What began as an innocent love affair for one young woman, Marta
Pena, in Costa Careyes, Mexico in 1969, sets in motion a series of
events that spans the next thirty years. This is the story of South
American drug lords Antonio Espinoza and Javier Rodriguez, and
their violent quest for power. In a sweeping family saga, we meet
the women who love them and the children they vow to protect at any
cost. With a complex web of interconnected families, this gritty
novel delves into the lives of a power hungry clan, following the
rise of their business, the destructive path of their torrid and
erotic love affairs, and the struggle to balance intense greed with
devout family loyalty. Strong women face tragedies that test their
will and their commitment to the men they passionately desire. As
young girls grow into women, their traumatic pasts will drive their
actions and force them to make gut-wrenching decisions. With
murder, drug trafficking, dirty politics, illegal gambling,
prostitution, obsessive love affairs, and family strife, The Cartel
is a whirlwind in the vein of Mario Puzo's The Godfather. Excerpt
from Chapter One: BOOK I 1969-1976 Cali, Colombia CHAPTER ONE
EMILIO ESPINOZA TRACED THE SCARS ACROSS the undersides of his
wrists, now white with time, but still visible. Not like the ones
that remained on his heart. Moving to the ornate wooden armoire, he
picked up a framed photograph of his brother Antonio and his lovely
young wife Lydia. He stared at his brother's face, his eyes
becoming slits of hatred. He closed them, and threw the picture
across the room, smashing the frame against the wall, his hands
balling into fists as his vision clouded with tears. Glass
shattered into small splinters across the adobe-tiled floor.
Pulling the photograph from between the shards of glass, filled
with rage and despair, Emilio ripped it into pieces. Antonio was
the reason the scars upon his heart never faded. What a fool his
brother was Antonio had no idea of his brother's true feelings
toward him and Emilio planned to keep it that way-for now. But when
he struck, Antonio would know. He would feel nothing but pain; the
kind Emilio felt everyday of his life. Emilio's plans were long
term. They had to be. He knew the desired effect might not come to
fruition for years, perhaps even a decade. But he had plans and
they had been brewing for nearly five years, since he was merely a
boy of fifteen. He had been patient for this long. He would be
patient for as long as it took. He remembered that day five years
ago so very clearly. **** EMILIO CAME HOME EARLY FROM SCHOOL,
DITCHING BECAUSE he hadn't studied for a test. He did not want
Antonio to find out that he'd left school early, so he crept
quietly up the outside back steps to the guesthouse, which was
several yards away from the main quarters, a place where he knew he
could hide out until the appropriate time. He smelled the candles
first. He smiled, knowing he was about to get a show from his Don
Juan of a brother and some beautiful young thing. Antonio was known
to bring women to the guesthouse and light a few rose scented
candles, put on some soft music, and then, having set the mood,
complete his conquest. Emilio crawled along the balcony of the
small villa, carefully rising up to peek into the window. The music
playing--soft, low, romantic--the woman's back toward him. Antonio
held her close, stroking her long black hair, whispering something
in her ear. That hair, the lithe body. A shiver of delight
slithered through Emilio as he watched in awe. Antonio placed his
hands on the woman's shoulders and easily slipped off her dress,
letting it fall to the ground. Emilio closed his eyes, ashamed to
be watching. But curiosity and raging hormones opened them. The
woman stood completely naked. Antonio swept her up and carried her
to the bed and laid her down on the red sateen comforter. Emilio
felt the first painful tug on his heart when he saw her face.
General
Imprint: |
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
April 2012 |
First published: |
April 2012 |
Authors: |
A K Alexander
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 25mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
494 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-4662-1940-3 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
General & literary fiction >
Modern fiction
|
LSN: |
1-4662-1940-8 |
Barcode: |
9781466219403 |
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