The longer the conversation with Rafa went on, the more convinced I beca that he truly didn’t have the evidence.
“No matter how much I like money, it’s not more important than my life. How am I supposed to trust you and hand that over? And I have no intention of leaving xico.”
“The United States will never give up on you. Eventually, there will co a ti when that evidence won’t have any power anymore.”
Arica’s persistence operated on a completely different level from other countries.
Even knowing that, Rafa spoke firmly.
“I still won’t hand it over. So stop talking about it. The only reason I allowed this visit today was because I was curious.”
Rafa picked up the glass in front of him, downed another shot of tequila, and muttered,
“I wanted to see what kind of foreigner was trying to unite the cartels. But you’re unexpected. You’re way too young.”
For soone who supposedly didn’t like tequila, he was drinking far too much of it.
Feeling my gaze on him, Rafa narrowed his eyes and looked straight at .
“And on top of that, you even pulled Chairman Slim in? How did you manage to rope in that fox-like old man?”
Rafa sounded genuinely puzzled that Carlos Slim was backing this committee behind the scenes.
“Well. Rather than saying he joined hands for the sake of the drug cartels, it’d be more accurate to say he joined hands with .”
“Hm.”
Rafa stroked his chin for a mont while looking up and down.
“With that much influence, maybe you really could get taken off Arica’s wanted list.”
“I have never once in my life made a promise I couldn’t keep.”
“Hm. Then take off the wanted list first. I’ll think about it after that.”
He was telling to pay first.
If we’d known each other for years, maybe things would’ve been different, but Rafa and I had absolutely no trust between us.
“I don’t do business on credit.”
“That would be better for you though......”
Rafa trailed off and flashed a vicious grin.
“If you want to leave here alive.”
Well, look at that.
The ridiculous threat made burst out laughing before I could stop myself.
Naturally, Rafa’s face twisted.
“You’re laughing?”
“Rafa. Do I look like I ca here without any preparations?”
“What?”
I stood up and walked toward Rafa.
The man standing behind him imdiately moved, but Manager Ma stepped in front of him and blocked his path.
Rafa glared at , then raised a hand to make the man back off. I also motioned for Manager Ma to step back.
Once I got close enough, I spoke in a low voice devoid of emotion.
“If I die, you die too. I know bastards like you better than anyone. Other people’s lives an nothing to you, but you treasure your own life more than anyone else.”
The cold voice, stripped even of fake politeness, made Rafa’s eyebrows twitch.
“But I’m different. Everyone’s life weighs the sa to . That’s why every ti I walk into a place like this, I put my own life on the line. Because that’s the most valuable thing a businessman like has. Can you do that?”
“......”
“You can’t answer, can you? If you were that kind of man, you wouldn’t be sitting here pretending to be a king. You’re hiding in here because you’re scared.”
“You little piece of—”
I cut Rafa off as he glared at murderously.
“Shut up and listen to until the end. You thought if you puffed yourself up without understanding a damn thing, I’d be afraid of trash like you? As if. Nobody fears a tiger with no teeth left. Understand?”
“......”
“Take the opportunity I gave you, or spend the rest of your life playing king in here. Do whatever you want. No, I don’t even need that evidence anymore.”
I looked around Rafa’s room as I spoke. Rafa followed my gaze and turned his head as well.
“A place like this really does suit you.”
After finishing my warning, I returned to my seat.
“There’s probably no point talking any further. Got anything else to say?”
At the sudden shift in my tone again, Rafa let out a hollow laugh.
“I can’t tell whether you’re fearless or just insane. Get out of here. And don’t co looking for again.”
“Fine. This will be the last ti I ever co looking for you. You’ll regret missing this opportunity for the rest of your life.”
I stood up without the slightest hesitation.
I’d already gotten everything I ca here for.
“Let’s go. Manager Ma.”
“Luis, escort them to the entrance.”
Luis, the sa man who had guided us earlier, answered shortly before leading us again.
Once we reached the first floor and he opened the exit door, Luis spoke.
“Don’t provoke Rafa too much. He may look like this, but there are still subordinates outside willing to carry gasoline into a fire if Rafa orders them to.”
I was about to walk out, but I stopped at Luis’s words.
“Your na was Luis, right?”
“Yes?”
“What exactly do you gain from loyalty?”
“......”
“How much ti do you have left on your sentence?”
“Life imprisonnt.”
A lifeti in prison.
A strange sense of defeat lingered on Luis’s face as he said it.
“Were you always a sicario under Rafa?”
“No. I originally worked under Gallardo.”
A sicario referred to the people responsible for the real muscle within the xican cartels.
They carried out assassinations on the boss’s orders, fought during cartel wars or police raids, and often handled the most important job of all—collections.
Many sicarios earned more money than the Arican middle class.
That was why the dream of so many cartel mbers in xico was becoming a sicario.
But once their backing disappeared, sicarios also beca targets for every cartel around them.
The Luis standing before had probably suffered through multiple assassination attempts after Gallardo was captured.
“You wanted Rafa’s protection so you could avoid assassination? You wanted to live comfortably in prison no matter what?”
“......I had no choice. Without Rafa’s protection, I wouldn’t receive any protection inside prison.”
“What if I got you out? Would you do anything I told you to?”
“What? You’d get out?”
Luis’s eyes widened in shock.
I nodded.
“If you carry out my orders without complaint.”
“It’s a life sentence. One without parole or sentence reduction.”
“Since when did life imprisonnt in xico actually an spending your entire life in prison?”
“......”
“Think about it carefully. You can contact anyti through the warden.”
I patted the frozen Luis on the shoulder before walking outside.
Without saying another word, Luis continued guiding .
We exited Rafa’s building and arrived at the gate leading back toward the prison.
Standing there was Warden Carlos, who must have co out while we were inside.
“Did your conversation go well?”
“No. He says he’s satisfied playing king in there.”
“I see.”
Warden Carlos nodded.
He showed no surprise whatsoever, as if he had already expected Rafa’s response.
“More importantly, do you know that man nad Luis well?”
“Luis? That guy over there?”
“Yes.”
“Of course I do. He used to be the king here.”
Unexpected.
A man reduced to acting like a re attendant had once ruled the prison?
Warden Carlos continued speaking.
“He used to carry out Gallardo’s assassination orders. Not a single failure. That’s how he earned Gallardo’s trust. He was arrested during one of those missions and imprisoned here. After that, Gallardo’s support allowed him to rule this place like a king.”
Now I could understand at least a little of how miserable Luis’s situation was.
He had fallen from being the king of the prison to rely surviving as Rafa’s subordinate.
“What happened after Gallardo was captured?”
“There were three assassination attempts.”
“And you looked the other way too?”
At my question, Warden Carlos hesitated slightly before answering.
“......You know how it is. If we refuse cartel requests, the prison can’t function. If a riot breaks out, this place would literally turn into Armageddon.”
“And since they all failed, Luis is still alive.”
“Yes. He was the best sicario.”
“I see. What about his loyalty to Gallardo?”
Warden Carlos burst into loud laughter at my question.
“Why are you laughing?”
“My apologies. I don’t think you fully understand the nature of drug cartels yet. In the end, cartels are all about money. Loyalty? Brotherhood? Close relationships can exist, sure, but cartel mbers can beco enemies overnight even if they were friends yesterday. Loyalty itself is money.”
“You an they’ll switch sides anyti if the money is right?”
“Most of the sicarios imprisoned here would.”
“I see.”
By the ti the conversation ended, we had reached the prison entrance.
“Manager Ma. Give him your contact information.”
Manager Ma handed Warden Carlos his number.
“If Luis wants to contact , have him call that number. Keep it secure. If you do that favor, I’ll reward you separately.”
“Understood. It’s not difficult.”
“Thank you. Then we’ll be leaving.”
Our business here was finished.
I left the prison.
A few days passed.
The eting of the core executives of the Sinaloa Cartel was now only two days away.
“You said you still couldn’t find the evidence even after searching everywhere around him?”
“Yes. There’s not even a trace.”
“Then why is the Institutional Revolutionary Party so terrified of it? Even the United States wouldn’t wage war against the xican governnt over testimony alone.”
“Boss, may I say what I think?”
I gave a slight nod, and Manager Ma carefully continued.
“Politicians in Latin Arica are extrely conscious of the United States. They either openly oppose Arica or follow behind them and feed on the scraps they throw down.”
I nodded.
Cuba alone was enough to prove that.
Because it sat close enough to Arica to practically touch it, simply maintaining good relations with the United States brought trendous benefits.
Before the Cuban Revolution, Cuba had been a vacation paradise for Aricans.
But after the revolution, Cuba turned completely anti-Arican and used its conflict with the United States as a political weapon.
Not just Cuba—most Latin Arican countries ended up choosing either a pro-Arican or anti-Arican stance.
“xico has no choice but to lean pro-Arican. That’s why they’re even more sensitive to Arican pressure. I think that beca the Institutional Revolutionary Party’s weakness. If the evidence is genuine, they probably know they’ll never be able to take power in xico again.”
“That’s possible.”
It was a convincing theory.
As I nodded ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) in satisfaction, the stiffness in Manager Ma’s expression relaxed slightly.
“The DEA Director is arriving today, right?”
“Yes. We received word he’ll arrive here in three hours.”
Ramos, who had flown to the United States, had done everything possible to carry out my orders.
In the end, he even managed to drag the normally immovable DEA Director all the way to xico.
“His na was Max Walker, right?”
“Yes. He was the head of the DEA’s Colombia division. He personally oversaw the operation to eliminate Pablo Escobar. His abilities were recognized, and he beca Director this ti.”
“What’s his disposition like?”
“He’s a hardliner. He has a history of trying to wipe out the Colombian cartels.”
“A hardliner, huh. Fine. Let’s et him first.”
A short while later.
Ramos and Director Max arrived.
“Welco. I’m Charlie.”
“Max. Though I’ve been given the overly generous position of Director of the DEA.”
“You’re humble. I heard you’re a legend within the DEA.”
“Haha, you flatter . I was just lucky.”
“Let’s head inside first.”
I led him inside.
“Ramos. Wait outside.”
“But, Director—”
Ramos was about to say sothing, but I quickly shook my head at him with a look.
“What? You got sothing to say?”
“......No. Please call once you’re finished.”
“Manager Ma, show Agent Ramos sowhere he can rest.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Ramos and Manager Ma left, leaving only Director Max and .
“Charlie. Let’s get straight to the point.”
I had been planning to ease the atmosphere with so small talk, but he spoke first.
He seed even more impatient than I expected.
“Fine by . I prefer it that way too.”
“I heard you demanded that we remove El Azul from the wanted list in exchange for extraditing Rafa to the United States.”
“Yes. I need his help if we’re going to catch El Chapo.”
Director Max nodded before speaking again.
“And what if we say no?”
He asked the question casually, but unlike his cold deanor, his eyes were filled with interest and anticipation as he waited for my answer.
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