Dom's Absolution

Ch. 25 - Cartel vs Mafia

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"He's one smart pendejo,
I will give him that."

- José
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Chapter 25 - Cartel vs Mafia

▪️D O M I N I C▪️

"Kadri didn't check in yesterday, that isn't like him. I have a bad feeling about this, Patrón," Miguel muttered as he looked out of the window on the passenger side.

José sat in the backseat of the Hummer H3 with Roberto, his dark eyes watching as the other twin agreed. Though Miguel had a tendency to be overly paranoid, the Cartel boss could not deny that the Albanian's silence was very odd.

It had been over a week since they last spoke.

For the last year, José had been using Kadri and his men to smuggle cocaine into Aelbank City whenever they went to pick up their weapon shipments from the Calvetti mafia. It was not as smooth an operation as he would have liked, but so far it had been working.

Although, since Kadri had missed his last check in, a part of José knew that their plan had most likely been discovered and any further business that he had intended to do with Dominic was now compromised.

"Shit..." José muttered, shaking his thoughts clear as his mouth twitched slightly. The left side of his moustache lifted as he spoke, "I guess we'll see soon enough, we're almost there."

A few minutes later, the three red Hummers pulled up outside the secluded farm house that Kadri and his men were using as their main base of operations.

Stepping out first, Roberto immediately drew his gun, "Something is definitely wrong, the gate wasn't even guarded..." His eyes scanned the abandoned stations where men would usually be, "Where is everyone?"

Adjusting the lapels on his black jacket, José drew his own weapon and silently signalled his men to follow his lead as they fanned out. They slowly approached the large three-story house and opened the front door. The sight that greeted them was one that they were not expecting, though the smell hit them before they could even step inside the foyer properly.

"Fuck, it stinks in here!" Miguel complained, immediately covering his nose.

"Get back to the vehicles immediately! Do not inhale!" José ordered his men quickly.

Coughing as they exited the house, the men took deep breaths, inhaling the fresh air, while two wretched off to the side. Making their way back to the Hummers, José and the twins opened the trunks and retrieved what they were looking for.

"Looks like your paranoia is useful after all," Roberto teased his brother.

"I told you, never know when you might need a gas mask!" Miguel grinned.

With a hardened look, José snapped at them as he put on some leather gloves, "Now is not the time for jokes!"

"Sí Patrón!" they answered in unison.

It was clear that the compound was abandoned. Seeing as there were only six masks, José, the twins, and only three other men re-entered the foyer. There was something in the centre of the room they needed to investigate, and the Cartel boss had a good idea about what exactly it was that awaited them.

Walking back into the large house, the men were grateful not to have to inhaled the disgusting smell. It was a scent that was easier to recognise than it was to describe. Within the huge open foyer were twenty-five oil barrels, all placed in a circle, with a larger one placed in the centre. Each one contained the decomposing remains of the Albanians; their bodies had been chopped to pieces.

Given the smell that had previously invaded their senses, it was evident that the bodies had been burnt after they had begun to decompose. Due to the bacteria inside of the organs and the foul-smelling gases that made the bodies swell, they would release a poisonous odour once they were lit on fire.

In the middle barrel, on top of the scorched remains, laid the unburnt, decomposing head of Kadri Sallaku. His mouth was slightly open, a piece of paper had been stuck inside of it.

Walking up to the barrel, José used a gloved hand to retrieve the piece of paper. Gritting his teeth, his dark eyes narrowed as he read the type-written lines addressed to him.

"I never interrupt my enemies while they are making a mistake.
Leave my city be, García, your booze and women are out back..."

Crumpling the note in his hand, José turned and stormed out of the house. Ripping the mask off his face, he was immediately approached by one of his men.

"Patrón, we found–" the man's sentence was cut off.

"I know," José interjected as he made his way towards the back yard.

There, in a large shallow grave, rested the partially clothed bodies of the Mexican women who had been working in Aelbank City as call girls. These twenty-five women in particular had each played a part in helping to distribute the cocaine in the city. Their ghastly head wounds appeared to be caused by a shot gun.

The Cartel tattoo on their wrist allowed for their corpses to be identified. Their bodies looked fresh; they could not have been killed more than a few hours ago. The unopened bottles of tequila were thrown in next to them.

"Holy shit!" the twins exclaimed almost simultaneously.

José could not help but wonder where the rest of the women were, as he had sent around thirty-five women in total to work for Dominic. As he scanned their dead bodies once more, the Cartel boss pushed the thought from his mind.

Those women, wherever they may be, were of no concern to him now. They could always be replaced.

Right now, José had bigger things to worry about. He was not bothered about the lost merchandise; as money was something that could always be made. The situation at hand was now about his reputation, and he would be damned if he let Dominic get one up on him.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, José smirked as he commented, "Calvetti clearly knew that we were coming, he's one smart pendejo, I will give him that."

In reality, José was impressed by Dominic's actions. No one had ever been brave enough to stand up to the Sonora Cartel like this in years. If someone had betrayed them, that was exactly the type of retaliation they would have exacted on the perpetrators.

It was more than clear that any further dealings that were meant to happen between the Calvetti mafia and the Sonora Cartel were definitely over. Dominic's message read loud and clear and José knew that he only had one option left.

"What now Patrón?" Miguel asked.

Looking down at the shallow grave again before turning to look at his men, José simply said, laughing slightly, "We go to war..."

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A/N: Fun times ahead...