She mouths the words, and she looks more fearful than she has since I arrived in her office. I offer her a half smile before looking at the other two Schlossbergs.
“It’s approaching dinnertime. If you get hungry, you can order whatever you’d like. I know you didn’t plan to be here overnight, so if there is anything you need, we can order those too.”
“Overnight?! We aren’t staying here. We only waited because Anne said you might have information.” Mrs. Schlossberg stands and reaches for her purse.
“Mutti, you need to stay here. We don’t know if any of us are targets too. We don’t know what else they might do. None of us are going back to unguarded homes. Jorge doesn’t have that many men to spare.”
I do, but I’m not confessing that. I’ll have to fly them in from Brussels or Amsterdam. I may need those men to retrieve Gunter or whoever did this. I might need them here to protect the women if someone decides they’re the next targets.
“Mrs. Schlossberg, I understand how you?—”
“No, you don’t. You could never understand.”
Her anger is reasonable, but it won’t get us anywhere.
“I was eight years old and leaving the movies with my father and brothers when I watched a man murder my father. I understand all too well.”
That lands like a ton of bricks. I didn’t expect it to go over well. My father’s execution-style murder is no secret since it happened in broad daylight on a street in Bogotá. My brothers and I begged our dad to take us to a movie. We really wanted to see it, and we knew he’d let us have all the snacksMamáwouldn’t. We had stomachaches by the time we left, but it was—at that point—one of the best days ever.
Papáand our guards sensed something was wrong when my brothers and I couldn’t. I was only eight. Javier was nine, and Joaquin was ten. What did we know back then?Papáherded us into an alley so we could have our backs to a wall, and no one could sneak up on us. There were two snipers and a guy on the ground. The snipers picked off our men, but one of our guards shot the man on the street and a sniper on a rooftop.
When our armored SUV pulled up,Papáshielded us as we ran to the vehicle. I was the closest to him and the lightest.He practically threw me inside. I scrambled across the seat as Joaquin crawled in behind me.Papáhad just slammed the door shut behind Javier when blood splattered the window.
Neither my brothers nor I remember much of what happened after that. We rememberMamásomehow managed to have all three of us on her lap when we got home. She couldn’t speak. She just rocked us and kept kissing our heads. I remember we all cried a lot. The next thing I remember clearly was the funeral. The next day my brothers and I went to New Jersey to stay withTíaMargherita, Pablo, and Juan.TíoLuis stayed in Bogotá.
It wasn’t until years later that Joaquin, Javier, and I learned whatMamádid to avengePapá.Heads for soccer balls. After all I’ve seen and done as a Cartel member, in a fucked-up kind of way, I couldn’t be prouder ofMamá.
“I—I never imagined. I’m sorry.” Mrs. Schlossberg can’t meet my gaze.
“I didn’t tell you that to make you feel worse. I want you to know I understand what it’s like to wake up to a normal day only to have it turn into the worst one of your life. My family is exceptionally wealthy, so we’ve faced many threats over the years. We have safety protocols in place. We did the day my dad died, and it still happened. It wouldn’t have if we hadn’t been out in the open. The men who killed my father knew the only way to succeed was to attack when he was with my brothers and me. That he would protect us before himself. I don’t want anyone to use you to inflict more suffering. I need you to stay here for now. It’s a place my men and I can protect. No one can get up to this floor without us knowing about it first. We can control what comes in and out of this suite. I can’t promise the same if you leave.”
“Why did that happen?” I can barely hear Heidi’s question, but I expected it.
“My family is just as ruthless as your uncle. We’ve burned as many bridges as we’ve built. Not everyone has the patience to wait for a rival to retire. Not everyone works harder to make up for money lost during a bad deal. Some people want retribution and have the means to get it.”
By some people, I mean us. My family. We’ve made careers out of retribution.
“Does that mean you do illegal things too? That’s what you said aboutOnkelClyde.”
If you only knew a sliver of it, Heidi.
“I’ve done things others don’t approve of.”Like law enforcement and most countries’ judicial systems.
“Can you do things to get my husband back?”
I look Mrs. Schlossberg in the eye when I answer. “I will do everything possible to get him back.”
I can’t promise I will. He could be dead. I don’t want to promise to get his body back dead or alive. That wouldn’t inspire confidence. I give them the best I can offer.
“Mutti, Heidi, do you want any dinner? I already ate.”
“That was your food? You ate?” Heidi’s nothing short of accusatory.
“You know how I handle stress and fear.” Liesel’s defensive, but when she looks at me, I see her embarrassment.
“Not right now,mein Püppchen.” Little doll.
Her mother offers her a weak smile, turning the attention away from the argument that’s about to erupt between Liesel and Heidi. I can imagine what Liesel probably looked like as a young child. It’s a common enough endearment, but I bet it fit.
