Page 44 of Cartel Rose (Jorge)

“Okay, sure, that might be part of it. But it’s more than that. Are you fucking him?”

Maybe I’m not as prepared for these questions as I assumed. I expected her to ask if I liked him and whether I wanted something to happen. I didn’t expect her to jump straight to that. I should have.

“No. You know I would never cheat on Bastian.”

“So, when are you breaking up with him to be with some stranger?”

“Heidi—”

“Don’t tell me it’s complicated. It doesn’t have to be.”

“Of course it does. We’re in an extreme situation that’s both a complete shitshow and a crisis. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know if there’ll more surprises showing up at the office. I don’t know if you, or Mutti, or I will be the next target. I don’t know anything about how to solve this. But the one thing I know is that Jorge has been calm and supportive through this whole thing. I know I can rely on him.”

“And why is that? Because he’s a Colombian narco-trafficker?”

I can’t say I’m shocked she asked since I’ve suspected all along that he might be. But I don’t agree with her accusation aloud.

“Are you just making that assumption because he’s rich and Latino?”

“No, I’m not. Bad Bunny is a rich Latino, and I don’t think he’s a narco-trafficker.”

The Puerto Rican rapper hardly compares to Jorge Diaz.

“But you assume Jorge is.”

“You keep telling us how wealthy he is and how he has all these resources. Why would he have resources to deal with criminals if he wasn’t one too?”

“That’s a gigantic leap. He might have friends who can work behind the scenes with Interpol or some other agency. It just wouldn’t be smart for us to file an official case. Maybe he knows someone who knows someone. Maybe he’s able to examine more financial records and understand ones I don’t. I may be an investment banker, but I’m not a forensic accountant like he is. Maybe he can discover who’s behind this by looking at more of our company’s financial records. There’s any number of reasons and things he could do without it being about whether I want to jump his bones.”

“That’s not a denial.”

“It’s not an affirmation either.”

“I think it’s an excuse, and I think you’re making a massive mistake.”

That’s still to be determined. “Right now, I’ll risk that mistake if it means we get Papa back.”

“Don’t make it sound like I’m more interested in giving you shit than I am having Papa come home safely.”

“I didn’t say that you were.”

“But it doesn’t change the fact that this is all very questionable.”

I’m struggling not to lose my temper. I know it’s partly a guilty conscience, and she struck a nerve. I wanted to come to her with what’s going on, not face a one-woman inquisition.

“No shit, Heidi. I know that too. But my sex life is the least of anybody’s concerns right now.”

“Look, I don’t mean to make you defensive, and I could’ve started this off a lot better than asking you whether you’refucking him. But there’s definitely something between the two of you, and it doesn’t exist with you and Bastian. He’s a great guy, and I know you love him, but you’ve never turned to Bastian for confirmation and affirmation the way you do with Jorge.”

“This is just an extreme situation where we’re way in over our heads.”

“True, but it’s more than that, and you know it.”

I inhale so deeply that my ribs expand. Then I exhale as I gather my wits.

“How I feel about him is confusing. I don’t know what to make of it. He’s an attractive man who teased me and flirted with me a bit before all of this happened. But even when we were negotiating the deal, I knew he was steadfast and dependable. It’s just the aura he’s given off the entire time I’ve known him.”

“Which hasn’t been very long.”