Elena
I looked at the man sitting in my brand-new office with complete disgust, though I wasn’t going to let it show on my face. Seamus had been sent down here to hot-as-hell Texas with me to meet Juan, our most obvious connection to the Mexican cartel I was supposed to be reporting on. Reed had contacted him for me to set up the deal so that Vipers MC could start purchasing women from him as well. I wanted to make sure we got something good out of our work with these filthy assholes. And filthy was no understatement.
The man in front of me, Juan Gonzales, oversaw procuring and transporting women within the cartel. He had been making the transactions with Reed for a couple of years now. It was the only reason he was even giving me a meeting, but he was a pure low life.
His accent was thick, and his clothes were covered in dirt as if he had been rolling around in it all day. My office would need to be fumigated due to the smell once he left the place, and he kept picking at his teeth; which were mostly covered in dirty, gold caps. When he did the picking, it made this awful smacking sound that made me want to lash out and slap him across the face. But I knew that wouldn’t get me anywhere, even with Seamus by my side just in case.
“So, Reed says you want to start buying girls from me like he does. Is that right, chica?” As he said it in his thick Mexican accent, his eyes raked over me like I was a piece of meat, and it made me feel so dirty. I couldn’t imagine what these women and girls he had in his possession were going through with him as their caretaker. He was a sick fuck.
“Yes. I would like to cut a similar deal with you if you’re interested,” I told him flatly. I was beginning to sweat, and I made a note to mention to Dmitri about getting some damn air conditioner in there. No way was I doing business in this hell hole without some cool air blowing my way. It was bad enough being back in Texas, to begin with. I hated the memories it brought back.
“That is if you have enough product to offer to us.” I almost gagged at the thought of referring to human beings as objects for sale like that, but if I was going to deal with Juan, I would have to play the part. I could not risk him finding out what I was up to. It could out more than my own life in danger.
“I promise that we have plenty of beautiful women from all over the world to offer you, chica. Whatever you want, they will do for you. We know the best ways to break them.” Juan sounded like a snake as the words slithered off his tongue like he was savoring them. I felt sick to my stomach. All I had to do was make the deal, and then I could throw up all I wanted. It was a mantra I kept going in my head as I stared him down with authority.
“Good. What terms do you propose? I want a good deal here, but I’m not going to go cheap on you if you offer me a good product.” I raised my eyebrows at him for effect, gripping the arms on my seat.
“I am glad to hear it, and I am sure my boss will too. All we require is a trade at the border. We will disclose the location via phone message. I trust you have a phone that can’t be easily traced?” I held up my burner phone and nodded. Little did they know the same phone that was making black market deals would also be informing the FBI about the goings-on with their cartel as soon as I was aware of it. “Bueno. Then, you’ll come with the cash and hand it over to me, and you’ll get the agreed upon number of girls. You can inspect them if you want before you leave. It’s that simple.” Juan shrugged as if it was no big deal. How many of these contracts had he put together over the years? He looked to be in his late 30s or early 40s and had probably worked for the cartel a good half of those. I could only hope that between Reed and I we could save a large chunk of these women from going somewhere else where they would have no chance at a happy life.
“It does sound simple. I’m ready to make the deal, Juan, and to put in my order if you’re ready for it.” Juan nodded and stood up, reaching out his black hand to shake.
“What do you require, chica?” he asked with a savage hiss.
I thought long and hard about what they might have and how to make my selection the most impactful for the girls and for the FBI. “I want three girls with this first order. I want two of them to be young; as young as you’ve got. The other I want to be over the age of 25. Give me a mix of races and body types. I’m not picky about that. Is that something you can handle?”
“I already have the three women in mind, chica. I can get all three to you within a week. Show up at the location I give you with a flat $50,000.” I shook his greasy hand again, and he pulled me in with a disgusting smile before Seamus escorted him out. A chill went down my spine, and I turned around to the trash can, spilling my guts immediately. Much like my father, Juan had been stripped of his humanity. There was no other way a human being could treat others quite so coldly.