Chapter 495: Isabel’s Story

After borrowing an office at the Dallas Mounted Police Department to take Isabel's statement, Jane and Jack took her to the Four Seasons hotel. Until Matt finished interrogating Carlos Reyes and came up with a plan, this was the safest place for her.

Jack found Isabel to be quite interesting. Once she realized she was safe, her first concern wasn't the whereabouts of her drug lord father, who had been captured along with her. Instead, she subtly probed Jack, trying to find out if there was a way for her to avoid being sent back to Mexico.

Was this typical teenage rebellion? Even in the U.S., very few 16-year-old girls lived in the kind of luxury Isabel had—an enormous mansion with dozens of servants at her beck and call. Could it be that the recent events had scared her, or was she playing a clumsy game of deception, sensing something more?

Jack was intrigued. While Matt was busy interrogating Carlos Reyes, Jack decided to see if he could get some information from the girl.

Isabel, wearing a bathrobe, stepped out of the bathroom and was startled to find the young FBI agent who had rescued her sitting on the couch, chatting away on his phone. 

Instinctively, she covered her chest and took a step back, one hand on the door, ready to retreat and lock herself inside if anything seemed amiss.

Jack couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated. This girl, who hadn't even fully grown up, was clearly overestimating her appeal. He pushed a glass of milk toward her from the table beside the sofa. "Sit down and have a drink. Jane's gone to get you some clothes."

Isabel picked up the milk, her face showing resistance, but she didn't dare to say anything. Her eyes kept darting to the whiskey glass in Jack's hand.

Sighing, Jack tapped the table with his fingers, motioning for her to put the glass down. He then picked up the whiskey and poured a small amount into the milk before stirring it with a spoon.

"Don't let Jane find out, or she'll kill me," he said.

The legal drinking age in Mexico is 18, and it's similar in Canada, while in the U.S., it's 21. As a result, many American college students cross the border to get drunk in these countries. Isabel was 16, which, if calculated according to Chinese custom (where age is rounded up), could technically make her 18.

Of course, Jack was just joking. The small amount of whiskey mixed into the milk was negligible and wouldn't have any real effect. Instead, it was a way to lower the girl's guard, making it easier for him to talk to her.

Plus, after all she had been through, a little alcohol might help her sleep better.

Sure enough, Isabel took a sip of the milk and happily sat down across from him.

Too easy to placate, Jack thought, reminded of his childhood when his grandfather would tease him by dipping a chopstick into a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and watching his face scrunch up from the burn. 

Jack took a sip of his own whiskey. "I thought you'd have a lot of questions for me."

"Would you answer them?" Isabel's mood had noticeably improved, perhaps because of his earlier gesture. She seemed to think the FBI agent in front of her was approachable.

"Depends on the question. How will you know if you don't ask?"

Jack smiled. This girl clearly wasn't just some background character. She was sharp, and he wondered what role she would play in the grander scheme. He imagined she'd have a significant part, maybe even something dramatic with Matt or Alessandro, like a storyline out of Léon: The Professional. Hollywood loved those kinds of plot twists.

"You've probably figured out who I am, haven't you?" Isabel asked.

Jack paused for a moment. "You mean the little princess of the Reyes cartel?"

Isabel lowered her head, her mood darkening again. "Have you... found his body?"

"His?" Jack raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. "Are you talking about your father, Carlos Reyes? I saw on the Mexican news that he was kidnapped along with you, but we didn't find him at the location where we rescued you. We're not even sure if he was brought into the U.S."

Even when talking to a minor, Jack never forgot the role he was playing, ensuring his words were airtight.

Isabel clutched her cup tightly, her large eyes darting nervously before she tentatively asked, "If... I mean, hypothetically, if I could provide testimony, could I join the WPP?"

The WPP—Witness Protection Program. Was this girl really thinking about disappearing and staying in the U.S.?

Jack was puzzled. Although the CIA's information had been specific down to her age and blood type, there wasn't much detailed intelligence about the inner workings of the Reyes family. That might be because the Reyes cartel hadn't yet grown large enough for the DEA or CIA to bother placing undercover agents within it.

So, was Isabel's request just a rebellious teenager's impulsive idea, or had she been considering it for a while?

"You know if you join the WPP, you'll have to cut off all contact with your family and friends, right?"

Jack didn't ask what kind of evidence she had to offer. With Carlos in their custody, obtaining any evidence was just a matter of time. But he was curious about what this girl really wanted.

Isabel absentmindedly touched the scratches on her cheek, a few tears escaping her eyes and vanishing into the milk.

"I don't have any family left, and I've never had friends. At school, they all called me a drug dealer's whore."

"Is that why you got into a fight today?" Jack tried to keep up with the mind of this teenage girl.

"Yes. I fought back. That bitch ended up in the infirmary."

"But from what I understand, even if your father's fate is uncertain, you still have an older brother."

—

By the time Jane returned with a bag of clothes and toiletries, Jack had a decent understanding of the internal conflict within the Reyes cartel, thanks to Isabel's story.

In simple terms, there was a power struggle between the "conservative" Carlos Reyes Sr. and his "radical" son, Carlos Jr.

Carlos Sr., having witnessed the rise and fall of several major drug lords like the Medellín Cartel and El Chapo Guzmán since the 1980s, believed in "getting rich quietly." He focused on controlling the cartel's size and maintaining good relations with local civilians, following the traditional path of Latin American drug traffickers.

His son, Carlos Jr., on the other hand, believed that if they didn't move forward, they would fall behind. Defying his father's wishes, he married the daughter of a minor "CJGG" leader and was doing everything in his power to bring CJGG's drug labs into the Reyes cartel's territory, opening up a land route for smuggling drugs into the U.S.

The Reyes cartel was already showing signs of a split. The older members who had fought alongside Carlos Sr. were inclined to maintain the status quo and supported the elder Carlos. Meanwhile, the younger members, frustrated with the older generation's reluctance to step down, aligned themselves with Carlos Jr., eager to seize power.

The balance of power had already shifted. Not only did Carlos Jr. have external support through his marriage, but he also had the help of an "expert team."

There had been a slight error in the intel Jack received from Alarcón. While Ian Doyle had indeed been working for the Reyes cartel, it wasn't for Carlos Sr.—he had been training soldiers and supplying weapons for Carlos Jr.

Carlos Sr., unwilling to give up, was still only in his 50s and far from ready to retire. Encouraged by his old comrades, he had come up with a desperate plan: a political marriage.

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