“Will she?” He folded his arms across his chest. “How do you know that?”
“Because I would kill anyone who would let harm come to her.”
“Be that as it may, she would be dead. And all you’d have is the chance to kill someone who fucked up, which isn’t anything new. Listen … do you really want that blood on your hands?”
I cocked my head, appraising him, wondering what his angle was here. “Why do you care?”
“Because you’re a lot easier to deal with when she’s around,” he said. “And you listen to her. At least, you used to. She might be a good person to have during the interrogations of Evaristo, just to keep you in check. You don’t want to bring out your machete on him, not right away.”
“Not ever,” I said quickly, knowing we’d already done enough damage when one of the sicarios — who was lying in a dusty grave somewhere — took out a federale during the raid. “Look, what’s been happening …” I ran my hand through my hair then shook it off, standing up straight. “I will stay true to my word with Sanchez. I want him because I want someone else. When I get the info, I’ll let him go. I’m not stupid enough to anger the federales.”
“Well, then I believe you,” he said. He stepped closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder. I eyed it warily. “I don’t often get hunches, Javi, but when I do I listen to them. Trust me when I say that leaving her here would be a big mistake. You need her still, even though you think you don’t. She’s more than just your wife — she’s good for all of us.”
Well, here was something fucking new. Esteban being sincere and somewhat emotional. I wasn’t sure I liked it. In fact, I didn’t like it at all. Emotions got you killed in this business. But he was making sense, and I knew that if something happened to Luisa, I’d never forgive myself. Besides, the ranch was no less safe than here.
I just nodded and stepped away from his hand. “You go tell her, then. She needs to be packed up in twenty minutes.”
He grinned at me like he’d won the lottery and quickly left the room. I stood there in the middle of my office for a good minute or two, my brain trying to focus on something in Este’s smile. When I couldn’t figure out what it was, I started packing.
***
Helicopter travel comes with some risks, but you can’t beat the immediate payoff. I hopped into the craft with Diego, Esteban, Luisa, and our trusted pilot, and headed off to the finca in the Chihuahuan Desert, while the rest of the crew would come via a protected convoy of armed SUVs.
Luisa was sitting beside me, staring out the window at the scenery below with wide eyes as the landscape changed from the verdant mountains of Sinaloa into the fawn-colored desert as we headed deeper inland.
To me, there was nothing more beautiful than the desert. While others found it boring, I found it stark, rough, and relentless, filled with a million hidden things that wanted to kill you. The desert demanded our respect, and in return, it would clear your head and remind you how damn insignificant you really were.
I needed that sometimes. Sitting here in one of my nicest white linen suits, being chauffeured by one of the many helicopters that I owned, a whole world at my feet, sometimes it was good to humble me, just a bit. Humility only made me want to work harder.
Luisa shifted in her seat, trying to get a better look at one of the craggy canyons that opened wide and long below, rust, taupe, and coffee-colored sands stretching into the distance. She was wearing a short but simple black dress that lifted as she strained to see, and her perfect legs, toned and golden brown, were on display.
I felt my dick twitch in my pants and took a deep breath through my nose. Aside from the other night, I hadn’t been this close to her in what felt like forever, and it was hard not to just flip her on her knees and maul her right here. It didn’t matter that we weren’t alone, the patron could get away with more than just murder.
Luisa would have allowed a public fuck under normal circumstances, but today she wasn’t even looking me in the eye. I couldn’t blame her. Even though she did a good job with her makeup, you could still see the puffy red mark on her cheek. She kept her hair on it, flowing dramatically over that side of her face, but I knew it was there. We all did.
Besides, it was still for the best to keep her as far away from me as possible. Even though she was coming to the ranch, she would be put in her own room, and I would be spending as much time with Evaristo as needed.
I wondered how long and what it would take to make him talk. Perhaps he’d be a pussy like so many agents and cough it up right away. After all, what was it to him if we nabbed Hernandez? One less narco to deal with — isn’t that what they wanted? Though the thought of him giving in made the whole situation a little less fun.
I looked at the rest of the cabin and saw Esteban leering over Luisa in the same way that I had. I frowned, watching him carefully, waiting for him to remember where he was and that he wasn’t supposed to ogle the patron’s wife.
Eventually, the corner of Este’s mouth lifted slightly, as if he were smiling to himself. The expression in his eyes, though, was anything but happy. It was carnal, something I wasn’t used to seeing from him. I swallowed the slight sense of unease I had, telling myself that I was prepared for anything.
It wasn’t long until I spotted the ranch on the horizon. I nudged Luisa with my shoulder, and she glanced at me with hardened eyes.
I nodded at it. “There she is. Your new home for the next while.”