A Cartel Affair (First Original Draft)

Chapter 25

Video  - Nobody Knows by Kevin Sharp

Carter's P.O.V.

I had left Eva in the interrogation room. It was late and I was angry. I knew that if I stayed in that room any longer, I wouldn't be able to control myself with her. I knew that we had people on the ground where Lea was last reported being seen and Lynx had been in contact with us twice since his initial call. Miller was stable, the bullet had missed his heart, but clipped his lung. The surgeon at the New York house had been able to repair the damages and stop Miller from bleeding out. 

I made my way to my office and slammed the door, my head pounding from the stress of everything that had taken place over the last several hours. I pulled out the Napoleon Cognac and put the bottle to my lips, taking a long sip as I made my way to the window. I looked out over the gardens as Eva's words played through my mind, "They're going to kill you both."

The door opened and I listened as multiple sets of footsteps cautiously entered the office.

"Carter," Darrell's broken voice sounded from behind me. I knew that whatever he had to say wasn't something I was going to want to hear.

"No," I whispered as the bottle dropped from my hand, the expensive liquor spilling out onto the floor.

I turned slowly and met the faces of the men that had been closest to Lea. My chest tightened as I took in their solemn faces. They were hiding their pain, trying to remain strong in light of whatever news they had just learned, the news that Darrell was about to deliver to me.

"Emilio just called." He paused and waited for me to nod before he continued, "Victoria and three of Miguel's men are dead. From what he says, Miguel double crossed her."

I didn't flinch at the news of my mother's death. It was actually something I had expected, something that deep down I had wished for since the night she executed my father. 

"Xian has been transported to the New York house. Miguel shot out the back tire of the motorcycle he and Lea were on." He kept his voice low, the fight to keep it steady evident as he paused to draw in slow, deep breaths. "He absorbed the impact of the wreck and is being treated for multiple broken bones and internal bleeding."

Darrell shifted uncomfortably as he continued, "Miguel never suspected that Emilio was one of ours so he was able to get close enough to take him out."

I knew he was stalling. I wanted to yell at him that I didn't care about Victoria, Miguel, or Xian for that matter. I just needed him to tell me how Lea was.

But I couldn't speak, the tightness in my chest was suffocating me. I watched as Lewis, Leon, Paul, Samuel, and Darrien all moved anxiously about the room, waiting for Darrell to answer my unasked question. 

Darrell's hands clenched at his sides. "Lea," his whispered voice broke as his glistening eyes met mine. "You need to let her go Carter." 

I leaned against the desk, letting out a low growl. The pain ripping through my soul was almost more than I could bare. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the edge of the desk, hanging my head as I fought to steady my breath. 

"What happened?" I couldn't look at the men, their broken faces were more than I could handle.

"She was shot in the thigh. The bullet nicked the artery there and she lost a lot of blood."

I sunk into the desk chair, my legs no longer able to support my weight. I ran a hand down my face, fighting back the urge to scream.

"Leave," I looked around the room. "All of you."