“He would not do such a thing. He would not betray me.”
As I considered the theory I’d just put forth, I realized it could be true. Miguel might very well be the mastermind of the hijacking. “You seem so sure of Miguel’s innocence, Alejandro. Perhaps you put more faith in your men than is warranted.”
“Lavernius,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “Miguel would not betray me. Miguel is my son.”
This time, I was the one stunned into silence, during which Alejandro’s confidence returned.
He warned, “If you harm my only boy, Lavernius, I promise you I will not rest until one of yours is hanging from a stake.”
I looked over at Harris, who was undoubtedly thinking the same thing I was. Thank God I had not given a final order regarding Miguel’s fate. Family members were generally off-limits, unless you wanted a war. I had no idea that Miguel was family, but that wouldn’t matter to Alejandro. He would not hesitate to even the score if we harmed Miguel.
“Why didn’t you tell us he was your son?” I asked, trying to keep my tone more neutral than it had been.
Thankfully, Alejandro seemed willing to dial his anger back a notch too. “Miguel’s all about proving himself in my organization,” he explained. “He doesn’t want anything handed to him. I’m sure your sons feel the same way.”
“Yes.”
“So, can I speak to him? You have not killed him, have you?”
Hearing the fear in Alejandro’s voice, I realized that holding his son was a dangerous thing, but it was also a good bargaining chip. “No, no, Miguel’s alive. But I’m still not in the mood to share him with you. Not until I check out this trailer personally.”
“You do understand I cannot let you hold my son any longer without a sign of good faith?” he said.
“How about you return the money I gave you and I return your son?”
“You know I cannot do that. It would be an admission of guilt, and I am not guilty of anything. I was thinking more like a sign of good faith on your part. You have my son. For all I know, your people murdered my men and are processing the delivery as we speak.”
“Ridiculous! You already had my money. Why would I jack my own shipment?”
“I don’t know. To discredit me?” he speculated. “Maybe you’re just looking for an excuse to end our arrangement and go with someone else. Still, I’m going to need something to keep this from turning into some very bad shit for both of us.”
“Okay, you’re right. How about I send one of my people to L.A. to keep the lines of communication open until we get this sorted out?”
“Agreed. But I don’t want it to be some flunky. I want it to be someone high up in your organization who you value. One of your family members.”
“Fine,” I answered. As long as we held Miguel, I had to assume that Alejandro would never be stupid enough to harm my family. “I’ll send one of my sons.”
“Fair enough. There is a flight that leaves Kennedy in two hours. I will expect your son to be on it. We will speak again soon.”
I ended the call and sat back in my chair, rubbing my eyes to relieve the throbbing pain behind them. My blood pressure must have been at an all-time high.
“Can this get any worse?” Harris blurted out.
“I sure hope not,” I replied.
“You’re not really going to send one of the boys out west, are you?”
I turned my head to look him directly in the eye. That was enough to let him know his question was a stupid one. What choice did I have but to send someone?
Harris continued. “I mean, now that we know Miguel’s his son, why not give him back to Alejandro? Or at least let him speak to him. We don’t war with these people, LC.”