Page 55 of Our Tricks

The uncertainty in Alvaro’s eyes had my gut clenching. Worst-case scenarios played in my head. What if he told Martin where we were, what we were doing, and who was involved? My hope to let Mariana keep one son had clouded my judgment about this. I deserved the scolding that Magnus gave me when we first got here. If it were my fault that we all ended up dead, it would be the ultimate torture.

“If Martin is with Marco on bringing Mom back to Mexico, then I choose Mom. At the end of the day, Martin’s been a good big brother, but my Mom doesn’t deserve for that to happen to her. As you said, she’s been a victim her whole life. How could I simply hand her over to them?” Alvaro asked, his eyes full of confusion and hurt over all of this.

I knew that look. I’d been there many times with Devin while he was still alive. How could I help him when he didn’t want to be helped? What more could I do when my twin decided to trust his bitch-ass wife over me who’d been with him from the beginning?

“What do you know about your sister-in-law? Your mom told me he was the only one to be married. Did he choose to marry her, or is she connected in some way?” I questioned.

“Angelina and Martin met in college at Harvard. They were friends for a long time, and when they graduated, they announced their engagement. It was a long engagement for how long they’ve known each other, but they always seemed so comfortable together. Her parents are rich, and I think her father owns one of the largest shipping companies based in Mexico City,” he answered, clearly guessing what I was thinking.

Standing up straight, I started chewing on my thumbnail as I paced. “So it makes sense that it could have been an arranged marriage. Marco needs to control the shipping empire in Mexico, so you take over the largest port and one of the largest companies. He couldn’t marry into the family but his nephew could, setting up the next generation for power. Marco is doing everything his father was never willing or smart enough to do before he died. When he called me, he said his father had lost his fight, letting me win. So now Marco is going to take me out and have a plan in place for who will rule after he’s gone. Damn, if he weren’t such a bag of dicks and trying to kill me, he’d be one hell of a guy to know.”

No one really commented on that, but Raven gently cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to cut in while your brain is clearly working its brilliance, but what am I supposed to do about this dead man?”

Shaking myself out of my deep thought, I glanced over at the man who now had a pool of blood seeping out from under him. “Yeah… I’m gonna make that Tommaso’s problem. Who’s got a phone I can use to call our new leader and drop this in his lap?”

Wes tossed his phone over to me, and the wonderful man he was, it was already ringing.

“To what do I owe this call for this time? Planning to tell me that the FBI is farther up my ass than you realized? That there’s someone else trying to take my rightful place as ruler of this empire away from me?” Tommaso inquired when he answered the phone.

It seems that Weston had a nice long chat with Tommaso this morning while I was still sleeping. Good to know I didn’t have to go over it all with him now.

“Is the answer ‘kinda for both’ acceptable?” I teased.

“Oh, Dax, it’s you. Man, you really need to get a phone of your own,” Tommaso commented, his tone changing to something more respectful.

“Then I wouldn’t get these delightful insights into how you really feel about things,” I said cheerfully. “As for the FBI, there might be some more activity, but it’s more based around the fact that Franco De León, your half-brother, is the one who tried to blow us up. He’s also still working with and for Marco, but we handed him over to the FBI so he’s their problem.”

“Wonderful, now that idiot can sing like a canary to everyone to know what we do here,” Tommaso mutters.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Do you really think the FBI doesn’t already know? They just haven’t had the evidence to prove it. See, they follow these pesky things called laws. Weird, I know, but that’s why I decided to forgo dealing with that in my life.”

“Yes, well, we’ll see if it stays that way once they’re done with Franco,” Tommaso muttered. “Was there another reason you were calling or just felt like chatting?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, was I interrupting something?” I asked.

“Spit it out, Dax. I know you’re playing with me now,” he grumbled.

“You’re really going to need to lighten up. If you stay this serious and cranky, it’s going to give you gray hair way faster,” I pointed out. “As for the real reason I called, I thought you should know that a list of our enemies and supporters got leaked from fight night. Some of Diego’s old loyals are running around threatening business owners to fall in line or they’re going to the FBI. Figured you might want to get some people on that sooner than later. You should have a copy of the list since Betta has that info already.”

“Damn, Dax, you always bring me the most cheerful news,” Tommaso deadpanned. “How did you find out this was going on?”

“Void witnessed the whole thing go down,” I answered without giving names or places. While I wanted to trust that Tommaso was going to pull through for us and be the ally I needed, I wasn’t going to put all my eggs in one basket, as they say.

“I want to talk to the guy who was doing the shakedown,” Tommaso said.

Looking over at the body, I walked up to it and poked it with my foot. “Yeah, about that. I’m not so sure he’s gonna be doing much talking. He might be a little dead.”

“How exactly is someone a little dead?” Tommaso asked, not at all amused.

“Well, if we had the right medical equipment, there’s a chance we might be able to save him,” I offered. “Either way, it’s going to send a message to leave the supporters alone. Now all you have to do is claim the kill and find the bastard who’s leading the charge.”

“That might be easier if I had Franco to talk to instead of handing him over to the Feds.”

“Hey now, don’t get pissy at me. I was in a tough spot, and they needed to be given something, or they were going to cause a hell of a lot more trouble. Don’t worry about the government, I got that handled. Just make sure you stay running this shit long enough for me to take out Marco. You didn’t want to ride on my coattails… well, here’s your fucking chance to make a stand everyone will notice,” I challenged and hung up the phone. “What’s with that guy? Seriously, I feel like he has two different personalities depending on the day I talk to him.”

“Remember, he’s new at this,” Harper reasoned. “I can sympathize with him. Plus, you come into every situation like a wrecking ball leaving chaos in your wake. Personally, I think he’s doing the best he can, and you need to remember you weren’t always this good at your job.”

I blinked a few times at her, surprised to have her come to Tommaso’s defense. It really shouldn’t surprise me since I’m sure she sees herself in him. “Fine, you make a good point, but for the record, I was damn good at this, even starting out.”