Absolute Silence

23

I raced to his apartment, my mind buzzing with questions. When I arrived, I let myself inside and found him in his office staring intently at his phone. “What’s up?” I asked, announcing my presence. “Have a seat. I’ve just received notice there’s going to be a meeting of the Commission. A bad batch of product made it into circulation, and there have been six deaths so far. The feds are in an uproar, and cops are all over the streets asking questions.” “Where?” The Five Families had divided the city into sectors and industries, allocating a portion to each family. A problem in one area should have indicated which family was having issues. “That’s the thing. There was a string of incidents over in Brooklyn, which is Giordano territory, but there are also cases up in the Russo neighborhoods. You know we respect our borders. Product from one family shouldn’t have migrated like that. We think it’s an outside source. Someone framing the Families to draw attention.” “The Russians?” They were the second most active organization in the city, and though we’d had a long-standing agreement with them, things could always change. “They stick with firearms and dope. Besides, they know not to cross us. Whoever this is was looking for a fight by drawing attention to us like they did. The newest Chinese Triad leader was arrested a month ago, so they’re back to feuding over leadership. Don’t think they’re in a place to make a coordinated attack. The only thing that makes sense is the cartel.” “Has anyone spotted Vargas in the city? Do we know if he’s still in Mexico?” A couple of months before, several families, including our own, united in sending a message to the Sonora Cartel after they made a play for turf in our city. It appeared they didn’t heed our warning. “All reports indicate he’s still south of the border, but he’s clearly still in play here as well. We’re gathering tomorrow to discuss our strategy.” If the cartel wanted a war, it was war they would get. The families didn’t care much what went on in the rest of the country, but we ruthlessly protected our rights to the city. Oddly enough, the chaos of violence and turf wars didn’t bother me at all. Something about strategy and battle gave me a sense of purpose and thus control. I had no doubt we would bury those cartel fuckers, and I relished the opportunity. OceanofPDF.com 10 OceanofPDF.com CAMILLA I was left reeling after Filip’s visit. I’d been halfway through a new series on Netflix when he showed up, totally unexpected. Even after he left, I still couldn’t wrap my brain around all that had transpired within a few short minutes. Filip said I was more than he expected. He didn’t explain what he meant, but his thoughtful actions and heartfelt words were all the context clues I needed. He cared for me more than he anticipated he would and possibly more than he wanted to. It was clear he was still struggling, but his appearance at my doorstep was a genuine, caring effort. His earnest plea was a display of vulnerability I would never have imagined, especially less than a day after his curt dismissal. It struck me as incongruent that someone so self-assured could struggle with change. His limited explanation only stirred my curiosity further. Why did he struggle with change? Not just struggle, he’d seemed as though he were furious at the club. Like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin. I wondered at the source of his fear. Most people didn’t respond so violently to the prospect of caring for another person. Evidence of my own disfunction, his turmoil endeared him to me. Made him real. I had my own challenges and appreciated what it took to battle one’s inner demons. There was no light without darkness. No bravery without fear. It was our imperfections that defined us—made us stand out from the crowd. Would we vanquish those demons and be seen for our strength or succumb and become notorious for our weakness? The answer lay in the choices we made each day. I wanted to choose strength, but that path was challenging. I had yet to arrive at my destination. Filip was clearly on a journey of his own. I wanted to help him, but he would have to let me in first, and I wasn’t going to preach the merits of opening up when I wasn’t ready to do so myself. Instead, I would simply have to try to be patient and understanding to the best of my ability. My phone buzzed with a text from Giada, drawing me from my thoughts. Giada: Can I come by? That was strange. G didn’t come by all that often, and she certainly didn’t ask before showing up. What other surprises did this day have in store for me? Me: Come on over. Less than five minutes later, knocking sounded on my door. Now that was more like Giada. She probably texted from the lobby downstairs. “Thanks for the warning.” Sarcasm dripped from my tongue whenever she was around like some kind of Pavlovian response. “Whatever. You don’t have anything going on, and this is important.” She made herself comfortable on my sofa and looked at me expectantly to join her. “What’s so important it couldn’t be said via text?” “I wanted to make sure you’re careful. Bad things are going on with the cartel.” Oh. Well, that was important. I fell back into my blanketed spot on the opposite end of the couch. “What kind of bad things? I thought the cartel left the city.”“They were told to leave, but it looks like they aren’t giving up. I don’t know all the details, but they’ve done something to stir up the authorities. There have been some deaths, and Javi is concerned.” Her boyfriend had been a part of that cartel only a few months earlier. He understood better than any of us what they were capable of, and after his defection, he had a right to worry. “What does that mean for us?” “Well, Dad is watching over Val, and the other girls and I all have guys who will make sure we’re safe, but you’re unprotected. I wanted to make sure you understand the dangers. Dad hasn’t assigned a bodyguard yet, but I think it’s important for you to know what’s going on to keep yourself safe. I saw these men in action down in Mexico. They’re monsters.”