Page 13 of No Sweeter Poison

With pursed lips she says, “Next time I’ll just let Paulo Soto put a bullet through you.”

Diego and I look down at the body with the nasty hole in its chest knowing there won’t be a next time. Paulo Soto’s lifeless eyes are glued to the dark sapphire sky above his head, as if he died wondering whether or not he’d pass through the pearly gates.

Noticing this, Lettie gives a nonchalant shrug. “Got the job done, didn’t it?”

Paulo has always been a thorn in my side. And while he may no longer be an immediate threat, there’s still the rest of his crew to consider. Some lie dead on the ground and others scattered once they saw Lettie with her shotgun. To be fair, she’s a formidable creature. No one expects the small, quiet granddaughter of Salazar Narvaez to be as lethal as she is. But behind that pretty face is a menace that disturbs even Diego and me. She’s fiercely loyal to the ones she loves and that love manifests itself…uniquely.

Usually in the form of master toxicology or weapons. Whatever suits her mood that day.

She created the poison that offed Roberto Garcia and the shotgun in her hands is one of her own design. Diego often suggests we send her to therapy but there aren’t many who’d fully understand our lifestyle. It’s better to accept her as she is and work around it than try to change her.

I count four bodies. How the hell did so many of Garcia’s people get into our territory undetected? It doesn’t make any sense. Did Garcia suspect we’d put a hit on him tonight and he wanted backup just in case? Doubtful. I hadn’t even decided I wanted to go through with it until this morning. No way that kind of information could’ve leaked. Our people are airtight.

A second later the back door opens and Paco and Mauricio are dragging Roberto’s corpse behind them.

“Patrón,” Paco grunts. “Look.”

Mauricio and Paco let go at the same time. Roberto’s body lands next to Paulo’s and Diego and I both have the same repulsed reaction.

Diego turns away, skin turning green with the urge to vomit. “Lettie!”

“You wanted him dead, didn’t you?”

“Dead,” I snap. “Not fucking decomposed.”

Lettie reaches into the pocket of her dress and pulls out a cherry candy. She pops it into her mouth and says, “Arsenic is my favorite.”

I’ve never seen a body look like this before—at least, not one that hasn’t been underwater or underground for at least a month. Roberto Garcia’s skin is sallow, discolored, his body bloated, mouth foaming. His fingers are black with rot and his eyes have no color at all; they look like frosted glass. Not to mention the smell is absolutely vile. Paco throws a tarp over him and a handful of men file out the backdoor to start cleaning up this mess.

“Hey.” Diego grabs one by the shoulder and points. “I want the blood gone before dawn, understand? Doña Concepcion’s granddaughters walk through here to get to church.”

I turn to my sister. “I’m open to theories.”

Lettie rolls her cherry candy between her teeth as she considers. “Sandoval must’ve heard we’re playing nice with the Russians. He tells Garcia, Garcia figures out that we know he tried cutting a side deal behind our backs but didn’t want to tip us off. He didn’t cancel tonight’s dinner and brought backup instead. We found these guys surrounding the perimeter.”

Diego tilts his head in agreement. “I told you not to entertain the Russians.”

My eyes roll so far to the back of my head I think they might get lost in my skull.

“The fucking Russians!” I exclaim. “I swear to God, if I hear about the fucking Russians one more time—”

She regards me indifferently. “You were the one who wanted to get friendly with the new neighbors.”

“If I’d have known it was going to cost me so many fucking headaches, I’d have sent their asses back to Russia!” I turn to my brother. “I want Belov and Maslov here now. And get the Italians on the phone. I want to get ahead of this.”

Diego drops into a dramatic bow. “A sus órdenes.”

Who knew that trying to get away from a life of crime would bring it to our doorstep. I’ve spent the entirety of my adult life trying to legitimize the family business. No more black-market dealings, no more protecting territory, no more political influence. A smooth transition means cooperating with the Russians who are moving into the country at an ever-increasing rate, remaining neutral allies with the Italians who’ve always been here, and staying out of the way of the Balkans who conduct business the way they want to. All of this is to serve a greater purpose. We’re so close. So close to the future our father envisioned for this family that I can practically taste the sweetness of liberation on my tongue.

But if things like this keep happening, that future is going to slip further and further out of reach. I know the rest of the twelve families are bitter about our withdrawal. It means rewriting the law of the land and the redivision of territory; with that, comes the potential for conflict. Taking decades of peace talks and negotiations and throwing them out the window. Yet I don’t see any other choice.

Spain is what the world of organized crimes likes to call the mafia-free safe haven for the mafia—the gateway to Europe. Balance of power was destined to shift eventually but I don’t think most people expected it to happen during my grandfather’s lifetime. Much less with me at the helm.

This was my father’s dream and I’m here to see it fulfilled.

Right now, the Sandovals are particularly enraged about the family going legitimate. Sandro, their capo, is a distant cousin of ours. His grandfather was my grandfather’s first cousin and they came up together in the late fifties and early sixties. This place, this entire area, was completely different back then.

Sandro thinks it’s his birthright to inherit our territory and absorb it into his ever-diminishing kingdom whereas I want this chunk of the city to stay above water. Too many families live here now and millions have been invested into bringing it out of poverty. In Abuelo’s time, this was considered just a few steps above the slums. In the sixty years since, it’s completely transformed into a center for culture in the city and a safe, beautiful residential neighborhood for growing families.