Hard Fought (A Stepbrother Warriors Novel)(42)

What the fuck? "A deal with the devil?" I repeat coolly, not betraying my inner alarm. "Don't you think that's putting it a bit extremely?"

"Extremely? The last mayor of Tampico called for the cartels to have a temporary ceasefire for a holiday, and Arana Federation firebombed his office."

My mouth goes dry. "True," I squeak out.

"And those are the people your father has on his side. For my money, I think El Nuevo Muerto is worse. Going after your enemies' children is twisted."

"But there is such a big upside..." I hazard. I mean, there must be.

"Sure. Without paying El Nuevo Muerto a tariff on all of Burke Shipping's imports he's saving millions of dollars, but I wouldn't want to make an enemy of them."

"But the Arana Federation is on his side," I say, trying to follow along. I almost understand what's going on, but something still hasn't quite clicked.

"Sure, with his monetary support they've been able to secure the ports, but they're not providing protection up here. That's all on him. They couldn't care either way about Ray, or his family." He stares at me for a moment. "Sorry to be so blunt about it."

"No, not at all," I say, the pieces finally shifting together in my brain. I've gotten all I needed. "Now it's my turn. I'm afraid I can't go to London with you. In fact, I think we should stop seeing each other altogether. I'm not just some pretty accessory that you get to bring out for fancy parties. I want more for myself than that. I deserve more."

I stand up, leaving William with his mouth hanging open. I make eye contact with Carter and give a quick nod to the door. He catches up with me as I pass the hostess stand.

"Well?" he asks.

"I got the information. And broke up with him. Really quite an efficient use of time."

"So what did he say?"

"Give me a second. I have to straighten it all out in my brain." I close my eyes as we take the elevator down to the basement garage. Carter remains silent, letting me make the connections I need to. As he starts the car engine, I quickly google Tampico, then turn to him and place my hands in my lap.

"OK, here's what I think is going on. Burke was shipping into ports on the Western coast of Mexico, which is largely controlled by a cartel called El Nuevo Muerto, though another one called the Arana Federation is making inroads. El Nuevo Muerto demands a tariff of the companies that ship into the ports they control, which can reach into the millions of dollars. My father was tired of paying them, so he started giving support, money I assume, to the Arana Federation, on the condition that if they gained control of the ports, Burke Shipping wouldn't have to pay a tariff."

"And the Arana Federation got control, and now your father is saving the company millions."

"Except he did it by making an enemy of El Nuevo Muerto, which is why he's been stepping up security."

Carter takes a deep breath. "So your father got in the middle of a war between two Mexican cartels to save some money."

"To save millions of dollars," I point out. "Though since he's already worth billions, it hardly seems worth it. And there's one more thing."

"I don't know if I can take anything else."

"William said El Nuevo Muerto has a habit of going after their enemies' children."

"So we were right about Bree...it wasn't an accident," he mutters, his jaw muscles twitching with tension.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Maybe it was just easier to believe that it was all in your head rather than seeing that there really was a specific threat. But it must have made you feel crazy."

"It's alright. Part of me hoped I was crazy because that would mean you weren't in any real danger."

"So what do we do now?" I ask.

"We have to tell my mom, and Bree and Jack, what's going on. They have to know so that they can protect themselves better, and maybe change your father's mind, convince him that the money's not worth it."

"He'll be furious," I point out. "I'm sure he's kept this a secret within the family because he doesn't want your mom to know he has this cutthroat side to him. Not to mention the extremely dim view the U.S. government would take of his actions. We need to have some solid evidence so he can't just wriggle out of it."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asks grimly.

"The tape."





Chapter Twenty-Eight



"I just wish it weren't Roger working," I say, chewing anxiously on a hangnail.

"Why?" Carter asks through the door.

"He's the nicest one and I feel bad tricking him."

"If I had a quarter for every time one of my fellow Marines said that," Carter replies sarcastically.