The United Cartels of America, Season 6 (Queen of the South)

Part 1 - I Wasn't a Smart Man Then

Teresa squinted taking aim through the scope. The shot came a few seconds later and hit the paper target between the eyes. She lifted her head, removed her protective gear and glared at Pote and James who were still staring ahead. Then the paper target was whizzed closer by the recent automation James had put in the shooting range and was stopped right in front of them.

"Remarkable, Teresita! Practice makes better!" Pote exclaimed.

"Practice makes perfect!" Teresa smiled at him, then cocked her head at James: "It's 'makes perfect', right? Not better!"

"Yep, you're right. The question is consistency....and more consistency!" James started preparing his gun as the machine had just replaced his paper target with a new one.

As the waiter served their coffees, Pote scratched his head and looked at Teresa: "James still shoots about an hour a day...to keep in shape! I wonder what he thinks will happen that he would need to be in shape?"

Teresa shrugged: "I don't know. He said last year he had to shoot these pirates on the ship to Thailand ...and he felt like he needed to practice more...than say once a month!"

"You don't meddle, es verdad?" Pote sipped his coffee.

"You mean in what James does with his businesses ...or with his time?" Teresa wrinkled her forehead.

"Both," came the answer.

"No...not really. She shook her head thinking: "I believe that's why we are so good together after so many years...and so many challenges ...because we respect each other's space..."

Pote grumbled. His mind briefly went to Kelly Anne complaining last night that he expressed a constant interest in her travels related to her winery. Damn, some things were eluding him!

"I don't know how you do it!" he declared and hid behind the coffee mug.

Teresa laughed: "I know...she travels with these wine competitions a lot...but it's for business...she isn't a girl and she doesn't need you worrying all the time!"

This was followed by another grumble as Teresa continued: "And you have to trust her...she still loves you...and you travel a lot with the restaurants in the new hotels, right?"

The family had built the resorts in Goa, Phuket, Fortaleza and Madagascar on the cleaned-up land the last year and a half and Pote, as expected, had taken over the management of the restaurants.

He grumbled again, then took a slow sip: "I have put a substantial number of flying hours down, I admit...my back isn't happy about it either...but Kelly Anne...she could have come with me and not expand this winery and this constant competition for wine awards! Who cares if her Chardonnay is number one or number five?"

"She does!" Teresa jumped right in. "And you should care about what is important to her too!"

"So, that's what James does right off the bat, hey?" Pote said, shaking his head.

"Yes, from the day I met him he cared about what I wanted...took the time to check how I felt...that's what made him my real partner...not only romantically!"

"Hmm...well...there's a hot shot lawyer that he is working with on the extension of the Madagascar property ...and I suggest you keep your eyes open...or someone else might open them for you!"

Teresa slowly turned full face to Pote and said: "You have said this to me years ago...in Phoenix...again in relation to James...and you were very wrong!"

Pote squirmed: "Sorry...I just have a bad feeling, Teresita!"

"It's ok!" She said as she took her last sip and started to get up. Pote turned as he saw James entering the coffee shop from the side street where the exit of the shooting range was.

Kelly Anne looked worried and made no effort to hide it: "The amounts don't add up, I have checked twice! Someone is loading other things on the trucks besides the food for the restaurants...and I have requested the logs from the other hotels, but I am certain something is going on in Madagascar!"

"Maybe you can come with me to check it out!" Pote suggested in a voice that was trying to sound nonchalant.

His wife took a deep breath and considered the offer in relation to her approaching red wine competition in Bordeaux, France at the end of the month: "I guess I could come with you..." she mumbled.

Teresa looked down to hide a smile as she was certain Pote had heard her comments, while James who was making himself a sandwich looked undisturbed.

"Aren't you flying there on Thursday, Cabron?" Pote looked at him: "The meeting with the hydro company for the expansion was at the end of the week, no?"

James swallowed his bite and nodded: "Yes, that's what Alina said in her last email."

Alina Alicante was the real estate lawyer the Swiss bank had appointed to work with them. She was a beautiful woman of Spanish Italian descent in her early 40s, free as a bird and always looking for adventure. Pote disliked her tremendously...and had done so the moment he had laid eyes on her, despite being unable to say why.

James sat at the table putting the sandwich platter in the middle and after a short pause said: "The new manager...Carlos somebody...that the Swiss sent to Goa sounds like a very interesting chap...and is Mexican to boot!"

Kelly Anne and Teresa didn't react, but Pote made a face: "Interesting...a Mexican working for a Swiss bank! Is his name Mexican?"

"Yes! " James scratched his face as he was trying to remember: "It's a weird...not too common of a name..."

"Bustamante." Teresa said. "Carlos Bustamante. I got his introduction email too."

Pote's white face and the chocking sound he made, made everyone look at him:

"What is it, honey?" Kelly Anne's troubled eyes bore into his.

"Nothing...I just knew a man by that name...but he would be very old now...if he was still alive." Pote said slowly.

"In Mexico?" Teresa said.

"Who was he? The name seemed to startle you!" Kelly Anne commented, eyebrows still showing worry.

"Ah...nobody..." Pote grumbled.

"It can't be nobody...with this reaction!" James looked up from his sandwich.

Everyone waited expectantly, so Pote looked down and said: "My former...ahh...father in law was called Carlos Bustamente."

"Well...this man is in his 30s...So, can't be him, right?" Teresa jumped it and Pote exhaled deeply. "That's your first wife...his daughter, right? The one you left to work for the United Cartel?" she went on remembering some details Pote had shared with her long time ago.

"Yes..." he only grumbled.

"Who ran the United Cartel?" James said.

"Who else?" Pote felt the conversation going into unwanted territory: "Epifanio Vargas, pinche hijo de puta!"

Kelly Anne knew little of Pote's life in Mexico as her principle was not to care about things that had happened before her time, but she felt herself exclaim: "You left your wife for Epifanio Vargas?

Pote almost jumped as the response came out of his mouth: "I wasn't a smart man then!"