Livewire

Chapter 10

It was late afternoon when he got back to his flat. The vent cover was still lying on the floor where he chucked it the day before. He counted the remaining money. Bailing out Emilio had taken a big bite out of it. This was not part of the plan. Reality might hit him sooner than anticipated. All that was left was a handful of Pesos and the remaining stirling. He returned the bag to its hiding place and pushed the vent cover back into place.

Before he met with Trudie he needed a drink. He left the flat in search of the security of Hector's bar. A place only Emilio would know to find him. The customary sound of Mexican pop called to him from down the street, through the straining speakers of the little radio.

Hector threw his arms up in the air when he spotted Kyle walk in. "Hola amigo. I was worried you were sick. It's not like you to stay away for so long." Without asking, Hector pulled the cap from a bottle of whiskey and poured him his usual order. He sat on a barstool and leaned onto the bar to face the old bar keep.

Hector pushed the glass over. "So amigo, where have you been?"

"Well Hector, I met a girl."

Hector winked, "You've been having a good time then."

He rolled his eyes. "Not that sort of girl." And took a long gulp. "Actually, I met her that night when you were closed."

Hector topped up his glass. "Sounds like it could be serious then."

"It might go that way. She's an out-of-towner too, so we have something in common."

Hector poured a second glass. "That reminds me. I promised you my story last time you were here." He took a sip. "Like you I grew up with criminals–"

"You're cartel. I know."

Hector's eyes narrowed. "How could you know that? I've never told you."

"I saw you go into Flamencos. With all those shady looking visitors."

Hector laughed. "You're a smart boy." He clapped him on the shoulder. "I can see there's no fooling you. But I am not in the cartel. Not any more. There is no doubting that I was. I was Baldo's right hand man. And that is why I was at Flamencos. Now and then he asks for my counsel."

Kyle nodded. "He's doing some kind of business deal with these visitors?"

"Just so. He still wants my opinion on these things. We went through a lot and he does not trust anyone the way he trusts me. You see, I was not just his chief enforcer. I was his childhood friend. We grew up on the streets together."

This came as a shock. He did not realise the old barkeeper went so far back with the most feared man in the city. He kept his focus on Hector, taking a slow sip of whiskey. What other secrets did he have?

"Back then it was Baldo's father, Carlos, who ran the cartel. It was much smaller and Carlos wanted to create a legacy for his son. When Baldo was learning from Carlos, I was with his enforcers, helping grow the Rojas' empire on the streets. So I'm no stranger to violence." Hector paused. This felt like a veiled threat but he didn't react to it. He knew better than to show any signs of weakness around gang criminals.

Hector took another swig. "When Carlos died, we'd built the cartel into what it is today. When Baldo became capo, he made me his chief enforcer and I ruled the streets through respect and fear. I was never heavy handed, but people knew I didn't shy from getting my hands dirty." His tone was casual when inferring violence. It was a little unnerving. "I gave Baldo my best years, but eventually I got too old for it. So I got myself a protege. Little Pepe." Hector laughed. "He isn't so little anymore."

Hector took out the bottle and topped up the glasses. The liquid poured out slowly, glugging when it passed through the bottleneck. The cork squeaked when Hector sealed the bottle and put it back on the bar. There was an imperceptible tension in the air while Kyle waited for the story to continue.

"I took Pepe under my wing and taught him all I knew. I thought I could see something of myself in the boy. He was a quick study too, but he worried me. His enjoyment of violence made him heavy handed. There was that look in his eye." Hector shivered. "Maybe I was growing soft with age. The day came that I approached Baldo about my retirement. No one had ever retired before. Most people left the cartel in one way only." Hector's eyebrows raised. "But he was happy for me. He asked me what I wanted to do with my retirement. To be honest I hadn't thought about it, so I said the first thing that came to me. Baldo gave me this bar as my retirement gift. My employment in the cartel was over, but you never truly leave. I still owe him and he still calls on me."

Hector sighed and clapped him on the shoulder again. "Our paths may be different Kyle, but you and I are the same."

He smirked. "I never knew I was in such good company." Holding up his glass, they cheersed. It was strange that he kept attracting people with nefarious backgrounds. After arriving in Veracruz, he thought he'd left that life in London, but perhaps that was impossible. Maybe crime would always be with him. Like it was in his veins.