“You conned him into thinking you could help his father get the information he needed to overthrow myabuelo. You were going to mutiny against your brother anyway. You never would’ve helped Ernesto Augilar.”
He nods as best he can with a leather strap across his forehead. “I planned to do that, but thecabróndidn’t trust me once he realized what he revealed. He left the card table and the casino to sober up.”
“Jump to the part where he sells his soul to you.” I’m getting restless.
“It was May, so we were both there for the Circuit de Monaco.People placed plenty of hefty bets on the Formula One race. Domingo and I championed different drivers. Once I knew that, I paid a member of the pit crew to deflate a tire during the last stop Domingo’s favorite took. It blew only seconds before the finish line. We’d placed a massive wager between us because his driver was favored to win. He was certain he’d make a fortune. Instead, he lost it.”
“You knew he couldn’t pay.”
“I knew neither he nor his father could pay. If he’d won, it would’ve been enough money to buy off half the officials in Bogotá and given Ernesto the power to oust Josue.”
“You had the money, but you didn’t want to dirty your hands by outwardly leading a coup against your brother. You also didn’t want the power to go outside the family.”
“Right. I went to Ernesto and said Domingo works for me or I kill him. He knew I took after my father more than Josue did.”
That means I’m like Humberto. That makes me want to vomit. From his smirk, he knows what I’m thinking.
“I’d never betray the family, Humberto. We couldn’t be more different.”
It’s the only consolation I have because thinking I’m anything like Humberto will fuck with my head.
“And fucking an Aguilar isn’t a betrayal?”
“She’s not her father or grandfather. You forced Domingo to spy for you because Ernesto arranged the marriage toTíaLuciana. It was supposed to givelosAguilara senior position with my family while forcing them to bend the knee because Domingo had to work forAbuelo.”
“It was working until Esteban Cardenas betrayed me.”
“Betrayed you? Your eyes are brown because you’re full of shit. He worked forAbueloand wasTíoEnrique’s best friend afterPapá. He infiltrated your network.”
“Shit load of good it did any of you. Josue is dead. Esteban is dead.”
“And you’re the only one being tortured before you’re dead. Why did Domingo’s death matter enough to you to put a hit onTíoEsteban?”
“I told you, he betrayed me. He found me when I returned to?—”
“Fled to.”
“—New York City. He gave my whereabouts to Enrique, who had the feds pick me up. My lawyer couldn’t keep them from extraditing me back to Colombia.”
MytíoandPapáhad already torn through Colombia on their revenge tour. It took months to get Humberto back to Bogotá. In the meantime,TíoEsteban andTíoMatáis helpedTíoEnrique andPapárun things down here when they had to be in New York. Mytíoswho still lived here arranged for theFiscalía General de la Naciónto hand Humberto over toTíoEnrique. In English, it’s the General Prosecutorial Office of the Nation or Attorney General.
Once Humberto was in Bogotá, he got “lost” in the system for a while—TíoEnrique sentenced him to house arrest for the restof his life. The government was happy to see the end of a civil war within the ruling Cartel family—ours has always beenthe Cartel, and that’s why people think to challenge us.
“You’re luckyPapáandTíoEnrique are benevolent because you’ve been breathing for thirty-six years longer than you should’ve. Domingo’s dead because he refused to take defeat as graciously as you did.”
By graciously, I mean Humberto begged like a little bitch to live and cowered with his tail between his legs. He was decent at running the low-level street hustles and overseeing our local business. AfterTíoMatáis,TíaCatalina, and Alejandro moved to Queens, it wasTíoEsteban who ensured Humberto followed orders. He still lived in Bogotá withTíaLuciana andTres J’s.
“Domingo’s dead because he broke his promise. He wasn’t the one who gave the information that allowed me to trap Josue and watch him die.”
“You didn’t even do that yourself. You didn’t have thehuevos, so you hired someone else.”
Humberto shrugs but otherwise ignores my interjection. “Because he wasn’t the one to give me what I needed, his debt remained unpaid. Domingo figured if Esteban hadn’t wooed Luciana away, he would’ve gotten what he needed first. He was also pissed he couldn’t fuck Luciana anymore. I guess she was a good lay.”
“That’s yoursobrinayou’re talking about, you sick fuck.”
I switch to a metal pipe and bring it down on his sternum. He wheezes for a moment before grunting.
“Domingo shot at Luciana while she was in the car, leaving the party where she chose Esteban over him. It was a bulletproof vehicle, so Esteban didn’t kill him. He drained his bank accounts instead. However, when he cornered Luciana one day and tried to force himself on her, he signed his death warrant. Esteban killed him. His debt to me was still there.”
