“Sounds interesting. Keep digging while I try to decide what to do.”

Slater dug for another couple of minutes before Jack cooled off enough to stop enjoying the vengeance and get back to the task at hand. “Okay, I was just fucking with you. I wanted to make sure you got the point to never fuck with me. Climb out of there and refill the hole.”

Slater started to weep. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. I got some things to tell you, but I don’t have all night, so hurry up.” Jack reached out his hand and Slater took it to help himself climb out.

Jack waited as Slater, who had discovered new energy, quickly started to refill the hole. “First thing I’m going to tell you,” said Jack, “is never tell anyone … and I mean anyone, about tonight.”

“I won’t. Just … thank you for not killing me.”

“Yeah, I’ve always thought of myself as a good guy, although some might disagree.” Jack remained quiet until Slater had refilled the hole and said, “¿Habla usted español?”

“What? No. Just gracias.”

“For a guy who hangs out with Mexicans, you really are a dumb fuck. The Spanish word for uncle is tio. It sounds like T-O. The guy you were listening to was talking to his uncle.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“For now, we will still call him Tio … but I want to meet him in person. You need to arrange it.”

“Why? I mean … after tonight, I don’t want anything to do with this business. I’m quitting. You guys don’t need to look at me as competition anymore.”

“We don’t give a rat’s ass about you. This is about Tio. We want to go into business with him. Once you introduce him to me, you can jump off a bridge for all I care, but until then, you better do what we want. We know the Mexicans have been sellin’ coke on the streets cheaper than ours. That means they’re getting it at a way cheaper price than we’ve been getting from the fuckin’ Colombians. Get word to Tio we handle about three or four ton a year. That should spark his interest.”

“Okay, sure, I’ll contact one of his guys and let him know.”

Jack had a major concern. He knew permission to go to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, would never be approved because the police there were too corrupt and it would be deemed too dangerous. He would have to try and convince Tio to come to the U.S.

“There is one other thing Tio needs to know,” said Jack. “I was in Mexico about a year ago and got into a little shit and used a chair to lay a beating on a couple of Federales who tried to arrest me. I think one guy was hurt real bad. I don’t know how the situation stands for me there now. Tell Tio I want to meet him on the U.S. side of the border.” Jack felt it was a lame excuse, but at the moment he couldn’t think of anything better.

Jack, carrying the shovel, returned with Slater to the car where they continued to talk some more. Jack also had him go over the details again. His purpose was not only to ensure he had been given the correct information, but it was to give Slater a chance to calm down before driving.

Jack also used the opportunity to impress upon Slater the need for secrecy and told him that even with other members of Satans Wrath, it was still on a need-to-know basis.

It was midnight when Jack had Slater drive him back and park a block away from the Satans Wrath clubhouse.

“Here is good,” said Jack. “I don’t want you ever coming here again. The cops monitor our clubhouse a lot. I don’t want them, or anyone else knowing we’re connected. It will be safer for everyone in the long run.”

“What about the cellphone number you gave me? Is it cool?”

“I don’t trust any phone. If you call me, simply say you’re interested in a game of squash and we can meet at The Racquet Club.”

“Okay.”

“How long do you think it will be before you hear back from Tio?”

“I don’t know. I’ll call my contact tomorrow morning. After that I’ll have to wait. It might only take a few minutes for them to pass it on to Tio, or maybe it could take a couple of days. I’ve never spoken to Tio. I just know he’s the big boss. I have no control over him.”

“Understood, but make sure Tio knows we are his equals. I won’t deal with some peon over this matter.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll know that. Everybody in the world knows about you guys.”

Jack thought about asking Slater who his contact in Canada was, along with the names of his contacts in El Paso, but he knew to push for more information now might raise suspicion. All in good time …

“I expect you to get on it immediately.”

“I will, but, uh, if he isn’t interested, I mean, you know, I’ll tell him he could make a lot of money through you guys, but, what if —”

“If he turns us down, we would consider it a declaration of war,” snarled Jack.

“Oh,” replied Slater softly. “I’ll do my best.”

“I’m sure you will. I’ll come by your place at noon to see how you made out. And like I said before, we don’t want anyone to know we are thinking of going in with the Mexicans. For now, I will be the only contact. We don’t want word of this getting out.”

“I won’t tell a soul.”

“Make sure you tell your Mexican contacts to keep their mouths shut and only deal through me, as well. At least for now.”

Jack checked his watch as he drove home. He knew it was too late to be checking with the American authorities in El Paso to see if they had any recent unidentified female bodies.

And if they don’t have any recent bodies from a motel … then where is she?

_____

chapter sixteen

Jack arrived home and checked on Mikey, who was asleep in his crib. He then stuck his head in his own bedroom.

“You’re home,” murmured Natasha, awakened by the door opening.

“Home, but not done. I’ve got a couple hours of notes to do. How is Mikey?”

“He’s okay. I think he’s better.”

Jack took off his gun and put it on his dresser. He would have talked some more, but Natasha’s breathing told him she had gone back to sleep. He went to the den and made notes about what he had learned.

Tomorrow morning he would call CC and meet with her and Wilson, but first there was something else he wanted to check.

Jack had heard for years about the hundreds of women who were disappearing or being found murdered around Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. He turned on his computer to search the Web.

It didn’t take long to find a mass of material relating to the missing women. There had been hundreds. In a few instances there had been arrests, with a few bus drivers being implicated, but for the most part it was a war zone.

Armed cartel members kidnapped women in broad daylight without fear of repercussion. A few were unceremoniously dumped back on the street a day or two later, but many others were murdered and found in shallow graves or laying in drainage ditches outside the city. One woman was found with one breast cut off with a knife and the other bitten off.

Jack sighed and turned the computer off and went to bed. As he lay there, he thought about Slater and his admission that he told the Mexicans where Lily Rae was. He knew there was nothing he could legally do to Slater over what he had been told and the frustration burned inside him.

He did not want to think about what had happened to a naive young girl from Canada by the name of Lily Rae. He did not want to think about it … but he did.

It was a long night.

Probably should have killed the bastard …

Slater’s night was worse. He went home and saw his girlfriend sitting on the sofa watching a movie.