Chapter Four
Scott
Shit.
Scott should have gone after Alyssa. He hadn’t intended to see her there or even speak to her. His job was to get to Juan, figure out what his play was, and stop it from going down before the fucking cartel came in and started a war.
As he headed for the door, he came up short. There he stood in all his bombastic glory. Juan Ramos. He wore a dark-brown tailored suit, and Italian loafers more expensive than his truck. Juan had shaved his head, which wouldn’t have been too bad, until Scott spotted the 323-insignia tattooed there. The six-inch tall numbers stood out in stark contrast to his tanned flesh.
Juan’s amber eyes were still appeared hollow, dead almost. When he smiled, it never reached his eyes, even when he was genuinely happy. Scott knew he’d murdered people, heard about it, but could never give a definitive location of where the bodies could be. When Juan walked in the room, everyone including Scott, took notice.
“What the fuck?” Juan eyed him. “When the fuck you get out?” The corner of his lip curled into a vicious snarl as his gaze sharpened with suspicion.
“Couple days ago, man.” He stepped forward. “Came here to see you.”
“To see me?” He passed by Scott and headed for the kitchen. “Man, you must be desperate.”
Oh, he was, but probably not in the way Juan believed. “Man, it’s been thirteen years. I wanted to see mi familia.”
Juan glanced over his shoulder. “Serious?”
“Deadly,” he answered. “I thought you were in Mexicali though?”
He shrugged as he opened the fridge and stuck his head inside. “Shit fell through. You know how it is. People get cold feet and act like little bitches.”
“Alyssa was here,” Milo said from his spot on the couch. “Said she had to talk to you.”
Juan glanced up. “What?”
“Yeah, she’s looking good,” Scott added. “Real fucking good.”
“Don’t be talking about my sister like she’s a free piece of ass,” Juan snapped.
“I figured I’d make my intentions public. I mean to have her as my old lady.” He stepped to Juan. “After all these years, she deserves someone who will do right by her.”
“You got some huevos saying that shit to me.” He stared up at Scott, but the menacing vibe rolling off him, didn’t faze Scott.
“Might be true, but she’s old enough now.” He didn’t back down. Probably stupid on his part, but Juan needed to know he wouldn’t be some lackey ever again. Not after being left to take the wrap for something he didn’t have anything to do with.
“Fuck, it’s good to have you home.” Juan smacked him on the back before reaching back into the fridge. “Here.” He handed Scott a beer.
“Thanks.” He took the cold bottle from him and twisted off the cap. After taking a long pull from his drink, he headed for the living room. “So, you sticking around for the party?”
“Party?”
“Scott’s home,” Simon said. “Ain’t every day one of us gets out.”
He didn’t say a word, instead he glanced over at Juan who’d been looking at his phone. Something was up. He didn’t believe for a minute the lie he told about not going to Mexicali, sure the time was probably different than Milo said to Alyssa, But, if you don’t want people knowing what you’re doing, you’ll hide everything.
“Yeah sure.” Juan stilling didn’t look up from his phone. His finger flew over the touch screen replying to whatever missive waited for him. “Milo, get Killer and PJ for me, they’re out back waiting.”
“You got it. Everything cool?” Milo cocked a brow as he stood.
Juan made a noise, giving no indication either way as he headed down the hall to one of the bedrooms. Now was Scott’s chance to figure out what the hell Juan had going on and how much trouble the other man was bringing down on LA.
Scott waited until PJ and Killer walked into the house, then headed down the hall to where Juan waited. He crept behind them, not wanting to get close enough to be seen. The men stood in the back bedroom with the door open a crack. Juan, PJ and Killer were huddled together. Their soft mutterings were almost too low for him to hear.
He inched closer, knowing that at any moment he could be discovered, but he had to hear what they were talking about. If he was going to stop the coming war, he couldn’t hesitate. If he got caught, he’d make up some excuse.
“Tomorrow night. Nine p.m. The product will be ready. We’ll take the truck and one lookout vehicle,” Juan stated. “I’ll need you and PJ in the truck, while Crazy and Smurf are with me to protect the money and the rest of the goods.”
“Right,” PJ agreed. “If we take the desert route to the 10 we could be back in no time.”
“We meet with the reps from MS-13, White Fence and Crips two days after delivery. We have to get this shit on the street quick.”
Scott stood there, committing every detail to memory. He wondered, not for the first time since he took the job, if Omega Team or the FBI knew how deep this shit went. Not only was Juan getting shit from the Cajero Cartel, but he was also pushing their shit into other peoples’ territory. It didn’t take a stretch of the imagination to figure out why so many people were pissed the fuck off.
With gangs, territory is everything. Rival members didn’t go into other territories to sell their shit nor did they cause beef in them—unless they wanted to cause chaos and start a war. Juan stepping foot onto MS-13 turf or going into Crip neighborhoods could cause major tension in the communities. The drugs Juan bought along with the weapons had to be some high-quality shit to move freely like he did, without repercussions.
Scott listened in for a few more minutes trying to get as much information about the exchange as he could. He couldn’t go back to Santiago without clear details about the plan.
“Did you get lost?” Milo grunted coming up behind him.
Three sets of eyes locked on to where he stood just outside the door. PJ and Killer’s expressions were filled with open curiosity while Juan looked ready to rip his spine from his back. His dark-brown eyes swirled with murderous intent while he clenched his jaw. Fuck. So much for being smooth about listening in.
“Nah man,” he answered, trying to play it off. “I wanted in.”
Juan stepped forward. “You wanted in?” His incredulous tone didn’t bode well for Scott. “What? You think after thirteen years you can walk back in, and I’d give you a job?”
Well, he hoped so. It would make it so much easier for him to take Ramos down if the guy did. “Can’t blame me for being excited. It’s been thirteen years. I need to stretch my legs.”
Juan eyes him speculatively. His tense posture relaxed marginally and the muscle at his jaw stopped twitching. Suspicion bled out of the man as he gave a nod. “Yeah. True. Come on, I’ll explain what we’re doing. I always knew I could count on you.”
Mentally heaving a sigh of relief, he followed Juan and entered the room. This time, PJ closed the door behind them, giving them a minute of privacy. Juan handed Scott the phone and pointed to the picture on the screen. “What do you see there?”
Nothing. In the distance, the Guadalupe Canyon. To the right, desert. What was he missing? “The Canyon,” he stated, feeling a little more than stupid at the moment.
“There is a system of caves in there. In those caves are tunnels leading to and from Mexico.” Juan smiled as if he’d just let Scott in on the biggest secret he had.
“Okay.” The drug tunnels weren’t new to him. He’d heard about them throughout his time in the military and while working for Kenner and Kenner. However, Juan’s use of them had been new to him. “What are you getting from there?”
“It’s not what is being shipped to me, it’s what I’m taking.” The man had become positively giddy. The twinkle in his eyes would have frightened anyone who didn’t understand Juan. The crazy bastard wasn’t buying shit. He was taking it.
“What’s this shit about making the exchange?”
Juan laughed. “You have so much to learn.” He smacked Scott on the shoulder. “You in?”
“Yeah, I’m in.”
Scott met Santiago at a small cantina near his office, in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. The blare of car horns mingled with lively conversations. Every so often the train station announced the arrival or departure of an Amtrak while the clock at the Our Lady Queen of Angeles church across from where they sat tolled on the hour. The mini-bazaar behind them was packed with people trolling the wares of those proprietors within the wooden booths. In the distance, mariachi music played, adding to the already bright atmosphere, providing the perfect cover for their conversation.
Santiago removed his sunglasses as he took a seat across from Scott. “How did the first day go?”
After he left the apartment, Scott went to the safe house and changed. Being in his colors had a knot of anxiety and trepidation sitting in the pit of his stomach. It was as if he tried to wear skin he’d already shed. The life he left all those years ago would never darken his door ever again.
“As good as expect.” He shrugged lifting the bottled of beer to his lips. “Saw some familiar faces. Some not so.” Alyssa. Fuck. He had to stop thinking about her, before things got out of hand and he blew his cover.
When the waiter arrived at their table once more, Santiago ordered a Corona and a #2 plate. “What do you mean, good as expected?”
Scott tucked into the food he ordered when he arrived. “Just what I said. Juan is fucked in the head.” Then there was Alyssa. He would eventually have to explain it. Seeing her today, well, it really threw a wrench into Scott’s plans. He felt like a perverted old man, even contemplating getting in bed with the enemy. Yet he also couldn’t get the sweet scent of her cactus bloom shampoo out of his head. Or the way her breath hitched when he reminded her she was of age now, and that he’d get her under him one way or another.
“Is that your professional opinion?” Santiago cocked his brow, as his hazel-eyes locked with Scott’s gaze.
He laughed. “Fine. Whatever, asshole.” He took another pull from his drink, giving him time to gather his thoughts to present the information to his friend. “There is someone I want you to check out for me. I think we can use her.”
Santiago smiled. “Her, huh?”
“Pendejo,” he laughed. “Her name is Alyssa Ramos. Juan’s sister.”
His friend cocked his head to the side. “Are you serious?”
As a fucking heart attack. “Yep. She was asking questions and getting impatient with her brother. I’ve known her since she was a little girl. Something has changed, and I think we can use her.”
“You’re fucking shitting me.” Santiago shook his head. “Look man, if you have an itch to scratch, then by all means, do it. Don’t get a girl involved in this. She’ll end up either getting thrown in jail or worse. Dead.”
Yeah, he understood the risks. He thought about them on the way to meet his friend and discuss what was going on. However, his gut told him he could trust her, as long as he showed she could trust him. “I get it man. Loud and clear. I think she doesn’t like what’s going on, though, and we can flip her.”
Santiago gazed out over the pavilion. The sounds of the early afternoon dinner crowd dissipated until it felt like they were the only ones there. “You sure she can be trusted?”
Scott nodded. “She’s always been a good girl. She just wanted to be like her brother way too much. Look, if you find something on her, and she’s more trouble than she’s worth, forget I even brought it up. Deal?”
Santiago snorted. “No way in hell you’d let her go. But, yeah. Deal. I’ll let you know what I find out when I get back to the office.” The waiter brought out his meal, along with two more drinks for them. “Anything else?”
Scott wiped his mouth with his napkin then threw it on his plate. “Yeah. They’re heading to Mexicali tomorrow night. I believe I know what the fucker is doing too.”
“Son of a bitch.” Santiago threw his fork on his plate. The metal clattered on the ceramic edge. “You’re supposed to lead off with that, not some chick. What the fuck, man.”
There wasn’t a hint of anger in his friend’s voice and Scott laughed. “Had to make the line dance, so I could reel you in.”
Santiago flipped him off before going back to his dinner. “What’s the plan.”
“Well, Juan has found the caves the Cajero Cartel uses for their drug transportation. I think the bastard is stealing it, then replacing it with either fake merchandise or sub-par shit.”
“Do you know for sure?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s a hunch. The man’s pretty tight lipped about it. I’m going with him to the pick-up point.”
“Excellent. Keep me posted.” Santiago polished off the rest of his meal then wiped his mouth. “I’ll let you know about Alyssa when I find out something.”
“All I can ask.” Scott fist bumped his friend as Santiago took off and he continued to sit there. Once he was done with his beer, he paid the ticket and headed out. A party was being held in his honor, and he wouldn’t miss it for the world.