The Queens: Queen's Move

Chapter 2: One year later

Vee woke with a start, gun in hand. She expected to see her dead husband standing over her, ready to exact bloody retribution. Chest heaving, eyes wide in the darkness of her bedroom, she once more struggled to banish his ghost as her dream washed away in the reality of late morning. She shoved white blond hair off her forehead and scrambled for the vibrating phone that had woken her up. She kept it on or near her pillow when she slept. It must have fallen into the folds of her blankets when she'd gotten trapped in the hell of her nightmare.

Luckily the iPhone didn't stop vibrating so she was able to locate it quickly and check the caller ID. Casey Reyes. Vee closed her eyes and put a hand to her forehead. Normally she would love getting a call from this woman, but today was going to be an exception.

Vee swung her legs over the side of the bed and answered, her voice husky, "Hello Casey."

"Vee! My god, are you okay?" Casey asked, her voice higher pitched than usual, concern reverberating through her tone.

Vee's lips pulled into a tight smile. At least one of the Bolivians cared enough to check on her health before they sent a hit squad over the fiasco that was last night. "I'm okay," she answered, looking down at the bandage covering her arm and wincing a little. Now that she was up and moving, the s***h wound was definitely making itself known. "Fuckers in this town are savages, Casey. No respect for a lady just trying to do a little business."

There was silence for a moment and then Casey said quietly, "Tell me about it."

Vee sighed and made her way to the washroom for a quick pee. She hoped Casey wouldn't be able to hear, but seriously, if girl was going to wake her up after a night like last night and then demand answers, then she was going to have to deal with a little nature. Vee pulled her panties and satin pyjama pants down and got to business in both senses of the word. "Same old. It's the Mexicans acting up again, taking a swipe at my authority in my town. Bastards simply refuse to settle into the new way of life around here. I'm running this city with an iron fist, yet those guys will not bow down to a woman."

"This is the third time, Vee. The third time they've questioned your authority and the third lost shipment," Casey said, her voice catching with worry. "I know you're tough as nails, but what if they get in a lucky shot? I don't want to lose you, babe."

Vee finished up and washed her hands before making her way to the kitchen. She set the kettle on the stove to boil. A little old-fashioned, but then, she was an old-fashioned girl at heart and coffee was no longer an option.

"I'll be fine," Vee replied, wandering to the window of her condo and gazing at the ocean stretching out as far as she could see. The sight never failed to soothe. "Everyone else is falling into line. It's just some of these Latin guys refuse to see a woman as equal. I can handle the bullshit. I handled last night."

"Were you able to put them down decisively this time?"

Vee squeezed the phone tight and pictured the pig that had slashed her. Her guy had held him down while she put a bullet in his head. Her smile turned feral. "I got a few."

Casey sighed irritably. "But not the cause of all this trouble."

"No," Vee acknowledged and turned back to the stove to pull the hissing kettle off the heat. She poured hot water over the herbs in her tea strainer and enjoyed the simple pleasure of peach berry aroma teasing her senses. "I can't get to him from up here and my hold on the city is too tenuous for me to leave and go hunting."

"I understand," Casey said.

And Vee knew that Casey Reyes did understand. Women in their world, the mafia world, held precarious positions. Though she was a wife, Casey was also a partner and a powerhouse in her own right. Her husband built her up and set her up at his side as his queen. Then Casey had convinced him to set Vee up as their Miami contact and distributer on the East Coast. The catch? Vee's husband had to go.

Not a big deal. He was a useless, waste of space f**k with no good head for business. She'd been running most of his operation in the shadows for years anyway. But convincing Tony's contacts to trust her after she'd done the bloody deed? Now that had taken some work. She was ruthless though, and with an army at her back she'd taken control of the city. The only problem had come in the form of the Mexican cartel.

"But your husband doesn't understand," Vee said, her voice hard. She tapped the tea strainer against the edge of the cup to catch the extra drops and tossed it in the sink.

Casey sighed. "He's sending someone."

Fuck.

Vee's arm throbbed viciously as she thought of the type of guy Reyes would send to her city and she nearly dropped her cup. She rested her elbow on the edge of the counter and counted slowly to ten, taking deep breaths to steady herself. Casey remained silent, giving her time. God bless this girl. They really did understand each other, despite nearly a decade difference in age.

Vee opened her eyes and made her way back to the calming picturesque view, clearly visible from the balcony window. The sparkling ocean, sometimes lazy and drifting, sometimes angry and choppy, always soothed her riotous emotions. The reason she lived here, in a secret location, rather than the mansion she'd shared with her husband. Most still believed she lived there. She preferred it that way. She blew on the tea, took a tentative sip and grimaced. God, how she missed coffee. But she no longer used mind-altering substances of any kind. Not even caffeine.

"Alejandro," she finally said, trying to keep her voice cool and steady.

She didn't want the Bolivian's second-in-command in her city. He was brutal, bossy and Latin to his core. He would come in and get right in her business, tear her operation apart looking for flaws. He would find none. But he would piss her off in the process. She would have to keep her head and allow it if she wanted to stay on Reyes' good side. Then she would have to team up with the big Bolivian and allow his help with getting Mexico in line.

The thought of needing anyone's help made her grit her teeth. It was time's like this that she wished she'd been born a man. She was better at this job than any man she'd ever met, yet because she was a woman she had to constantly fight and claw her way through the vicious underbelly of Miami. And just when she thought she'd landed in a sweet spot, the goddamn Mexican cartel managed to back her into a corner… again.

"Not Alejandro," Casey told her.

"Who then?" Vee demanded, surprised.

Casey paused, clearly not wanting to say. Damn, this was bad. If not Alejandro, then who were the Bolivians sending to secure their American investment? She could feel sweat beginning to form in her palms.

"Just tell me," she said tonelessly.

"Sotza."

Vee's heart stopped. Blindly she set her teacup down and reached for the sofa, falling onto it in a heap. f**k. She was so f****d.

"The Gentleman Butcher," she breathed, not even realizing she spoke the words out loud.

"I wouldn't recommend you call him that to his face, Vee," Casey said drily. "He doesn't have much tolerance for nicknames."

Vee's head spun and she had to put her face on her knees so she wouldn't pass out. She forced her whirling mind to focus. She needed a clear brain for this new development. Life had just become very, very dangerous.

"This is bad, Casey," she finally said.

"I know," the other woman acknowledged. "I tried to talk him out of it."

Him being Reyes. They both knew that despite Casey's position at his side, when Reyes made a decision he was immoveable. He clearly didn't like the way the Mexicans kept handing Vee her ass and he was going to make sure it didn't happen again. But sending The Butcher to her city…

"He hasn't stepped foot on this continent since…" she trailed off realizing the effect her words could have on her friend.

"Since my mother died," Casey finished for her. "He's over it, Vee. He's been over it for a long time and he's ready to stamp territory again. He's quiet but deadly. You need to be so, so careful, hon."

Vee laughed a little hysterically. "Don't I know it! He was cutting a bloody path through everything South of the border when I was still in pigtails. The stories I've heard… they make even my blood run cold and I don't scare easily."

"He's not such a bad guy," Casey said as brightly as she could. "I like him."

"That's because you are your mother's daughter, baby girl," Vee said sarcastically. "I'm just the b***h standing between him and the Miami gateway." She grew serious. "And your husband is sending him after me."

"I'm sorry," Casey whispered.

"I'm about to become deposed, aren't I?" Vee's voice broke a little.

Casey didn't say anything for a moment and then, "Don't get dead, Vee."

She laughed bitterly. "No promises."