Page 6 of Shackled

“They’ve grown, haven’t they?” I ask.

“Yeah,” Aleks confirms, his fingers sliding across his tablet. “After those busts last year, they’re trying to solidify their power. The Cove’s a prime target.”

They’re known as a ruthless organization originating in Colombia, but with factions now spread throughout the Americas. They’re mostly known for their extensive drug trafficking, particularly cocaine and heroin.

"Oh, right,” I say. “They were the ones extradited for those high-profile drug busts last year, weren't they?"

“Yep. And word on the street is that they’ve expanded their influence into New York. Targeting The Cove because of our location and connections.”

I nod. “Not to mention our affiliation with various groups.” Due to several recent nuptials with my brothers, we’ve become close contacts with several other underground powerhouses but still have no contacts south of the border.

“Exactly.”

I stroke my chin and think this over. Aleks goes back to his tablet, and his fingers fly over the keys.

“The cartel is led by Javier Morales Junior, son of the late Javier Morales. Javier is infamous for his ability to evade law enforcement while keeping a steel grip on his operations,” Aleks mutters, shaking his head.

I nod, continuing to snap puzzle pieces into place. “They’re not just known for drug trafficking, are they? And they have a mole in law enforcement here in The Cove.”

Aleks nods. “Money laundering, arms smuggling, and human trafficking. Their presence here in America taints everything. We need them fucking exiled from The Cove.”

Still, none of what we’ve learned here we couldn’t discuss in our headquarters in The Cove. Interesting. There’s more.

“But to really evict them, we must know their next move. What’s our in with them?”

Aleks nods. “We’ve had one of our new recruits in their ranks for the past three months. Isabella’s warning came on the heels of his intel.”

Ah. There we go. This is why we’re here.

I’d bet money on Dmitri. Dmitri Petrov joined our ranks after the death of our enemy several years ago and after passing numerous tests to prove his allegiance to us. He’d rather die than betray us.

“Jesus,” I mutter, shaking my head. “If they discover he’s one of us…”

“Yeah, he’s capital-F fucked,” Aleks supplies. “He said it was a risk he was willing to take to prove his loyalty. Right now, he’s managed to convince the sister of Carlos Cabrera that he loves her.”

Ollie speaks up. “Carlos Cabrera is the cartel’s chief enforcer, right-hand man to Morales. Our buddy has used Carlos’s sister to get intel we otherwise wouldn’t have.”

“Such as?”

“Such as the locations of their safe houses here in America, the schedules of their shipments, contacts of their supplier, and even the name of one of the corrupt officials on their payroll.”

“Shit. He’s playing a lethal game, but that’s invaluable information.”I nod.

“Yeah. We’ve already managed to intercept two major drug shipments because of information he’s gleaned for us. We’ve let a few slide, even local ones, because we obviously don’t want them knowing we’re onto them.”

“Fuck.”

Aleks suddenly goes so still that I want to check to see if he’s still breathing. It’s like someone’s just pressed the pause button on our conversation. He turns toward me and takes out his phone. I watch with interest.

My phone buzzes.

We have a visitor.

There’s a reason he’s texted me first and not the group chat. Viktor would already be prowling, ready to smash skulls, and Nikko’s weapon would be drawn. He knows I’m slower to react and more methodical in my approach.

A chill skates down my spine, and I immediately sit up straighter. Have they found us so soon?Have they tracked us here? We’re not ready.

I keep my shit together.

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