the hole. That made the two million, of good faith money I offered, look like a fucking insult.
“I can assure you, Mr. Corvel, I was not aware of the debt, but I will work hard to repay you. Are you willing to allow another shipment despite the past debt?”
“No. We require payment in full but will allow a longer grace period for repayment before we release the next shipment to you.”
“I understand,” I replied, swallowing my disappointment as my fucking mind flooded with questions. Where the fuck was Raymond with the twenty million he had disappeared with? Finding him could put an end to the trouble I was in.
However, with his problem, there was no guarantee he still had the millions. It was nothing for him to blow a million in hours indulging in his drug of choice, gambling.
Corvel brushed his fingertips to the back of my hand. “You’ll find a way, Mrs. Vallin. The answer to all of your problems may be a breath away.”
The stress of the forced smile on my face caused my lips to thin before they decided to relax. I appreciated Corvel’s kindness in light of the situation, as I was well aware that they had killed for far less. All the debt we were in explained why the cartel was keeping eyes on me. If someone owed me fifteen million, I would keep eyes on them too.
After I had climbed back into my car and picked up HB, I just drove, my mind locked on one question. How the fuck was I supposed to come up with fifteen million dollars?
Where the fuck am I supposed to pull fifteen million dollars from? There was also the matter of the extra ten million, the Vallins paid the FA on behalf of Desiree.
The questions remained, and they would go nowhere, until I came up with a solution. The first stop would be to my cousin Ray Junior, to see if he knew where his father could have gone. Then, I would contact every spy and rat-ass informant I had out there. Somebody knew something.
The car idled while I sat along the side of the bustling interstate staring blankly through the windshield, thinking. My pounding head dropped into my palms, the pulse in my skull thumping erratically.
Stubborn emotions raged through me, raking the frayed edges of my sorrow, and started to seek a way out by pushing at the backs of my eyes. My tear ducts stung as they attempted to release my pent up grief, but I wouldn’t allow it.
Chin up, bitch! You can fix this shit! Think harder. Think deeper. You know what to do.
I was solely responsible for a fifteen-million dollar tab. We had been down a couple of million before, but that was a manageable amount to raise within a week.
My attempts through the years to stay ahead of Raymond’s mistakes hadn’t worked. I’d assumed I was being smart by investing in a few businesses that I could churn dirty money through, but even with those in operation, and the five million I had stockpiled wasn’t but a third of what I needed to break even.
Bloodshot eyes were reflected at me in the rearview mirror. “You can figure this shit out, Mecca. It’s not rocket science. The fuck you doing moping?”
The persistent sting continued to burn my eyes, but I was being a hardheaded bitch, so the tension added to the pressure of my massive headache. I hadn’t been this stressed, since Raymond blamed me for getting robbed of the distribution money I was transporting from one of the trap houses when I was fourteen.
Raymond didn’t care that I was beaten nearly to death, or that I could have easily been raped or killed. The twenty thousand dollars that I had allowed to be taken was more important. The incident was one in a line that gave me a glimpse into his true nature.
Now, he had cut enough bad deals and left a trail of debt so high that if he showed his face again, it would result in his immediate death. Raymond had officially landed on my kill list, one that I took pride in clearing.
How the fuck was I supposed to dig my way out of the deep shit he’d left for me to step into?
11
Mecca
As much as I hated to admit it, I was looking forward to seeing my husband. Although I had no prospect of fostering anything meaningful with him, I was glad that he was at least good to