Page 52 of Our Tricks

The kid took a seat as well and grabbed a beer out of the bucket. He paused as if he wanted to make sure no one was going to stop him. Personally, I was for it—get him a little tipsy and see if he’d tell us more that way.

“Martin, my oldest brother, left New York to join Marco in Mexico. I overheard a conversation… well, Martin’s side of it, that is. He and Angeline were supposed to fly into Guadalajara, and he’d have a car come pick them up. That’s one of the biggest airports, though, so they could be going anywhere in southern Mexico at that point,” Alvaro shared.

He made a good point, and Marco would be one to cover his tracks. Then again, he could be using a fake out, where we assumed that, but really he was much closer. Could it be that Marco never got married so he was going to make Martin his heir as well as Diego? It would be one way that bastard could control it all.

“How long ago did your brother move out there?” Jaxson asked.

Alvaro scrunched up his face in thought. “I think it’s been a year or almost a year.”

“According to this phone, the towers that the call used were in Colima. That’s roughly about three hours south of Guadalajara, so it’s possible that’s where they are. Either way, it narrows things down and allows us to target search an area,” Ghost informed us all.

“That’s good, every little bit helps,” Wes said as he walked around the table to look over Ghost’s shoulder. “So if we focus our attention on the states, Jalisco and Colima, it will be a jumping-off point.”

“Wait a minute, Colima,” Cognac cut in. “Where’s Port of Lázaro Cárdenas from there? It’s one of the biggest ports for shipping in and out of the country.”

Ghost started to type away then flipped the laptop around for us all to see. “It’s in the next state over, Michoacán. I wouldn’t say it’s super close, depending on where in Colima you are, but it’s possible that Marco could have made the call there to ensure we didn’t know his exact location.”

“We all know he’s getting drugs, women, and God knows what else out of that country, so it has to be there. It’s so busy, it would be simple to pay off the right people and have things loaded and unloaded without notice,” Cognac shared. “So add Michoacán to the list to look into as well. No one would want to transport certain goods farther than they have to, so it would make sense to keep it close, but Marco has proved to be a sneaky bastard.”

“Nice work,” Eagle said, slapping Cognac on the back. “I have a feeling your knowledge is going to be invaluable.”

With our search area determined, the real work began. Each of us were given various tools and technology to perform searches. I’d been given a list of shipping companies that went from Mexico to the New York-New Jersey port. Apparently, most would head for LA instead of going all the way south and around New York, but with Dax cockblocking his goods, that was his only choice.

My eyes started to cross as I looked at list after list of companies, then double-checking their routes when I found they went to New York. When I narrowed it down further, I had to see how often they made these trips and if it was the same or different ship. Everything about this made me want to scream, but I knew getting through this meant I’d be able to stab some people faster.

Grabbing for another beer, I found the bucket was empty. Letting out a sigh, I got up and grabbed the bucket with its melted ice water. “I need a break. I’m gonna get some more beer.”

“The club will be open by now, so don’t make a scene,” Magnus warned.

I glowered at him. “Thanks, Mom, you know just because I’m not an assassin doesn’t mean I’m an idiot. This isn’t the first strip club I’ve been to before, so I know how to act.”

The big man’s jaw tightened as he bit back giving me a piece of his mind, but I turned and left out the back door. I noticed the parking lot was much fuller than when we’d arrived a few hours ago, and the sun was starting to set. Personally, I’d never been one for strip clubs—too many rules, too public, and you knew the women there were only fawning over you to get paid. Nothing about it was real, and that’s what I’d craved most of my life.

My parents tolerated each other growing up. They were the type to close their eyes and think of England as they did their duty to produce an heir. As soon as they could, I was sent off to boarding school, and they lived as they pleased only to gather for the holidays and show off what a happy family we were. As soon as I graduated and turned eighteen, I sent my parents a note saying I was heading for the States and didn’t know if I was ever coming back. At some point, a lawyer found me and informed me that my father had died in a sudden car accident, and since he’d divorced my mother, I was the sole beneficiary of his fortune.

So far, I’d never touched the money or gone back to see the estate. A crew of people was looking after it, and I used the money to pay them and keep the house in good order. One day I thought I might go back with my wife and kids to use it as a vacation home of sorts. Now that I had Dax and the other guys, who were like kids enough to make it count, it might be a good place to possibly spend our well-deserved downtime after we dealt with Marco.

Pulling open the door, the bouncer stopped me. “I’m gonna need to see some ID, and there’s a twenty-dollar entrance fee.”

“I’m with the group in the poker room. We ran out of beer and figured I’d come up and buy another round,” I explained and lifted the bucket. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll wait while you ask Raven.”

The guy narrowed his eyes at me then looked down at the bucket. “Raven mentioned she had friends using the room. You can go on in, but don’t make me come in after you and toss you out on your ass.”

“Yeah, sure,” I agreed. “I just want some beer, and I’ll be heading around back as soon as I get it.”

“No, tell Frank, the bartender, you’re in the poker room, and he’ll get you in through the other door. It will draw too much attention to go out the entrance and around back with a full bucket of beer,” he instructed.

“Works for me. You said Frank, right?” I asked as I stepped up to the second door that led into the club. The bouncer gave me a nod and turned to deal with the two men who entered. It was nice to know he treated them just as friendly as he did me. The guy must be an asshole to everyone.

The Ruby Room was as its name suggested, red. All the tables and chairs were black as was the carpet, but the stages were lit with red neon lights making them stand out. Red curtains hung on all the walls, making it seem cozier and more luxurious. The bar was easy to spot with all the shelves of liquor backlit with red light. There were about ten guys at the long bar while another twenty were scattered on the main floor. A woman was on the stage working her pole with just her panties on.

My focus returned to the bar, and I went to the far end where no one was sitting close. I didn’t really want anyone overhearing since I’m sure I was going to have to explain who and what I was doing again. The bartender gave me a nod to let me know he saw me as he finished making a few drinks. Once he set them to the side for the waitress to grab them, he made his way over to me.

“What can I get for you?” Frank asked.

“Earlier, Raven dropped off this bucket of beer to the back room, and I was hoping to get it filled again. No preference on what beer as long as it ain’t some light piss water bullshit,” I said, sliding over the bucket.

Frank looked a little surprised, but he nodded. “How many of you are there?”