Page 19 of His Gilded Cage

“Make a plan,” I repeated.

“Next steps. How we can do this together. We can prioritize the type of intelligence we need. We will need to be patient, but if we work together, we can bring him down. It will take time, but you are the key to this case Marco. You can help us prove your father’s connections to the cartel.”

“And what about my mother?”

“We get him on the drug charges first and see if we can find more to substantiate the case involving your mother.”

A horrible thought flashed through my mind.

He was going to get away with it.

“Marco, trust me,” Veronica said. “Your father will pay. We will do the right thing.”

“Of course. We will do the right thing,” I repeated, suddenly wondering what that really meant.

“Good night my friend,” Veronica said. She leaned over and hugged me.

I got out of the car and walked inside. The silence of the condo felt cold and unforgiving. I wasn’t surprised. After all this was no longer the anniversary of my mother’s death. This was the anniversary of her murder.

Murder.

I played with the word in my mind. My father was a murderer. He may not have been the one to push her head below the water, but surely he was the one who made the call.

How do you right something this wrong?

I stood in the dark thinking about Veronica’s parting words. She wanted me to be patient. It would take years to build a case against my father. The legal system would require a paper trail of pesos and dollars circling the globe. I had no doubt that my father’s crimes were well hidden and protected by his trusted staff. It would not be easy to trip him up.

Carmella.

Carmella was in his inner circle. She could probably help me get the information I needed. She could help me rebuild the trust that I’d eroded over the years one drunken punch at a time.

Unless she already knows who he is, a voice inside my head whispered. She is loyal to Luis and Amador Industries. If she already knows his secrets she can’t be trusted. She was there the day your mother died. She was the reason you lied and left your mother alone.

I couldn’t believe that. I wouldn’t. I felt disloyal even allowing the thought to cross my mind. Carmella and I may have parted ways but she was my friend, my former lover. She had grown up alongside me and loved my family as though it were her own.

I needed to talk to her.

I picked up my phone and dialed when I heard a phone ringing down the hall in response.

“Carmella?” I whispered, following the sound of the ringing into my bedroom.

The door was open.

Carmella sat on the edge of my bed holding her phone in her lap. She was completely naked. The blue light of the screen illuminated her face with every ring. “I waited for you,” she said, standing.

She walked towards me slipping her hands around my waist and holding me tight. She rested her head against my chest and inhaled. “You smell like the sea,” she said. “You smell like the beaches of Sayulita.”

“I was just there,” I said.

“Come to me,” she whispered. She took my hands and walked me back to the bed sitting down. I sank to my knees in front of her, resting my head on her naked thighs.

“I didn’t want to be alone,” I said. “How did you know I needed you?”

“I always know when you need me,” she said, running her fingers through my hair. Then her fingertips were beneath my chin, lifting my mouth to hers. “I wanted to make sure you were okay especially after Veronica said your mother’s case was reopened. But first let’s love each other for a little while. Let’s take away each other’s pain.”

I nodded and climbed onto the bed. Her hands slid beneath my shirt and she lifted it over my head as I hovered above her.

I kissed her as she undid the buckle of my pants. Her lips pressed against mine, her touch felt like an elixir. We rolled together across the bed until we were both naked, her small, lithe body poised against mine. I reached for a condom and sheathed myself. I was rock hard. I needed to be inside her, I needed the heat of her body all around me. I could not resist the comfort of her touch.

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