“Jackson was a liability. He did not take things as seriously as he should have. You demonstrated that. It was clever, yes, what you did, but he should not have put himself in a position where he was vulnerable, no matter how cunning you were. We have had reports for several months that he was… how you say?”

“Making too much noise,” del Pozo finished.

“Showing how much money he had,” she added. “Fast cars. Property. The police, they are not as stupid as he thought they were. They started an investigation into his business. They knew that there was no way that he could have been making the money that he said through legitimate means. It is the same in Colombia and Mexico. Escobar became a problem for the government because he was bigger than the government. El Patrón was the same in Mexico. He made too much noise—him and his son—and now they are dead because of it.”

Milton nodded blandly as she mentioned El Patrón, thinking that she wouldn’t believe him if he told her what had really happened to the old Mexican narcotraficante in the mountains.

“I do not make that mistake,” she said. “Look around you.” She swept a hand out to indicate the settlement and the dense trees that surrounded it. “This is where I live. In the jungle. No one knows where I am. I live quietly. Carefully. No noise.”

“If you’re worried about discretion,” Milton said, “you don’t need to be. I’ve never been interested in flaunting my success. I agree—it’s stupid. The police notice. The competition notices. You might as well paint a target on your back and invite them to come and have a go at you. I don’t need to judge my success by how many people know that I’m doing well.”

Del Pozo grinned at him. “You would rather look at your bank balance?”

“Money has always been a good way of keeping score.”

La Bruja nodded and got to her feet. “On that we can agree.”

Milton rose, too. Del Pozo was close. Milton readied himself, feeling the adrenaline, anticipating sudden action. A right-handed jab to stun the Mexican, release the weapon with his left hand, swap it from left to right and then fire. One round into del Pozo, two rounds into La Bruja, then run.

The door opened. It was Eidur.

“What are we doing?” he asked.

“We will have dinner here,” La Bruja said.

Del Pozo stepped away, out of range.

Milton bit down his frustration.

“And tonight?” Eidur said.

“We’ll stay here,” she said. “We’ll eat and discuss how we can work together, and then Señor Smith can go home to find the money he says he has to pay us.”

62