The Cartel PT 1

"Damn that son of a- arrgh! Juan yelled at the recoiling pain that shot up his fist on impact with the brick wall.

He had assumed Lucifer wanted to celebrate their release from prison when he received his call but wasnt disappointed and neither was he surprised. Everyone who knew who he was always came for favors at some point but he never saw it as a problem. He would have helped with whatever Lucifer needed in a heartbeat; money, girls, goons, passports, anything that was in his capability. But Lucifer had to go request an audience with Uncle Pedro.

Juan rested his forehead on the wall before puffing out a long sigh.

He wondered why a scientist would want to meet with a drug lord anyway as he squeezed the gray hat folded in the grip of his left hand. Lucifer remained vague about his reasons all through their afternoon at the bar and that was what he was truly afraid of him asides from telling his uncle. Pedro De Los Santos was a ruthless kingpin who saw unproductiveness and setbacks as an act of betrayal this made no one ever dream of failing him. Juan had seen and dished out some gruesome penalties in the past to know what was coming his way if anything went wrong.

He gave a mild shrug off his shoulders as he slowly raised his head. That wasnt at the top of his major problems at the moment, tonights meeting was of more importance. Uncle Pedro wouldnt just summon everyone from the inner circle to the warehouse if it wasnt.

A light bulb flickered at the end of the hall which he stood. The warehouse was one of many buildings scattered around the city that housed the cartels drugs, weapons, and money. This particular one had some rooms where the dirty money was cleaned and was heavily guarded for meetings such as this. Juan decided to regain his composure before taking any further step. He drove a hand down the back of his long hair and wore his hat before he continued down the end of the passage.

"Ahh, hes finally here!" A voice exclaimed as he walked into the room. Juan paused as his eyes scanned the whole room. The long rectangular desk at the center of the small room was already surrounded by members of the inner circle- all lieutenants with their territories. Most seemed absorbed by the game of poker they were playing to even acknowledge his presence. Juan grimaced then turned his attention to the voice that had beckoned on him earlier; his cousin Miguels.

"We were starting to think you wouldnt make it, cosa bonita," Miguel continued with a smug grin.

Juan's eyes accompanied a disgusted frown at him before shifting to his other cousin, Alejandra. Unlike Miguel who turns to sarcasm and jokes to filter his emotions, Alejandra wore them boldly on her sleeves instead. Regardless, no one could ever tell what she was thinking. Not even Luca her brother.

"Hola, prima."

Alejandras only response was an icy stare at him, pushing the toothpick in her mouth from left to right with her tongue. Juan was the eldest among the three but never had they regarded him with the respect that came with that position and it only seemed to worsen with his current streak of mistakes since the year began till now.

Juan gulped then walked over to the empty seat in the room next to Parejo, the oldest lieutenant in the cartel.

"You of people should know how the boss feels about meetings like this, Juan, Parejo snorted as he shuffled the cards in his palms with a discomfited look as Juan took his seat.

"I'm sorry, I was meeting up with a friend," Juan replied, adjusting his jacket.

"How's your boyfriend from prison, primo? You two had a good time, eh?"

A round of laughter erupted at Luca's tease, leaving Juan more irritated.

"Shut up, Luca," He grunted.

"Oh, so you admit you've got a boyfriend, no?" Alejandra added, causing another round of laughter which soon faded as soon as Pedro De Los Santos stepped into the room.

He was accompanied by two hefty bodyguards dressed in black, contrasting the white suit he was wearing. His thick trimmed goatee and his small dark eyes were the strongest features. With all that in addition to his well-built frame, one could easily mistake him for a gentleman which indeed wasn't. Everyone began to rise in salutation but he gave a wave of dismissal almost immediately.

"Gentlemen, and lady," he began straight away. "I know you all must be wondering why I summoned you here on such short notice, the truth is I don't want to be here either. You know how we've been able to flourish all these years; we run a very tight operation with very few risks- this is why I chose family, a family bound not just by blood relations but by sacrifices and trust." He paused for a moment to read their faces. Everyone looked at him with the utmost attention.

"Above all this, as Capo, I had to make sure I remained clean to the outside world. The police stayed clear off you because of me and in time we were also able to make some of them turn a blind eye to certain slip-ups... But the truth is business hasn't been running as smoothly as usual. Mistakes have become more frequent and even as much as one tries to curb them, I'm afraid there are always repacautions.

Juan knew his uncle referred to him. Soon enough, their gaze fixed on each other and for the first time since Pedro walked in, Juan realized how much he was sweating.

"This means our structure will be tweaked for the time being to bring in more stability. Dani, reach out to the butterflies and take care of all our loose falcons on other streets."

The lieutenants all understood what he meant. They all threw glances at each other but none could dare make a sound.

"All of them?" Dani asked.

"The ones that tend to crack under a little heat," Pedro answered.

"But dad, as part of the butterflies I should be the one to carry out this assignment," Alejandra protested.

"No, mija, you've got much more important things to do... From now on, you're in charge of Juan's territory. The rest of you now report to Miguel who in turn reports to me."

"What the fuck!" Juan yelled in shock. Alejandra and Miguel on the other hand didn't seem all that surprised. Their smirk stretched wider as they looked at each other.

"How does she get to take my place and you give him a promotion? I fucking went to prison for you!" Juan blasted as he sprang to his feet.

"An incident that could have easily been prevented if you never attempted to play smart and just did what you were told cousin," Miguel chimed in.

"Then why did you go ahead to bail me, huh? You should have left me in jail, or maybe send Alejandra and her hitmen to come to finish me off."

Alejandra scoffed. "Bullshit, the only reason uncle bailed your ass is because you're his nephew."

Juan's rage was rising by the second. Still, he decided to keep his composure.

"Of course. And you'd like it if I wasn't part of the family, wouldn't you, prima?"

"Sure," Alejandra snapped. "But then your mother had to go get pregnant and then kill herself when she found out your daddy didn't love her as he promised before screwing her brains out."

Something immediately shattered inside Juan. Now he didn't care that his uncle was standing in front of him. He didn't care that Alejandra could probably knock him down with one hand tied behind her back. He was mad and he wanted to make her pay for what she said.

"You fucking--" Juan lunged at her with a punch but it was a futile one that Alejandra sidestepped by pushing her weight backward on her chair. She grabbed the flying arm and jerked. Juan immediately lost his balance, making it easier for her to pin his head to the table.

"That's enough!" Don Pedro growled as Juan struggled with heavy breaths under Alejandra's grip. She kept her hands on him until he became calm, then she released him, stepping back so he could gather himself."

"But she is right, Juan. The only reason I'm tolerating you right now is because of my sister. But raise your voice at me again and I'll cut out your tongue and feed to the dogs," Don Pedro continued with an expressionless stare.

I kept my mouth shut uncle- I dont deserve this- he moaned.

Dont speak to me about what's deserved boy! Don Pedro thundered, youve had everything handled to you your entire fucking life!

His Uncle's words sent harsh waves of self-loathe down his windpipe. He was tired of feeling worthless but the truth was they were right. Never had he contributed anything unique to the cartel. The first time he tried amounted to his stay in prison.

"B-but, I'm not useless," Juan stammered with heavy pants as he remembered Lucifer just then.

What! Don Pedro's face pinched even tighter.

"I know someone who has an offer you can't refuse."

Out of everyone present, his uncle's eyes felt the most intense staring at him.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Alejandra wondered out loud.

"He is talking about me, sweetheart," Lucifer voiced, pulling everyone's baffled eyes to the open door.