“I’M DOUBLING MY PRICE,” VASCO jeered through the phone.

Bendetto rolled his eyes and motioned to a servant for more rum. Sitting by the pool deck under the cerulean canopy had become his new indulgence in the mornings, where he took his meals basking in Peralta’s ancestral home. Luxurious living for a boy born a hungry peasant on Caraga. The spoils of war.

But with those sweet spoils came the necessary sours. Henchmen had grubby appetites, too. “You get your contract, nothing more.”

The pretty servant from earlier brought over a bottle of expensive rum from the king’s private collection and refilled Bendetto’s glass. Cataline had a gentle grace about her movements. So intriguing that, of all the servants, hers was the only name he’d bothered to remember. She rarely spoke, even when asked a question, answering with only a nod. She was older than Bendetto preferred in a woman, but at least looked him in the eye during the grotesque moments over the last few days.

More of her friends had been caught spying, so he’d played with them before he ordered them killed. Some of them hadn’t been spying, it was just sheer enjoyment from the boredom and tedious requirements of taking over a country. Once, he’d had her beaten just to see how she’d react, but she never cried out or begged for mercy. Her pale, yet defiant glare locked with his on every blow. Strong women deserve strong roles. Now she served his meals and waited on him personally. Though there weren’t many servants left to choose from for that prestigious duty.

“Do you want the prince or not?” Vasco threatened.

Bendetto sat forward and pressed the satellite phone closer to his ear. “You’ve taken twice as long as expected. That’s not the reputation of the infamous Vasco of the Lozano cartel. If anything, I should cut your fee in half.”

“That would be very dangerous for you,” Vasco brewed, his dark voice steady and unflinching. “I could decide to redirect my service on you.”

“That would certainly piss off your boss, wouldn’t it? Without me, he’d lose control of Solana and have to start his endeavor all over again. Leaving their top dog to answer for all the money he’d lost.”

“I’m on a very long leash with bones buried all over your yard. Lozano already has what he wants. You’re the one with the obsession of killing the remnants of the royal family. If it’s that important to you, my fee has doubled.”

Bendetto ground his teeth, and sucked in a long breath. “If you bring me that pendejo’s head with his playboy dick shoved in his mouth, I’ll double your fee.”

“Then I’ve found him.”

“Where?”

Vasco chuckled, a dark sound that would make anyone cringe. Except Bendetto. “Don’t insult me. I’ll just say I followed the bodyguard.” The line clicked dead.

Cataline dropped a melon from the buffet table, and it rolled to Bendetto’s feet. Her fingers shook when she went to retrieve it.

“News from your pitbull?” Raul strolled across the patio in full black cammo gear, but without his rifle. Yet the cartel prodigy would have at least two pistols on him. Which is why Bendetto always carried three. “With good news, I hope.” Raul pulled a few grapes from the fruit bowl in front of Bendetto, popped one in his mouth, and settled in the opposite chair.

“We’re ready for phase two.” Bendetto ignored Raul’s insolence of propping his feet on the table. “Make sure the men are ready.”

“I spoke with my father last night,” Raul continued, disregarding Bendetto’s obvious dismissal. “He’s concerned with your lack of progress.”

“Taking over a country and its people is chaotic. You’d see that if you tried it yourself, instead of coasting on the wake of your father. Besides, I haven’t missed the deadline.”

“Not yet.”

Bendetto glared at him, and then stood. Before he moved two feet, Raul stopped him.

“The cartel thrives on chaos. Creating it is our specialty. It’ll serve you better to allow the men to make more of it.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Let the men loose in the city. Entice them to remain loyal to your efforts by letting them expand their fortunes off the backs of the rich citizens.” Raul popped another grape in his mouth.

Bendetto huffed and shook his head. “If you give the hired hands too much freedom, they end up taking yours. The men will stick to the directives I’ve given.”

“You really think you control them?”

Bendetto whirled and gripped the back of the chair, glaring at the disgusting smile on the chamaco’s face. “Who is sitting on the throne of Solana, Raul?”

Raul’s laugh echoed across the garden beyond the pool deck. “A king that rules over ashes?”

“Once they see me flex my hand, they will bend.”

“You do that. And keep in mind my father doesn’t care about a silly chair. He’s more than happy to replace you with someone just as eager to sit on broken throne. As long as he has their port and treasured chaos.”

Bendetto’s lip twitched.

Raul stood and strode away with a sneer. “And the necklace.”

The patio was eerily quiet. Not even the breezy rustling of palm trees or clinking plates. Cataline was gone.