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I’ve got a duffel full of cash. Nobody is guarding the warehouse door, so I walk right in.
“It’s about time,” Chuy says. “I was waiting for you. You managed to ditch my boys last night. Where were you?”
“If I thought that was any of your business, I wouldn’t have ditched them. ” The last thing I’d do is let Chuy or Marco know I was with Nikki. The Blood and Nikki are two separate parts of my life, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep it that way.
“You’re a wiseass,” Chuy says. “And you haven’t proven that you can be trusted. ” He nods to the duffel. “Or have you?”
I toss the duffel to him. Just as he unzips the top and digs inside, my brothers barge into the room like a SWAT team.
Alex and Carlos are both here, ready to fight. Not a good idea. I’ve got this all figured out, and having them here is screwing everything up. If we get busted, or bullets go flying, I need my brothers out of here.
“Well, well … it’s a Fuentes family reunion,” Chuy says. “Nice of you to join us. ”
No, it wasn’t. What the hell is going on? How did they know I’d be here, unless Reyes tipped them off? I turn to my brothers and say, “Alex, get the fuck out of here … and take Carlos with you. I don’t need you guys here. ”
Carlos limps inside the room until he’s standing next to me. “What, you think we were gonna let you meet with Chuy on your own? No way. ”
Shit. “This is not how this was supposed to go down. ”
Chuy pulls out a gun and points it at Alex. “Maybe it was,” he says, unfazed. “This is my lucky day. I get to kill the entire Fuentes family. ”
“You forget that I have millions that I can turn over to the cops, or give to you,” I tell him.
“I know,” Chuy says. “That’s why I’ll kill you last, while you’re watchin’ your brothers die. Or you can save yourself and give me the info I need. I’m God in Fairfield. You don’t believe me, just ask your cousin Enrique … Oh, yeah, you can’t. I smoked him this mornin’ when he wouldn’t tell me where you were. Loyalty, guys. You’re not loyal, you die. Period. Loyalty to the LB comes before loyalty to family. ”
No. Not Enrique. My stomach lurches.
With his free hand, Chuy pulls up a picture on his phone … of Enrique lying on the floor of his body shop with blood pooled around his head.
“Enrique didn’t know where I was!” I yell. “He was the most loyal Blood you’d ever have, you pendejo. ”
Alex pulls out a gun and points it at Chuy. “Put the gun down or I’ll kill you. ”
Chuy laughs. “You wouldn’t, Alex. I know you. You haven’t got it in you to kill someone. Besides, I’ve got a chica named Nikki who’s beggin’ for her life right about now. ”
What! I feel like he just punched me in the gut and the wind got knocked out of me. He could have stabbed me with a knife and it would hurt less. “You hurt Nikki and I swear I’ll kill you with my own hands,” I growl.
Chuy shrugs. “Put the gun down, Alex, or Luis’s little girlfriend has a tragic accident. If I don’t call my guys and let them know I’ve secured the money, she’ll find herself in the Des Plaines river … tied to a big rock that sinks all the way to the bottom. ”
Alex slowly puts the gun down and kicks it over to him.
Chuy looks to Carlos. “You might as well give up yours, too. ”
A very pissed-off Carlos takes a gun from beneath his shirt and tosses it onto Chuy’s desk.
“And what about yours?” Chuy asks me. “The one I gave you. ”
“I left it at home,” I tell him.
“Prove it. Lift up your shirt and turn around real slow. ” After I do, he says, “Time to give me the numbers. ”
“Let my brothers go,” I tell him. “This is between you and me. ”
“No,” Chuy says. “This is between me and all of you. You’re in this together as far as I’m concerned. ”
This is not happening. Despite all I’ve risked to keep them safe, I’ve managed to jeopardize my brothers’ lives, and Nikki’s. “If I give you the codes, you have to promise to let my brothers and Nikki go. ”
“I was bluffin’ about Nikki. ” Chuy laughs. “I guess I should play more poker, huh? The first lesson in battle is knowin’ the weakness of your enemies. Nikki is your weakness, Luis. You shouldn’t have spilled the truth to Marco about how much you cared about the girl. I’ll give you a hint … he’s not really your friend. He got close to you because I told him to. ”
“I know your weakness,” I tell him.
“What’s that?”
“Money. You want it, and I have it. You hurt my brothers, you’ll never see another cent. ”
Chuy holds up t