Seducing Texas (So not Prince Charming #2)(35)

“Gangbangers?”

“Feebies.”

“We should lose them. Otherwise Juarez won’t show.” And I do want to talk to him. He may have some ideas about silencing Manny. They’ve been enemies for years.

Shane speeds through a yellow light and then detours onto the highway. It’ll take us a few minutes out of our way but worth it.

“I think I lost them,” he says.

He takes me to our meeting place. It’s some popular fast food chicken on the south side of town, and I wonder if this is some sort of front like Breaking Bad.

Shane waits by his truck, standing outside and sipping on bottled water. He’s so damn hot and notices me staring at Secretariat.

He grins. “Later,” he says, patting my butt.

Juarez isn’t here, and I’m hungry, so I order fried chicken, coleslaw, and sweet tea and take a booth in the corner. It’s in between lunch and dinner, so it’s pretty much empty or did Juarez plan that. He could’ve had my food poisoned and then dump our bodies out back. At least, Shane and I will be buried together under some nameless rock in the desert.

The Columbian drug lord shows up right on time. He’s punctual. I’ll give him that. I’m a little nervous about seeing him. I’ve met him a few times through my dad, but I don’t really know Juarez.

“Senorita Diaz,” he says, sitting down. His gang waits outside and gives my monster of a man a wide berth.

Juarez is beyond handsome. The trimmed beard defines his strong jaw. He has dark hair and eyes, and skin kissed by the sun. He took over his father’s business upon his dad’s untimely demise, and he is in his early thirties.

“Senor Juarez,” I say.

“You can call me Emilio,” he says in Spanish, which I don’t feel comfortable with.

“First name basis is a little too familiar for me,” I say in his native language.

“You are a beautiful woman, Senorita Diaz. Should your boyfriend and you part ways I would gladly entertain and invite you to my estate in Columbia.”

He’s seriously flirting with me, so maybe he won’t kill me. If Juarez plans on whisking me off into the sunset, our meeting isn’t looking too good for Shane. “We should get down to business,” I say.

“As you wish. I can appreciate you later.” His hands fold on top of the table between us. “You have something I want, and I have something you need.”

“What do you have that I could possibly want?” I ask.

“The man who murdered your mother.”

My breath halts. “There’s nothing I can do about that now.” Except kill Manny.

“There is. I can give you the keys to the castle.”

This sounds interesting. “What do you mean?”

“If you kill Manuel Diaz, then I will have something on you and you will have something on me.”

That doesn’t sound like a good idea. I was already planning on murder, but if Juarez can get me close. “Right now, you don’t have anything on me, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“No, but Manny will come after you. It’s only a matter of time.”

“I know.” And I can’t let him get near Willa.

“You’ve probably got multiple copies of the drive, and even if you give me one, you could have many more. I would like to know that you will take the copies offshore and under another name to avoid any federal warrants.”

That’s a good idea. “I understand, and I wouldn’t turn over any information on you. What if I want to bargain for less time for my dad and use his books that are on the drive?”

“As long as you send me what you plan on handing over, I would be amenable to that. Manny has a file on me that he stole. I assume the other file contains Manny’s books.”

“It does.” I suck in a deep breath, concerned about giving him too much information, but Juarez may know what else is on the original drive. “There are other files on the drive, and Shane says that it has a special character set, maybe Asian.”

Juarez scratches his chin in thought. “Manny must’ve stolen from the Chinese. They have a heroin distribution, and they’re into other things.”

“Other drugs?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t think so, and I don’t know what, but we’d like them out of the way too.”

“You don’t deal in heroin?” I probably shouldn’t ask him.

“No, but we don’t like the Chinese taking from our business. If you share some of that information, it would help me.”

“I’ll consider turning in the other files.” It seems like there’s more to our deal than just our trade. He must want Manny gone for some other reason. “Is there something I should know that you’re not telling me?”

He plays with a sterling silver lighter. “Your uncle killed my father. I want him dead, and if you did this, I would trust you implicitly.”

That comes as a shock, though it shouldn’t. Murder seals blood deals. “I have to think about this.” There’s no way I would let him hold murder over my head. Does he think I’m crazy? But he could get me close to Manny.

“I have faith that you will make the right decision. You know your uncle better than I do, and I know you are a strong, vibrant woman who will protect her family.” He stands, taking my hand to kiss it. He glances out the window at Shane. “Espinoza can always get a hold of me, especially if Shane is out of the picture.”