Impossible Odds

4

I wasn’t a fan of gambling and preferred to put my money into ventures with guaranteed payouts. But milling around the casino without approaching a table made a man like me stand out, and I preferred to blend in, if at all possible. Before I could step away from the table, my phone buzzed. No doubt it would be Naz checking in with me for an update. Nazario Vargas, known as El Zar, was my boss and had been a father figure since he took me in at the age of twelve. I was one of the few people allowed to call him by the familiar nickname, Naz. Anyone else who took such liberties ended up losing a finger. I had expected him to call rather than wait until I reported back to him. His impatience chaffed, but I could do little about it. He trusted me as much as he trusted anyone, which wasn’t necessarily saying much. His hovering presence felt like a leash. I hadn’t been a child in need of supervision for a long time, but he couldn’t seem to accept that. He always expected the worst in people, but they often lived up to his expectations, so I couldn’t necessarily fault him. I wasn’t perfect, but if he could have relaxed around anyone, it should have been me. Yet he’d only gotten more paranoid as time went on. I cleared a path away from the bank of gaming tables toward the edge of the room to get as far from the casino noise as possible. “Yes, sir,” I answered as I walked. “I just got off the phone with Juan Carlos. He said the Russians attacked and killed five of his men. I’m afraid the transition is not going as I’d hoped. How are things there in Vegas?” “Everything’s gone well. If we need to follow through with our backup plan, it won’t be an issue.” He was silent for a long moment, no doubt rubbing his chin the way he did when he was thinking. “I haven’t taken on something this big since I overthrew Martín Alvarez years ago. These things are never pretty, no matter how necessary.” Naz was one of two leaders of the Sonora Cartel. Originally, three kingpins ran independent organizations under the alliance of the cartel, but before I came to live with him, Naz overthrew Alvarez and usurped his territory. I’d been told Alvarez came from a wealthy line of Spaniards, and he had thought himself superior to the other bosses. Naz had never talked to me about his motives, and I didn’t care. What I did know was that the takeover had been bloody, and Alvarez’s men had resisted the transition. “You control nearly half of Mexico and eighty percent of the drug trade in the US. Are you certain the expansion is necessary?” I had to be careful with my words. Naz did not take kindly to others challenging him, but it wasn’t in my nature to go along blindly with a plan when it didn’t make sense. It was rarely an issue during the normal course of operations, but his expansion initiative was different. We were opening ourselves up to attack, and I wasn’t certain the payoff would be worth it. The line was silent for several seconds. “When I want your f*****g opinion, I’ll ask for it.” Every clipped word was a warning. I clenched my jaw to keep from snapping back at him. As far as I was concerned, my years of loyal service entitled me to an opinion, but he wouldn’t see it that way even though he’d practically raised me. Even if he had allowed me a say in the business, it wouldn’t have mattered. Naz had been convinced of his success before the idea of expansion had even fully formed. It didn’t help that his brother was feeding him questionable intel—at least, I suspected he was. Regardless, nothing I could say would dissuade him. The only way to challenge him would be to kill him, and I wasn’t prepared to take my dissent that far. I reminded myself how much I owed Naz and breathed through my frustration. “Yes, sir. I understand. How would you like me to proceed?” “I want you back in Guaymas for my meeting with Morales next week. Then we move forward with the plan.” “I’ll fly back first thing in the morning.” The line was silent, but Naz hadn’t hung up, so I waited for whatever he still had to say. “The dangers we’ll be facing are exactly why I need your full support, Primo. Tell me I don’t have to question your loyalty.” “I owe you everything, Naz. You know I’ll always stand beside you.” “Good. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” This time, the line clicked dead. Relaxing into one of the leather swivel chairs outside a casino lounge, I dropped my head back and exhaled an exasperated sigh. For one of the most powerful, feared men in Mexico, I felt just as trapped as any other man at times like these. What the hell was I bitching about? I was wealthier than God and had the world at my feet. Dealing with Naz was a small price to pay. I needed to get my priorities in check and stop thinking like a petulant child. As I brought my gaze back down to my surroundings, I realized I still had my unlit cigar in my hand. A hit of those sweet Cuban leaves was exactly what I needed. I reached in my jacket pocket and found it empty, then patted down my other pockets, unable to locate my lighter. I recalled taking it out at the table and realized I must have left it there when Naz called. Weaving back through the crowd to the craps table I’d been at, I asked both the dealer and the pit boss if anyone had seen my silver lighter. Nothing. I was about to chalk up the loss to my s**t day when I recalled that sultry red grin the brunette had given me as she walked away. Emptyhanded it is. Surely not. Surely, the woman hadn’t stolen my lighter. She didn’t know me, but it wasn’t hard to guess I wasn’t a man to be trifled with, and I certainly wasn’t a good target for petty theft. As I replayed the scene in my mind, I grew increasingly certain that was exactly what had happened. My stack of chips had gone untouched, so she wasn’t after money. The little viper had snatched my lighter as a statement. A challenge. A game. I had sworn I wouldn’t be drawn in by her charade, but this was different —at least, that was what I told myself. It was a matter of respect. Pride. What kind of man would allow a woman to steal from him? I would have shot one of our soldiers for such a crime. I couldn’t allow her actions to go unaddressed. Naz had just given me instructions, but I could see my plans derailing before me, alongside the vision of a sultry brunette with mischievous snake eyes. I would go back to Guaymas so I didn’t piss off Naz, but after our meeting, I was going on the hunt. That little girl had no idea what she’d done, but she was about to find out.