“Why? You know what it does.”
“I know the control it allows someone with the recipe to have,” Martinez corrected as he leaned forward. “My country is as corrupt as yours is above the border, filled with politicians who make your Albanian problem look like a case of the common cold and not the syphilitic pustules they are?—”
“Those politicians are also the reason you’re in power, no?”
I froze at Raisin’s question, but Eva laughed. “Perhaps, but that doesn’t make it right, does it?”
With all eyes on the shy one, Raisin straightened her shoulders. “No. But if you fix the problem, then there’s no space for you.”
“Genial. I retired a long time ago. I had no desire to bounce backand be in this position.” He wafted a hand at the palatial home he’d brought us to. “Unfortunately for me, I’m very good at what I do and with Eva at my side, we’re unstoppable. In a few short years, we’ve dominated this nation, have come to rule over it with an iron fist, but in its current state, this is not a country I want my children to be raised in. Do you understand me?”
“So this is about blackmail?” I scorned.
Eva dipped her chin. “How can we affect change if the government is dirtier than we are?”
“Won’t that lead to your annihilation?” Raisin questioned.
Martinez shrugged. “Not for a long time to come and by that point, we will have forged a different path for those I callhermano.”
“So, this is a game for the presidency?”
He chortled. “No.”
Eva, on the other hand, stated, “Yes.”
Martinez, for the first time, glared at his wife. “Eva, we discussed this?—”
“We did, and we disagreed on how right you’d be for the job. You are magnetic,mi esposo.You gather people around you as easily as if you were a siren. Look at what you’ve achieved in a few short years—the country bows before you?—”
“I never asked for that. I’m quite happy in the shadows, protecting my people from predatory billionaires looking to become trillionaires.”
“And that’s why they do. They know your worth. We already know what the Irish are trying to do above the border?—”
“I’m not Irish,” I cut in. “I have no idea of their methodology, but I do know they keep their hands clean of my product.”
Eva snorted. “You really are no politician, are you? Do you read the news?”
“No. I’m more interested in my work.” My gaze flatlined. “As I said, you should be talking with my sister?—”
“And unfortunately for me, she was not the Valentini sibling foolish enough to traipse into my territory without an invitation,”Martinez inserted, then his mouth twisted. “Through our debt to the Camorra—” I’d forgotten Martinez had a problem with Hunter. “—we are allied with you, and allies meet and discuss their plans for the future.
“With your sister whispering in the ear of the Camorran DonandtheFamigghia, the new Russian movement shifting control over the continent, and the Irish’s sudden shift into commerce and politics as they sniff around the White House, this is the dawn of a new age, and Mexico wants to be a part of that.” He leveled me with a glacial look, then his focus shifted to Kitty. “But I’ve talked long enough about business. It’s late and the food has helped succumb us to sleep. I’m sure you would like some rest. Rooms have been made available for you?—”
“We're staying in a hotel,” Raisin squeaked.
“I’m sure that our home outweighs anything a beach resort can provide,” Eva inserted as she surged to her feet, Martinez shifting behind her to pull aside her chair. When his lips found her knuckles again, their contretemps over, she drawled, “Feel free to follow me and I’ll show you to your suites.”
Kitty’s hand found my lap. When she pinched my knee, under my breath, I muttered, “You need to go along with this.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw her lips purse.
As I, too, got to my feet, my chair dragging against the floor, I gave her time to urge her sisters into compliance by holding out my hand to the man currently pulling my strings. “I appreciate your hospitality.”
“I’d hate to disappoint.Mi casa es su casa.”
Eva groaned. “If we’re done with the trite bullshit, maybe we can head to bed?”
Chuckling, Martinez passed my cell to me after shaking my hand, and I stepped away from the table and helped Kitty stand. Raisin popped upright like bread in a toaster, her agitation loud and clear, while Neev was back to fluttering her lashes at Miguel Martinez, who offeredher his arm.
