Chapter 247: Defining Innocence
The Dinner went well, with Alex successfully recovering a fair amount of affection from Maria. Perhaps it was the fact that he was able to show off his more “humane” side, but the young beauty seemed to have mostly forgotten about his bloody business, one that she inwardly despised.
Because of this, Alex was sitting at a positive on the affection bar, with a solid 25/100 for Maria, and a 99/100 for Isabella. After enjoying a nice meal together, Alex took the two women back to the Zetas compound, which was the safest place for them to stay.
Maria said her farewells to Alex for the night, while Alex returned to his room, ready to shower and hit the bed. He had not been sleeping well lately due to the ungodly amount of drugs he had been consuming.
After emerging from the shower, Alex sighed heavily when he realized he was not alone in his room. Ever since La Madre forced him to become the warden of the Jalisco Drug Princess, she had been staying in his allotted quarters, and Alex had nearly forgotten this fact. Until he saw the young woman sitting on his bed while dressed in a nightgown.
Alex did not say a word as he walked over to the bed and slept on his favorite side. Isabella, however, pouted when she saw this, and was just about to say something to Alex when he coldly told her to go to her own bed, which was recently added to his room.
“What are you waiting for? I want some sleep, so go to your bed. No, you can’t sleep in mine…”
Isabella wanted to argue with Alex, but the men simply rotated over so that he could stare coldly at the girl, causing her to rethink her plan. Thus, she silently moved over to the other bed in the room and laid down beneath its covers where both Alex and Isabella slept in silence.
Upon waking up in the morning, Alex was rather annoyed. He was accustomed to sleeping with the many women in his harem and waking up in a very particular manner. But since the only woman in his room was someone who, for the next few days, was still underage, he couldn’t get a morning release like he normally did.
“My oh my, it looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning…”
Alex wanted to tell the woman to go fuck herself, but realized that was not the wisest course of action, and thus he could only brood in silence while waiting for his meal to arrive. Which, when it did, he devoured it quickly. All the while, La Madre talked about her plans for the future.
“What remained of the Sinaloa collapsed last night after a daring assault on their last stronghold… Currently our forces and Jalisco’s are vying for what they left behind… This means that this war has now come down to two players…
Luckily for us, we hold two important members of Jalisco’s leadership as our hostages. I plan to use our little Prince and Princess as bargaining chips in the upcoming negotiations with that old miserable bastard…
You just need to look pretty and keep an eye on the brat. If you can do that, I will have Jalisco licking my boots before the week is over. Okay?”
Alex nodded his head silently while sipping on his coffee. He was happy that he no longer was taking an active role in the Mexican Drug War. He had already pinned an enormous target on his back, and didn’t want to make it even larger.
Maria sighed heavily. It was the first time she had joined Alex for breakfast since she was brought into the Zeta’s territory. But after yesterday’s date, she was more open to the idea of being with Alex, and was quick to voice her opinions on this matter.
“Just to make this clear, once the Zetas have emerged as the sole victor in this conflict, Alex’s debt will be paid, correct?”
La Madre frowned when she heard this, she really didn’t want to lose a valuable asset like Alex. But she was all too aware of the contract she had signed with them man, thus she forced herself to remain calm as she confirmed that Alex’s debts to the Cartel would be paid in full once the Zetas became the sole player in Mexico.
“That is correct… Alex’s assistance has been invaluable, and as much as it wounds my heart to do so, a deal is a deal. So once Jalisco is crushed, I will let my favorite little pup run free. I will also make sure that nobody comes after him or his family ever again, as was agreed upon previously.”
Maria sighed in relief upon hearing this, before once more expressing her thoughts aloud.
“Thank God, I just want this whole nightmare to be done with as soon as possible…”
Alex however squinted his eyes towards La Madre and was quick to ask her what her plans were for one of her two captives.
“And what about Isabella? I know what you’re planning, you intend to wipe out the entire leadership of Jalisco, and make an example of them so that nobody ever challenges you again… Isabella is not a part of that leadership, she is innocent in all of this, surely you don’t intend to harm her as well?”
La Madre frowned when she heard this question… She indeed intended to make an example of Jalisco’s leadership, and that included Isabella. Alex’s concern for the girl was out of the mature beauty’s expectations and she was quick to comment on this.
“Don’t tell me you have developed a case of Stockholm syndrome? No, wait… You’re not the prisoner in this instance, so wouldn’t that be reverse Stockholm syndrome? Oh, who gives a damn about the technicalities, you know exactly what I mean…”
Alex’s expressions dropped to match La Madre’s frown as he lectured the woman on their deal. And how her plans for Isabella would be a violation of those terms.
“If I remember correctly, there was a clause that you would not task me with harming any innocents, nor would you order me to capture innocents with the intent of harm being inflicted upon them. Isabella clearly meets the conditions of being considered an innocent according to our contract. She is not involved with the cartel other than having familial relationships with several of its members. Are you telling me you intend to violate our contract?”
La Madre was, of course, stunned into silence when she heard this. She did indeed remember this exact clause being added to the contract. She had no idea how she would slither her way out of this, that is until she reminded Alex of the mess that had gotten him involved with her to begin with.
“Tell me Alex… If Isabella is an innocent, then does that mean that those children you had me kill in America, were they innocent as well? After all, they had never done anything to you and were merely related the villains who conspired to kill you and your family. Are you not responsible for the deaths of those innocent little children, by your own definition?”
Maria nearly choked on her orange juice when she heard this and was quick to ask Alex just what the hell La Madre was talking about.
“I’m sorry, what? What children? Alex, what did you do?”
Alex, however, did not pay attention to Maria’s interrogations, and instead narrowed his gaze towards La Madre, countering her point with his own moral justifications.
“Those children would have grown up seeking vengeance on the man responsible for the deaths of their parents. I can’t afford to be looking over my shoulder the rest of my life… When you intend to remove a threat from existence, you best be thorough in doing so.
The same does not apply to Isabella. Her family has already harmed her in various ways, and threatened to harm her even further. And once they learn of the differential treatment she is receiving at your hands when compared to her brother, they will think she is a rat. Her life will be in even greater danger. There is no conceivable way that she would ever seek vengeance against you for killing her father and brother who seek to murder and rape her…”
La Madre ground her teeth in frustration. Alex’s logic was solid, and his counter was perfect. Isabella was no threat to her, at least not directly, but it was only after mulling it over for a few seconds that she came up with an excuse that was reasonable enough justification to bypass the clause that would assert Isabella as an “innocent.” And once she thought this through, the mature beauty was quick to express this sentiment.
“This is true… Isabella is no threat to me or the Zetas, at least not directly. But what of those sicarios from the Zetas who we incorporate into our ranks? If Isabella is the last surviving member of the Ramirez Family, is she not a symbol to rally behind? Her very existence is a threat to the stability and order that will emerge once this war is over… I can’t allow her to live!”
It would appear that the two of them had reached an impasse. One that Alex had struggled to resolve without violence. Thus, the man sat in silence for several moments thinking about how to save Isabella from this madwoman.