Chapter 266 - I must leave this place - meters
Miguel
Aníbal finished speaking and we stayed silent for a while. Roland was stroking his chin with that distant look; I knew him well, he was considering the possibilities of what our brother might have changed.
"Let's not pressure him to come to the ranch, he has his reasons and we should respect that for now."
"Do you think he's being threatened?" I asked.
"Absolutely sure. The fact that Marcela is Arnold's father's lover and he suddenly distanced himself from Lupe... they threatened him with doing something to her."
"Doesn't that bastard trust us?"
We fell silent, Roland's fist hitting the table snapped us out of our thoughts.
"Damn bastard..."
That way of thinking was what I always admired about the boss, he might not say anything, but he must have figured something out.
"Aren't you going to tell us?" I asked.
"I have nothing to tell you, I'm just furious that they're threatening one of ours and we can't help him immediately."
"Sorry, boss. But put your finger in my mouth and see if I don't bite it." Rata said, and the boss's look was enough to shut us up.
"What do you suggest we do, boss?" Aníbal spoke up.
"Watch him, Rata, create a communication method excluding Arnold. They're forcing him to do something against his will and if he hasn't asked for our help, it's because they're watching him closely and have him by the balls."
"Understood."
"Everything related to Arnold, good or bad, we'll keep in that file. He'll try to communicate with us, he's our personal pride, I've always seen him as an excellent successor to my position."
"Yes, sir," the second-in-command responded.
"He'll find a way to keep us informed, it will be subtle. It wasn't a coincidence that he entered Aníbal's house bypassing the security system, that alone tells us that this is how he'll communicate."
"How do you conclude that?" I asked, more amazed than anything, admiring his shrewdness.
"The guard at the gate knows him, he could enter without any trouble. Why did he go through the effort of climbing trees, fences, and sabotaging the security system?" the boss replied.
"Besides, he hasn't returned to the ranch," Rata said. "He hasn't approached any of our ranches."
"He's giving us time to figure it out, he knows us," Roland commented.
"He told me that at the house when I said: if you wanted, you'd get a shot. He replied that he knew I wouldn't do it until verifying who it was, because of Rata's protocols."
"Damn son of a bitch!"
Everyone in the café looked at our table, and the boss's hands began to tremble. I had no idea how his mind worked, but it was obvious he saw what we hadn't yet. That was Roland's mind.
"Cebolla, before Lobo gets on a plane, ask him to find everything about that device they put in the diaphragm, we need to..."
"Do you think Arnold has one?" Roland ignored my question, only giving orders.
"Churrusco, call Rasca culo and Cereza, they need to travel as soon as possible. Don't call Arnold, from now on we'll only be with our brother in family mode, none of the work we do with the government or other mafias. From now on, exclude Mojón."
"Just tell me what the hell you're thinking." When the boss got into that boss mode, only Rata contradicted him.
"It's obvious, he left us the message given to Aníbal, that he's clinging to the loyalty of his training, but he has something in his blood and that's the damn device."
"He didn't say that."
I smiled at Churrusco's almost whispered comment. But now I got something...
"Is that the device that can kill him?"
I stood up. The mere idea of seeing our little brother receiving the shocks that killed Federico sped up my heart.
"They must be threatening him with something stronger than Lupe," Rata said, and Roland nodded.
"That's what we're going to find out." I saw him shake his head several times. "Nikolay, Nikolay."
"Instructions," Rata said, now we were back under the boss's command.
"We need to find him and make him understand visually that we know, that he should return to the ranches. We won't discuss sensitive topics in his presence, everyone will wear their glasses when he's around, those images will go to the file Rata will create to analyze Arnold's behavior. When he knows we know, he'll leave us clues."
"We need to get that thing out of his chest," I said.
"Yes, but we can't do it right now. He needs to get married so Nikolay will leave him alone. Nikolay wants us to disown him so he can win over his son. We need to turn that disadvantage to our advantage."
"Our women?"
"They won't know. They need to hate Arnold. And they will for leaving Lupe. He left her so they wouldn't realize she's his Achilles' heel."
"Do you think that's why he slept with someone else?"
"Cut my balls off if he didn't do it for that reason. He kept her out of the Russian's sight. Let's get to work, guys."
Everyone knew what we had to do. Simon pulled out his kangaroo backpack, that laptop he never left behind, not even to take a dump. He took out a mini laptop and connected a flexible keyboard. Anibal called Rasca and filled him in.
"They leave for Blanco in a couple of hours."
I called Lobo. He told me he was on his way to the airport. I asked him to wait for me on the road. I said goodbye to my friends. Somehow, we had to get that crap out of Arnold's chest. Why did he agree?
……
Guadalupe
I had class tomorrow. I wasn't going to stay in this apartment. The problem was I didn't have any money. Besides, my soul hurt. On the flight back, I confirmed that he didn't care. He was so shameless, flaunting his woman in front of me the whole trip. And on top of that, I had a hangover. I couldn't stop thinking.
At least Lobo was a great help. He let me rest my head on his shoulder. When we arrived, they had to leave for Blanco, and I was left alone in this apartment that felt bigger than ever.
I picked up my phone. I started to cry. How was I going to call my parents to ask for money when they were already paying the monthly fees for my two degrees and the car? I couldn't be so shameless.
"I hate you, you stupid jerk!"
I almost threw the phone he had given me. I reconsidered; then I would be left with nothing.
"It's good to know you hate me, Guadalupe."
My heart raced. His gaze was sad, but he had that stupid cynical smile.
"Where did you leave your fiancée?"
"In our future house."
That felt horrible. My lip trembled. I stared at him, and like an idiot, I ran to hug him. I clung to his body as if I wanted to melt into him. I kissed him on the cheek.
"Don't lower yourself, Guadalupe. I have a different view of you as a woman." My whole body shivered. Did he think...
"I didn't mean to kiss you, let alone sleep with you." How to interpret Arnold's look. "I just wanted to be polite. I don't want us to end up hating each other. We can get along..."
"I only came for some things I left behind."
My heart sank. I turned away, and before he could see me cry, I closed the door to my room. My hands were shaking. I picked up the phone.
"Mom?" My voice cracked.
"Lupe! What's wrong?"
"Do you have any money you can lend me?"
"No, honey, but... maybe Jacinto has some money. How much do you need?" How do I tell her?
"Lupe?" I frowned.
"Ines?"
"How much do you need, dear?"
"I don't want to bother you. It's just... I can't stay in this apartment, not after what happened yesterday."
"What did that jerk of my son do to you?!" I shook my head as if she could see me.
"I need to pay for a room somewhere. Arnold and I broke up, though that's not the right word. He and I never had anything serious."
"I'll talk to him later. Dear, does Veronica have your account number?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I'm terrible with technology, but I'll ask Vero to do the transfer right away. As soon as you get the money, go to a hotel. That little brat will learn the hard way. Give me a few days, and I'll sort out your stay in San Antonio."
"Ines..."
"Nothing, if my tumor is good for anything, it's that I can now blackmail everyone. I need you to tell my youngest son everything you want. He'll have to deal with me when he gets here. Now I understand why he hasn't come in these two weeks. I'll talk to Vero right away."
"Dear... Can you tell me what happened?" I needed to talk. And between sobs, I told her what Arnold had done to me.
"I don't understand," my mom commented.
"Mom, you were right. That's why you didn't accept him."
"That was before. He showed me how important you were to him. Not everyone goes to the trouble of giving a car..."
"What, Mom?"
"Dear, Ines just told me you can withdraw money from your account. Go to a hotel. Call me when you're settled."
"Don't change the subject. Clarify..."
"Yes, dear, the car you have was bought by him."
"My father lied to me?"