18. Ladrón Cartel

Roman

I close the door behind me, my apartment dark and eerily quiet as if sensing the storm that brews within me. I take off my coat and throw it on the chair. My phone buzzes on the kitchen counter, the screen lighting up to display Kaden’s name. I consider letting it go to voicemail but relent, picking it up on the last ring.

“What is it?” My voice is terser than I intended.

“Got that surveillance footage you asked for,” Kaden says, cutting to the chase. “This is fucked up and something we definitely didn't prepare for, Ro. It’s the Ladrón Cartel.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes as if that could somehow shield me from the gravity of his words. The Ladrón Cartel. A knot of loathing tightens in my gut. I had hoped to avoid this complication, hoped that maybe Aella’s stalking was just a random, disconnected event.

“Do they know?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Not sure, but why else would they be after Aella?” Kaden replies, uncertainty clouding his usually c