as safe in Colombia as they would be anywhere. However, the conversation of going stateside was still a familiar one Mano grew up witnessing. He cringed every time the issue came up. Mano needed the freedom the mountains provided to grow into the man he was destined to be. He still credited his upbringing for making him an intricate part of the Colombian cartel; he was crucial to the organization—a true indispensable employee. They all knew it, and Mano never took advantage of the fact. He was a confident man who didn’t need to use childish antics to prove his worth. He was also one of the very few the Ramirez brothers liked. Childhood memories bonded the three like the Musketeers. All for one and one for all. That was their mentality.
Mano shook the childhood memories from his head; not everybody had the blessing of growing up with loving parents. He was grateful for his family. He needed to protect them from Page. Her drive to write was presenting a danger to complete strangers; she was clueless. Mano was going to teach her a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget. Ironically, her naivete was what had kept the girl safe. Lack of paranoia provided a safety net of sorts. Fear had a way of drawing the negative, almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy. As much as he hated it, he respected her fearlessness. He had to take her down before he developed an admiration for her. There was no room for mixing business with pleasure.
Mano got out of his car and nodded at the man working the door. The muscle bound man leaned in where no patrons could hear him and spoke, “We can have valet park that victim van of yours if you like.” The smirk on the large man’s face made Mano smile. The smirky-smile was the closest thing Mano had ever seen that mirrored any outward show of emotion. Not the friendly type.
“Nah, Bounce, I may call you to have it brought around back later, though.” It was Mano’s way of letting him know there could be a kidnapping in the making.
“It must be nice to be you. Don’t know how many times I’ve fantasized about having your job, Mano.”
“Maybe I’ll call you for a ride along on my next job—let you put those bouncer abilities to good use. There’s more than one enemy I’d like to see get the shit kicked out of them. Tonight…the possible victims are women, so I don’t need muscle.”
The bouncer who had been nicknamed Bounce, nodded solemnly, “I like to watch a woman squirm in rope, it’s like watching a ballet dancer.” He looked as if he could see it in his mind’s eye.
Being kinky must be a prerequisite to the job, it was all Mano could figure. These men all had some-kind of kink they carried with them.
“I’ll be waiting on that call, Mano. Practice makes perfect when it comes to working an enemy over; having to pull punches at the gym with sparring partners don’t cut it.”
Mano just shook his head; the guy was dead serious. Beating people up for the cartel wasn’t a sport, but a job to be taken seriously. Practice makes perfect, Mano chuckled at the thought. He eased his way into 'The Club', ready to be invisible in plain sight. The man working the counter just nodded—he’d already gotten the word from Antonio Wayne about Mano having business tonight. Mano walked into the entrance and found a place in the shadows where he had a clear view of everything going on. He liked the way the joint was set up with shadows in corners and lighting where they wanted the money spent. Keep the light on the women, so the men didn’t pay attention to the dark corners of privacy. Keep the clientele focused, and the money would flow freely.
Chapter Five
Judy leaned in and whispered, “The guy at the door looks like something out of a movie.”
“His body language alone screams killer cartel,” Page whispered.
They watched as the man looked at IDs and studied people before saying yea or nay. Nobody was going to argue with him, regardless. Even the people he sent away made sure to mutter whatever grievance they had under their breath.
“We may not get in. I didn’t realize they vetted customers,” Page said, her voice laced with concern. “It just goes to show you no matter how much you research, there’s always the unexpected.”
“I thought vetting was only for job interviews,” Judy answered,