It works for them.
Too well. Their reputation preceded them wherever they went, from the average person on the street to gang leaders. That reputation was often enough to make anyone considering resisting think twice, unless they wanted to learn just how harsh Los Muertos could be toward those who got in their way. They didn’t need elegant interrogators or go after people’s weak points when they could make enough people disappear, only to reappear as brutalized parts to make their point.
That was true for the cops as well, and over the past decade, as Los Muertos’ hold on parts of the country deepened, even federal agencies trod carefully around them. They didn’t operate at the ‘higher’ level that The Family did, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have plenty of resources, including information. I remembered Augustine mentioning a team of feds that were assembled to try to stop Los Muertos from encroaching on the eastern seaboard. Los Muertos had found out who was on the team, and two disappeared completely, three had been found in pieces with clear signs of prolonged torture, and there had been several attacks that ended in injuries. The worst I suspected were those agents who had lost loved ones, either Los Muertoshad kidnapped their loved ones and held them hostage, or had outright killed them. The most memorable had been an agent whose daughter had been taken, and when he’d tried to negotiate, they had sent pieces of her to him...still warm.
And when he finally backed off, even retired, they’d sent him her head as a gruesome ‘retirement’ gift.
So yes, their reputation preceded them, and I knew damn well I was dealing with maniacs who committed their cruelties long before they considered finding justification for them.
“If good sense will not assert itself, sometimes it requires help,” I told him, ignoring the ‘throne room’ comment. That might not be aimed at me specifically because of my connection to Augustine, but more because I was the representative of the Marelli family they had to deal with. The Family was as well known as Los Muertos, but I could proudly say it wasn’t because of an equal penchant for cruelty and brutality. We were, however, treated by many as a sort of criminal royalty. I preferred to think of it as a little closer to the Roman Empire, broad, dignified, capable of great force, but preferring stability and cooperation. And in that comparison, that would make Los Muertos the barbarians pounding at the gates in an eager cry to sack the city.
“And you’re the one to help?” Reg asked, and I found myself in the rather uncomfortable position of trying to figure out if they really were equals or if this was some sort of mind game. There were two dangers in trying to anticipate what they were doing. Underestimating their cunning despite knowing it was a threat to what I was trying to achieve, and overestimating them and finding myself... well, outsmarting myself. I had done it in the past, trying to outmaneuver someone I thought was far more clever than they were, only to end up with a far more complicated situation on my hands than was necessary.
“Personally, I hope we can help each other,” I said as smoothly as I could. “That is what I’m hoping we can achieve at this meeting.”
“Goddamn,” Luis said with a whistle, his mask cracking ever so slightly with a flash of impatience. “It really is true, not one of your Family knows how to speak. You know how to talk, though, that’s for sure.”
“If you want me to skip being polite and go right to blunt, I can do that in a heartbeat,” I told him.
“Good, do it. We don’t have all day for you to show us you’re better behaved than us,” Luis said, and I noted the way Reg’s eyes flicked toward him. There was no emotion there, but his partner was clearly trying to provoke a reaction.
“The terrorizing of the people under my protection stops. The ambushes and attacks on my people stop,” I began, speaking as calmly and smoothly as before, but leaning forward to rest my arms on the table, keeping my eyes on them. “The burning, terrorizing, threatening, and general mayhem that you’re bringing to my city? You guessed it, that also stops.”
“Your city?” Reg said, tilting his head slightly. “Seems to me this city isn’t exactly claimed.”
“Cresson Point might not have been central to The Family before, but it has always been a part of our interests. Obviously, that interest has shifted with my being here,” I admitted. “So yes, this city is claimed, a claim I am making while we sit here pretending neither of us wouldn’t prefer to kill the other and move on with our day.”
“Little Man thinks he’s got claws,” Luis said, and I heard the relish in his voice, as if he were already picturing what he would do to me if he had me alone. The thing was, he didn’t have me alone. I suffered from no illusions that I would somehow magically be capable of holding my own against him in a one-on-one. The thing was, I had always operated, to great success,by never giving my opponent the advantage. I was just as likely to meet him for a one-on-one meeting as I was to run back to Seattle and kiss Augustine full on the mouth. “I wonder when I get to pull them out.”
“Careful,” I warned him softly. “There are more dangerous weapons in the world than fangs and claws.
“C’mon,” he said with a grin that reminded me of primates showing their teeth right before they attacked. “What do you say? You, me, a little candlelight, a little romance? We’ll see who comes out on top.”
“Why? Because it’s the only way you know how to win?” I asked him lightly. “I think not.”
“He’s cocky, but he ain’t stupid, Lu,” Reg said with a smirk, but I caught the way he shifted, as if bumping his partner under the table. Good, Reg was in charge then, and Luis was the monster or madman kept in check by...force of personality?
Or...they’re friends.
Hmm, that again. It wasn’t unheard of for people in our line of work to bond after years of working together...although perhaps this was a case of friends before work. Depending on how far back their bond went, I might be dealing with two people who had been close long before they took their first real steps as the ruthless people they had become...at least professionally. So, trying to drive a wedge between them was not only useless but could also backfire. They were a united front, and they weren’t trying to keep that a secret, but Reg seemed to want to be a little circumspect about how much influence he had over his partner.
“Now, I’m guessing you have an offer? Otherwise, why are we here?” Reg said dryly.
“You misunderstand,” I said slowly. “I’m not here to negotiate or do a deal. You have encroached on territory that isn’t yours and has been held by the Marelli family for decades. Los Muertos are not welcome. Behave as though you are insomeone else’s territory, or remove your presence from the city. And the state, for that matter, though I’ll admit that would be difficult to enforce.”
“You think you can bully us out?” Luis asked, sounding almost happy. “We’re here now, and we’re not going anywhere.”
“Look, I can see you’re overflowing with confidence,” I told him. “But I can assure you, it’s poorly placed.”
“Is it?” Reg asked. “This isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with your Family.”
“True, you’ve certainly been giving Eliza trouble further south,” I admitted. There was no point denying the truth when it was staring me in the face. “Of course, you were also operating in an area where you have a much stronger presence and more forces at your disposal. That sort of entrenchment and resources might have been effective down there. Up here, though? Up here is where you lack both of those things, and considering you haven’t been able to push The Family out down South, I wouldn’t have much faith in your chances of bullying The Family out of Cresson Point, or anywhere in the Northwest for that matter. If you want to operate in this theatre, then you will have to negotiate with us, otherwise?—”
“The only thing worse than weak threats are vague ones,” Reg said, eyes narrowing.
I smiled. “I have a number of options available to me if I’m pushed to act. What would it serve me to specify exactly what I intend to do with you and your people? Considering we’re not allies, we’re not even at peace at the moment, I see no point in informing you of anything other than it being in your best interest to stop.”
“Hiding behind his Family,” Luis sneered. “As if that’s somehow going to help him.”
