Queen of the South - My Season 6: Full Circle

Chapter 7, Asuntos de Negocios

The domestic flight NYC – Dallas was uneventful and the food at La Guardia Airport was boring, as per Pote, who finally was dozing off and almost snoring, while James stared at the seat in front of him deep in thought. Locating Bobby, showing him the handwritten note from his mother and convincing him to dig out his passport and leave without resistance, had been a miracle. He had a passport as the family had gone to Cancun last year and James was glad that it was the case as his thorough planning had missed this one detail.

He knew Charger had not left the narco biz after Taza's death, on the contrary had taken over bigger territory, so James was mentally prepared for a compound with guards and a welcome similar to the one Teresa and he had received by King George a long time ago. He was hopeful Charger would be the same lighthearted person he remembered and that he would have knowledge of the current narco players and their affiliations as well as an idea how to locate Camila Vargas. James needed information before calling the number provided to his sister.

===

The Compound was similar to what his in Phoenix had been and the entry points were limited and guarded. He drove the rental Jeep straight to the front gate and under the lights to avoid any chance of misunderstanding. He almost told Pote to try to look less surly and more cheerful, but then decided it was not possible, so he let the thought pass.

James gave their names to the security and told him that Charger did not expect them as it was a surprise and an emergency. Five minutes later the guard told them to get out the vehicle and stand in the light. They heard some agitated 'carajos' over the talkie and then Charger's voice booming: "No puede ser, cabrones! Son ustedes, de verdad! James y Pote (it can't be, is it really you, James and Pote), then to his men: "Dejalos entrar de inmediato! (Let them in right away).

Charger was so excited to see them that he even hugged them while the detail positioned around the house exchanged surprised looks. El Jefe, as they addressed him, had put on some weight, and was sprouting some gray hairs, but otherwise he was the same lively cheerful man, however now he talked all the time unlike before, when he had kept his mouth shut a lot, especially in Camila's and then in Teresa's presence.

They ate 'proper food' as per Pote, and drank a few tequilas and then a beer, and Pote who had not really slept needed to literally be kicked out to a guest room and told to pass out.

James had always been honest with Charger in their prior dealings, but always at the appropriate level of detail. He figured Charger deserved respect for his loyalty and now it was only fair to tell him about the pending matter of James's brother in law being kidnapped, as well as the fact that even from abroad he had kept himself informed on the activities of his former associates, however he decided that for now he needed to maintain the story of Teresa's fate. Charger was not pushy for information, on the contrary was eager to provide some especially regarding Isabella Vargas and her man Cristobal Salinas, who ran their operations in the south west and were thorns in his eyesight.

The landscape had not changed, just the players, James found out. One of the gangs controlling the drug imports were Los Conejos, for whom Charger ran Dallas, and who got their product from the reformed Jimenez cartel in Sinaloa, run by distant cousins of the late Boaz Jimenez. Charger did not know, or more likely did not care, that Boaz Jimenez had given the orders to slaughter Taza and his men in Phoenix years ago and that Charger had been spared only because he had been out of town on that fateful day. He seemed to care more about his two women and his two sons, all of whom lived in separate houses and knew nothing about each other's existence, but mostly he cared that the drugs from the Colombian Moreno Cartel kept flowing to Jimenez in Sinaloa, then across the border to Los Conejos.

Turf wars hadn't upset the biz in the last year as per Charger's story as the Fioto Cartel, down south in Medellin, had had a long-lasting truce with Moreno, but things didn't look so good any more. The Colombians had been infringing on each other's territory and war was brewing.