Page 100 of Winter's End

Walking down the mine tunnel was akin to the scared blonde chick in any horror movie walking right into the mutant bad guy’s lair. I could almost hear the crescendoing notes of the ominous soundtrack with each step; every hair on my body stood on end like I was experiencing a miniature electrocution.

Georgio chatted with his brothers like we were out for an evening stroll instead of deep underground surrounded by dirt. Jonah and Mical looked straight ahead, their strides unhurried and their faces permanently creased into matching frowns. Kellan had barely glanced at me since he’d met us at the front doors of City Hall, muttering about ‘an errand for Father.’ The twins and Georgio had just nodded knowingly before shoving me into the car with them.

When we rounded the corner, the foreboding melody in my head hit its jarring high note. Janet looked half-dead in her heap on one side of the tunnel, and huddled together on the other side were Logan and Winter.

Terror thickened my blood to cement; I was held in place as it lazily oozed through my veins.

Were we found out? Was Georgio going to kill us all and bury us down here?

Logan’s suit had ripped and his face was streaked with dirt, but it was Winter who looked far worse for wear. Her pouty lips were split open, and the shadows of fresh bruising dappled her arms. Fury blanketed my fear for a brief instant. Who hurt her?

My newest husband-brother looked at me with an almost imperceptible nod. Okay, they were okay. We just had to play the game, and maybe we could make it out of this alive.

Stay calm, Travis.

As Georgio addressed his brothers, I kept my focus on our girl. She was scared, but stable, and I was proud of her for fighting her own panic, given this situation was far more distressing than being trapped in the Bourbon & Blues cellar all those months ago.

I brought my focus back to my uncle’s words when he’d offered a hint about Cam. I would fucking die before I let my brother become another casualty in the dysfunctional Carlos family.

“Brothers, I invited you here tonight to witness Travis’ initiation.”

My heart came to a literal stop. Georgio’s grin was cold and calculated; the true mask of a madman. He motioned me to come forward. My feet betraying me, I shuffled ahead; terror fogged my brain and slowed my limbs.

Georgio bent down to Janet’s semi-conscious form and slapped her hard across the face. A strangled moan halted my movements.

“Janet,” he announced to his entranced crowd, “is a traitor. An undercover agent working for the FBI.” His gaze fell back on me. “The Carlos Cartel does not give second chances to traitors.” He spat on the ground beside him and fired out something in rapid Spanish.

“It is a tradition in our family that when a Carlos man comes of age, he must complete his initiation. Travis, you are fulfilling this requirement far later than any of your uncles. My initiation was when I was seventeen.”

The twins nodded solemnly. I’m not even sure Kellan blinked. Then again, how could I tell with the terror clouding my vision?

“The cartel life is a hard life. To lead it is to control it with a firm fist. Discipline is paramount. To initiate is to prove you can do what must be done. That you can take care of your people and your business by whatever means necessary. You must kill.”

My heart had gone from stock still to pounding faster than a hummingbird’s wings in a less than a minute.

“Who did you kill, Georgio?” Winter asked, her voice tentative but strong. “And how did my father get involved?”

Smart girl. Keep him talking. Stall him while I get my ever-loving shit together.

Georgio tsked in amusement. “He was of no consequence. Someone causing trouble for my father.” He waved a hand at both of them. “Your fathers came to intervene, worried for me. They shouldn’t have—I’d long since accepted this would be my life. But when the girl followed them because of some wayward crush onyourfather,”—he shot an irritated scowl at Winter— “I had to improvise. And then, they were all accomplices.”

“So, you went to murder someone, and your friends—our fathers—went to stop you out of the goodness of their hearts, and instead, you killed an innocent tagalong and roped them into accepting the blame for it?” Logan summarized; his lips curled in unadulterated contempt.

Georgio shrugged, as if tying his group of friends to the murder of a blameless girl simply couldn’t be helped. “This is a dangerous business. And I was a useful friend to have, wasn’t I? I supplied start up cash for a piece of their pie. I kept all evidence locked up in a safe location so they would never have to face the consequences for their part of that crime.”

“You mean you blackmailed them.” Winter’s acidic tone burned through the tunnel as she glared daggers at the man who’d plunged our lives down the toilet.

“I encouraged them to live their dreams and supplied the means to do it. Honestly, Winter. Do you think I allow anyone to speak to me like this? You are here right now because your fathers are dear friends. Otherwise, I would kill you.”

My beautiful woman was undeterred. “Is that what you said to them? Were they to be killed if they stepped out of line or shared your dirty little secrets?”

Georgio let out a surprising bellow. Its sound pierced me like a million shards of broken glass.

“What dirty secrets, dear girl? The only people in town not aware of my businesses are knitting grannies and small children. The Carlos Cartel provides for its communities, and Cascade Falls has become a tourist destination solely from the cash infusions my businesses have allowed.”

His grin widened with unbridled amusement, but the calculating darkness didn’t recede from his eyes.

“Your college? The university? Partially owned by the Carlos Cartel and its associates. Sheldonville’s new water-treatment facility? Built and financed through Carlos Cartel’s generosity. Kensington’s hospital? All upgrades were made through a generous donation from one of my subsidiary companies.”

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