A True Queen
Paring: OC/James, Teresa/Guero
Summary: it isn't Teresa's future self that guides her; it's Concetta. A woman who's seen and endured some twisted shit. Concetta is the definition of a survivor and she'll protect Teresa with her life.
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EJERCICIO TRES
Estrategia De Entrada
James walked into Camila's office with the duffle of money ready to hand over to her from Han. Camila nodded at him to sit down and wait when her phone rang.
"Hola?" Camila answered putting the phone on speaker
"Camila. Listen, I want to be perfectly clear about these girls I'm looking for... whatever it takes, whatever it costs. Do you hear me?" Came her husband - Don Epifanio's voice over the phone.
James sat forward to listen, he knew there had to be a hell of a lot more going on with those two girls to warrant this much attention. Camila's contact had told them that Epifanio's men were searching all of Mexico for the two women.
"I hear you" Camila said nodding as she took a seat behind her desk. "It must be very important to warrant a second call"
Epifanio laughed, "I like talking to you. I'm starting to believe you miss me...might as well come home?"
"Why risk it? You know, we get along so well now... the charm of distance" Camila replied slyly. "Listen, I ask about these girls. Nobody has seen them. How much manpower am I supposed to put on this? How deep does this need to go? And I don't want you to hold a grudge - I know how you can get. I don't want you to think I'm not taking this seriously" she played along
"I believe you are taking it seriously" Epifanio answered with a practiced calmness
"If I find them do you need them dead or alive? Does it matter?" Camila questioned trying to get something more out of Epifanio.
"Preferably alive" Epifanio answered as if he wasn't bothered at all by the situation.
However, sometimes no reaction is more telling than a big reaction.
Camila sighed, "I am asking you for the last time - what do these girls mean to you?"
"I told you already" Epifanio dismissed her suspicion.
"So you're not going to tell me what this is about? I'm just supposed to keep looking for these girls who mean nothing to you? Whom you need alive preferably and whom need to be made examples of?" Camila was growing irritated but she kept her voice even despite it.
Epifanio chuckled cockily, "Thank you. I knew you'd see it my way"
"Enough about this" Camila sighed, "Did Batman show you my proposal for the new delivery terms?"
"Oh, yes, he did. Stiff, no? I have already given you the family discount"
"Oh, but we're not family anymore, sweetheart. If you refuse my terms this time we're gonna have a much less amicable split" Camila threatened
"Ohhh..." Epifanio laughed "So this is tough talk and tougher terms?"
Camila didn't look pleased with the way Epifanio dismissed her abilities to run the business. James figured that was probably why there's so much bad blood between them in the first place.
Camila sighed, "And how do you think I built our business in the first place?"
"I'd hate to be one of your competitors in Dallas. I'm feeling sentimental today... okay, 12 months. We'll revisit the terms next year." Epifanio agreed and disconnected the phone before more could be said.
James raised a brow but didn't say anything as he let Camila take a second to compose herself. He watched as she poured herself a glass of fancy whiskey and waited until she was sat on her desk before speaking. "So, Valentina got the airport job done" he said gesturing to the duffle of money that now sat on the table.
Camila nodded thoughtfully, "And, as you heard, Epifanio agreed to our terms" While that was good news for the business Camila didn't look the slightest bit pleased.
"You don't seem pleased about that" James noted before he could stop himself, he just didn't understand what about that wasn't good?
"I just don't think he would concede so easily" Camila nodded
James shrugged, "Well, maybe he's reaching out? Maybe it's his way of making peace"
After all, Camila is still Epifanio's wife. The man wouldn't be letting her pull some of the shit she's done in the past if he didn't still love her...
"Of maybe he doesn't think I'm going to be here next year" Camila stated shaking her head slightly. "You know, this Mendoza girl and the Espinosa girl... keep an eye on them. I think they might be more useful than I thought. I want you to talk to them... get them to trust you"
"And then do what?" James questioned on a sigh, a little put out with this task but he would do it nonetheless.
Camila knew that too.
"Tell them, if they're thinking of running away, they shouldn't. If they're thinking about going to the police, they'll send them to ICE and then ship them back to Mexico. Sonner rather than later my husband will find them... Tell them if they want to die - they should run, if they want to live - they should stay with me"
James nodded his understanding holding in a small sigh as Camila made her words extremely clear; he needed to get these girls on their side.
"Do we have their background checks done yet? Do we know anything about them?" James asked
Camila had called someone to look into it yesterday.
Camila nodded and pulled out her phone calling the man she had tasked with researching these two women's past. They only had to wait a few minutes in comfortable silence before Rubin showed up at Camila's office.
"Hola Camila, James" Rubin greeted them coming to stand in the middle of the office before pulling out a piece of paper with Teresa passport picture on it.
"Alright" Rubin started "So, This one's name is Teresa Mendoza... 22, and she's from Culiacan. Was a salesgirl in the Buelna Mercado, spent the last 5 years as a money changer on Calle Juarez"
Camila nodded for him to continue.
Rubin placed another picture of a large house on the desk. "She lived with Guero here... I got in, looked around. There was nothing really" Rubin sighed rubbing the back of his neck.
"What about the other girl? Valentina Espinosa?" Camila asked expectantly, seeing Rubin hesitate.
James sat forward taking the printed passport picture when Rubin set it on the table. Rubin must have found something on Valentina for him to be getting nervous. "Well?" James prompted expectantly staring at Rubin.
Rubin sighed, "Valentina Espinosa, 26, she's from Sinaloa. Spent the last 3 years in Calle Juarez as a money changer with Teresa before she moved last year to live with Guero... However, that's all there is - Valentina Espinosa didn't exist until 4 years ago"
"Well, shit" James breathed out staring at the picture on the fake passport he was holding.
Valentina Espinosa isn't her real name?
It made sense now why she was able to remember the information from the fake passport they'd made yesterday. James supposed he wasn't all that surprised.
"Do you know who she really is then, Rubin?" Camila demanded
"No, there hasn't been any leads on her real identity... at least nothing in Sinaloa that I could find" Rubin sighed
Camila shook her head moving to stand up again as she paced in front of her desk slightly. "How did Guero steal from Epifanio? Does it involve this - Valentina woman?"
Rubin shook his head regretfully, "The details I got were that Guero and Chino were in with the Federales. They were getting back seized cocaine, re-selling it for themselves. Batman got Guero, Pote and Gato got Chino"
Camila took the folder from Rubin and started going through the printed pictures the man had included. They were pictures of Teresa and Guero at parties or with Chino and another woman.
None of them included Valentina.
She was smart - James noted easily. She might have made friends with the new identity but she didn't get sloppy.
No wonder Rubin hadn't found a lead on her real identity.
"Mhmn, Alright, what about Teresa... that's her real identity?" Camila asked and Rubin nodded in confirmation. "What about her family then?"
"You won't be able to get to her through that. Teresa's family were killed in a shooting when she was 17 - that's why she came to Sinaloa and started working as a money changer... where she met this Valentina Espinosa" Rubin explained, "All the people she cared about are dead now; all except this Espinosa woman, but if the rumours are true and Valentina was just Guero's little puta... then maybe Teresa really doesn't have anyone"
"There's gotta be more to that" James spoke up shaking his head at that.
He heard the way Valentina, or whoever she really is, was talking about Teresa and it was clear she cared about the other woman. Whatever their situation was before this, those two would look out for each other now.
Camila nodded in agreement, "I agree, there has to be more to that... what woman would protect and trust someone sleeping with the love of her life? These must be just rumours"
Rubin shrugged, "Either way. Epifanio has people searching everywhere for them; California, Florida, Arizona... whatever he wants them for, it's very important"
"Important enough to pretend they don't mean anything" Camila sighed nodding before dismissing Rubin from the office.
James stood and sighed, he glanced at the pictures that were across the desk and left the room. He had a feeling that this Valentina woman would be the key to everything that happened with Epifanio. Teresa seemed like she really was just the girlfriend. If anyone was going to know what this shit was about he'd put his money on it being Valentina.
Concetta sighed as her body slumped against the chain link fence, they were sitting on the dirty mattress. Teresa's head was rested in her lap and Concetta stroked her fingers through Teresa's hair as she slept.
Somehow the movement calmed both herself and Teresa.
She could feel Teresa twitching in her sleep - every now and then her friend would mumble Guero's name and it was like a kick to the gut each time.
Yet she didn't have the heart to wake Teresa.
Not if Teresa was dreaming of the good times in her life. The peaceful, safe times where she didn't have to be scared. How could Concetta wake Teresa just to bring her back to the reality they were in?
She couldn't.
So, instead Concetta took to watching the people around them. Making sure not to let Teresa slip into another nightmare. When Teresa finally woke up and blinked at her surroundings the peaceful look that had been on her face for hours fell.
"Morning" Concetta offered a small sympathetic smile, "Wake up. I've got a feeling this is as good as our day's gonna get"
Teresa nodded like she had already assumed that herself and sat up, mimicking Concetta's half comfortable position on the mattress they shared. It was small, and they didn't have much room but the only times Concetta had slept on her own mattress... Teresa had been plagued with nightmares.
Sharing doesn't bother her much anyway - her mind is too alert, too on edge to sleep right now.
Watching over Teresa kept her sane.
"We moved?" Teresa asked after a second of looking around and not recognising where they were.
"Oh, yeah, we did" Concetta blinked almost having forgotten that last nights move. She had gotten back to the warehouse with James, after the Airport exchange, and found that Camila had ordered for them to be moved in with the other mules.
Concetta had been in pain, exhausted and damn near ready to collapse but when she tried to wake Teresa her friend hadn't stirred. James had taken pity on her and offered to carry Teresa, but Concetta had pinned him with a seething glare and done it herself. She had picked Teresa up and moved them over to their new beds without help.
James had watched her with a small smirk that he tried to hide. Then left without a word once he had seen her successfully carry another grown ass woman.
Concetta didn't share his amusement.
"We're with the other mules now, Teresita" she added with a small smile knowing she had saved them from a worse fate. They might be happy about that, but the other girls in here certainly weren't.
"We should get dressed" Teresa nodded groaning a little when she sat up from the unusual sleeping position she'd worked her way into. "How long was I out?"
Concetta shrugged, "I don't know - had to of been hours. When I got back yesterday you were asleep and you stayed that way since"
Teresa nodded and started pulling on her shoes after pulling her hair up into a bun with an elastic she'd had on her wrist. "Come on" Teresa whispered pulling out a phone from her pocket. "We need to find reception somewhere in here"
Concetta nodded and stood following after Teresa. Making sure nobody was taking any notice of what they were doing.
Teresa stopped in a small corner and started listening to the voicemail Brenda had left them. Teresa sighed and went to answer the phone when Brenda started calling again, but Concetta quickly stopped her. "No" she told a confused Teresa then walked over to the other mule women. "Hola. Can I use your phone, por favour? Por un segundo?"
The woman looked at her blankly, "Nada dura un segundo tonto"
Teresa stepped up beside her and looked at the women pleadingly, "Lo sé, por favor, la vida de mi amiga está en peligro... I need to call her. Can you help me, please?"
Apparently that was enough because the woman reluctantly handed over her phone to Teresa with a sigh.
Concetta rolled her eyes once they walked away again after Teresa promised to bring the phone right back. These puta's certainly didn't like that she'd done one mule job and gotten moved up in their 'ranks'.
It was not helpful in the slightest.
Teresa dialled Brenda's number, "Hello? Brenda? It's me Teresa"
Brenda gasped, "Oh Teresita! Oh, my god, you're alive! Is Valentina with you? Are you both okay? What happened to you? Where are you?" she fired off rapid questions.
"Yes, I'm fine. We're fine" Teresa interrupted before Brenda could keep going with her questions. "Just listen to me"
"Why'd it take you so long to call me back?" Brenda cried out, "You know how many messages I left? You leave me here thinking that you're both dead and shit? You know how upset Tony was?"
"I'll explain everything later... just listen to me" Teresa sighed into the phone
Concetta took the phone when she heard Brenda continue to ramble at Teresa.
"Brenda!" Concetta snapped harshly and it was thankfully enough to make Brenda stop. "Now listen. Guero told me that all your phones are theirs. They have their own cell phone network. Towers, everything - all can be tracked. Guero's, Chino's, Teresa's, yours. Do you understand?"
Teresa's eyes widened with realisation. Now understanding why Concetta hadn't let her use the phone they took from Guero to call Brenda back.
"Turning it off to save battery probably saved her life" Teresa whispered and Concetta nodded in agreement.
"They might be able to hear you right now" Concetta sighed into the phone. "Listen, Brenda, you have to destroy your phone"
Teresa took the phone back quickly, "Destroy the phone and go to the crazy green place, okay?"
"I don't - I don't know what you're talking about... I don't even know what that means" Brenda panicked confused by the new instruction.
Concetta didn't know either, but then again, she didn't spend much time with Brenda anyway.
"Do you understand what I mean by; Crazy Green place?" Teresa repeated slowly
There was a pause before Brenda let out a breath, "Oh! Yeah, yeah, I know. I know"
"Okay" Teresa let out a breath of relief, "Just smash your phone and run. Te quero"
"Yeah, bye, love you too" Brenda said before Teresa hung up and deleted the number, going to give the phone back to the woman who let them borrow it.
"We should get rid of my phone then" Teresa said once she returned to Concetta's side.
Concetta nodded and followed as Teresa went to the bathroom and smashed the phone she had managed to keep with her since they were brought here from Mexico. They were going to have to get another phone somehow because Concetta doubted the other women would let them continue to borrow theirs for long. At least this way Brenda has a chance of hiding out for a little while until they can think of something to do.
Maybe Brenda could get the book and then come to America?
Concetta didn't know much about America. She had never wanted to leave Mexico - but she knew enough to know that this warehouse wasn't all there is out there. Plenty of Mexican's cross the boarder and then live regular lives in America without being forced into work for a cartel. That's only if you can find a safe way through the boarder though. She sighed taking a seat on the bed. At least this one wasn't just a mattress on the floor, though it didn't make it any more comfortable.
It could be worse...
She knew that of course - she had been in worse situations than this one. However back then all she'd had to worry about was herself. The more people, the more that can go wrong, the harder it is to get yourself out of a mess.
And this certainly is one huge fucking mess...
The gates opened and James walked in, "Tina, Julie, get dressed. Savings club" he told two of the girls who got up and quickly pulled shoes on. They looked like they'd been here for a long time if the amount of clothes they had in their little corner spoke to anything.
"Am I doing something today?" Teresa asked speaking up and making James glance at her before he looked over at Concetta.
Concetta managed a small smirk and wiggle of her fingers from where she was slouched against the fence behind Teresa.
James sighed walking closer to them and speaking lowly, "I don't know how much shit you've gotten yourself in, but I know what you're trying to do"
"What's that? Keep ourselves from dying of boredom?" Concetta raised a brow as she whispered the snarky comment.
James gave her a knowing look before turning to Teresa, "You're trying to ingratiate yourself with Camila... but the second that you become valuable to her, the second she takes an interest in you, it's gonna be harder for you to get out"
A scoff escaped her before she could help it, "You think we're gonna get out?" Concetta asked him incredulously - unsure if he was just trying to manipulate what he thought was a newcomer or if he really thought they'd get out.
Both James and Teresa looked at her oddly.
Concetta shook her head and added, "This ain't my first time seeing shit like this - girls don't get out. You escape? Then you run until they kill you. You stay? Then you work until that kills you"
Teresa looked to the ground probably feeling some type of emotion that Concetta, herself, wasn't capable of feeling right now.
Not when her sole purpose was to survive for the time being.
James tilted his head at her as if he was studying what she had said and trying to piece something together. Eventually he sighed - that pained sigh that said they were an inconvenience to him. "Just be careful" James warned looking at them both.
"Well, what are we supposed to do then?" Teresa snapped
"Valentina did a good job, Camila was impressed. Just do small things when you're asked... she'll get bored of you both" was all James advised before walking away with Tina and Julie.
Teresa's face fell as she watched James leave - clearly Teresa was wanting to do something other than sit on the bed and pace today. Concetta, however, was slightly relieved they weren't going to ask Teresa to do anything. It might be driving Teresa insane, but staying here is safer than anything Camila would have her out there doing. "It'll be alright Teresita" she sighed watching Teresa stand and pace a little before nodding numbly at Concetta's words.
When James walked back into the cage looking straight at them. A heavy sigh escaped Concetta's lips - he changed his mind.
She knew it before he said it.
"Camila wants you both with us. Come on, let's go" James said impatiently but the look on his face and his tone said maybe it wasn't him who changed their mind...
This was an order, not a choice for him.
That made Concetta all the more wary as she followed him out of the cage with Teresa by her side.
The two other girls didn't look happy to have them joining, but they didn't dare say anything to James about it.
Concetta rested a hand on Teresa's shaky one as they walked through the gates and were ushered into the SUV. Teresa got in the front seat and Concetta got in the back with the two other puta mules. She didn't have a good feeling about this but there wasn't anything she could do.
James drove them to some parking lot, a warehouse, shopping centre looking place that she hadn't seen before.
They didn't have these back in Mexico.
There were plenty of people out there in the parking lot heading towards the building though.
"Teresa and Valentina will stay here" James announced and both the other girls got out of the car heading towards the building. James sighed reaching into his pocket and pulled out two phones. "These are your cell phones now. If anything happens - you see something strange, a guy walks his dog past here twice... you call the pre-set number" He handed them each a phone.
Teresa took hers with a wary glance at the building in front of them. "What's going on in there?" she questioned and Concetta groaned quietly.
Why did Teresa have to ask stupid shit?
James shook his head at Teresa, "You said you wanted a job - so you got it" and with that he got out of the car walking away.
Teresa turned in the front seat and Concetta gave her friend a quick shake of the head. "Don't ask questions, just do what your told. Alright? We play lookout"
Teresa nodded, "Okay" and then pulled out the phone dialling a number that Concetta suspected was Brenda's. "Hola, Estoy buscando a uno de tus clientes, Brenda... Brenda that likes the crazy green nail polish" Teresa told the woman on the other end. "Brenda?"
By the pause Teresa gave, Concetta knew it was Brenda asking more questions than what Teresa could answer. Concetta rolled her eyes.
Typical Brenda.
"Cause I'm in America" Teresa sighed, "Listen to me, I can't talk. I'm in the middle of something here, okay? Do you have any money? Buy a burner phone. Leave the number with the receptionist at the salon, and I'll call for it later. Take the rest of the money and find a coyote who can take you to Dallas, Texas." Teresa nodded her head at whatever Brenda was saying before sighing. "Just listen to me. Trust me, alright? Come to Dallas"
When Teresa finally hung up the phone Concetta gave a humourless chuckle, "She's freaking out about the Gringos?"
Teresa snorted, "How'd you guess?"
She didn't get a chance to answer Teresa when the car was suddenly surrounded by men and women wearing what looked similar to Federales uniforms. The doors were yanked open and they were both pulled from the car and shoved against the boot.
"No! Wait! No!" Teresa panicked and yelled as they were cuffed and shoved into two different vans.
Concetta struggled but couldn't get free of their grips, plus the guns being pointed in her face weren't helping her get away. She was thrown to the floor of a van and groaned as she rolled over to look up at the two agents who climbed in the van behind her - a man and a woman.
"What's your name?" The man grabbed her harshly and jerked her around as he yelled in her face. "Where are you from? Who do you work for? Who do you work for?"
Concetta stayed silent as she tried to calm her breathing - she wasn't going to give them anything. She wasn't a rat, no matter what situation she found herself in.
"You don't think we know what you're doing?" The man screamed, "You got drugs coming out of that Savings Club"
"Tu vida se acabo, pendeja" the woman Federale yelled from where she was standing and watching. "Vas a pasar el resto de tu vida en un agujero federal si no empiezas a hablar. ¿Okey? Sírvase usted mismo y no sea estúpido"
"Where are you from?" The man shook her as he yelled in her face again, "Where are you from?! Where are you from?"
Concetta stared blankly at the man, looking for all the world to see, like someone completely at ease with the situation. She forced her breathing to calm and she forced her face not to betray her panic.
"Who do you work for, puta?" The woman demanded getting in her face as well.
"No trabajo para nadie" Concetta told them
"Bullshit!" The man yelled kicking Concetta and sending her flying back in the van. She grunted moving to sit up but his boot pressing down on her face stopped her. "You're working for Camila Vargas!" he declared. "Say it! Your friends are going down, darling. Life in prison!"
The woman crouched down to look at Concetta in the eyes. "Let the American government help you, chica. Say her name. Say who you work for and this will all end"
Concetta stared blankly at the woman, "I don't work for anybody. Ninguno" she said evenly.
Concetta would never rat.
Not even on Camila Vargas.
If there was one type of person Concetta hated more than anything else on the planet; it's someone who rats.
Snitches get stitches was an expression for a reason!
A phone ringing made the man take a step back from where he had Concetta pinned on the floor, she rolled onto her side. "This is my boss" he told her, "By the third ring, I answer it. And you're done"
A snitch is a snitch - and she won't do it.
"I don't know anything" Concetta grunted out and the man answered the phone.
Instead of talking to his boss like she thought he would, he held it to her ear instead. "Can you hear me?" Came fucking Camila Vargas's smug voice. "Get out of the van"
"Vamanos!" the woman instructed yanking Concetta to her feet and pushing her out of the van as soon as the door opened.
Concetta was pissed as hell when she spotted Camila Vargas and her men standing there in front of Camila's fancy car. Teresa was already standing outside a second van looking as shaken as Concetta felt right about now.
Camila looked right at her and smirked, "That thing you did Yesterday, swallowing the drugs, I was impressed" she stated and stepped forward as Teresa got closer as well. Camila looked between them. "But even a rabbit will chew off it's own leg to get out of the trap. I needed to know I can trust you both... now I know I can"
The men freed their hands and Camila got back in her car and drove off. Leaving them both standing there slightly dazed.
Concetta turned to Teresa and grabbed the shocked woman's face in her hands, checking her over for any injury before pulling her into a hug. "You're okay, Teresita" she felt Teresa nod slightly but the younger woman had yet to find her voice. A car honking made her let go of Teresa and turn to see James in a truck waving for them to get in. She huffed and led Teresa to the truck when Teresa just stood there.
"I didn't even know that was gonna happen" James said once they were in the truck. He glanced at Teresa who was sitting there staring blankly ahead and rubbing her wrists and then back at Concetta as he drove.
"Yeah?" Concetta scoffed
"Look, the thing you need to understand about Camila is that's who she is, and the second you think you know where you're at, the ground shifts underneath you" James sighed, "I told you to be careful, Valentina"
"mhmn" she hummed shaking her head at being called Valentina instead of Concetta. She had made the mistake of letting herself get used to being called her real name by Guero and Teresa for too long.
Now Valentina just didn't sound right anymore.
"Now you know what I mean" James added. "This is the last time I'm gonna talk about this" he said and with that, they rode in silence the rest of the way.
Concetta took one of Teresa's hands in her lap and held it hoping to give some comfort to her friend and get Teresa to snap out of it.
James glanced at them every now and then. He kept looking at their joined hands or looking at Teresa probably wondering the same thing Concetta was - what the hell was going on with Teresa right now?
It was like Teresa had just shut down.
Concetta looked over at James when they pulled up to a red light beside a plant nursery. She caught him nodding at a man out his window who was watering something. "Who's the guy with the hose?" she asked and elaborated when James looked at her almost surprised she'd noticed. "The one you nodded to?"
"We own him" James answered after a minute before glancing back out his window. "If I ever see him watering his plants, and he doesn't stop by the time I get there, I keep driving"
She nodded taking in that information - it was smart, good business and a time saver.
"There's our buyer" James stated pulling the truck up to a whole sale pottery place. There was a man standing in the middle of the pottery yard. James started undoing his seatbelt and moving to get out of the truck.
Teresa snapped out of her daze to do the same.
"Woah, what are you doing?" he asked
Teresa looked back at James, "I want to meet him"
"No you don't want to meet him" James said looking as confused by the change as Concetta was. James sighed, "If he sees your face, either of your faces, then he knows you... and she knows you know him. See how this works here?"
Teresa looked at James and then to Concetta. Concetta sighed seeing the look she was being given here and decided she'd help Teresa out on this one.
Turning to James, Concetta gave him a hard look and said, "If we know too much, we're indispensable... if we know too little, We're disposable"
James looked between the two of them like they were crazy. Maybe they were? Didn't matter much though. His eyes landed on Concetta's and he shook his head, "Did you listen to a word I've said?"
"Not a word of it" she deadpanned
"Whatever" James said on a sigh, shaking his head as he got out of the truck. Teresa smirked making her roll her eyes as she followed Teresa out of the truck and after James. "Lopez" James greeted the buyer but the man wasn't looking at him - he was staring at Concetta and Teresa.
"Who are they?" the buyer, Lopez, didn't waste time with greetings
James sighed but kept calm as he shrugged a shoulder, "They're new. They're running with me" James tried to assure the buyer it was no big deal.
Lopez shook his head, "I don't like 'new' James. I like faces I know. Where's Aveline?"
"Yeah, Aveline O.D'd" James told the man
"Shame" Lopez sighed, "I don't like this though" he glanced warily at Teresa and Concetta again. Looking very much like he was ready to walk because of the change.
"Look, If you have a problem, take it up with Camila" James was getting impatient. "I can sell this load someplace else"
"Wait, no, it's alright" Lopez sighed and nodded, "It's fine"
After they were back in the truck James silently drove them to another location. James backed the truck up towards the open garage doors. There were armed men waiting when they got out of the truck. James stopped them before they reached the men, "Be quiet in here. Alright?" he gave a serious look that had them both agreeing.
They had gotten away with some mouthing off before, but it wouldn't be happening in this place.
That much was made apparent.
Concetta grabbed Teresa's wrist and kept the younger woman close to her and slightly behind her just in case anything goes down. They followed James as he greeted the men and went through the box of cocaine they were delivering. Teresa's eyes staying on James as he and Lopez conducted business. Focusing on the two men in charge.
However, Concetta knew that in situations like these you had to be aware of all your surroundings. So Instead, Concetta watched all the men... she scoped out all the exits and how many armed people where lurking around the garage.
10 men.
8 of them are armed.
They were all watching James and the transaction taking place calmly... except one of them. The guy standing, hovering, around the money cracked his neck and his knuckles as he nervously glanced at the time.
Shit!
Lopez tested the drugs at the table, "90% pure" the buyer said nodding to James in appreciation.
"There's a 100 kilos as promised" James nodded easily. "I just need to check the money and we're all good" The suitcase of money stacks was placed on the table. James started counting it and checking the money was real in the light.
Concetta eyed the man hovering nervously as he watched James intently. Something was wrong with the money and she had a good idea what. She didn't say anything though.
Not yet.
James nodded at the men and Lopez, "All right. Let's wrap it up"
Lopez nodded looking like everything was going down as routine as it usually did. He was either great at lying or he didn't know anything was wrong. "Let's unload" he announced to his men, nodding at James.
The men cleared out, the nervous one almost jogging out of the room.
When it was just the three of them in the room again, James started zipping up the suit case of money. "Wait" Concetta grunted making James pause irritably. "Let me see that money"
James looked at her like she was crazy and shook his head. "Is there a problem?"
She sighed nodding, "I think so... can I see it?" and held out her hand expectantly for the stack of money.
James handed her a stack from the case and Concetta stepped forward to take it.
"What do you think's wrong?" Teresa whispered following her lead
Concetta didn't answer as she flipped through the stack feeling the money in between her fingers. When she found what she was looking for she glanced up at a frowning James and then over her shoulder at Teresa. "You remember the first lesson I ever gave you?" she asked Teresa
Teresa nodded slowly, "The money is fake then?"
Concetta hummed and handed the bill to James who was looking between them confused.
"They're ripping you off" Concetta told him confidently. "All U.S money paper weights a gram. This one is too light"
James held up the fake note, "I don't see it"
She sighed grabbing his hand and showing him how to feel the edge of the fake note before replacing it with a real one. "You don't see it, you feel it" she informed him waiting for any indication he could tell the difference too. "The difference between a real one and a fake one is the paper"
"Are you sure?" James asked
Concetta gave the fake bill to Teresa to check just in case. Teresa started nodding her agreement, "I was a money changer for years in Sinaloa...my life depended on it"
"It still does" James nodded at them both with a serious look on his face. "You accuse these men of cheating us and it's a mistake?"
"That was the first lesson I ever taught her" Concetta cut him off with a sharp nod in Teresa's direction.
Teresa grimaced and moved her hair to show the scar on the side of her hair line. It had been the first day they met and Teresa had made a mistake with the bosses money. "In Sinaloa, you don't make a mistake with your bosses money. I spent 5 weeks in the hospital... I'll never make that mistake again... Cett knows what she's talking about" Teresa nodded with confidence
Concetta stared at Teresa hoping like hell James hadn't picked up on the mistake Teresa made. If Teresa realised, then she didn't show it as she nodded to James and handed back the fake money.
James looked at her with a raised brow and Concetta nodded, "I'm telling you; it's fake"
Lopez walked back it the room looking between the three of them. "Something the matter?"
James cleared his throat looking up at his buyer and holding up the fake note. "I'm gonna need to weigh this bill"
Lopez scoffed insulted, "You think I'm cheating you?"
"I don't know" James said diplomatically, "But the girls think the bill is fake... so then you won't mind if I weigh it"
Lopez sighed, "You're embarrassing me" he said and pulled a gun, clicking off the safety and pointing it at Teresa. Concetta swiftly stepped in front of her friend as they waited. "If they're wrong I demand reparations"
James hesitated and looked at them, Concetta nodded back at him completely confident the bill wouldn't weigh a gram. "Weigh it"
Everyone was silent as James weighted the bill, Lopez paled when it showed up at 0.798 and not a full gram like all knew it should be. The guy behind him, the one Concetta had noticed was nervous this whole time, staggered back closer to the door.
"That doesn't make sense" Lopez shook his head worried and confused. "Try it again"
James looked over at them, "Find me another fake bill"
Concetta nodded, "Get the gun outta my face first"
James sighed at her butting in and making demands, but he looked to Lopez and nodded for the man to put down the gun. Lopez reluctantly agreed and watched her every move she made as she flipped through another stack of bills. "Here" Concetta pulled it out of the stack handing it to James who weighed it and found it was under a gram once again.
James pulled his gun and grabbed Lopez by the lapels of his jacket, shoving the gun in his face. "You ripping me off, Lopez? huh?"
"No!" Lopez insisted, "No! It wasn't me! I swear! How do we know your girls didn't put it in there when we went to get the coke?! No, James, because Lucian's the only other one that I let handle that money!"
Lucian, the man who hadn't stopped fidgeting spoke up as soon as his name was mentioned. "No! No, no, no. I've been working for you for almost 9 months Mr. Lopez. You know me! I never cheated you. Here! You wanna take my house key, take my damn key...I've never stolen from anyone in my life"
Concetta snorted making James glare at her but she only shrugged a shoulder back at him. "Don't check his house, check this pendejos car" she told them, smirking when Lucian paled further. "He hides it in his car so he won't have to go home to collect it if he needs to run" she added at James and Lopes' surprised glances.
"Check it" James glared at Lopez who nodded and gestured for his other men to check Lucian's car.
They followed out into the garage as men brought Lucian's car in and started going through every inch of it. They all waited in tense silence until stacks of money and a few bricks of cocaine fell out of the bottom of the car.
Lopez' men grabbed Lucian as he tried to plead for his life, and excuse what he did.
"What can we do to make this right?" Lopez sighed
James turned them looking at both of them as Concetta stood in front of Teresa shielding her from seeing exactly what she knew was going to happen. "He stole from us" James approached them speaking quietly, "What do you think we should do?"
"Kill him" Concetta shrugged uncaring at the exact same time Teresa said, "Nothing!"
James shook his head looking between them and sighing. He looked at Teresa pointedly, "Wrong answer" then he went over to talk to Lopez quietly before nodding for them to follow him back to the truck.
They rode in silence for a long time before Teresa sighed and asked, "What will they do to him?"
"It doesn't matter what they do to him, Teresita" Concetta grunted out glancing at James from the corner of her eye. "Pendejo should know better than to pull shit like that in the first place. We gotta stay alive and to do that you have to stop caring who dies"
Teresa gasped indignantly, "I can't do that! I can't watch people die!"
"Doesn't matter" James cut in. "It's already done"
.
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