Jaguar Prophecies (The Dresden Codex) by Jeff Wheeler

Author:Jeff Wheeler [Wheeler, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 47North
Published: 2023-12-11T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

BECK CABIN

BOZEMAN, MONTANA

December 26

The only animals Roth had personally seen near the Beck cabin were a few deer and a single moose. He knew there were gray wolves in the mountains, but they were incredibly rare, and he’d never heard them before. Had the wolves been drawn to the noise of the snowmobiles and lights in the middle of the night? The keening of their howls made his insides clench with dread. It was an irrational fear. They were perfectly safe inside the cabin.

He wasn’t the one in danger. His daughter was.

He fully trusted Steve Lund to keep Suki safe. But he couldn’t shake the horrible feeling that this was his fault for taking those photos, especially after what Illari had told him about the translation. He went back to the counter, filled another mug with steaming water, and scooped some hot chocolate powder into it for himself. What he really wanted was a cup of xocolatl. It wasn’t a caffeine hit. The drink was restorative. Weariness was starting to creep up on him again. Adrenaline was better than a cup of coffee, but even that wore off in time.

He stirred the drink and then went and sat back at the table, across from Agent Sanchez. Her mug was half-empty.

“Let me help your daughter,” she said again, more gently this time. “MS-13 is a dangerous gang.”

“Didn’t think they’d be in Bozeman,” he replied. “Thought they were more a Southern California gang.”

“You’d be surprised,” she said. “Twenty years ago, most of the meth produced in Montana was homegrown. The stuff we’re finding now is purer, which makes it far more addictive and dangerous. It’s cartel grade. Mexican origin. Truth is MS-13 has been here for a while. Your friend Moretti would tell you the same. When the task force goes after a bust, they have to wear body armor and go in like Navy SEALs.”

Worry itched at Roth. She was saying this on purpose. He sipped some of the hot chocolate, letting the flavor swirl across his tongue before he swallowed it.

“Jacob Calakmul said that the jaguar priests were running the cartels,” he told her. “All the meth, heroin, stuff like fentanyl. They’re drugging our country so we’ll be easier victims. The obesity epidemic too.”

“You mentioned that before. So, what, he’s making Americans eat fast food?” she asked in a skeptical tone.

Roth patted his own gut. “I can’t say I know how it all works. But I’ve been to the arena. We played the game. The Beasleys were supposed to win. They played willingly, because they were told they’d be made rulers of some kind after the bloodbath started.”

“Bloodbath?”

“A second civil war. You work for the federal government. I don’t. But I see what’s going on in the news. The race riots. The paramilitary types. The anger between political parties. There’s no trust anymore. Hasn’t been for a long time. My wife’s family is from Mexico originally. Her great-grandparents picked fruit and worked in orchards in San Jose.”

“Mine worked ranches in Texas,” she said with sympathy.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.