Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
And they made fun of my peanut butter plot.
In Bogotá, Jacinto Agudelo will be entertaining one of his lavish parties twenty-four hours from now. I attended one of his get-togethers while I was staying at his home. He spares no expense, be it on booze, drugs, or women. Around midnight, he’ll disappear from the party after all his friends have taken an escort to bed. He’ll lock himself in his study, where he’ll indulge in vintage Scotch and Cuban cigars alone. There, my man Rodrigo will strike. Rodrigo is an expert at blending in the crowd. The waitstaff for the company catering his events is regularly replaced, and Agudelo won’t recognize Rodrigo as a new face. He will poison Agudelo’s Scotch without a hitch.
Diego Vega is a different breed entirely. He shuns luxury, preferring to handle things on his own turf—on the streets of Bogotá where he grew up and built his empire from scratch. This rugged reality makes him more guarded and difficult to reach, but not impossible. Vega’s unwavering loyalty to his roots is where I’ll get him. The local soccer match he attends every Sunday without fail. Manuel, a local street vendor known for his empanada stand near the soccer field, will ensure that Vega’s usual order is laced with a lethal dose of cyanide baked carefully into his favorite beef empanada.
I have found that McAllister in Austin is a man of meticulous habits, predictably punctual and consistently cautious. His morning routine consists of an early jog along Lady Bird Lake and then a vanilla latte at the same coffee shop he’s patronized for over a decade every morning at precisely eight-fifteen.
At that precise time tomorrow morning, Sofia, who has been working at the coffee shop for the last week, will serve McAllister his daily brew. Sofia has an uncanny ability to make herself forgettable, a trait that makes her perfect for this job. She’ll poison his morning drink flawlessly.
McAllister won’t suspect a thing. He’ll raise his cup to his lips and not even notice the slight bitterness masked by sugar and warm milk. By the time he realizes something is wrong, it will be too late. He’ll clutch at his chest, gasp for breath and collapse right there in that quaint little coffee shop. It will look like a heart attack. I’ve already paid off the coroners at the local hospital in the likely event that an autopsy is ordered. Once his staff is notified of his demise, Natalie will take Belinda to social services, where a contact there has agreed to allow me to take guardianship of her until she turns eighteen.
Once Daniela is eighteen and she gets her green card, she and I will divorce and I’ll send her to culinary school on my dime and make sure she has everything she needs. It’s the least I can do, since I’m having her father killed. His assets will be seized by the cartel, and there won’t be anything left for Daniela. I will make sure she’s set for life.
I will be in Austin at City Hall tomorrow morning, presenting a hefty check to the local school district, shaking hands with politicians, and making speeches about how we need to invest more in our children’s education. Lots of witnesses to solidify my alibi.
At least that’s where I’m supposed to be.
Bellamy’s suicide attempt has fucked up those plans. I’m not leaving Raven alone.
“Get information on Austin Bellamy first,” I tell Sam, my hacker. “I want to know his prognosis.”
Sam hacks into the hospital computer and scans the screen.
“Looks like he’s going to make it. They stitched him up. Gave him a transfusion for the blood loss. He’s in ICU for observation, but the prognosis is good.”
I heave a sigh of relief for Raven.
For me? I’m convinced Bellamy has plenty to hide, and though he may think he has his children’s best interests at heart, I’m not so certain that he does.
“Any news from Bogotá?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Not yet.”
I nod. Not that I was expecting any. Nothing will go down until tonight.
“What about Mario and Serena?”
“Their documents are in their hands, and they’re boarding a flight to Dubai tonight.”
I nod.
John and Marla Perkins, as Mario and Serena will now be known, will live in a villa situated in a quiet gated community in Emirates Hills that offers security and privacy. Their home is close to high-end amenities and an excellent healthcare facility. Mario has enough clean money to live comfortably with Serena for the next twenty years.
I’m confident in my plans to keep them safely hidden away for the rest of their days. After all, I escaped from my own family’s watchful eye for seventeen years. I can certainly give Mario and Serena ten or so.
I leave the communications room to check on Raven.
“Please,” she begs when I go to her. “I have to see my father. I have to, Vinnie.”