Page 113 of Marks of Rebellion

She taps the napkin. "The drug cartels supply everything. They keep the addicts fed and bring in a constant stream of new users. But they have to have smuggling routes to get around the enforcement agencies that the general public sees."

"Okay. Then what?"

"The government leader sets the tone for how much money the taxpayers will pay to fight 'the war.' Billions get distributed to agencies they choose, except it lines the pockets of corrupt politicians and themselves."

"They skim it off so no one notices?"

"Yes. Plus, people are appointed to positions and paid outrageous sums of money for no reason."

"Good ole boys club, right?"

"Yep. But they get more military power. No one questions any of this. They can take whatever they want from whomever they want, as long as it involves drugs."

"So if they want something, they plant drugs and boom, the property is now the possession of the government."

"If it's recorded. Lots of untraceable things never are and fall directly into the hands of the corrupt politicians."

I stare at the arrows on the napkin. "So, you're telling me that the leaders of governments all over the world are in bed with the drug cartels to keep feeding the beast?"

"Yes."

I take a sip of my beer, letting it all soak in.

"You don't believe me?" she quietly says.

"Of course I believe you. I'm just trying to comprehend this."

She flips the napkin over and draws a triangle then writes, Torres/Belize, Gómez/Colombia, and Cano/Mexico. "You have three drug cartels, all fighting for power. Jonas Torres snuck up on the others. But he's also formed a partnership with Jorge Cano, the Mexican drug cartel leader."

"Against Santiago Gómez?"

"Yes."

"They are taking over more of Gómez's territory?"

"With the help of Global Leaders."

"And the leaders used to support the Colombian cartel?"

"Yes."

I scratch my cheek. "Why did they change sides?"

"Santiago killed his father, Alejandro, to gain power. The Global Leaders had deals with Alejandro, but Santiago tried to renegotiate."

"He got greedy?"

She nods. "The leaders decided to show him the power they had and slowly have been raiding his routes and dealers. They've gotten a bigger percentage from Torres and Cano, removed the law enforcement from gateways into their countries, and left their dealers alone."

"What countries are we talking about, Flower?"

She scrunches her face. "A lot. Every continent on the planet has representation in the movement. And little by little, they are gaining more power. Once they are in full control, that's when the real war will start."

"What do you mean?"

She swallows hard. "It'll be World War III to see who is in ultimate power."

A chill digs its way into my bones. "How do you know?"