“When I told you to book us into rooms in a low budget hotel, what was going through your mind, exactly?” Luciana kept the smile on her face, but her facial muscles screamed at her to stop.
“Umm…” The young man stood in front of her, clearly unsure of the correct response.
He was one of the team that had flown in from Miami last night, and as well as setting up surveillance, they’d been tasked with one simple job… find some accommodation where Lucky and her team could rest up and lie low, waiting for the moment when she would be ready to go after Gregor Diminov, the man responsible for her father’s death.
“What about the words ‘low budget’ did you interpret as meaning ‘flea-ridden, cockroach infested slum’?” She still smiled, but her voice wasn’t nearly so pleasant.
“Well…” The man was a fucking simpleton, she assumed, or he simply had a death wish.
Not carrying any sort of weapon on her person, Lucky turned to Pedro and reached inside his jacket for his gun.
Quick as a flash, Pedro’s hand caught hers, and he slowed her down.
“Now, Luciana, much as I can see the appeal of ridding ourselves of one more idiot… there is no silencer on my gun, and the noise will almost certainly not go un-noticed.” He said quietly, half a smile on his face but a warning tone in his voice. “Plus, this idiot has two brothers in the team who have slightly more about them, and would possibly not take kindly to you upsetting their mama, just because she spawned a jackass.”
“Fucking idiot.” She sneered, and even she wasn’t sure if she meant the idiot who’d booked the rooms, or Pedro, for daring to stop her from shooting him on the spot.
“We can book into somewhere else in the morning, but at this time of evening, it’s going to be more trouble than it’s worth to relocate.” Pedro murmured. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about going after the Russian straight away? We could go straight over there and blow the place to hell and back. We’d be gone before the police ever finished eating their donuts!”
Luciana shook her head.
“No, I told you, I want to keep him squirming until I’ve got the perfect moment and all the stars align.” She smiled.
“So you keep telling me. But I haven’t got a fucking clue what you mean by the stars aligning.” Pedro shook his head. “I never had you as someone who believes in that kind of shit.”
“Pedro, it has nothing to do with astrology or even astronomy for that matter.” Luciana shook her head. “It has everything to do with being able to maximise the carnage by waiting for the perfect opportunity. I’m waiting for new intel to let me know how, where and when that will be.”
“Are you going to fill me in on what exactly you’ve got in mind?” Pedro frowned at being out of the loop.
“All in good time, my dear Pedro. All in good time.” Luciana smiled.
In other words, don’t think that you’re so far up the pecking order that I’m going to trust you with my plans!
She guessed that Pedro had been able to translate her meaning by the scowl on his face.
She glanced around the room. Of the four they’d rented, this one seemed about the cleanest, but with the stained carpet and comforter on the bed, that really didn’t say a lot.
“Get everyone locked down in their rooms for the night.” Luciana instructed. “Nobody hits the bar or leaves the hotel. Is that understood? Everyone has to be on alert and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Any that aren’t, are welcome to remain behind to wait for the coroner to arrive with a fresh body bag for them. Got that?”
“I think everyone understands your meaning.” Pedro nodded, and turned to usher everyone out of the room.
The sound of her phone ringing had Luciana reaching for her bag. She could count the people who had this number on one hand. Scratch that. Since she’d shot Marta yesterday, that number could be counted without including her thumb!
She glanced at the unidentified number and her heart thumped harder in her chest.
“Hello?” She answered, almost praying for it to be a cold-caller, one of the ones looking to find out if she’d recently had an accident!
“Oh, Lucky! How is it that your voice still makes me rock hard even after all these years?” Hector’s voice hadn’t changed. It was still the scariest fucking sound she’d ever heard!
“Hector, baby? How are you? Is everything Ok?” She crooned. “Are the guards hitting you up for more money again?”
“Ha-ha, honey… you know how much I pay them already?” Hector sounded bitter. “There’s not much more I could pay them without risking that they would take early retirement on the money and take off, leaving me to have to train another crop of guards. There’s just no loyalty anymore.”
“So, if you don’t need money, what’s the occasion for the phone-call?” She asked. “It’s not Sunday, after all.”
“I heard about your papa, baby. I wanted to check you were Ok, and more importantly, I wanted to make sure you weren’t about to do something stupid.” His tone was one part sympathetic, and four parts cautionary.
“I’m going to take out the man responsible for papa’s death.” Luciana explained. “But have no fear, husband… I’m thinking this all through, and won’t go off half-cocked in a rage. This will be clean and controlled, just as my father taught me.”
“Oh? I thought I taught you those things.” Hector didn’t sound happy.
“No, baby. You taught me to be ruthless and precise.” She smiled at the phone. “And I promise you, I have every intention of being both.”
“Good girl.” She could picture Hector smiling, and the thought was no less scary than imagining him snarling. “So, tell me what your plans are.”
Unlike Pedro, Hector’s request was not one she could turn down, so she explained what she had in mind.
“Are you sure your intel is good on this?” Hector asked quietly. “Your whole team could be at risk, including you, my Lucky. I can’t afford to lose you, as the last person I want controlling my money while I’m inside this Godforsaken place is Jesus! I wouldn’t trust my brother as far as you could throw him.”
Me either, Luciana thought, but held her tongue.
“I promise you, sweetheart, I will have every detail planned out before we move on this.” She scowled. “I will have vengeance for my father, and once that’s done, maybe I’ll use my time in America to strengthen some of the business ties we have over here.”
“You mean you’ll show your face to put the fear of God into them?” Hector laughed. “I trained you well, wife, did I not?”
No, my father trained me well!
“You did, my love.” She crooned through gritted teeth. “And when they finally let you out, you will reap your rewards.”
Luciana’s stomach churned even as she heard the click, disconnecting the call. Obviously, Hector’s expensively bought two minutes were up.
Don’t worry sweet husband, Luciana thought. By the time I’m through with the Russian, it will be me that the legends say was the fiercest of all the cartel capos!
When they talk about the great Hector Vega in future, they’ll say, ‘you know, the guy that was married to Senora Lucky!’