Rhea scooted her chair closer to Diego’s desk. “Did you ever tell me why you chose to come here to Iowa? I suppose you could live even more like a king at home.”
“We did live like kings in Veracruz. However, kings are always under threat of being overthrown. Veracruz is dangerous today. The city is beautiful. I miss it every day, but the streets run red with blood. I fear every morning for my family members who still call it home.”
“Wow, I’m so sorry.”
“You know that the cartels slaughtered my parents. The bastards assumed my family’s wealth came from the drug trade as well. We are an honest family. Our wealth was passed down from our Spanish ancestors who invested in ranching. My father invested what was passed down, and my siblings and I all benefited from his efforts.”
“So you came here to escape?”
Diego nodded. “There was no reason for me to stay in Veracruz. Any attempt at starting a new business is likely to be sabotaged if it meets with success. Some old friends are attempting to develop tourist properties, but it won’t work until the war zone is pacified.”
“And you met Mr. Hansen on the way out of the country?” asked Rhea.
“No, I hadn’t decided to leave when we met. I was a different man then. I was full of youthful energy and raw emotion. My parents were still living.”
Rhea raised an eyebrow. “More emotional than now?”
Diego chuckled. “Yes.” He balled a hand into a fist and held it against the left side of his chest. “The emotion comes from my heart. It’s that energy that keeps me going. The fire is the fuel for everything that I accomplish. Alan could use a few spare flames.”
“I’m sure he will come to his senses soon, Mr. Flores. He must recognize the potential.”
Diego pulled his arms back and folded them across his chest. “I’m afraid that poor Alan does not realize just how persistent I can be.”
“I do have another question.”
“Sure, go right ahead. What else is on your mind?”
Rhea asked, “Should we have that call traced? I’m sure the police would be willing to look into it if you explained the threats you received.”
“No, I don’t want to make anything worse at this point. It could be an isolated comment. Perhaps our mystery agitator was having a bad day.”
“Please don’t be too confident. There are some dangerously misguided folk around here, I’m afraid.”
“Bad hombres?” asked Diego.
Rhea laughed softly, “Yes, bad hombres.”
The rest of Diego’s day passed smoothly. He received weekly reports from his drivers, and, despite the fact that he was charging shippers less than his competitors, Diego was still making a significant profit. He plunged a percentage of that profit back into raising the mileage rates for his drivers. They responded with better performance.
Diego left work thirty minutes early. As he opened the door to leave the building, Rhea said, “You deserve the extra time. Have a relaxing evening, Mr. Flores, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I intend to.”
Thirty minutes early made a world of difference in the rush of traffic leaving downtown Red Wing, and Diego returned to his condominium building to find choice parking still available.
As he exited the elevator on the fourth floor, he heard the sound of a door closing down the hall. Diego turned the corner, and he saw Alicia, the seven-year-old daughter of the only other Mexican residents on the floor. She spotted Diego and began running down the hallway shouting, “Mr. Flores!”
Her parents were still eight doors down, but Diego could see the broad smiles on their faces. Alicia plunged forward and wrapped her tiny arms around his legs. He smiled down at her and asked, “How is my little chiquita?”
“I get to have ice cream, Mr. Flores! I got an A in school today.”
Diego reached down and picked her up letting her perch in the crook of his arm until her parents arrived. He poked at her belly and said, “Enjoy that ice cream for me, and keep up those grades! Smart is a good thing. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
He smiled broadly as her parents arrived. The masculine voice of her father scolded lightly, “Alicia, please don’t pester Mr. Flores. I’m sure he has plenty of business to take care of without you getting in the way.”
Diego bounced Alicia in his arms. He whispered, “Don’t listen to them. I always have time to say hello.” He set her down on the floor and greeted Alicia’s parents before setting out down the hall for his own front door.
Closing the door behind him, Diego let down his defenses. The mysterious communication unnerved him. He didn’t want to show his fear to anyone, so it ground away in his gut all day long. Finally, now, safe in his own surroundings, Diego threw himself onto the sofa and held his head in his hands. He wondered if there was anywhere within his reach that was truly safe.
9
Ross
It was a beautiful evening outside. As April bled into May, the weather warmed, and early spring flowers began bursting into bloom. Alan took Boomer for a long walk through his neighborhood smiling at the banks of daffodils that led down the slopes from grand old houses lining the Mississippi River bluff.
“This is a lovely little town when you look at it the right way,” said Alan to Boomer in particular and everyone else in general.
Boomer investigated every crack in the sidewalk with a keen interest in the clumps of grass sprouting from ancient cracks. They caught just enough soil through the years to host a variety of common weeds. Alan laughed when Boomer jumped back as a small black beetle scuttled its way in front of his nose.
By the time they returned to Auntie Erin’s house, Alan longed for human contact. His efforts at making other friends in Coldbrook Bend beyond Dak and Brody were failing. Admittedly, his efforts weren’t focused. Alan kept mostly to himself curled up on a loveseat in one of the upstairs bedrooms with Boomer draped across his lap while he watched old movies.
“Hold down the fort, Boomer,” instructed Alan as he reached down to stroke the dog’s ample chin. “I’ll be back within a couple of hours.”
The Corner Hitch bar was half empty. It was a Thursday night, and the clock ticked past 8:00 p.m. As he opened the door and stepped inside, Alan didn’t know who he was looking for. He could have called Dak and Brody ahead, but he didn’t want to interrupt any of their private time together.
He scanned the small crowd and failed to see familiar faces. Alan stepped up to the bar and ordered a local microbrew on tap. The bartender asked, “Aren’t you that new guy. I’ve served you a couple of times, right?”
“It’s Alan.”
“Jake,” said the bartender as he set his wiping cloth aside and reached out a hand to shake.
“My friends give you high marks.”
Jake smirked. “And who are they? They might be angling for free drinks.”
“Dak and Brody. I’m sure you know them.”
“Coldbrook Bend old-timers. Honestly, there are few better men in town than those two. It took them way too long to find each other, but fortunately, they finally figured it out.”
Jake pushed a frothy pint of beer across the bar to Alan. “I’m going to sit at a table,” said Alan. “I just needed to get out of the house.”
“Well, who knows who might stop by. I’ll send you the interesting visitors.”
“You do that.” Alan turned away and found a small round table by the opposite wall. Just before sitting down, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Seeing no new messages, he opened an app for national news and started to read.
A few minutes later, the door to the bar opened with a clatter. Alan wasn’t sure if the wind picked up outside, or it was clumsiness on the part of the man who entered. The new customer was blonde and blue-eyed. He was tall, well-built, and wore a plaid flannel shirt in lumberjack black and red. Alan concluded he was a prime example of sturdy Minnesota Scandinavian stock.
He watched as the man engaged in a conversation wit
h Jake. Then he saw Jake point across the bar in his direction. Alan turned to either side despite the fact that he knew he was the focus of attention.
Jake made good on his promise. The stranger took a drink in a rocks glass from the bar and found his way to Alan’s table.
Alan knew that he couldn’t avoid an introduction, so he stood and held out a hand for a shake. He asked, “Did Jake send you my way?”
The man’s voice was surprisingly soft for his stature. He was hesitant, too as he said, “Yes, he said…um…we’re both new in town.”
He said his name was, “Ross Michael, but everyone just says, Ross.” He was friendly enough, but Alan thought he would make a more convincing Gustav or Sven. He kept his musing to himself.
Alan focused on Ross’ movements. He scooted his chair slightly closer to Alan and placed a hand on the table just inches away from the fingers Alan clasped around his glass of beer. Clearly, Jake not only pegged Alan as friend material for Ross but also indicated that he was gay. It was a fair assumption after assessing Alan’s friendship with Dak and Brody.
“You’re handsome,” said Ross.
Alan grinned uneasily. He said, “Thank you,” nodded his head, and added, “I could say the same about you.”
Ross smiled. He had shiny white teeth. He was a handsome man, but the attractiveness dimmed when Alan considered the hesitant, clumsy seduction behavior. “Do you mind if I ask where you work?”
“I was hired on in management at Tar-Mor. How about you?”
Ross said, “Oh, wow. That’s a great job. I’m in management, too, but it’s at Home Pro. I’m taking charge of their garden department, so it’s just seasonal work so far.”
It was Alan’s turn to smile. At least Ross had Brody’s seal of approval. He took a second look at the handsome man. Ross appeared more relaxed, and he was settling into something like a comfortable conversation.
In answer to a question about his earlier life, Alan said, “I’ve lived all over. I grew up as a military brat. I’ve lived in Germany, South Korea, and I even spent some time in the Middle East. I think I’ve lived in at least ten different states.”
Ross answered with his favorite word. He said, “Wow, that sounds hard as a kid. Did you keep in touch with friends?”
Alan sighed, “Not really. There are a few on social media now, but I stayed close to my family. I thought I was going to spend four years at the same college, but even then I transferred. I’ve never lived in one place for more than three years.”
“So you’ll be leaving Coldbrook Bend in another year or two?”
“No, that’s not the plan. I’m hoping to finally settle down. I live in my great-aunt’s house. She moved to an assisted living facility, so I have a comfortable house for the foreseeable future.”
“Sweet,” said Ross. “I live in an apartment in one of those new complexes at the edge of town.”
“Nice?” asked Alan.
“It’s not bad. The place still smells like a new building. I figure that will disappear in a few months. There’s a pool.” Ross reached up and swept fingers through his blonde hair. “Hey, why don’t you come over in a month or so when it’s warmer. Bring your trunks.”
Alan realized that he was on the verge of making a new friend. He knew that Ross wanted more. It was plainly visible on his face, but Alan didn’t feel the same. He said, “That does sound like fun. I haven’t had anywhere to go swimming in the past couple of years. I learned how to swim when I was six, and my family lived overseas.”
The conversation continued and swept lightly over a variety of topics from the state of the weather to the shininess of the old-fashioned brass rails along the bar. They concluded that Jake was both friendly and fastidious.
As he drained the last of his beer, Ross said, “It’s still early. Why don’t we get out of here, and you could stop by my place on the way home. It’s a little out of the way, but I’ve got slices of leftover birthday cake and ice cream.”
“You just had a birthday?” asked Alan. He didn’t want to follow Ross home, and he used the question as a quick deflecting tactic.
Ross shook his head. “No, it was Lacey’s out at Home Pro. She complained that the cake would make her fat if she brought it home, so Seb, that’s her fiancee, divided it up for us, and I got to take some home.”
As charming as second-hand birthday cake sounded, Alan chose to turn down the invitation. He said, “I need to get to bed early. I have to be at Tar-Mor early in the morning for a meeting.”
He actually didn’t need to be there any earlier than usual, but he rationalized to himself that his regular morning discussion with Elaine at 7:45 counted as a meeting.
Ross sighed. “Well, maybe another time. You have a good evening, Alan. It was nice to meet you.”
Alan was surprised at how quickly Ross rose and exited the bar. He worried that his rejection of the invitation was too abrupt or even rude. If that was the case, it wasn’t intentional.
He could have said yes and then later turned down any attempts at something physical, but Alan thought it was best to stop the snowball from rolling down the hill before it got started.
Alan thought about the strategy as one to use with Diego. He now had two rules for action. First, he should not look Diego in the eye, and second, he should reject invitations for private interaction in a direct manner. Alan drained his glass and sighed. He could try that plan of action, but he knew that Diego was not Ross. He was an entirely different animal.
10
Signing the Contract
Diego was surprised that Alan asked him to stop by the Tar-Mor shipping office. He assumed it was possible to conduct any necessary business over the phone. If they were dismissing the possibilities of a personal relationship, there was no need to meet face to face.
Although Alan didn’t specify the reason for the meeting beyond the discussion of his proposal request, Diego assumed that he was receiving the contract. He could not imagine how any of the other firms could compete with his terms. Alan was too smart to reject reliable service and significant cash savings for Tar-Mor.
As he approached the door to the shipping offices, Diego cradled the goodwill gift in his arms. It was a rectangular cardboard box approximately two feet long and six inches wide. Elaine greeted him generously. “Mr. Flores, please come inside! You are about five minutes early. I’ll let Mr. Hansen know that you’re here.”
The waiting area looked like Alan went shopping at a store for refurbished office furniture. The chairs were metal-framed with scratchy, dingy fabric-covered seats. Diego sighed deeply as he seated himself.
Only thirty seconds later, Elaine leaned forward and said, “He’s ready for you, Mr. Flores.” She gestured to her right. “Through those doors. Of course, you already know the way.”
As he entered Alan’s office, Diego realized one advantage of the spartan appearance of the office. It made Alan the focus. There was nothing else worth seeing.
Alan said, “I hope you really were planning to be in the area like you said on the phone. I didn’t want to have you drive an hour down from Red Wing, but I thought it would be good to do this in person.”
Diego placed the package on Alan’s desk and said, “It’s a good thing I don’t already work for you because you sound like you’re getting ready to fire me, and you didn’t want to do it over the phone. Cheer up. At least paint a smile on your face.”
Alan looked down at the package and asked, “What’s this?”
“It’s a small token of our esteem for working with you so far.”
“Should I open it, or should I share my news first?”
Diego shrugged. “It’s nothing big, but I assume you have a collection of items like this somewhere. You must keep all of the interesting features in a closet.”
“Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll go ahead and open it.”
Diego settled himself and leaned back. He couldn’t stop himself from trying to be slightly seductive. He wanted Alan to fe
el comfortable in his presence, so he pulled his arms up and placed his hands behind his head. He knew that the movement also pulled his jacket up and open revealing the dress shirt fitting snugly against his muscular chest.
Alan tugged at the flaps of the cardboard box and smiled when he saw what was inside. He pulled the box away as a scale model of an M-Trak rig rolled out onto his desk. Alan stood and ran his fingers down the length of the trailer. “You know, we should have a collection like this. I think my predecessor took any that existed with him when he left.”
“Well, this can start your new collection. At least I hope we will continue to do business together.”
Alan stepped around his desk toward Diego. He said, “That is the reason why I called you. We were very impressed with the full proposal and how timely you acted in getting it here.”
“And?” asked Diego. He pulled his arms down and sat upright staring up at Alan’s handsome face. He noticed that Alan recently got his hair cut. The sides were perfectly sheared, and the top was just long enough to hang over onto Alan’s forehead. His attention was drawn to the detail when Alan raised his hand and swept the hair off his forehead toward the side.
“I would like to formally offer you the contract.” Alan reached his hand out to shake.
Instead of reciprocating, Diego climbed to his feet and offered a hug. He said, “I know this isn’t standard practice, but when you’ve seen each other naked, I think you’re some distance beyond everyday business partners.”
Diego saw Alan cringe as his arms wrapped tightly. He slipped his hand up behind Alan’s head and gently stroked the buzzed hair.
Alan pushed back. He placed both hands on Diego’s chest and said, “No, we can’t do this. I can’t offer you the contract and then do this. I sorted it all out already. M-Trak needs Tar-Mor, and Tar-Mor needs M-Trak. That’s our role.” He pulled his arms back and crossed them over his chest. “Don’t you agree, Diego?”
River Town Box Set Page 21