I snorted softly. “Are you operating under the assumption that The Family is dictating to me?”
“You can practically see the earpiece,” Luis said, glancing at my head as if he expected there to be an actual device in my ear.
I turned my head to show each ear. “Nothing. Just like there isn’t a script or guidelines jotted down on a napkin. I am here to speak for The Family’s interests, but I’m also the representative, the speaker, and the one who will decide what comes next. Of course, I’m not alone in that decision, as the ones representing Los Muertos, you two are also a part of that decision-making process.”
Reg’s eyes narrowed further. “Give us a moment?”
I cocked my head. “Sure, I can give you a few minutes.”
Pushing up from the table, I walked away, turning my back on them without a second thought. It was dangerous. I’d heard tales of Los Muertos members turning what should have been a meeting into a bloodbath. Apparently, some were willing to risk their own lives if it made the point they intended to make. I could only hope Reg or Luis weren’t those sorts... or at least that Reg wasn’t. I had the distinct feeling that if Luis had his way, I’d already be tied to the table and he’d be having fun with me.
Will was waiting for me in the aisle, his eyes wide as he watched me approach. Nervously licking his lips, he looked me over. “Uh, well, I didn’t hear shouting. That’s good, right?”
“Why would there be shouting?” I wondered.
“Well, the last time my...my dad had a meeting with them, there was a lot of yelling, and a fight,” he admitted with a wince. “Dad said it was a good thing he made sure there weren’t any guns allowed; otherwise, there probably would have been a shootout.”
“Hmm,” I said, thinking that Will Senior had certainly been...well, he’d been a laidback and sociable person, but he also had one hell of a temper. The first thing he did when he was losing his temper was to raise his voice. I could picture himlosing control if he were dealing with stubborn, hostile members of Los Muertos. “Was it these two?”
“No,” Will answered quickly. “I don’t remember the names of the people he talked to the last time, but these two don’t look like them.”
“Interesting,” I said with a frown. “I wasn’t aware there was a meeting before. How long ago was the last one?”
“Uhh...” he began, his eyes darting back and forth before nodding. “Six months.”
“And these two weren’t included, you’re sure?”
“Yes,” he said after another thoughtful pause. “I’m pretty good with names, but I’m even better with faces. Those two weren’t here the last time. Is that a bad thing?”
“I’m not sure if it’s good or bad,” I admitted as we continued walking. “It certainly raises questions, though. If these aren’t the same men...then why?”
“I’m going to double-check, there should still be something around somewhere I can dig into, even if it’s asking some questions,” Will said quickly as we stepped out of the musty shadows of the warehouse and into the fresh air. “How...quickly do you need it?”
“As soon as possible but not so soon that the information isn’t accurate,” I told him with a thoughtful frown.
I know what you’re thinking, but be careful. You don’t want to end up down a rabbit hole and find out the rabbits have been gone forever.
She was right; it could be nothing, and I had to make sure I didn’t get obsessed with a piece of information that was no longer relevant. The change in representatives could be a sign of trouble within Los Muertos’s ranks. It could also just be a sign that the previous representatives were ineffective and needed to be replaced. Or perhaps it would give me an insight into how todeal with these two if they proved particularly difficult, which I suspected they would.
You suspect? Come on, Levi, you’re smarter than that. There’s a time and a place for everything, and thinking all the time, especially thinking things to death like you do, is going to get you into trouble. You can tell they aren’t going to back off. You didn’t intimidate them, and you sure as hell didn’t make them respect you.
I knew that much, and right now all I could do was come up with ways to anticipate their next move, or at least subvert it. I would put good money on the idea that they were going to smile and walk away, telling the lie that they would consider what I had to say, or that they were going to retract their forces. In truth, they would either bring further heat to my people and the city or bring more people in, adding more pressure to everything and everyone.
Despite my show of confidence, I couldn’t be sure that, with the resources I had, I’d be able to push them back out. I knew how much trouble they had already given me, along with prior knowledge of their tactics when they moved into a new territory. The two things I didn’t know were how much power they had at their disposal and what they could summon if pushed. I also needed to know how these two would operate, along with their potential shortcomings and weaknesses.
I had expected problems during my time in charge, but a war was not something I had expected, and I couldn’t decide whether to consider it bad luck and poor timing or whether I should have anticipated it and planned for it.
And just what sort of plan would you have come up with? You’ve already been stretching yourself thin as it is. What exactly would you have been able to do?
That was true, trying to corral all Will Senior’s people while shifting the seat of power to Cresson Point had been...intensive.I couldn’t pretend I’d been succeeding at the rate I would have preferred, and now I was going to have one more problem to deal with if this meeting went the way I was expecting.
“Sir?”
I stirred, turning around to see Will staring at me apprehensively. “Yes?”
“I was asking if we should be worried...you know, about them?” he asked, nodding back toward the warehouse.
I glanced in that direction with a frown. “It’s certainly not something to dismiss out of hand. Los Muertos operates with an attitude of supreme confidence, but that’s no accident; they also operate from a position of power. This is the last thing we need right now, but it’s not something that can be ignored.”
