“Thank you. I hope we can do business. I believe this joint venture will be profitable for both of us. I don’t want control—I just want the benefits. Unlike the men in my family, I don’t need the trappings and the power to boost my ego. I look to the future, to securing my comfort. And if your organization can fully realize the potential I believe is there, I prefer to be on your side and protected in the shadows. I am not greedy—I am practical.”
“Fair enough. Is there contact information besides the banking info?”
“Yes. A secure email address. You can use it to define the contact methods for future communications. If you decide to go forward. There is a copy of the terms on the drive as well.”
“Just out of curiosity, why are you so willing to risk blowing up your uncle’s cartel instead of taking over?”
She shrugged. “Because I’m petty. I like knowing that all his years of work and sweat and blood can be dismantled like that.” She snapped her fingers. “Nothing left. No legacy. It was a family business, but only for men. Ironic that a woman can easily destroy it in a matter of minutes without even breaking a sweat or shedding a drop of blood.”
He smiled, a genuine one that reached the depths of his blue eyes and crinkled the corners of them. “We will be in touch.”
When she stood, so did he, and he kissed her hand. “It has been a pleasure, Ms. Segura. I look forward to doing business with you.”
“Likewise,” she said, resisting the urge to crow with success.
As she walked to her hotel, she also fought the urge to skip. The opportunity to acquire everything she’d laid out in the thumb drive? Irresistible to the Russians. It was a turn-key operation. It would vastly expand their Latin American footprint.
Had this meeting not gone well, she would have jettisoned the cartel because she’d insulated herself and her father. It wasn’t a tenable situation that could be maintained for any length of time without her involvement. Without a full-time leader, the cartel risked devolving into infighting and eating itself.
But now?
Now it is my turn to build an empire.
Abundio Segura
“I found his hotel room before the meeting. I believe he is a representative from a Russian gang. Ilya Baranov. At least, that’s the name he’s using.”
“Interesting.” Abundio stared out the window behind his desk as he talked on the phone to his man. “How much could you hear?”
“Not much. We couldn’t risk getting too close.”
“Did they act romantic toward each other?”
“Not at all. She passed something to him that I believe was a thumb drive.”
“Hmm.” Abundio tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “I would certainly be interested in learning what was on that thumb drive.”
Although he felt reasonably certain he already knew exactly what was on that thumb drive.
“How badly, sir?”
“You have contacts?”
“I do. He appears to be staying alone. A reservation for three more days. I can follow him and make contact.”
“Don’t kill him. If possible, drug him and copy the drive, leaving it there. If forced to, steal it. I would prefer it looks like he simply passed out from drinking.”
“He’s a Russian.”
“Yes, but vodka is their specialty, not tequila. I’ll leave the details to you. Let me know how much money you need.”
“Yes, sir.”
Abundio ended the call and remained still, staring out the window.
Perhaps she has more of her uncles in her than I realized.
As far as Abundio could tell, his daughter had not yet veered into illegal territory.
