I exchanged a look with Elin, who was already reaching for her gun from the nightstand drawer. "Give us ten minutes, then bring him to my office."
"Should I have him searched?"
"Thoroughly," Elin answered before I could. "And keep two men in the room."
As Harley's footsteps retreated, I finished dressing, my mind already shifting back into Don mode. "This could be trouble."
"Or opportunity," Elin countered, checking her weapon before securing it in her waistband. "Depends how we play it."
Minutes later, we entered my office to find Carlos Vega waiting, flanked by two of my men. He was a compact man in his fifties, grey threading through his black hair, his expensive suit unable to disguise the predator beneath.
"Carlos," I said, settling behind my desk while Elin took position beside me. "What brings you to my home?"
His cold eyes flicked between us, lingering on Elin with obvious distaste. "You killed my Don."
"Your Don was planning to rape and murder my sister," I replied evenly. "He got what he deserved."
Carlos's jaw tightened. "Miguel Juarez was a great man. A respected leader."
"Miguel Juarez was a sadistic piece of shit," Elin interjected, her voice cutting. "And if you're here for revenge, you can join him."
"I'm here," Carlos said, his tone measured despite the fury in his eyes, "to discuss terms."
That surprised me. "Terms?"
"The Juarez territory needs leadership. Miguel had no sons, no clear successor. His organization is . . . fracturing."
I leaned back in my chair, beginning to see where this was heading. "And you want my backing?"
"I want an alliance." He straightened slightly. "I take control of Juarez operations, you get a thirty percent cut of profits, and we maintain the peace between our trade routes."
It was a reasonable offer, actually. Better than the war that would inevitably come if the Juarez territory descended into chaos.
"What makes you think you can hold it together?" Elin asked. "Miguel's other lieutenants won't just roll over for you."
Carlos smiled, and it wasn't pleasant. "They will when they see what happened to the ones who opposed me."
A kindred spirit, then. I could respect that, even if I didn't trust him.
"Fifty percent," I countered. "And I want oversight of your trafficking operations."
"Forty percent and trafficking stays internal."
"No trafficking at all," Elin said firmly. "That's nonnegotiable."
Carlos's eyebrows rose. "You're joking."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Her hand moved casually to rest on her hip, inches from her concealed weapon.
"The trafficking brings in twenty-five percent of our revenue," Carlos protested. "You can't expect me to just—"
"I can and I do." I leaned forward, letting steel enter my voice. "The Azzaro family is moving away from certain . . . unsavorypractices. Our associates will do the same or they won't be our associates."
Carlos was quiet for a long moment, clearly weighing his options. Without Azzaro backing, his chances of consolidating power were slim. With it, he'd have to give up his most profitable ventures.
"Drugs?" he asked finally.
"Selective operations only. High-end clientele, no street-level distribution," Elin answered. "We're not running a charity, but we're not poisoning neighborhoods either."
