I let his words sink in. There’s no way I would let Esteban take away what was still mine.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Javier
A week passed in the prison without word from the outside world and for the first time since I was brought in there, I was starting to fear that I may never get out. I was still treated like a King, but even though Hiberto, Emilio and the warden were all on my payroll and under my control, they weren’t really part of the cartel. That wasn’t their trade. They helped me the best they could but getting intelligence in and out was harder than it seemed. It was akin to sending a flea-ridden passenger pigeon into the sky and hoping for the best.
I had no doubts, of course, that they would help me escape but I also knew it had to be planned just so and I didn’t want to leave the safety of the prison before I knew the plan that was in place. Everything had to be just right this time.
Finally though, on a hot humid night that sent moths to my window, just before I fell asleep, there was a knock at my door. I shuffled over to it in the dark and opened it.
Out in the hallway was Diego, backlit by a dim light. Behind him was Emilio who gave me a quick nod and then shuffled back down the hall.
“Javier,” Diego said, his voice gruff. “I came as soon as I was able to.”
“I have a hard time believing that. Did you expect me to shit where I sleep forever?”
His expression didn’t change. He wasn’t in a humorous mood, but then again when was he?
I gestured him inside the room and flicked on the lights. He looked around, nodding at the set-up.
“It’s not half bad.”
I closed the door behind us. “For an ape, perhaps. Now, what the fuck happened to you?”
He shook his head and sat down on the bed. “It’s a long story,” he said, almost sighing. “I managed to escape when the federales came.”
“What about Evaristo?”
“He went with them,” he said hesitantly.
“And then?”
“And then when I was headed over here, I was apprehended.”
“By whom?”
“Evaristo.”
Fuck. So then what the hell did this mean? Diego had been compromised? I mean, he was here wasn’t he.
“You wearing a wire?” I asked him. “Because I’m already in prison, I have no problems in slicing your clothes open and finding out. If I hit an artery, it will be an accident.”
He glared at me. “Calm down. What kind of idiot do you think I take you for?”
I shrugged. “Everyone seems to think I’m an idiot lately. Take off your clothes.”
The expression on his face was almost comical. “You want me to what?”
“I’m not stupid and I have to make sure, so take them off. I won’t stare too long, I promise.”
Diego grunted and got up, shucking off his denim shirt. “I don’t know what fucking games you were playing in your bedroom when this all went to shit, but you better not have anything kinky in mind.”
“I was only playing mind games, the best kind.”
Reluctantly Diego got down to his tighty whities and when I was satisfied that there was no wire on him, he redressed.
“All right then, get me up to speed and then get me out of here,” I said impatiently.
He slowly belted his pants and gave me a dry look. “You really are the love them and leave them type, aren’t you?”
“So now you’re trying to be funny, after all this time?”
Diego sat back down on the bed, lips pursed, hands folded in front of him. “Here is the thing. Evaristo is with us.”
“With us?”
“Yes,” he said with a nod. “With us. He switched.”
“You don’t just switch.”
“In this land, in this work, you do. You know that. Este switched.”
I curled my fists together, trying to breathe out my annoyance. “Este never switched. He was always planning on doing this. We both knew he would try something.”
“But he still switched. He turned on you.”
“Well, so did a lot of people.”
“Not Luisa,” he said.
I raised my hand. “I don’t even want you to even mention her name,” I snapped. “She has nothing to do with this anymore. She can’t. This is about revenge Diego, that’s all I want. I want everything back to the way it was and I want dead bodies at my feet, do you understand that? And I don’t want no fucking federale agent standing in my way, regardless if he switched or not.”
“He won’t. He’s here to help us, to be part of us.”
“He’s lying. We can’t trust him.”
“I think we can. And we need someone like him. Young and bright and determined. You know his story of how he grew up, he was never meant to be part of the federales and those damn politicians; they turned on him right away, demoted him. You were right about that, they were too afraid he snitched.”
“He did snitch,” I said. “He gave us the info. Just too fucking bad that has to take the backseat until I’m out of here and done with Esteban.”
“He’ll help us,” he said imploringly. “And you’ll want his help.”
“Why?”
“Because he made a bargain with Esteban. He’s got surveillance on him.”
“So do we,” I said.
“But not like the federales do. And yes, we know he’s at the compound, but we have to make sure. And if we don’t get Este there, we have to be able to track him. We have no idea what he’s been doing on the side all this time.”