Page 3 of Cartel Viper (The Cartel Brotherhood #2)

He has his other nephew Pablo to be his heir, so he doesn’t need to try for any sons. Makes sense he’d find someone closer to his age.

“When you see Luis or Margherita, pass along my felicidades .” Congratulations.

My parents and their neighbors are civil but not friends anymore.

“Enrique’s invited all of us to the reception.”

My gaze darts toward the door.

Motherfucker.

“Really?”

Once I’m finished wiping down any surface I touched, I put the tube of wipes in my go bag.

I do a sweep of the bedroom, pulling the sheets of the still-made bed a little tighter.

I didn’t sleep directly on the sheets, instead using my sleeping bag.

I did my best to make sure I didn’t leave any hair as a sign I was there.

It’s not like I thought somebody would send a forensics team in here, but in case Drew found me, I didn’t want to leave any obvious evidence that this was my room.

“Yes. Do you think you can come down for it?”

Since I’m already here .

“I can try. I can’t believe we’re invited.”

“You know Laura and Maks are, and so are the rest of the family. Laura’s made as much peace with Enrique as they can, so they’re on good terms right now.

It’s not like Luis and Margherita are Dad’s and my enemies.

We just aren’t close anymore. As strained as it is, we’ve all been like family far longer than we’ve been estranged. Should I reply it’ll be you and Drew?”

Fuck my life .

“Text me the date, and I’ll let you know whether he and I can make it. It might just be me.”

Or not .

“It’s next week.”

Shit. Shit. Fuck.

“Let me check my schedule, and I’ll get back to you. I gotta run, Mom.”

“Okay, sweetie. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

I hang up and look at my phone. I have to come up with an excuse besides work for why I can’t go.

It would be legit to say it’s too late to get the time off, and my mom would understand since she’s a doctor.

But I’ve used that excuse so many times over the past two years, I know my family doubts me.

I don’t need to raise their suspicions right now.

With everything packed up, I ease the hotel room door open and use my cell phone camera to look down the hallway, angling it so I can see there’s a man by the elevators. I yank my phone back as he looks in my direction. I wait for him to sound the alarm or come investigate, but nothing happens.

I slip out while looking toward the elevator. I silently close the door. I’m taking a chance since Joaquin or Javier might have posted somebody at the stairwell. I head casually down the hall toward the stairs, trying not to look suspicious.

If anybody asks why I’m using the stairs instead of the elevator, I’ll say there was a large man standing at the elevator, and he made me uncomfortable.

It’s not a lie. I head down two flights before stepping into the hallway.

I’m not in as good a shape as I once was, and I’m winded from those two flights of stairs.

I hop in the elevator to ride the rest of the way down, chancing he has men outside of the elevator in the lobby.

The doors ping open, and I’ve never been so glad it’s raining outside as I am now. I pull my hood up over my ball cap and zip my coat all the way up. I cover my nose and mouth with the collar, and my cap shades my eyes.

The hood keeps anyone from seeing the bits of my blonde hair that poke out from beneath the hat. The Diazes have a man in the lobby. He’s pretty unobtrusive, but after growing up next door to the second most senior member of the Cartel, I know what to look for. My time with Drew confirmed it.

While I miss the tank of an SUV I had, which was perfect for winter in Albany, I’m glad I have something much more inconspicuous.

I left my SUV behind when I ran. Instead, I have Maine plates on a small gas-hybrid hatchback.

Part of the money I saved paid for it. I used my fake identification to register it.

I considered putting on fake plates. I couldn’t risk getting pulled over and having the cops run them.

I toss my bags in the trunk and snap closed my umbrella as I climb in.

I need to get away from here, then I can plan further what I’m going to do next.

I can’t wait around in the parking lot to make up my mind.

I’m in a part of Brooklyn I don’t know very well, but I have a pretty good idea of where I am.

I didn’t want to go somewhere near my family in Queens.

But I wanted to be somewhere where I could get to them fast if I absolutely had to.

Once I’m back on the road, the image of Javier entering with his gun drawn fixes in my mind.

I always thought he was the hottest of the Tres J’s .

Javier, Jorge, and Joaquin. There’s not an ugly one in that family.

Enrique’s a silver fox. Luis is too much like a second father for me to find him attractive.

Same thing with Pablo; he’s too much like a brother.

But I can acknowledge they’re good looking.

Their other cousin, Alejandro, is the pretty one in the family. The one that’s almost too hot to be true. There’s one in each of the four families. In the bratva, it’s Pasha. In the Mafia, it’s Lorenzo. In the mob, it’s Finn.

But there’s always been something about Javier that could drop my panties in a heartbeat.

I haven’t seen him in years, but nothing’s changed about that.

Yeah, Joaquin was there, but it wasn’t because he was behind Javier for most of it that I barely noticed him.

It wasn’t because Javier did most of the talking.

It’s his overall aura. There’s something about the man that’s drawn me to him since we were in high school.

If he realizes who I am, there’s no way he’ll ignore me. It’s only a matter of time before he finds me if he deduces my real identity.