Gray light streamed through the dirty window. The strenuous exertion from the other day left Rhea's body aching and her leg searing with pain. The painkillers provided stray rays of relief, and she swallowed some dry before stumbling down the stairs to the living room. Sade sat at the table with a mug in her hand. Rhea grabbed a cup and joined her. Sawyer snored in the background.
"Didn't sleep well?" Sade asked.
"That obvious?"
"I heard Delton's car blew up. You are the last person I would have expected to destroy it."
"I didn't mean for that to happen," she rubbed her eyes. "Things got out of hand. I knew we shouldn't have taken it."
"Yeah, don't listen to Sawyer for anything," Sade said, glancing behind her where the man was sprawled. "Man's an idiot."
Footsteps echoed down the hall, and a tired Mirek entered the living room.
"Morning sleeping beauty," Sade said in a soft voice.
Mirek flipped her off as he walked to the kitchen, got a mug of coffee, and sat down at the table. His bear arms and chest were covered in open wounds, dried blood crusted around many of them, and a bruise was forming around his eye.
Sade turned to Rhea. "Truck worth saving?"
She shook her head. "It's a piece of crap. I might get a few parts out of it, but that's about it. How long do you think Delton will be mad?"
"Could be a while."
"Why did it matter to him so much?"
"I don't know. He never told me."
"It was a relic passed down by the Cazacu Family," said Mirek. "He stole it on a bet. Pulled off a heist under one of the Big Three."
"What's the Big Three?" Rhea asked.
"The original crime lords that colonized the city," explained Sade. "The Cazacu Family had been the richest of the three at the time. Counterfeiting, mail and wire fraud, money laundering, illegal trafficking of counterfeit goods; they got away with it all for decades because of their base here. They were the ones who built and designed the Pinchers Bank to keep their riches safe. The Ashin drug cartel was the first drug traffickers, overtaking the territory of the entire city. As the cartel grew, they branched into exotic wildlife trade, alien smuggling, and interstate transportation of stolen property. The third name is old Irvin Rusakov, the Russian arms dealer who spread firearms to every inch of the island. It was he who really birthed the retched violence here; he has managed to stay in power all these years. He's watched the city grow, and I don't think he knows how to leave it behind anymore."
"What happened to the other two?" Rhea asked.
"Marzell Gulbrand—the boss of the cartel—died when one of their HQs burnt down," Sade explained. "He got locked in by someone who wanted him, and his cartel gone. Without him, the organization fell apart. The building isn't far from your shop," she said to Rhea.
"It wasn't just the boss that was in there," said Mirek. "His wife and son were in there too. Whoever started it wanted to erase not just Marzell's cartel but his bloodline as well. One of the lieutenant's daughters was in the building too. She was a nineteen-year-old horticulturalist who specialized in the growth of opium poppy, coca leaves, Ephedra sinica, and sassafras root. The cartel was growing to possess a great amount of power and contributed greatly to the trafficking routes people still use today, but someone didn't like Ashin having so much success. If they hadn't been such a new organization and not been targeted so early in their rise for success, I'm sure they would still be here instead of Mendez. They could have been more successful than Irvin. Guns are a desire, but when you're an addict, drugs are essential. And they're easier to control."
"Do you think Rusakov burnt down the Ashin HQ?" Rhea asked.
"Of course, he denies it," said Sade, "but it would come as no surprise if he ordered an arsonist to eliminate his rivals. He's a cheater."
"And what happened to the Cazacu Family?"
"Suresh Cazacu—head of the family—was killed by his wife," said Mirek. "He found out she was barren, and he wanted children to continue his legacy. Word is, he wanted children he could control and raise for his benefit. When he found his woman could give him none of that, he began to abuse her. He'd beat her bloody and then lock her in her room for days. Then, one night when she had been given the grace of leaving her place, she came back to find him fucking another woman. The wife went mad and took a boning knife to both of them. After that, she threw herself off the Hara-Kiri bridge."
"And now Rusakov is the only one left," said Sade. "A pity no one has taken him down yet."
"Someone's gonna knock him off that pedicle," said Mirek, grabbing a stray pack of cigarettes on the table. "The line of power in this city is as thin as a tightrope. If someone shakes it enough, he's sure to fall."
"Better sooner than later," said Rhea.