Page 57 of Cartel Rose (Jorge)

“Funny. She and her sister will have to invite their boyfriends over before it gets too late. I can’t guarantee the cover of darkness would work in our favor. I want to make sure our guards can see anyone coming. I’ll make sure they bring the boyfriends in through the back.”

That’ll be interesting. I’m certain neither will listen to their girlfriends about staying close to the floorboards for the entire ride. It won’t please them to take orders from me. They’ll really hate how they’re transported if they refuse my guards. I’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

“Do you need anything else,manito? You still good on your own?”

“I’m good. But you know I’ll contact you and Javier the moment I’m not.”

“All right.”

“You don’t sound like you believe me.”

“This is the first time a woman—your woman’s—been involved.”

“She’s nothing to me right now.”

He blows out a snort. “Yet.”

“Te quiero.”

“Te quiero también.”

“Bastian, things are worse than I thought. I want you to come to the hotel tonight.”

“What’s going on? Are you scared to be there with just Gretel and Heidi?”

Liesel’s watching me as she speaks to Bastian. Just like the last call she was on, she stands close enough for me to hear when she has the phone between our ears, and the volume’s all the way up. Neither her mother nor sister can hear Bastian, only her.

“I’d like you here to be on the safe side. Heidi’s going to call Friedrich in a moment. She’d feel better with him here too.”

“The safe side of what, Anne? What’s going on?”

He’s asked twice, and I can tell he’s getting testy. Liesel’s looking up at me for guidance, I whisper my answer to her unspoken question.

“Say no one’s seen or heard from your father, and you’re nervous. Something’s happened, but you aren’t sure what.”

She nods as Bastian repeats her name.

“Muttican’t get ahold of Papa, and neither can Heidi nor I. We’re all getting nervous. It’s not like him. If this has to do with work, and I work alongside him, then I want to make sure everyone connected to us is protected.”

“And a hotel room is going to do that?”

“A friend of mine with private security is here. We have guards with us. I can explain more when you get here.”

“You said Heidi’s calling Friedrich?”

Liesel glances over at her sister, who taps her phone screen and puts it to her ear. It only takes a moment before I hear her greet her boyfriend.

“She’s talking to him right now. My friend will send cars for each of you. It’s really important that you stay down below the window.”

“What? Anne, this is insane. You want me crouched on the floor of a car with people I don’t know.”

“Yes, Bastian. I trust this recommendation. If anyone’s been watching my family, then they’ll know about you and Friedrich. I want you to get here safely. That means no one seeing you on the road.”

“And I suppose we’ll be coming up the freight elevator or something.”

“Until you have to switch to the guest elevator to get to the penthouse. It’ll keep you out of the busy lobby.”

“All this cloak and dagger is ridiculous for your father not calling you back for a few hours.”