Chapter Fourteen:
Closing The Deal
Nick contacted Billy again after he
parked at a filling station in Beullton. Goddamn, they took the pay-phone out…
should I use my cell? Naw. Drive a little further… maybe the phone at work… oh,
a little too close…. Shit. Billy is waiting for a call. I’ll take a chance… get
a new phone… maybe say I lost this one if the narcs track it.
“Hey…”
“Where were you? I‘ve been waitin’
at this goddamned phone an hour!”
“Calm down, Billy….” Nick had
enough confidence based on bias that wasn’t about to let a low-life like Billy
to push him around, “What is so goddamned important.”
“It’s big… we need ten grand to get
in on the deal,” Billy’s voice had sparks of anticipation flying from his side
of the phone. “The boys in Tee-Jay trust me with this… if we can come up with
it… the other half when we can.”
“Yeh, but I don’t like having my cajones
attached to ten-grand,” as Nick spoke his mind was already racing… how could he
get Adriane in on the deal? Ten-grand is chump change to her and… maybe he
could make up for some of that twenty grand he owes her. “I’ll check it out…
how soon do you have to know?”
“By tomorrow, asshole, Honcho is
coming up in the afternoon,”… the line went dead. That is the way Billy always
did business: brief and to the point.
Adriane hesitated to pick-up the
phone when she saw Nick’s number displayed on caller ID. It was never good news
but, for curiosity’s sake, she couldn’t resist, “Yes?”
“We need to talk. Can I … can we…
can you meet me somewhere, I’m at work. I have a way of paying you back the
money I owe you.” He was pulling at straws and he knew she knew it but you
never know… if he sounded humble enough. He told himself… try not to sound so
fucking eager.
“Yes… so, what is it going to cost
me this time?’ she was in no way going to fold this time. These pitches, and
she had learned the hard way, always came with a price for her. The money
didn’t matter to her as much as it was for her distaste for being conned by
him. She let his pitch by, low and outside: Ball one!
“It would be an investment
Adriane,” he didn’t like her tone… calm down… better salve her ego… second
pitch, “I know better than… I won’t try to pull the wool over your eyes.”
“Nick, Damnit… I don’t know what
you mean by wooly eyes… Why don’t you ever call to ask me how I’m doing before
you try to sell me on one of your big deals?” Ball two; she hung up… leaning
against the wall next to her easel she let out a muted moan and waited for his
call-back. If it was a big deal he’d call back right away. If he just needed
money for another line or balloon he’d pass on her and hustle one of his other
marks.
She picked up the phone, “Make it a
good one this time Nick.” His call was his third pitch. Strike one, ball two.
“I’m, sorry, Hon, I should respect
your intelligence… let me explain myself…” he told her of Billy’s big deal and
how he wouldn’t ask her for anything if it wasn’t a sure thing and so on, “You
can triple your investment as soon as we turn it over…”
“How much, Nick… Just fucking tell
me how much.” She was interested, but not for her own profits. I was more of a
matter of getting rid of Nick along with his debt. Strike two, ball two.
“Twenty-five grand…” he knew she
wouldn’t go for that much but he might as well try for a cushion in case
anything went wrong. He still had at least one more pitch.
“”Shit, you asshole, you are
already into me for almost that much.” she sniped back at him but was relieved
he wasn’t trying to dig into her for more. She was also well aware that Nick’s
deal was probably doable on half that much. She simply needed to make him
grovel for it if she was going to part with it. “If you can turn it over right
away then why can’t you get credit from them… whoever they are?” She swung but
tipped the ball. Foul ball! Strike two, ball two.
“These guys are from Tee-Jay,” he
knew it wouldn’t take much persuading now that she sounded somewhat interested.
“They can be pretty demanding and impatient if it turns over slower than I’m
thinking.”
“Yes, but what do you think I will
do if you burn me?” she let the slider by, Ball three!
“I trust that you wouldn’t stuff my
cajones in my mouth and put a bullet in my brain pan?” he thinking, C’mon bitch
swing.
“Okay, I can come up with twenty in
cash before the local bank closes.” Steeee-rike… Thuh-reeee! “I can’t get you
more. Unless, of course, you can take a check from a foreign account,” She knew
he’d more than happily take the fifteen and wasn’t at all surprised when he accepted
without hesitation.
The exchange of cash for kilos of
tar went off at a popular taco joint on Milpas. Nick was not at all worried
about the meeting. He was more excited to finally meet with some of the Tee-Jay
boys even if they were lower echelon gangsters. He had seen the Mexican
magazine, Alama, and marveled at the graphic depictions of gangster executions
depicted on its pages. He knew these guys were capable, or even responsible for
some of it. Manuel had been a mysterious voice on the phone that Billy spoke to
but Nick was meeting him for the first time. With him was a San Diego brute that lumbered into the place
whose eyes did all the talking. You did not want to mess with him. Manuel, on
the other hand, wasn’t threatening at all. He was almost friendly but he spoke
with the assurance that his words were taken seriously by all. He did not have
to feign arrogance and his demeanor put anyone he talked with at ease.
They sat down at the table where
Nick and Billy had been waiting and without pause Manuel gestured to Billy,
saying. “We’ll have a couple of quesadillas.”
Billy understood the gesture and
reluctantly cued up in the line at the order window. The common picture of
these transactions taking place in an isolated desert location is mostly myth.
This particular place had an outdoor area with tables under a canopy that is
always crowded. There was no table service but the place was a popular joint
for people who came from all over Southern California
for the friendly ambiance on the patio as much as for the food.
Billy kept his peace while Manuel
had a brief but friendly chat about the food with the West
Los Angeles gay couple at the table with them. It was customary
for people to share tables there which added to its unusually friendly
atmosphere. He then turned his attention to Nick, “So Mr. Baker, you are, shall
we say, the principle investor?”
Nick was assured that Manuel’s
discretion commanded an equivalent respect even though they were discussing the
matter at hand quite publically. “Yes, I am most pleased to be a partner in
this enterprise.”
“We can discuss it after we enjoy
our quesadillas,” he flashed disarmingly pearly white teeth and continued,
“Perhaps you can give us a tour of the city. I have only been a few times here
and I like it.” He then turned his attention to the gay couple asking about
where they were from and how they liked Santa
Barbara.
It is a relaxed and easy affair
that is in no way to be transacted without some degree of caution but the
security comes from dealing with dependable and profitable associates. Nick and
Billy knew that these Tee-Jay, Arellano Felix, cartel folks really didn’t give
one shit for the lives of those who crossed them: there were no second chances.
Maybe even a fourteen year old kid, Nick couldn’t help miss but notice in the
parking lot, was probably armed with a Mac 11 machine pistol in his baggie
pants awaiting a signal… they were quite willing to ‘clear the room” of anyone
interfering with business, DEA or ICE… collateral personnel… it didn’t matter
to them. The kid was a willing and expendable asset bred for this purpose to
use in extreme cases. But it wasn’t likely anything dire would occur during the
transaction because the cartels were shy of drawing attention to themselves in
del Norte in the manner they eliminated competition in the open in Tee-Jay.
Manuel liked to exchange bundles of
c-notes and packs of tar in laptop packs instead of briefcases. He considered
them to be too obvious and were passé for open transactions. Billy picked up
his pack from Nick’s car and the four rode off in Manuel’s Mercedes. Manuel
waved a hand for Nick to sit in the front seat with Manuel and Billy had the
back seat with the Hulk. As they drove away from Milpas and up the steep
winding Garcia Road
to Alameda Padre Serra Manuel’s the Hulk opened the laptop case and thumbed
through the bundle of twenty bills while Nick picked up the case from the floor
at his feet.
Unzipping the case Nick saw nothing
but a laptop. Manuel gestured with his free hand flipping. Nick didn’t quite
understand until Manuel “check the
battery.”
Nick opened it up finding four
bundles wrapped in cellophane where the battery would have been. “Very clever,”
he said as he pulled the two out… about a half kilo. He stuck a pen knife into
the cellophane and then took a taste… swell… the bitterness soon turn to a mild
high and Nick could tell that this was potent stuff…. a higher grade than what
Billy had been hawking.
“Good enough for you?” Manuel
grinned.
“Yeh…”
Journal entry:
