“I-I’m so sorry, sir.”
Abundio waved it away.“Good riddance, as far as I’m concerned.I want you to get me the video from the night Raul was killed.I believe the man who killed Raul worked for or with the group.I wish to learn more about him.And keep that quiet.I wish for no one to know I’m looking into it, all right?”
“Yes, sir.”He took notes on his phone as Abundio spoke.
“My daughter, as you know, also tried to worm her way into the organization.Unfortunately, she ran afoul of Russians and recently met a similar fate.”
Reyes froze, looking shocked again.“I-I’m so sorry, sir.”
Abundio also waved that away.“She was an adult.It hurts, but it proves that treachery can prove karmically fatal.Had she looped me into her plans, I could have told her under no circumstances to get involved.But she wanted to try to go her own way.Do you know if Manuel was attempting to do that?Make inroads with the Bratva?”
“He never told me if he was, sir.I never saw any evidence.”
“Good.I want you to notify me if any Russians sniff around, in any context, or if any of your people report that to you.Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”More notes were tapped into his phone.
“Now then.Let’s talk details, shall we?And we shall be here likely well into tomorrow.If you wish to call or text your wife, please feel free, so she doesn’t worry.Does she know anything about your current… occupation?”
“She asks no questions, sir.She enjoys that our children are growing up far better off than either of us did, and that we can take care of our parents.”
“Good.Tell her that I have tapped you to work as an operations manager for a new arm of my business.Mineral scouting.Working with my geologists from overseas.You are a local; you know the land and the people, and you speak the language.I will pay you a regular salary, legally, in addition to what you will be making in cash.But should you run afoul of the law…”
Abundio.didn’t finish, staring at Reyes.
“Everything I did was on my own initiative without any knowledge on your part,” Reyes said.
Abundio nodded.“Excellent.I need a legitimate reason for me to be in constant contact with you.Should something happen.Otherwise, it would look suspicious to have that much contact.”
“Yes, sir.”
When Reyes finally departed close to noon, Abundio was exhausted.He’d had a nap before the man arrived, and now he was ready to sleep.
Armando returned after seeing Reyes out.“Any instructions, sir?”
“Yes.I want someone planted right next to him.One of my people, but I do not want Reyes to know that.He can be listed as working for the ‘geology team’ that Reyes is leading and on the official payroll.I want him to be my direct eyes and ears.If Reyes doesn’t betray us in the first six months, he will likely work out fine, and we’ll arrange for him to completely take over that ‘department’ upon my death so it can safely be divested without connections to me.How is the other thing going?”
The man didn’t miss a beat.“I am working on identifying potential candidates now.I will need time to thoroughly screen any I deem worthy enough to meet you.”
Abundio nodded.“I trust your judgement.”He headed for the stairs.“Please don’t disturb me unless I’m not down before 9:00 tonight.Have the cook leave at their usual time if I’m not down by then.I don’t wish to inconvenience them.They can cook something that can easily be reheated.”
“Yes, sir.”
Abundio trudged up the stairs, feeling every single day of his years weighing heavily on him.He would need to tackle this in several stages, while keeping them discrete.Installing Reyes as head of the cartel.Providing “proof” of the men’s demises and arranging money for payment to the families.Finding a bride who can give him a child.
Tracking down the man who killed Raul.
And tracking down Jake and Carl Peterson and finding out why Jake was playing a fake Russian.
And how they knew to contact Miranda to meet in the first place, or if they’d been working together the entire time.
And if they were working in concert with the man who killed Raul or bore connections to the group in Idaho.
Because he now found it inconceivable to believe that Carl wasn’t alive and well, along with Mateo.
He also strongly suspected both men were responsible for Manuel’s death.
And if he proved that?
