In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (34 page)

“and?”
I asked hesitantly.

“He’s
dead.”

I
bolted out of the rocking chair. “What? I just saw the man yesterday. What do
you mean he’s dead?”

Jase
sighed. “The owner of that vehicle was murdered on South Padre Island three
days ago.”

“So
the man I saw wasn’t the owner,” I concluded. “South Padre Island? Where’s
that?”

“It’s
located about two and a half hours from you,” Jase replied. Clearly, the guy
had done his homework.

I
began pacing across the weathered porch. “You said he was murdered…”

“Shot
in a convenience store parking lot. His vehicle has been missing ever since,”
he clarified.

“Was
anyone arrested?” I inquired.

“No
suspects have been identified, and no one’s been arrested. I’m sorry, Kri, but
it looks like we’ve hit a dead end.”

I
turned as Rafael pulled into the driveway. “What was the man’s name?”

“Alex
Rodriguez,” Jase replied.

I
started down the stairs. “Thanks, Jase. I have to go. Rafael just pulled up.”

“Be
safe. Don’t do anything crazy,” he pleaded.

I’ve
already done crazy
, I thought as I disconnected the call.

Rafael
scooped me up into his arms just as Shae and Cenia walked out of the house. He gave
Cenia a hug. “We’ll find them,” he promised huskily. He offered Shae a hug and
followed us into the house.

I
introduced Rafael to Alejandro, Dante, Isabel, and Maria. Since everyone was
gathered in the living room, I shared what I had learned from Jase.

“South
Padre Island?” Dante asked. He and Maria sat on the stone ledge in front of the
fireplace. “That territory belongs to the Gulf Cartel.”

Alejandro
joined Isabel and Cenia on the couch. “It’s not uncommon for the cartels to
kill people when they’re stealing vehicles. They often target newer SUVs and
trucks.”

“That’s
pretty ballsy,” Cenia stated. “The guy kills someone less than three hours away
from here, drives around in his truck for three days, and doesn’t bother
changing out the plates?”

Dante
shrugged. “Who’s going to stop him?”

I
had just settled onto the floor next to Shae when my cell phone rang. I glanced
at the screen before accepting the call. “Maxim? Is everything okay?”

“We’re
making progress. Have you heard back on those plates?” he inquired.

I
took a deep breath and blew it out. “The owner of the truck was killed three
days ago on South Padre Island, which is about two and a half hours away from
here. He was shot in a convenience store parking lot. No suspects have been
identified. Dante claims that territory belongs to the Gulf Cartel. The cartel have
been killing people and stealing their trucks.”

“Have
you been back to the van?” Maxim asked.

“We
stopped by the service station on our way to and from San Fernando. There’s no
sign of them. The van is still there. The tires and a few other choice parts
are missing, but our note is still sitting on the back seat,” I replied.

“Has
Cenia received any phone calls?”

I
glanced at Cenia. “No. She tried calling and texting Roger, but he has yet to
reply.”

“I
think the cartel has them,” Maxim stated. “If they do, Cenia should be
receiving a phone call.”

“Wait.
I’m going to put you on speaker phone.” I switched my phone to speaker and set it
on the coffee table. “Why do you think the cartel has them? What have you
learned?”

“The
man in the picture is carrying an M16. That gun is manufactured in the United
States. From what I’ve heard, the Gulf Cartel acquire most of their weapons
from the United States. The
sicarios
favor the AK-47. That is a Soviet
weapon. While the Russian mafia has their hands in both pots, they appear to be
arming the
sicarios
. If that man forced Kadyn and Roger from the scene,
then they’re with the Gulf Cartel, not the
sicarios,
” Maxim reasoned.

“So
you don’t think they’re free,” Cenia noted shakily.

“If
they were free, they would have contacted you by now,” Maxim replied.

“How
do you think we should proceed?” Rafael asked. He was sitting in the chair
directly behind me.

“Ah,
the knight in shining armor has finally arrived,” Maxim purred. I winced at his
tone. “Given your law enforcement background, I would think you should take
Cenia, Isabel, and Kristine to the police station to file missing person reports.
You might want to flaunt the fact that you have a background in law enforcement,
see if they will release any information about the gunfight yesterday. Flex
some muscle, make sure they know Kadyn and Roger are U.S. government officials.
Do whatever you need to do to ensure they make this investigation a priority.
Do not tell them I am involved.”

Rafael
offered me a pained expression.

“Cenia?”
Maxim asked. Every single one of us looked at her.

“Yes.
I’m still here,” she replied.

“The
cartel is presumably investigating you, your family, and the other people in
Roger’s contact list. Would you consider yourself wealthy?”

Cenia
shook her head. “No.”

“Are
there any individuals in Roger’s contact list that you would consider wealthy?”

She
looked at me. “No, I don’t think so.”

“The
cartel will target the person with the most money or the number that appears
most frequently on Roger’s call list. They will presume the person most
frequently called has the strongest emotional attachment to him. I assume that
person is you. If they have Roger, they will demand a ransom. They will pick an
amount that is just out of reach for you. You should attempt to negotiate them
down to a more affordable amount. If you don’t, they will assume this amount is
easy for you to pay, and they will demand more. Do you understand?”

“Yes,”
Cenia replied.

“Kadyn
left his cell phone behind. The cartel cannot target anyone to pay his ransom
unless he provides the necessary information. He’s more likely to be killed. You
must demand they release Kadyn too. Include this in your negotiation,” Maxim advised.
“Make sure they know that Roger works for the Department of Defense and Kadyn
works for the Department of Homeland Security. This information will help
ensure they remain unharmed.”

“Do
you think we should call and warn their families?” I asked.

“Absolutely,”
Maxim replied. “You should also notify the American Embassy. They’ll make sure
the Mexican authorities make this investigation a priority. There are police
officers inside the San Fernando municipality who are working for the cartels.
You should keep this in mind.”

“I’ll
call you as soon as we finish filing the reports at the police department,” I promised.

“I’ve
found someone who is willing to approach the cartel on my behalf,” Maxim
revealed. “Between your efforts and mine, we should hear from them soon.”

We
glanced at each other uncertainly when he ended the call.

*
* * * *

We
spent three and a half hours at the San Fernando police department. The
investigating officer questioned each of us individually. Cenia and I filed missing
person reports with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City over the phone while Isabel
was being interviewed.

Rafael
walked a fine line between charming and intimidating the local police officers.
They confirmed the gun fight was between the
sicarios
and the Gulf Cartel.
They were hesitant to release any more information, but Rafael hounded them
until one of the police officers finally confessed the man with the black
pickup truck was one of the most notorious enforcers working for the Gulf Cartel.

The
gruesome pictures they had pinned along their walls served as a constant
reminder that this was not the only crime they were investigating. The
overwhelming number of bound and bloodied bodies made it painfully clear who
was winning the war on drugs. The police were uninspired by our story. “This
sort of thing happens all the time,” they said. “The cartel will contact you
eventually
.”
Their defeatist attitude set me on edge.

It
was almost comical how Cenia’s cell phone rang the second we stepped foot outside
the police department. Cenia gasped when she saw Roger’s name appear on her
Caller ID. She immediately accepted the call. “Roger! Where are you?”

Her
face turned an alarming shade of white. She placed her finger to her lips as
she switched the speaker on.

“…
one million dollars,” the man was saying.

Cenia’s
eyes sought mine. “
That’s
just out of reach for me?
” she mouthed
questioningly.

“We’ll
pay it,” Rafael whispered.

Cenia
took a deep breath. “You do realize my fiancé works for the United States
Department of Defense?”

“Who
cares
puta
? You pay or he pays. Your pick.”

Rafael’s
jaw clenched.

“I
don’t have a million dollars,” Cenia protested. She was dangerously close to
tears, but she was sticking to Maxim’s script.

“One
million or I am slicing his neck and dumping him in a ditch,” he threatened
harshly.

“Wait!”
she cried. “I’ll try! I promise. I’ll try to find the money, but you have to
give me his friend, Kadyn, too.”

“You
know this
diablo negro
?” he exploded. “That man causes trouble. If you
want the
diablo negro
you will pay two million dollars!”

Cenia’s
eyes widened. “I don’t have two million dollars...”

“Three
million,” he corrected gruffly. “One million for the
gringo
. Two million
for the
diablo negro
. By five o’clock tomorrow. I will call with more instructions.”

“Wait!”
Cenia exclaimed. “How do I know you really have him? I want to hear Roger’s
voice.”

There
was a loud crash and yelling in the background. “
Manda huevos!
” the guy
swore before disconnecting the call.

Isabel
pulled the phone from Cenia’s hand and handed it to Rafael. She wrapped Cenia
in her arms as she began sobbing.

I
sank against Rafael’s chest. The gruesome images I’d seen inside the police
department were too fresh. I knew, if we took one wrong step, Kadyn and Roger
would suffer the very same fate.

“What
happened?” Maxim demanded as he and Konstantin approached. “Did they call?”

I
took a step toward Maxim, but Rafael pulled me back against his chest. “Yes. They’re
demanding a million dollars for Roger and two million for Kadyn,” I replied.

Maxim
looked amused by Rafael’s efforts to keep me away from him. “There has been a
change in plans,” he announced.

Rafael’s
eyes narrowed. “Why the sudden change in plans?”

Maxim
continued as if he hadn’t heard him. “The Russian mafia will express an
interest in Kadyn and Roger. They will demand the two men be turned over to
them for some undisclosed wrongdoing. They will sell the cartel on this idea by
insisting they are doing them a favor, taking U.S. government officials off
their hands. This will allow the cartel to save face while washing their hands
of the problem.”

“I
don’t understand,” Cenia stated wearily. “Why would the cartel comply with this
request?”

“The
man who kidnapped Kadyn and Roger made a mistake that could end up costing him
his life. His boss is not pleased that he kidnapped a U.S. official with ties
to customs and border security. He would prefer not to wake the giant who
sleeps next door,” Maxim replied. “Those men are not worth the trouble they are
already causing the cartel.”

“The
man who called to demand the ransom said Kadyn was causing trouble,” I noted
softly.

Konstantin
laughed. “Your friend has proven difficult to interrogate. Rumor has it he has
sent every single one of the cartel’s interrogators to the hospital.”

“Why
would the mafia help us?” Rafael asked.

“They
are not helping you,” Maxim rebutted. “They are helping me. They do not know we
are working together, and we should keep it that way.”

“How
much money do they want?” I asked. I knew the different organizations within
the Russian mafia weren’t opposed to milking each other for money.

“They
will acquire both men and transfer them to me for five hundred thousand
dollars,” Maxim responded.

Cenia
looked frustrated. “That’s better than three million dollars, but I still don’t
have that kind of money.”

“We
can pay them,” Rafael assured Cenia.

“How
soon can we do this?” I asked. We began walking toward Rafael’s vehicle.

Maxim
fell in beside me. “Did the man who called give you a time frame?”

“He
said to have the money ready and he’d call with more instructions by five
o’clock tomorrow,” Isabel answered.