Cartel│Mark Lee

War

I walked along a gravel path leading to a large building made of stone. It was dark now, the only light being shed ominously came from the moon. Mark held my hand tightly as if he was afraid I would let go. I could tell was nervous. Underneath the surface of his stern face laid a deep fear of his sudden actions. After Mark calmed down about the other cartel coming onto his land he relayed a clear head. I could see he regretted sending his men out to kill the invaders, but Mark would never admit a fault he executed. 

We entered the building and I let go of Marks hand. A hard-line appeared on his forehead as he looked at me. "Business before pleasure Mark. You know that." I turned away from him and continued to walk further inside the building. I liked to hide the relationship between Mark and me in hopes of looking more professional. The men in the industry looked down on me while I hid behind Mark. I wanted to look independent and smart, especially at a time like this. 

We were here for a meeting with other major men in the cartel, at least only the important ones for a situation like this. Mark put the industry in danger. He commanded a mass murder on another cartel. Cartels were always cutthroat towards each other but an action this big would affect us hugely. Mark risked a cartel war and did likely start one. The room was large and empty despite the seven large men that crowded it. Only a table sat in the middle of the concrete space and I shuddered at the intense feeling that ran down my spine. 

I walked in through the doorway as Mark followed me. The men all turned their heads to meet our eyes. I noticed Jaehyun standing quietly in the corner. He stared at me solemnly in the eyes and I began to shift on my feet. The last time I saw Jaehyun was when Mark punched him to the ground. I left him alone on the field, terrified by his words that I first believed were lies. Jaehyun was my only ally and friend for a long time until I choose Mark over him. I felt guilty as his eyes trailed over me up and down. I felt the urge to run over to him and explain some sort of apology, but I couldn't. Not right now. 

The room was silent as Mark made his way to the table. His eyes scanned the paper that rested on there. There was a map and documents that I couldn't quite read. I was afraid to move as the room was so toxically quiet. Taeyong, who was leaning back on a wall kept his eyes on the ground with a look of despair on his face. I then knew whatever Mark was reading wasn't good news. "So this is it? This is all Taeil stated?" Mark cleared his throat and looked up to the seven men. 

"You sent half of my men out to kill another cartel and you are asking if that's it!" Jaehyun exclaimed. His face was hard as he looked at the man he hated deeply. Marks head tilted to look at Jaehyun and he lightly smirked. "They aren't your men. They are mine. When will you get it through that thick skull of yours that I own you and everything around you?" Mark evilly ticked at Jaehyuns patients and it excited him.  "Why is this boy even here?" Mark asked Taeyong. Jaehyun pushed himself toward Mark angrily as another man held him back. Mark snickered and looked at Taeyong for an answer to his question. "Jaehyun is here because he is in charge of the bodyguards we used to kill Taeils cartel." 

"Stop acting so childish and ask some real questions," I went against Mark and pushed past him to look at the documents on the table. "She is right. We need to get to work and we can't waste any time." The man holding back Jaehyun piped up. The document was a statement from Taeil, the leader of the other cartel. He stated that we were able to kill half of his men in the factory before they retreated to their own land. "We didn't kill them all," I mumbled to myself. "That is right Vanessa. That means they will be larger in numbers than we expected and angry at us."

I continued to read the statement slowly and I read the last sentence out loud, "I am beyond happy you still has that short temper of yours Mark. I bet you aren't happy with your decisions either. You have made a great mistake. I will see you soon." I looked up from the paper confused as I looked to Mark. "You know him?" I asked and Mark quickly snatched the paper out of my hands. Mark was angry and I saw Jaehyun stifle a chuckle at the situation. "What does this document mean Taeyong?" I asked. Mark had yet to answer my questions and I yearned to know the answers. Taeils statement was basically a personal letter to Mark and I hated the suspense around it. 

"He stated that he would see Mark soon. No cartel leaders have ever met together after taking on their boss positions." Taeyong paced towards Mark and I stepped back. Taeyong leaned his head in towards Mark's ear and he tensed up. "This means war," Taeyong said hauntingly. Mark pushed Taeyong off of him and slammed his hand down on the table. "If he wants a war he will get a war. We need to prepare in advance as they have the upper hand so far." Mark took over his role as a leader and everyone in the room straightened themselves up. 

"Jaehyun, you will gather more men, and Taeyong I want you to help lead with him on that." Mark looked toward the two men. Jaehyun squinted his eyes and looked at me. I couldn't help the nervousness that covered my face and I felt embarrassed. Jaehyuns eyes softened as he looked at me and he finally nodded his head at Mark's command. "Johhny, you are in charge of police control. This means taking all your knowledge about the border control and applying it here to keep the police out of this." Mark said and bit his lip in concentration as he continued to brainstorm. 

When Mark finished giving out commands he took in a deep breath. "We will start our plan when Taeil reaches out to us next. Does everybody understand?" He asked and everyone nodded. "Get to work then." With actions set in place, the men began to leave the room. Mark rested his hands on the table and leaned into it. As he closed his eyes he looked tired and stressed. I couldn't sympathize with him though. He irrationally did this to himself and everyone around him. As Jaehyun walked past me I grabbed his hand suddenly. He flinched at the contact but then relaxed when he saw It was my hand. I wanted to say so much to him, but I just couldn't find the right words. 

"Jaehyun I just want to say I am sorry, I didn't-" I got cut off by Mark taking my hand away from Jaehyuns. "Vanessa." He said sternly. Jaehyun sarcastically sighed at the sight of us. "You know what? It is fine Vanessa. I hope we can work well together." With those dry words, he left the room, leaving Mark and me alone. My eyes trailed after him as Mark grimaced at me. "You disappointed me today, Vanessa. Don't stray off or try to look almighty. Not now when I am about to lead a drug war."