GTO: Soldiers Of Hades MC, #3
GTO: Chapter 5

Luisa again looked around at them as she made her point, “That’s the way my mother and my aunts would think. They do not care what crimes their men had committed, only the results. And the results would be is that their men folk are dead.”

“And your females would take up the fight against anyone who might want to get rid of the cartel altogether?” Python asked.

“What you don’t understand and what my family does… is that you can kill every one of the Brago family but when we go down, there will always be another family in the shadows waiting and willing to take over. Now that might be another fight for another day for you, but the moment you take out the men in my family, the next family can and probably will simply step in and take over the cartel. They would come in and kill the females or let them live but strip them of everything they built up over the years that they were in charge. So even if you take out my family, there will be more to take their place. This will be a never ending battle. You see, these cartels have been in Central America for longer than any of you have been alive.”

Cobra nodded. “We understand that. And it’s a battle we are willing to fight. We don’t want the drugs your family is bringing into this country. We understand the draw to the drugs, but we are trying to clean up the streets.”

“I get it and I commend you as well.” Luisa nodded. “I hate the drugs and what they represent. But I’ve seen it from a different view. I’ve seen the workers, how hard they are expected to work in order to get a pitiful paycheck. I’ve seen them humiliated by being stripped down and body checked when they get done with their work or being stripped down and being made to work naked, so that they don’t take any of the product home or to a dealer on the streets. I’ve seen them struggle to get home after working a16 hour day, and then I’ve seen them get up after only a few hours’ sleep to do it all over again. I hate what my family does for a living, how they put everyone who they deal with at risk, just to make that god almighty dollar. If they lose one worker, they claim there are always more to take that worker’s place. But this a battle that has no end in the world I live in.”

“We know we can’t stop the drug trade but any time we can slow it down, it is worth our efforts,” Cotton expressed his opinion.

Luisa agreed with him wholeheartedly. Then she thought about something and wondered if this could be a godsend to her. She gauged their faces before she brought up her idea. “There is one thing you might not be aware of yet, as the family hasn’t introduced it to the public yet.”

“What might that be?” Cobra raised a brow at her. “Like we need some kind of new evil from the cartel.”

“It’s a new designer drug. They call it Afternoon Delight but its pure poison. My family has been working on this drug for about a year now, but it still isn’t ready for the public yet.” Luisa shook her head. “Do you, do any of you know how a designer drug is made? How they decide when it’s ready for the public use?” She looked around the room and went on as her face reflected her sadness yet again, “Well, the way my family does it, is they make it then they test it. They use the workers to test it on. They don’t care if it’s dangerous or not. All they care is if they can sell it. This drug has been tested and retested a number of times. And each time, they have tested it on people who don’t want it. My family is waiting for this drug to be finished. They are pushing the testing. They don’t care about the people they are testing it on. They know it will sell and sell big, but it’s not ready yet. It’s still killing the people they choose to try it on.”

“What is so special about this particular drug?” Cotton wanted to know.

“This particular drug is being made, so it will give you the high you want but then, it’s not going to be detected in your system later. This way they can avoid detection by the cops and the DEA. The problem they are having is the corrected amount of suppression drugs they’re using. That’s the part they don’t have right yet. The suppression drugs they are using are too strong, they suppress the lungs from taking in, and releasing the air needed to breathe.”

The men all stared at her, looking stunned at this news.

Shaking her head, she continued, “The ones who do survive, have irreversible damage. They can’t breathe anymore, so they are useless to work, some have brain damage as well.”

Cotton looked over at his dad and older brother. Then he looked back at her. “Why haven’t we heard about this?”

“They keep a tight lid on information, anyone talks and they literally will be the next test subject and they will most likely die. But the drug will be out soon, too soon if you ask me.”

“So why are you telling us about this drug?” Cobra demanded.

“So you can be aware of it when it is released for common use and hopefully, you can stop it.” She now looked angry. “This drug is bad and when they get it out on the street, some people are going to die when they take it. I don’t want to see that happen.”

“What do you want us to do about this?” Cobra wanted to know.

“There is nothing you can do, I suppose.” She let out a defeated sounding sigh. “I just wanted to bring this to your attention, so you could be forewarned about it. So you wouldn’t be surprised when people started dying because of this drug and no one can trace why they died. Also, so you would know where it came from.” She hesitated then added, “And because I think now, my family will release this drug early before it is even ready and try to make as much money from it as they can before you can go after them.”

“Why would they rush through an untested drug?” Cobra wanted to know. “When people started dying, the cops are going to be looking for whoever put it out. The DEA will come after them as well.”

“My family won’t care and if it is undetectable why should they care? They reside on the other side of the border remember? They can pay off the Federalies to look the other way. It’s just the way it works down there. The oldest tradition in the world. Crime pays for many, even the police. And with the tunnel in place that no one knows about, Arturo and Javier can escape to Mexico and as long as they stay there, no one can get to them. They have their own people in place and can continue to distribute the drugs and the only ones who risk their lives are the dealers on this side of the border.” She shrugged. “And again, if one falls… there are always more to take his or her place to deal. The cartel is not going to miss them or lift a hand to help them.”

“What do you know about the Rebel Runners?” Python wanted to know.

Luisa shook her head. “Not much but I do know that one of the leaders of the Rebels is the man responsible for the deaths of my grandparents.”

Cotton glanced quickly to Cobra. Then back to her. “Does your family know? Does Arturo know about this?”

Luisa nodded. “Oh yes, he knows and he’s planning the man’s death even as we speak.” She shifted in her seat. “From what he tells us, he’s going to make a specter of the man’s death. To set an example of what happens to a man who crosses the cartel.” She shrugged. “He’s just waiting for the right time.”

“Do you have any idea when the right time is going to be?” Cotton asked.

“I think it will be the right time just before they go back through the tunnel for the last time. Once they are on the other side… I think Arturo will blow the tunnel, so no one else can come through it.”

“And when will that be?” Python wanted to know.

“I think that time is coming soon.” Luisa looked unsure.

“What would your brother do if he couldn’t use the tunnel until that time, when he thinks it is over?” Lightning asked.

Luisa started. “Oh, that would not be good.” She studied him carefully. “Are you planning on sabotaging the tunnel?”

“What would he do if we did just that?” Python asked. “What would he do if he couldn’t use the tunnel to get back across the border?”

“Or better yet, if he was arrested at the border?” Cobra wanted to know.

“Oh, that would not be good for so many people.” Luisa shook her head. “He would go completely off the rails.”