Chapter 26
The flight from Mexico to Venezuela took about five hours. Sotza was happy to be back. Watching Vee's face as they descended over the mountainous jungle region of his home made this landing special. Her professional mask slipped away as she clutched the window frame and leaned in her seat to better see the breathtaking beauty of Venezuela. He could see a combination of excitement, exhilaration and trepidation in her lovely features. He suspected she'd never travelled this far.
Though Sotza didn't know all the details, he did know that Vee had an isolated childhood. She was born and raised in Miami and rarely strayed beyond the Florida borders. Her mother had been a high-class prostitute that became pregnant by a mobster. The man was already married but agreed to set his mistress and the child up in an apartment. Vee met her father a handful of times over the years before her parents split for good. The mother died of a speedball overdose when Vee was sixteen.