Ch.123Chapter 123. El Paso (3)

I’m fucked.

I’m really fucking fucked.

Look at the aura emanating from that wrinkly old lady sitting in the middle.

She was radiating real-time intimidation that would put a Kurdish high school girl beating up Turkish soldiers to shame.

The muscular old man sitting next to her looked exactly like a cartel boss I once saw in prison—back then, one guy who messed with him left the prison with all four limbs amputated.

And the old man across from them, holy shit… look at those scars on his face.

Anyone could tell he was an active gang member.

This bastard Alejandro, I heard his family worked in “that business,” but I thought at worst they’d be working for suppliers—but looking at them now, they were clearly high-ranking cartel headquarters executives.

“Excuse me. Haven’t we met before?”

“Ah…”

I’m doomed.

I tried to stop Ms. Juliane, but the words wouldn’t come out of my throat.

We’re going to die at this rate.

We’re about to fill this month’s murder quota in the safest city in America.

“Hmm…?”

“…”

Wordlessly, I moved Cuss behind my back.

They might suddenly pull out guns.

The escape route was still open.

If something happens, I’ll grab Cuss and run.

But then I wouldn’t be able to grab Ms. Juliane’s wrist and escape.

What should I do?

That’s what I was thinking when—

“…Wonder Woman?”

“…”

Fuck.

I’m really fucking screwed.

The other side widened their eyes and recognized Ms. Juliane.

Calling her “Wonder Woman” meant they didn’t know each other personally.

What official business would a drug cartel executive have with a Justice Department investigator?

The living room filled with silence.

I was trembling as I grabbed Cuss’s hand when—

“Garcia? What brings you to America?”

“I got citizenship a few months ago and settled down in El Paso.”

“And your work?”

“I retired. Getting too old for it. Heh heh.”

Wait.

Suddenly the atmosphere turned friendly.

I was dumbfounded as the old lady grabbed my collar and pulled me down, signaling me to sit.

I plopped down on the worn-out sofa with Cuss on my lap and listened quietly to their conversation. The story went something like this:

The people I thought were cartel executives were all former Mexican military and police officers.

When Alejandro was young, he was tricked by a cartel into transporting drugs across the border and got caught, ending up in prison. When his family elders heard about this, they were furious and all took up arms to join the war against the cartels.

They succeeded in wiping out the cartels in the north at that time, but when the cartels reemerged from the shadows and drove out government forces to occupy the north, Alejandro’s family migrated to El Paso to escape retaliation.

I had completely misunderstood because of their intimidating appearances…

“When did you meet them?”

“My first assignment was with the drug enforcement agency. It was during a time when we were coordinating with Mexican military and police—we were on the same team.”

“I see…”

“Wait! Drug enforcement agency? You mean the DEA?”

At that moment, a young Hispanic guy who looked barely old enough to drink stood up abruptly.

He was the one Alejandro had introduced as his cousin.

“I work for the DEA.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I was assigned this year, senior!”

“To think I’m your senior! Hehe. Nice to meet you, junior!”

“Aaaagh! Senior! Not so hard!”

Ms. Juliane was grinning as she grabbed his hand and kept shaking it enthusiastically.

The sight of that muscular man screaming with a pale face was terrifying.

I was newly impressed by the monstrous strength of Ms. Juliane’s prosthetic hand.

If I’d been unlucky, I could have been castrated by that thing…

The thought suddenly made me shudder.

“So the Wonder Woman is already married and has a child?”

“Hahaha… It’s a child born from my heart. I’m not even married yet.”

“Anyway! This is cause for celebration! Alejandro! Go down to the basement and bring up all the liquor we’ve been saving!”

“What? Wasn’t that only for holidays?”

“Who cares about holidays! If we don’t drink it on a day like today, when will we? Hurry up! Don’t keep our guests waiting!”

“Hahaha! You said a prison buddy was coming, but these are truly honored guests!”

The atmosphere instantly turned festive.

They dragged a table from the kitchen with a screech, the old lady started cooking non-stop, and one side of the table was filled with bottles of liquor.

While I was standing there confused, Alejandro came over to serve food and leaned toward me.

“That’s why I was nervous. The elders go crazy when they meet people in the same line of work.”

So he wasn’t afraid of the Justice Department investigator.

I had completely misunderstood, thinking they were a cartel family.

“Sorry. You probably just wanted to quietly come on a family trip and sleep before leaving.”

“No, it’s like having a homestay. This is real Mexican cultural experience.”

“Is that so? Then enjoy yourself. By the way, our elders really know how to drink, so be careful.”

“Uh…”

Getting completely drunk wasn’t in my plans.

Looking around, I realized Cuss was the most excited.

Even though not all the food had been served yet, she was rudely trying everything, and everyone was just watching her fondly.

“Oh my. What’s this? So skinny. You should eat more, child.”

“Mmm! Okay!”

“Here’s some turkey too. Eat up.”

“Don’t just eat the legs, eat the breast meat! The breast! That’s how you build muscle, child!”

“Here’s some pie too.”

She’s in her element.

It was quite a bizarre sight—an adorable girl surrounded by intimidating-looking Hispanics.

“Hey. That’s high-proof, Ms. Juliane.”

“Hmm?”

While I was distracted by Cuss, Ms. Juliane was about to drink the alcohol offered by the elders.

And she can’t even handle her liquor.

We needed to get up early tomorrow for sightseeing, so we needed to moderate our drinking.

“Hey, boy! Who are you to stop her?”

“I’m the person who’s going to be Ms. Juliane’s husband.”

“You’re telling me Wonder Woman fell for a scrawny Asian like you? I don’t believe it!”

“Drink up, Asian! If you drink it all, including Wonder Woman’s share, then I’ll acknowledge you!”

“Acknowledge what…”

This is ridiculous.

Who are you, her parents?

I couldn’t fall for such cheap provocation.

I’m not particularly good with alcohol either, and drinking high-proof liquor like that would affect tomorrow’s activities.

“I’m not drinking. You guys drink among yourselves. We have sightseeing to do tomorrow.”

“Hey, Asian. Scared?”

“…Give me the glass.”

Look at these bastards.

Who’s scared?

I quickly grabbed the glass of tequila and downed it.

Shit. You’re not supposed to shoot tequila like that.

Somehow I was drinking like an immature kid.

“Mmm… mmm…”

“Hey. Are you sleepy?”

Cuss, who had been eating a lot from the start, was already getting drowsy.

“Child, if you’re sleepy, go inside and sleep.”

“Yes. There’s a guest room inside…”

“Mmm, no.”

Cuss kept whining as she snuggled into my arms.

I had no choice but to let her use my chest as a backrest.

She fell asleep instantly, leaving me unable to move.

Ms. Juliane seemed to be enjoying meeting her old colleagues after a long time.

She kept laughing while talking about things I didn’t understand, which made me smile too.

Seeing this, I became certain.

Certain that Ms. Juliane loved her job.

If we get married, I should be the one to retire.

“Hey, Alejandro! Tell us about this Asian guy. What did he do to get locked up?”

“Why are you asking Alejandro? You should ask him directly.”

“Right. Why did you go to prison?”

“Rape and murder.”

“…”

Only after putting down my empty glass did I notice.

The atmosphere had turned awkward, and everyone was staring at me.

Damn it.

I’d gotten tipsy and ruined the mood.

“It was a false accusation. A false accusation.”

Ms. Juliane grabbed my hand and defended me.

“Wonder Woman, are you sure about that? Not just wishful thinking…”

“Yes. I’m certain. The Navy framed him and covered up the case. I have evidence. We’re going to break a big story about it soon, so you can believe me. Jinsoo lost his entire family and spent 10 years in prison for something he didn’t do…”

“Well, if Wonder Woman says so, it must be true.”

It was a painful story.

Ms. Juliane was massaging my hand and smiling at me, which made me want to drink more.

The mood is really messed up.

“This is too gloomy! Should I tell you about my time in prison with Jinsoo?”

“Yeah, go ahead, Alejandro.”

“It’s about when we were working at the salt farm. There was a women’s prison right next to it. Usually, they scheduled work times so they wouldn’t overlap, but sometimes Jinsoo would skip roll call and go out during the female prisoners’ work time…”

“Hey! Stop! That’s enough!”

This guy is completely insane.

Why is he telling that story now?

“No. Please continue. This is interesting.”

“…”

Ms. Juliane was squeezing my hand tightly.

Oh no. My hand bones are being crushed.

When I glanced at Ms. Juliane’s face, it looked as menacing as that scarred old man’s, which made me shut my mouth in fear.

“What are you doing, Alejandro? I said continue.”

“Ah… yes… So Jinsoo would occasionally go out, and he would chat happily with the female prisoners and come back! That’s the end of the story!”

“Don’t joke around. Tell me everything from beginning to end without embellishment. Now.”

“…”

I’m dead.

I’m dead.

I’m dead.

I closed my eyes tightly and repeated it three times in my mind.

***

On a quiet street where dogs were barking, a car quietly stopped.

A masked man got out of the car and checked a note.

“The address matches.”

“This is it. Where the target’s family lives.”

They peered through the car window at the lit house.

A family whose members had all served in the Mexican military and police.

The old lady in that house was supposedly an agent for Mexican intelligence.

Thanks to them, the cartel suffered defeat every time that family raided.

They probably intended to eradicate the cartel completely, but the cartel managed to survive and successfully increase their power.

“Time to pay the price.”

The man checked the chamber of his pistol from his pocket and quietly muttered.

They probably thought they were safe after fleeing to America.

But you’re all going to die tonight.

We’ll let the world know that no one can escape the cartel’s grasp.

The two men quietly climbed the stairs.

Finally reaching the door, they exchanged hand signals.

They would enter quickly, kill everyone in an instant, and get out.

It wasn’t their first time, so there was no need to be nervous.

As one knelt in front of the door, taking out a needle to pick the lock—

Creak…

“Ugh!”

The man who had his face pressed against the opening door made a sound.

Startled, they looked inside and saw—

“Yaaawn… Huh?”

A silver-haired girl stood there, rubbing her eyes.

Who is this?

Should we kill her?

The two men exchanged glances.

Then they heard heavy footsteps coming from inside.

As eyes gleamed in the dark corridor, the men felt their skin crawl.

“Cuss! Get down!”

“Eek?! What is that!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Something was charging toward them from the darkness, making a monstrous roar.

Terrified, the two men extended their arms and pulled their triggers.

But whatever it was deflected all the bullets.

“Ah…”

“Holy shit.”

As a pale hand reached out before their eyes, the two men felt the shadow of death looming over them.