“Good,” the scarred man said, and then he slammed back the rest of his drink before he set the empty glass on the small table to his left.
“Camilo and his friend will have to check in with the court regularly and go to a rehabilitation program,” I continued. “But my friend from the Public Defender’s Office volunteers with one that the boys can enroll in.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Osvaldo nodded. “That boy needs to learn to keep his nose clean if he’s ever going to take over the business. Can’t be in jail and run the shipping company.”
“Yes, sir,” I said.
I debated whether I should tell my employer about the solitary confinement, but his son would be home the next day, and if Camilo returned with even one unexplained bruise, then I would be the one to answer for it.
“The facility informed me today that Camilo has been in solitary confinement,” I spoke up as the beefy man began to stare back out at the horizon.
“Oh?” he asked as he lifted an eyebrow and glanced at me from the corner of his eyes.
“I told them I would be stopping by tomorrow morning with my own physician to make sure that Camilo wasn’t injured in any way,” I said. “And even though he’s being released, I would like to make sure that he hasn’t been harmed.”
“The guards are known for hurting the teens?” Osvaldo questioned, his voice an icy mask for his rage, though his deep scowl revealed how angry he was.
“There have been reports,” I said with a frown. “That reporter that I’ve been seeing is bringing a case to the DA to shut them down.”
“Good,” the scarred man said with a nod of approval. “You aren’t working with her on that, are you?”
“Not anymore,” I informed the intimidating man. “I went over last night to tell her she would have to pursue it with another lawyer.”
“That’s for the best,” my employer said. “Though it might be good to have a reporter on our side. Just in case. Do you plan to keep seeing her?”
“I do,” I said. “She’s an amazing woman. And she discovered the corruption at Everson before I brought it to her.”
“I like her already,” Osvaldo said with a small smile. “But make sure she doesn’t get too smart.”
“Yes, sir,” I responded, though my mouth had gone dry at the subtle warning that Eloa needed to stay out of cartel business.
The smell of bell peppers, chicken, and rice flowed out onto the balcony as Juliana slid the glass door open and poked her head out.
“Gentleman, dinner will be ready soon,” she said. “You have about ten minutes before I expect you to be at the table.”
“Si, mi amor,” the scarred cartel man said with a grin to his beautiful wife.
“I love you, too,” she said with a roll of her eyes despite the bright smile and blush that crept across her face. “Rob, make sure you wash up before you sit down. There will be no dirty hands at my dinner table.”
“Yes, ma’am” I replied and then blanched when the matriarch lifted an eyebrow. “I mean, yes, Juliana.”
“That’s what I thought,” the curly haired woman huffed before she shut the door and left us alone.
“You’ve done a good job,” Osvaldo said when his wife was far enough away that she wouldn’t hear us. “I know I was a little tough on you, but you’ve proven that you’re as good a lawyer as I’d heard.”
I thought about the constant presence of the goons outside of my apartment and had to bite my tongue as I wondered what being actually tough would entail. I didn’t want to know, and I was sure that I never wanted to find out.
“Thank you, sir,” I said instead. “I have enjoyed the challenge.”
It wasn’t a lie, even with the moral dilemmas that I had faced, I had never gone toe to toe with a corrupt judge before, and I’d come out on top. I had made enough money already to have in-home care for my mother, and Eloa would still be able to take down the Everson Juvenile Detention Center.
A comfortable silence grew between us as the scarred cartel leader stared out into the city. The sound of honking horns drifted up to us from somewhere far below, and the beach district lit up the night sky like a shiny beacon for tourists and anyone looking for a good time.
“Jipato,” Osvaldo said without turning his face from the skyline, though he spared me a sideways glance and a flash of a smile that revealed his three golden teeth. “You’re going to do big things in this town.”
End of Book 1
Author’s Notes
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events
