“Because our containers were delayed.”
“Oh my God.” I let out a breath through my nose, something between a laugh and disbelief, but steadier this time. “You’re doing the Spider-Man pointing meme.”
Rafael had a bewildered look on his face. “Thewhat?”
“Never mind. Okay, so just to recap,” I said quickly, waving it off, “your shipments start disappearing, you assume it’s him—” I pointed at Sasha, “—your shipments start getting delayed, you assume it’s him—” I pointed at Rafael, “—and instead of, I don’t know, comparing noteslike rational human beings, you both immediately jump to ‘let’s escalate and see who dies first’?”
Kyrill made a strangled noise behind me.
Rafael’s expression darkened. “There was no reason to assume otherwise.”
“Except,” I cut in gently, “the part where it was happening toboth of you.”
Elena spoke from the side of the room, her tone quieter now. “There have been rumors. Ships have been arriving late before they even reach port.”
Rafael turned to her sharply. “Why hasn’t Manuel mentioned this?”
“He probably didn’t make the connection either,” she shot back.
Kyrill let out a slow breath. “Caribbean routes have been messy lately.”
Sasha’s voice cut in, low and controlled. “The Cubans.”
Rafael’s expression darkened. “You think this is them?”
“I think someone is hitting both of us,” Sasha replied evenly, “and letting us blame each other for it.”
Silence fell as everything clicked into place.
I nodded once, more to myself than anyone else. “Yeah. That’s exactly what’s happening.”
Kyrill huffed. “We might be on the same losing side.”
Rafael dragged a hand down his face. “They disrupt supply, drive up tension…”
“Force retaliation,” Sasha finished.
“And weaken both operations,” Elena added.
I pointed at all of them. “Yes. That. That is the thing I was trying to say, but with less … organized crime terminology.”
Rafael exhaled sharply. “We were played.”
“No,” Sasha corrected calmly. “Weallowedourselves to be played.”
The following silence was long enough to develop its own personality.
Finally, Elena sighed softly. “You’re both idiots.” She hitched a thumb over her shoulder at Javier. “Not as big an idiot as he is, but you’re both idiots.”
Her brother shot her a scathing look, but she didn’t flinch.
“Tell me she’s wrong,” Elena challenged him fiercely, nodding toward me.
I smiled, a little brighter than I probably should have, but honestly? I’d earned it. “Thank you.”
Near-death experience aside, I was choosing to take the win.
Beside me Sasha cursed in Russian.