Page 16 of Fast Fury

Hani set his jaw. Yeah, he’d heard about Pedro. HisVenenosupplier. Well, former supplier. Pedro had been executed with two bullets to the face sometime last night. Police had found his body floating amongst the rocks this morning at Turtle Town, down in Makena. “What do you want?”

“Calling to tell you there’s a new boss in charge. From now on, you answer to me,cabrón.”

Hani didn’t like his tone, or the attitude. “Who’s in charge?” Although he was afraid he already knew. With the former lieutenant Ruiz in prison and awaiting trial, it opened a turbulent and dangerous power vacuum back in Mexico.

“Let’s just say, the rumors are true.”

Nieto. Goddamn… “Since when?”

“Since this morning. I’m flying in tomorrow. I want a face to face meeting.”

So “Juan” could have one of his enforcers kill Hani? “I’m busy.”

Juan laughed. “Better clear your schedule then. Because you either do business my way, or you don’t do business at all.”

The implied threat was clear enough, but Hani didn’t trust that Juan wasn’t simply planning to off him at this meeting anyway.

“And don’t bother trying to leave the island. I’ve got eyes everywhere. You try to run, I’ll find you.”

Hani itched to hang up on the cocky son of a bitch, but didn’t have the guts. “I’ll be here,” he muttered.

“Good. How’s your grandma, by the way? Heard she’s been slowing down lately. And any word from your cousin?”

A chill spread through his gut. “Haven’t seen him in years. And leave her out of this. She’s got nothing to do with my business.”

“She’ll be fine as long as you play by the rules.”

Juan’s rules. Whatever they were. Hani would have to learn them in a hurry.

“As for your cousin, he’s made a real name for himself recently.”

“What?” Kai had cut contact with him years ago with an invitation back into his life if Hani ever went straight, but last he’d heard, his cousin had gotten out of the Marines and was in some sort of law enforcement job back on the mainland.

“Oh, yeah. He’s big time now. With the DEA, on one of its FAST teams.”

Hani closed his eyes and cursed silently. He knew what FAST teams did, because it was his industry they went after. The news wasn’t welcome, but in some ways it wasn’t a complete shock, either. Didn’t surprise him that his cousin had made the DEA’s tier one unit.

Kai had always excelled at everything he did. He never quit. While Hani had wanted the easy life, the get rich quick life, and been sucked down to the place he found himself now. It hurt like hell to learn that his lifelong idol was now his nemesis.

“Yep,” Juan continued in an oily tone. “Ruiz put a bounty on your cousin’s head before he was captured. New boss says he’ll honor it if any of us takes him out. Had someone staking out his old place for a while, but never saw him. So if you see him, you could wind up a rich man. You can tell me all about him when we meet up. And wewillmeet up in person, Hani.”

“I said I’d be here,” Hani snapped.

“Yeah, I’m not worried.” Juan hung up.

Hani exhaled hard and dragged a hand down his face. This business could make you rich. It could also kill you in the space of a single heartbeat.

There was no point in trying to hide. The island was a small place, and even the most remote places here weren’t big enough to allow him to hide for long. Word amongst the locals spread fast, and the place was crawling with tourists. Leaving wasn’t an option, because theVenenoscontrolled the ports and had people inside the airports as well.

But he wouldn’t run anyhow. Even though he’d chosen this path, chosen to live on the wrong side of the law and make money off others’ misery, he would never knowingly jeopardize histutu. His grandmother had raised him and Kai, had sacrificed so much to give them a loving, secure home. Theonlylove and security they’d ever known, except for each other. Hani couldn’t leave to save his own skin and risk something happening to her in retaliation.

Reaching for the key in the ignition of his brand new F-150, he froze, his pulse stuttering when he caught sight of his grandmother on the sidewalk out in front of the grocery store. It had been weeks since he’d last stopped in to see her at her place in the upcountry. She must be here for her weekly grocery run and to visit friends from the old neighborhood.

Hani sighed, torn. He loved her, and she still loved him, even though his choices had broken her heart. She still refused to give up on him, told him she prayed every night for him to give up the life he’d chosen and be the man she knew he was meant to be.

He didn’t deserve her faith. The man she wanted him to be didn’t exist. Maybe he never had.

Her wrinkled face brightened when she spotted him, making his heart twist in his chest. She made a beeline for his truck, three bulging grocery bags in each small fist.

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