Page 101 of Possession

He sighs. “My fucking nephew. He needs to be taught a lesson.”

This is stepping over the line, even for me. I’ve looked the other way a lot since I started this gig—you have to when you’re undercover. What I’ve never done is instigated this shit on my own.

But the bruises all over Landyn are making me willing to cross lines.

The CIA and DEA are listening, and as much as Carson is willing to push boundaries, I still need to be careful. What I can do is bait Alamandos so it’s his idea.

“He already skimmed once and stole from you. I’m looking out for the family. But he is your nephew.”

“Bring him in,” he bites. “Nephew or not, no one steals from me or questions my orders. Put a bounty on his head if you need to.”

A smile creeps over my face, and I have to do my best to keep it out of my voice. This is the easiest order I’ve carried out for Alamandos. “I’ll see if we can find him before I offer the bounty. I’ll keep you up to date on the load this week. Working with the Jackals will be a good move. Your product will be transported underground. We’ll be good.”

“The bikers have tunnels,” Alamandos mutters. “Who knew?”

Me. That’s who, asshole.

Instead, I offer, “I’ll update you later in the week about that and the new project I had a meeting about last night. If I can close that deal, it’ll be the biggest venture yet. We can increase our cash flow by over thirty percent.”

“This is why I keep you close, mijo. Good work.”

Alamandos knows the cartel side. He’s an idiot when it comes to legitimate business. The man is easy to impress.

“Anything for you, Alamandos.” Fuck him. It’s all for me. And as soon as I find out who added Brian to Alamandos’ sick list of initiations, I’ll take everyone down at once.

I hang up, return to the table, and take my seat next to Landyn.

She turns to me with wide eyes. “Did you know Rocco had multiple offers to play in college?”

I look across the table and lift my chin. “I heard.”

“From all over the country,” Landyn adds before turning her eyes back to Rocco. “Why did you quit?”

Rocco’s expression is similar to what it was in my office this morning when I was interrogating him. He’s uncomfortable, irritated, and doesn’t like this kind of attention.

He pushes his dirty plates away and crosses his arms. “What’s the point? School is a pain in my ass. Even if I would’ve played, I’d still be stuck in a classroom for another four years. Football is cool, I guess, but not if it means dying a slow death in a lecture hall.”

Landyn proves she’s lost her filter when it comes to her new friend. “So you’d rather chance dying a quick death and work in the underworld of society for the Jackals?”

Rocco narrows his eyes and glares at the woman he saved just twenty-four hours ago. “Heard about your wedding. And do I have to remind you that you’re still married into the cartel?”

Landyn shakes her head. I put my arm around her and pull her close as she looks up at me with imploring eyes. “Would you talk to him? Explain to him that he has choices.”

Rocco doesn’t give me a glance, yanks up his sleeve, and points to his half-tat. “I made my choice.”

I give her a squeeze. “Baby, give him a break.”

She ignores me and keeps talking. “But you’re here now. You have us. And you’re going to get your GED next week. You can still make different choices.”

Rocco’s stare turns to me, and he’s pissed. “Did you put her up to this?”

The conversation has taken a sharp turn from whatever they were laughing about two minutes ago to this.

I shake my head. “She’s spearheading this all on her own.”

What I don’t say is since he saved her from Nic last night, I have a feeling she wants to save him in return.

“We’re a unit,” Landyn presses. “Let us help you.”

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