He grins. "Whatever you want, I'll make happen."
We go to the shop and get Hunter a pair of trunks and a cover-up for me. It doesn't take long to change. We sit at a table with drinks in our hands and no one near us. The resort is quiet, and the other couple who were eating earlier left.
"Where do you want me to start?"
"At the beginning."
The beginning. I briefly close my eyes, but I can't avoid it any longer. When I open them, Hunter is patiently waiting and stroking my hand.
"Six years ago, I met Carlos Garcia. Within one year, I sold my house and moved in with him. By year two, I lost my family, friends, and career. After I had nowhere to go and no one to turn to, he began taking me to dinner parties and other events with Global Leaders."
"Who are they?"
"The most powerful men in the world. They run countries and illegal operations and hide their true affiliations."
"Affiliations to what?"
"The New World Communist Party."
"What's that?"
"The global movement to transition countries to communism, but it's not true communism in the definition."
He nods. "Communism never is. It's always resulted in being led by dictators."
"The wealth won't be distributed to the people. It'll go to the Global Leaders. They will have full control over trillions and dictate how the world runs. Once in control, they will seize businesses and property. Anyone who opposes them will be thrown in prison and held there, without a due process. And it doesn't matter if the society runs on democracy, socialism, or another current political system. They will all crumble, and by the time the world understands what is happening, it will be too late."
A deep line forms between Hunter's eyes. "How would they do that? Checks and balances would surely stop them."
"It's already happening."
"How?"
My heart pounds harder. "Because of the War on Drugs campaign."
20
Hunter
Vanessa's breathing is erratic again, and I'm afraid she's going to have another attack. I scoot my chair closer to hers. I make her inhale deeply for a few minutes. When she seems stable again, I ask, "What does the War on Drugs have to do with this?"
"Everything. Trillions of dollars a year are collected annually from taxpayers to fight the war. Militaries are mobilized, and personal property gets seized from drug busts with ease. All the drug czars in those countries have to claim is that they found drugs, and everything is up for grabs. We're talking about billions of dollars per country from seizures. And that is only what gets reported."
"But the War on Drugs is to take down the drug cartels."
Vanessa shakes her head hard. "No. They all negotiate with them. That's just public perception."
"I don't understand."
She stands up and goes to the bar and picks up a napkin. She says something in Spanish to the bartender, and he hands her a pen. She sits back down. "It's a rinse and repeat cycle of corruption."
She writes A, B, C, and D in a square shape. "A are the drug cartels. B is your government leader. C is the military. D are the agencies who get funding from the War on Drugs." She draws a curvy arrow between each set of letters so it looks like a circle. "Following?"
"Yes, so far."
She taps the napkin. "The drug cartels supply everything. They keep the addicts fed and bring in a constant stream of new users. But they have to have smuggling routes to get around the enforcement agencies that the general public sees."
"Okay. Then what?"
"The government leader sets the tone for how much money the taxpayers will pay to fight 'the war.' Billions get distributed to agencies they choose, except it lines the pockets of corrupt politicians and themselves."
"They skim it off so no one notices?"
"Yes. Plus, people are appointed to positions and paid outrageous sums of money for no reason."
"Good ole boys club, right?"
"Yep. But they get more military power. No one questions any of this. They can take whatever they want from whomever they want, as long as it involves drugs."
"So if they want something, they plant drugs and boom, the property is now the possession of the government."
"If it's recorded. Lots of untraceable things never are and fall directly into the hands of the corrupt politicians."
I stare at the arrows on the napkin. "So, you're telling me that the leaders of governments all over the world are in bed with the drug cartels to keep feeding the beast?"
"Yes."
I take a sip of my beer, letting it all soak in.
"You don't believe me?" she quietly says.
"Of course I believe you. I'm just trying to comprehend this."
She flips the napkin over and draws a triangle then writes, Torres/Belize, Gómez/Colombia, and Cano/Mexico. "You have three drug cartels, all fighting for power. Jonas Torres snuck up on the others. But he's also formed a partnership with Jorge Cano, the Mexican drug cartel leader."
"Against Santiago Gómez?"
"Yes."
"They are taking over more of Gómez's territory?"
"With the help of Global Leaders."
"And the leaders used to support the Colombian cartel?"
"Yes."
I scratch my cheek. "Why did they change sides?"
"Santiago killed his father, Alejandro, to gain power. The Global Leaders had deals with Alejandro, but Santiago tried to renegotiate."
"He got greedy?"
She nods. "The leaders decided to show him the power they had and slowly have been raiding his routes and dealers. They've gotten a bigger percentage from Torres and Cano, removed the law enforcement from gateways into their countries, and left their dealers alone."
"What countries are we talking about, Flower?"
She scrunches her face. "A lot. Every continent on the planet has representation in the movement. And little by little, they are gaining more power. Once they are in full control, that's when the real war will start."
"What do you mean?"
She swallows hard. "It'll be World War III to see who is in ultimate power."
A chill digs its way into my bones. "How do you know?"
"Carlos...vacations...parties. I've been in the room for all these discussions. It's another reason Carlos would want me back. He knows I know his secrets. I have dirt on the most powerful men in the world." She shudders, even though it's hot out.
"Come here, Flower." I pat my lap, and when she sits, I hold her tight to me. "This must have been eating at you for a long time."
She frowns. "There's no one to report this to. It's all happening. Right now, behind closed doors, deals are being made. Alliances, as well as fake loyalties, are being created. Whoever gains control will run a trillion dollar a year empire and become the most powerful man in the world, and thus, untouchable. And by the time the people know what is happening, it'll be too late. The free world, as we know it, will be gone, and the new world will be run by dictators."