming us to Yonkers. I allow myself to look at the map now, then I stare at my phone app that’s tracking Flora. She’s been in one place for a while. Traffic hasn’t been on our side, so she’s been with her kidnappers for an hour. When I figure that out, my knee bounces again. I press my palm against it to soothe my sympathetic nervous system that’s in fight, not flight. I need my parasympathetic nervous system to kick in and put me at rest.
In times of stress, I force myself to examine situations like a scientist. I do my best to remove emotion from the equation and study the situation objectively. That includes how I handle my body’s reaction to stressors. I don’t think it’s a dissociative disorder, but maybe it is. It’s the compartmentalizing I’ve been good at since I was a child. It’s the part of me that feels no remorse until after my job is done. It’s the part that convinces me not to punish myself for what I do in service to my family.
Joaquin taps me on the shoulder. “Los torosare five minutes behind us. They were already in the Bronx.”
It’s a Thursday, so pay day for businesses and families who made shitty decisions and now belong to us. Some pay us protection money against the other syndicates. Some have debts they’ll never repay, but they can try. Some just looked the wrong way when we were around and pissed one of us off. Our guys were collecting what people owe us.
“It’s up there on the left.”
I point between Jorge and Alejandro’s shoulders. Joaquin and Javier lean forward to see over mine, and Alejandro turns around in his seat. The four of them watch the flashing dot on my phone screen. Jorge takes my word for it.
“Do you want me to pull over here? None of us have seen a lookout, so we should be good to wait for the others.”
“Yeah.”
We have four guards in the SUV that followed us, and there will be tenlos torosbetween two other SUVs. With those of us in this vehicle, that makes nineteen. I don’t know if that’ll make things easier or not. I know, regardless of how many men we face, the odds are in our favor. The men who have Flora are in this for the money. I’m certain it isn’t personal to them.
My cousins know my feelings for Flora without me saying anything. They’ll do everything they can to help me. Javier wants to get home to Madeline, and we’ll protect him to make sure he does. The other men want to survive us, so they won’t fuck up. They know they’ll face me if they don’t put Flora ahead of their own lives. Some have families of their own, but they know what they pledged when they promised their loyalty toTíoEnrique.
It means the Cartel comes before everything else. It means they supportTíoEnrique—and by extension his family—above all else. We’ve all made that pledge. For other men, being in the Cartel isn’t automatically hereditary. It pretty much is, but not always. The men make their choice to be in. Now they’ll prove it.
“They’re here.”
Javier announces the other men’s arrival. We climb out of the vehicle, but we leave the rifles inside for now. It’s broad daylight, so we don’t need anyone freaking out about men with automatic weapons prowling down their street. The other guys put their vests on, and we all put our suit coats over them. It makes us slightly less conspicuous while we discuss what’s going to happen.
“SeñoritaAguilaris in the third house on the left in the next block. We don’t know who’s in there with her. We don’t know how many there are. We’re going in blind. We take as many as we can to the bodega, but anyone who does anything to endanger theseñoritadies.”
“Sí, El Tigre.”
Right now, it’s clear I’m leading the mission, so I go by the moniker that means general. The men will address Alejandro andTres J’sascapitánorcapo.
“I want you four—” I point to the men I mean. “—to circle around the back. Check for any exit routes for them. Go now and report back.”
They nod as we all slip our earpieces into place. There’s a frequency for us collectively. But my family’s radios have another frequency that is just for us. It’s locked, so no one else can join it.
“You two check how we enter.”
I nod to the two men directly in front of me. The six guards reach into their SUVs and grab their rifles. They carry them held tightly against their chests, their suit coats somewhat disguising them. As long as they appear casual as they walk down the sidewalk, they should be fine. Old Cartel members train recruits to blend in when they’re in crowds and when they’re in open spaces. I know these men can spy without being spotted.
Now we wait.
I turn toward my cousins, and the other men step away, surveying our surroundings. The five of us form the same tight huddle we’ve been making since we were little and driving our parents crazy. We were a group of five—back then six—energetic boys who loved exploring and climbing, as long as we didn’t get seriously hurt and obeyed our parents. I take comfort in Alejandro andTres J’sbeing with me. We don’t need ourtíosorpapáshere, even though we wouldn’t turn downTíoEnrique’s help nor my dad’s or Alejandro’s.
TíoMatáis doesn’t go on many missions these days because he works as a financier in Manhattan. He handles the legal money that goes through the Diaz conglomerate. It keeps him busy and very public, so he doesn’t have time. But he will in a second if we need him.
“Gracias, primos.”
“Don’t get sappy,primo. Flora expects yourhuevosto be where she left them not sucked up inside yourculo.” Ass.
“¡Cállate, carajo!” Shut the fuck up.
I shove Javier’s chest playfully as I swear at him and he teases me. I need the momentary distraction.
“We’re happy to help. We know you appreciate it.”
Joaquin’s the shyest of us, and the natural peacemaker. Javier just dislikes most people—a total misanthrope and utter introvert. Jorge hates crowds and has social anxiety, so he’s like his brothers and is a homebody. Alejandro lets everything roll off his back like water off a duck.
