After she had entered what I was made aware was one of their trap houses, I’d had Dean risk his life to knock on the door and check on her. He informed me that she had answered the door and gave him the briefest details of what she was doing.
Her actions were proof that she knew the ins-and-outs of the business and didn’t hesitate to get her hands dirty if she needed to. She went about her day, conducting random checks on houses they owned and people and businesses that they associated with. It was nearly 4 p.m., and she had yet to slow down long enough to eat anything and was still going strong.
“Does she go like this all the time?” I asked Dean.
“Yes, Loud,” he said, calling me by my nickname. “Some days it’s worse if there are problems because, she’ll stay until she figures out a solution to whatever problem is interfering with her sales. She doesn’t leave anything undone. Works really hard.” he stated, sounding proud, which caused me to lift a brow.
The serious glare I flashed at Dean caused him to shrink into his seat to avoid getting stung by it. Dean had grown up in the syndicate like me. We had known each other since I took control from my father, and this was the first time I’d glared at him with murder in my eyes.
“I don’t like other men giving my wife praise. Praise means interest, and interest means a bullet in the fucking head if they try anything outside of protecting her.”
Dean kept his eyes focused straight ahead. “No disrespect, Loud. I just meant that she was hardworking.”
There was no need to render a reply because rest assured that Dean would warn the rest of the guards to keep their mouth’s closed where it concerned Mecca.
It was my job now to notice every detail about my wife. Was I going to have to have a talk with my guards?
10
Mecca
Maybe I was naive, but I didn’t have an ounce of fear driving alone into Corvel Cardenas’ compound that he called a house. Corvel was the second in charge, the mouthpiece, and mediator for the queen of cartels, Silvia Cardenas, one of the most notorious queenpins in the business.
I’d had to do some fancy maneuvering to get rid of the guard Arjen was convinced I needed in order to make this meeting. I appreciated my husband’s interest in keeping me safe and didn’t mind the extra gun in case something went down, but there was no way I was leading anyone to my supplier.
I had traveled to Corvel’s many times with my uncle and stayed in my place by remaining quiet and observing their interactions. For reasons I have yet to figure out, Corvel always included me in their conversation, asking my opinions and questioning me like he was testing me.
The fact that I spoke Spanish pleased him as well. My fluency in the language and being armed with an arsenal of training to be my uncle’s personal bodyguard, were the main reasons Raymond had decided to start bringing me along.
Maybe Corvel understood that I was being groomed to someday take over for my uncle. However, no one could have predicted it would have happened in such a fucked up way.
Armed guards conducted a thorough check of my car, opening the doors, the trunk, and hood while I stood in an area they had pointed out. It was expected, but I was naked without my Glock, HB, either on me or within arm’s reach as the guards had taken it and would return it when I departed.
Once the car was checked, I was allowed to drive the rest of the way up the driveway, where I was then directed to where to park my vehicle in front of the house.
Silvia Cardenas was my shero, because she ran one of the biggest and most feared cartels in the country with an iron fist. I drooled over pictures the media would capture of her, always regal and always the epitome of class and elegance.
She was one of the most powerful Mexican-American women in the world, who rubbed elbows with government officials and any number of high-level types. Her multimillion-dollar cosmetics and perfume lines provided her the cover that the world chose to see.
Underneath all the glitz and glam, Silvia hid her beast that had the power to rip apart hell and made enough money to rebuild it. She always carried that smile that made