Julio gave a slight nod and reached for his glass of wine. “But he’s not above stepping on people as he climbs the ladder, eh?” What the fuck. I didn't do politics.
“He was president when I joined the club, so I don't know about that.” It would be better not to be having the conversation at all, but if I had to answer the questions, I would have to tread lightly.
“Ah.” Julio’s eyebrows raised. “And you?” He gave Tick a pointed look.
“Same here.” Tick shoveled in another mouthful of food and gave me a worried glance.
“My brother. He’s stepped, stomped, killed, whatever he thought necessary to get to where he is.”
“I can understand that. This business you're in, it’s not so safe.” I looked at the glass of wine in front of my plate and wished for a beer.
“To say the least.” Julio snorted.
“Bernardo isn’t just away on business,” Tick finally chimed in, placing his silverware on his now empty plate. He rested his elbows on the table and covered his fist with his hand. His eyes focused and determined. “We aren't down here for a simple run over the border.” He nodded in my direction.
Julio studied him silently, looking between him and myself. His expression didn’t give me any hints about his thoughts as the moments ticked by. “No,” he agreed, and sat back in his chair. He gave a wave and three men walked into the room. Each dressed as fine as himself and all armed with a machine gun slung over their shoulders.
“Julio…” I started to stand, but he waved me back into my seat.
“Don't worry about them.” He said something to them in Spanish that I couldn’t understand and they all nodded and each moved to stand in one of the three doorways of the room. “They keep others out.”
“What for?” The pleasantries were over.
“Marcus and I, we’ve been in discussions about your dealing with my brother and this other gang—”
“Club,” Tick interjected.
“Yes. Club.” Julio waved. “My brother—he wants to pit you two against each other, see who’s the stronger and let that club keep the territory. He wants to expand further and further north, into territories that are already taken by other cartel leaders. This means there will be a war between them. It has taken decades to build these territory lines, these truces. It’s a delicate thing between these men. My brother wants to spit on all the work and all the blood that has gone into it because he is greedy.”
“What does this have to do with us?” I demanded. The sagging feeling in my stomach that I had when we climbed into the van nearly a day ago suddenly returned with more force.
“My brother is to be relieved of his duty.” Julio folded his hands over his plate and delivered the news as though he were telling us that he wanted ice cream for dessert. “Marcus and I, we’ve come to an agreement. He’ll have full territory rights.”
“Why bring us down here for that? The Disciples aren’t going to let that happen so quietly back home.”
“The Disciples are a shitty group of men. I’ve been there, met with that Jayson. I’ve also seen that whore house in the back of their club. Abused women being raped daily.” He paused for a moment, standing from his chair as a woman dressed in a short red dress walked into the room, brushing past the guard. Her chestnut hair swept up into a neat bun on the top of her head showed her long neck and glimmering earrings. She glided right to Julio and placed her hands on his chest before reaching up on her tiptoes to place a chaste kiss to his cheek. “Carmella, you were to wait upstairs,” he chided quietly.
She responded softly in Spanish, but I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was giving him her excuse for disregarding his instructions. He raised an eyebrow at her and sighed. He turned to us then, his arm slipping around her waist. “As you can see, Carmella would like to join us. Obviously, you can see which side of this disagreement with my brother she is on.” He led her around his chair and pulled out the empty seat to his left, next to Tick.
“Bernardo doesn’t know his wife is with you?” Tick asked, keeping his eyes off of Carmella.
“My husband is a blind fool,” she spat. I remembered at that moment her husband walking Lucy into the back rooms at the clubhouse. The urge to run across the room and rip out his throat for even looking at my girl. I had sat by and let him take her, let him put his hands on her. Another of my failings.
“He thinks I don’t know he fucks every woman he meets. He thinks I’m the fool. Julio has told me of the sex trafficking those other men do. It is bad enough my husband allows drugs to be sold to children, but now he wants to do business with men who steal women and rape them, and allow others to rape them.” Her voice hardened as she spoke, though her eyes never left Julio. He reached across to her and rested his hand on top of hers. “I won’t have it.”