A Fighting Chance (42 page)

Ramón comes back to the table
, and Peña’s group leaves when the waiters start serving food and wine. It’s steak with onions in a bordelaise sauce. The whole event almost looks normal. “So, Estrada’s widow, she was your handler…or is Drew the only person who
handles
you?” Ramón asks and much to my surprise, Drew snorts a laugh as she razors through her steak.

“
Sandrine’s the one who hooked me up with the fights…but she didn’t say anything about boats and steak.”

“Ah…this is a different side of things, yes. These people can’t exactly attend fights at The Cull, but they’re willing to pay up for a private event. This is why I’m slowly washing my hands of
one of El Sindicato’s
other
businesses. Half my profits went to paying lawyers to pay the Federales off. It’s too stressful. That’s why I opened up a few brothels and got into iron ore exportation. Then, came the fights, and now I sit next to all the guys who used to kill my men. We drink…we get rich…no heads in the streets. So you must understand how losing Carlos hurts me. There will never be another fighter like him.”

“He just needs to heal,
” Drew says, incredulous. “It’s not like he’s—”

“No, he’s not in the position to heal
…”

“Dead,” she squeaks out.

Ramón shrugs, ripping the piece of steak from his fork with his teeth like he’s tearing meat off bone. “He admitted what he did to your friend, and he’s been getting out of control. I blame Cisco. Carlos got to live very well. Money. Whores. Happiness. His job was to fight. That is all that was ever asked of him.” I’m not completely buying it. He didn’t kill Carlos as retribution for Miguel. I suspect that he did it because he lost the fight to me, and I can’t say that doesn’t terrify me.

“He will be missed
. Beyond what you know. Say the name Cocodrilo around Mexico…” Ramón waves his hand in the air. “People stop what they’re doing. They look for him. The young boys get into fighting stance. Carlos got six-figure payouts for his wins and brought in millions for me. You cannot do that. So, I must amend our agreement slightly. As we have decided, Jesse will do one fight for me. And you, Drew, will counsel me before that on my other fighters. Gabe tells me that it is something you do for Jesse. You can even charge me a rate. Minus your food and room and board, of course. Clothes are yours to keep.”

She
starts to stand up, but I press my hand firmly against her thigh. “You’re going to hold us hostage—and then charge us for it?”

“We disagree on the terminology.
Guests.
Perhaps it’s something with the language barrier.” He’s the only one who smiles at his joke. Then he claps at us like we’re circus animals.

“
And what does Acevedo have to say about all of this? Has he retired? Do you guys do that in your line of work?” I ask.

His chin drops once
, a devilish smile pulling his lips taut. “He has retired, all right. He’s dead…” Ramón pauses and a frown appears as he rolls the bordelaise sauce around in his mouth. For a moment, I’m worried about the chef’s safety. “He caught me in bed with another man. Cisco didn’t think men should fuck other men. Or they should at least do so without getting caught. I had to kill the man to solve our disagreement, and then about six months later, I put a bullet in Cisco’s head for forcing my hand. What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic.

“
He was from the old world, anyway. He wanted only to make enemies; I want alliances and allegiance from those who are willing. It was time for a new era, and we would’ve become competitors eventually. Why do you look so surprised? You know what happens to competition in this business? You know how organizations get bought out? With an AK in a back alley. No one signs mergers and acquisitions contracts. There’s no golden parachute for the departing CEO. Just a bullet to the back of the head. You’d be smart to learn now that to climb to the top, you must step on the necks of those in your way to get a boost.”

“Rahm, can’t we talk about something else for once?” Gabe asks with an eye roll. “Like just how beautiful Drew is in that dress.”

“Thank you. You did such a great job picking it.” Drew reaches across the table and squeezes his hand. “My boyfriend surely approves. I don’t think he’s looked at my face once so far.”

Ramón’s fist slams
against the table. “He didn’t pick it. I did,” he explains, irritation pulling at his voice. It’s hard not to laugh at Ramón’s petulant reaction. But I’m no idiot, so I don’t.

Drew huffs out a breath. “Thank you,” she says without any amount of zeal.

Ramón shrugs and downs his drink. “You’re still angry at me for yesterday. I just needed us to be on the same page, and I had to see what it would take to get us all there. You and I are a lot alike. We are people who have a hard time bending. So when we butt heads, there is no progress. You needed the lesson. Fear is often the easiest way. One day you’ll thank me. You know, it’s dangerous not to fear anything, Drew Hallisay. It’s reckless, too.” He stares at her again, that crazy way he does.

“You
’ve made that
very
clear, Mr. Vega,” Drew says.

“
Good. These men around you have done many, many bad things. Things that would make you choose to struggle in the ocean right now rather than be on this boat with them. They are fearless… save for me.”

“I do have fear
s.” She sighs. “Jesse and I were robbed several weeks ago. The guy pointed a gun at his head, and there was nothing I could do about it. Thinking that Jesse might’ve been killed was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through. Losing him in a way I couldn’t undo would destroy me.” Her lip trembles a little as she strokes the back of my neck.

“Awww, that’s so adorable,” Gabe says. “Young love.”

“Okay. If we’re the same and I have fears, then you must have at least one, too, right? What’s yours, Mr. Vega?” Drew asks. “Or are you
afraid
to share?”

He rolls his eyes.
“Easy. My mother dying poor because I die young.”

Drew’s fork clangs against her plate and I freeze mid-chew.
Even Gabe is getting misty-eyed. Ramón is the only one at the table still actively involved in dinner. I don’t know why I’m surprised by his response; only a man with a God complex can show a complete disregard for life one moment and reveal himself as benevolent in another.

“I told you, everyone needs a fear,” he says, shrugging.

After dessert is served we all move outside to the deck for dancing. I spot Alejandra double-fisting several glasses of champagne at a time, one of her feet in a stiletto heel, the other one bare and on the deck. Ramón goes over to her and greets her with a kiss on the cheek.

“How do you think they know each other exactly?” Drew asks me as the music starts to play.

“No idea.” We’ve never seen Alejandra at a fight, but maybe she’s one of those people who can’t attend because of her public lifestyle in Mexico. Damn, Google would be great right about now. “Divide and conquer?” I suggest. After a nod, Drew makes a beeline for Ramón when he leaves Alejandra’s side. Bracing myself for the crazy, I stride over to her.

“We seem to have international mutual friends.”

“Ramón Vega isn’t my friend.” I hold out my hand. “Would you like to dance?”

“Your mouthy bitch doesn’t mind?” She looks over to Drew and shoots enough daggers at her to pierce a hole in the ship. I grit my teeth into a smile but imagine myself tossing her overboard. A salsa beat is going
, and I’m about to whip out those moves I learned at
Las Sirenas
. But Alejandra has no intention of keeping her hands above the waist, so I haul her off to the bar, so she can grab things she likes more than my dick.

“I was hoping you were dragging me off to have your way with me…” she says, pouting. She pushes me against the wall
and curves her hand on my groin. “I would let you
come
wherever you wanted. In my pussy. On my chest. In my mouth. I bet that
piruja
doesn’t know how not to let her teeth get in the way, as much as she talks…unless you
like
teeth.”

I see why Drew only knows the insults. I step back, keeping her at a
literal distance of arm’s length, as I grip her shoulders. “What happened between you and my father?” I figure if I cut to the chase it’s less time I spend getting groped.

Her demeanor shifts, her playfu
l, sexual mood now dead (thank God). Mentioning Henry Chance is a bad omen for every living person who knows him. “He screwed me…
and then he screwed me…
”

“He owes you money?”

“Henry owes me many things, but money…not anymore.”

“Why? Did he owe you about fifty thousand dollars, by chance? And then started paying it off really, really recently?”

She nods slowly. “Not fifty. He owed me about half that.”
That asshole. That fucking piece of shit asshole.
Turning away from me, Alejandra waves to someone across the ship. Ramón is standing with Hector Peña and signaling for her. She runs her hand across my crotch and flits away toward them. From behind me, Drew threads her arms under mine.

“It
was
her my father owed, and I’m pretty sure we just helped him pay her. Which means she is the one threatening HJ. What did Ramón say? How does
he
know her?”

“He only said,
‘Our business interests intersect.’ I don’t think it’s drugs, and I highly doubt it’s the iron ore. He did mention brothels earlier. Maybe she’s the one who brings the girls.” Drew swings around to my front, and her brow bunches as she stares at me. “What are you thinking?”

“Just wondering what the hell my father
really
got his sons involved in.”

****

Ramón invites nearly the entire shipload of people back to his house for what he keeps calling the real party, which turns out to be loud music, booze, drugs, and partial nudity in about ten minutes flat. Much to my relief, he isn’t interested in showing off his new fighter’s skills, so after mingling for a few minutes, I decide to sneak off to my room to play six degrees of Henry Chance. I lock eyes with Drew as I ascend the staircase, and she casts a reassuring smile at me as she chats with Gabe. I don’t really like leaving her down there, but my thoughts are so muddled I actually need the alone time to process everything.

Henry told me he borrowed money from very bad guys to pay back the Ponzi scheme investors—Alejandra included—and needed the fifty grand to pay off the very bad—finger-chopping, child-threatening—loan guys. But Alejandra says she’s the one he owed, so is
she
really the finger-chopping, child-threatening bad guy? Did she also loan money to the
other
guy with the missing fingers? Is
she
behind
the mysterious organization collecting fingers?

A knock startles me back to the present a little while later. “Come in,” I yell.

The door swings open and Drew
is standing there flanked by armed men. She’s in another dress Ramón provided. It’s red-sequin and very short. Her hair’s in a bun and she’s wearing a lot of makeup. The crime lord’s Cinderella.

“Hot date?”
I say, walking toward her.

“
Yes, actually.” She rolls her eyes. “I’m going to a fight with Ramón tonight…as his
guest.
”

My heart jumps.
“What? Wait…he didn’t say anything to me…he wants you to go alone? Just with him?”

She nods with a bright smile. “Look at this house. The man likes to show off pretty things. And, baby, tonight I am
that.
” Well, it’s good to know that she can dig through all the crazy and find some humor. I can’t. “Gabe will be there.”

“
Fuck no. I’m not letting you go with him.” I want to believe Ramón is satisfied that he proved his point in his meeting room of torture, and that he wouldn’t try to hurt Drew again, but nothing about that man makes sense.

“Do you guys mind?” she asks the guards, and they don’t move. “Where am I gonna go, and how fast am I gonna get there in these shoes?” One of them chuckles, but they step back from us. “
I don’t want you to come, Jesse. Part of this separation is to scare us, keep him in control. So, we just have to walk a fine line. Don’t give him a reason to escalate because we’re being rebellious or we’re not scared enough. We can’t overreact or underreact. Also, I’ve been talking to Ramón in his office, and I asked him, if I help him study his fighters’ opponents and help his fighters like he wants, and if we are on our best behavior going forward, would he be willing to just give us a flat hundred grand in return. He agreed. You
did
beat Carlos, after all.”

“But a hundred thousand dollars? I think Ramón would shit gold if you asked.”

“We’re getting out of here eventually, aren’t we? I figure after everything, it’s the least we could get. Dirty money and all.” Her smile is confident but her eyes hold all the worry. “So, I’ll be fine. Promise.” As she turns to go, I grab her hand and pull her back, press her chest right up against mine, and link our fingers. Danger or not, my dick’s still getting hard.