by Claire Adams
“I understand where you’re coming from. My father has cut me off, though; that is why I don’t have money.”
I watched as Jose appeared to be contemplating our conversation. He wanted his money, and I understood that. But I wasn’t purposely keeping his money from him. If I had it, I would have already handed it over and avoided the thousands of dollars in fees each month. My life was worth giving him his money – so were my fingernails.
Jose stood up and moved toward me and fear filled me faster than I could stop it. Marco was right; I was just a little preppy guy without the ability to fit in with their world. I couldn’t even throw a punch and make contact. If Jose wanted to hurt me, it was going to be really easy for him. To protect myself, I needed a gun or something. Which, of course, I didn’t have.
His hand reached up and wrapped around my throat, and he pushed me back up against the wall. He was serious about his threat as he clamped down and made it almost impossible to breathe.
I tried not to panic or show too much fear. I knew Jose would relish in the thought of provoking fear in me. Instead, I closed my eyes and tried to relax as much as I could. I held onto the breath I already had in my lungs and then opened my eyes to look at Jose as he talked to me.
“I’m tired of carrying your loan. Either you pay me or I’ll go to your father for the money. And, I’m sure you can imagine how much pain your father would be in if I had to go to him for the money. You’re taking up too much of my time. You have two weeks.”
Two weeks!
It wasn’t possible for me to get a hold of the whole $200,000 in just two weeks. I had to convince Jose to give me a little more time. It was going to take me at least two months to get control of my father’s company, and that was still not a sure thing. The gravity of the situation weighed on me, but I shook my head up and down in affirmation of his request.
He released my neck and took a couple steps back.
I gasped for air and made my way over toward his desk. My body hunched over as I tried to draw in a deep breath. I noticed something on his desk and glanced over at Jose, who was standing with his back towards me. Quickly, I took the opportunity and grabbed the black book and slipped it into my pocket without Jose noticing what I had done.
“You’re a handsome fellow, Chase. I think the best way to get you to pay might be to have Marco do a little cutting on that pretty face of yours. Marco!”
As he screamed for Marco to come into the room, I ran through my head all the possibilities of the moment. There was no way I could convince my father I was responsible if I had a big gash on my face.
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said desperately. “I can’t do business with a cut on my face; it’s how I get things done. I’ll have your money in two weeks.”
“I’m serious, Chase. If I don’t have the full amount in two weeks, I will make sure you are hurt badly, and then I’ll go to your father for the money.”
“I understand.”
“Yes, boss,” Marco said when he entered the room.
“Show Mr. Foster out. Ensure he understands the consequences of what will happen if he doesn’t return with my money in two weeks.”
“Yes, boss.”
Marco grabbed my arm more forcefully than I had expected and pushed me out of the room toward the front of the house. When we were away from Jose, he released his grip and just walked behind me.
“Chase, he’s serious. How are you going to get the money?”
“Dude, I’ve got it worked out. No worries.”
“Man, I’m worried for you. He’ll do whatever he needs to.”
I was one hundred percent sure that Marco was right. Jose Escabar was not the type of guy to make idle threats. If he said he was going to break a guy’s leg, that guy showed up with a broken leg. I had two weeks to get his money, or my father was going to know everything about my sordid lifestyle.
Oh, yes, my father would instantly pay up the money I owed. But that would be it, I wouldn’t get another penny from him and, more than likely, I wouldn’t even have my job with him anymore. It wasn’t an option. I needed to figure out how to get Jose his money.
“Chase, I need to do one last thing before you leave,” Marco said and I turned around.
Then, BAM, he punched me in the eye.
“Shit, Marco, what was that for?”
“Jose said to make sure you knew how important it is to make the full payment. That’s how I do it.”
“But, shit, Marco. We grew up together.”
“That don’t matter when it comes to business. You’re lucky he didn’t have me slice your face up. That shit don’t go away.”
“God damn, Marco.”
“Go get your shit in order and come back with his money.”
Marco left me on the front steps, holding my eye and dizzy from the force of his fist to my face. I had only been punched a couple times in my life. Luckily, I was usually able to avoid the fights with a little fast-talking. Apparently, that hadn’t worked with Jose and Marco. But I was grateful they hadn’t cut my face. At least a bruise would heal.
As I pulled away from his place, I had to smile, though.
While I was in Jose’s office, I had grabbed a little something that I could use to ensure my safety – especially, if I wasn’t able to make the payment in two weeks. This little item was going to be my ticket to avoiding being killed and keeping Jose from telling my father about the money I owed.
I smiled a little at my win in the situation. Never had I stolen something that I felt would hold the key to my safety. It was invigorating. I felt alive. I had the security I needed to make sure I was safe.
I also hoped that Jose wouldn’t realize it was me who had taken his little black book. Because if he knew it was me, it wouldn’t matter if I paid off my loans, he would still kill me. Suddenly, I started to think stealing Jose Escabar’s little black book of contacts was a really bad idea.
Oh, shit! What have I done?
My cocky attitude turned to fear, the farther away from Jose’s house that I drove. I wasn’t smart, at all. What the hell was I going to do with his little black book? I couldn’t sell it. Most of the bad guys in Atlanta were in his pocket, anyways. The only other option was to go to the police with it, and I wasn’t about to do that; my father was friends with the police chief and captain in Atlanta.
Going to the police would ensure that I had to admit to everything I had done. My father and my whole family would know how much I had fucked up over the last few years.
My heart started to race. I felt sweat as it formed on my brow. I had made a huge mistake. I stole the contact book of one of the Mexican cartel’s biggest associates; there was nothing that could save me now. My bright idea could turn into the one reason I ended up getting murdered. No way was he going to let me off once he figured out I had stolen his precious black book.
I needed to turn around and give it back to him.
No!
I couldn’t just go back in there and tell him I stole something from him. Crap! I had Jose Escabar’s little black book and I owed him $200,000. My body started to shake as the gravity of what was going on set in. There was no way for me to avoid this. I was in way over my head, and I needed to reach out for help.
I pulled my car over and sat on the side of the road, shaking. My whole life was crumbling around me. The lifestyle I wanted wasn’t anywhere to be seen in my future. I had nothing left. There was nothing to get me through all of it.
As much as I thought I had friends and family that would support me, none of them would be there if I was face to face with Escabar. None of them would hand over $200,000 without tons of questions and, likely, they wouldn’t be all right with the answers I gave them. Yes, my brothers would give me the money to make sure I was safe. But man, would I pay for it the rest of my life. Maybe my family was right about me making bad decisions all the time, it certainly didn’t feel like I had made any right ones.
Slowly, I tried to take some deep breaths. I despera
tely needed someone I could confide in and could work with to get through all of it. Mathew and Carlos were the closest things I had to someone I could confide in. But did I really want to bring them into this mess? The second either of them knew what was going on, I was positive they would stop being my friends. Even years of friendship couldn’t withstand this horrible mistake.
I picked up my phone to call one of my brothers. Surely, one of them could be there for me without telling my father. I’d call George; he’s the oldest and most levelheaded. Maybe he could help me.
“George,” I said as I tried to control my voice.
“Hey, Chase. I can’t talk right now. Cindy and the kids are waiting for me – we are heading into a movie. Can we talk later?”
“Oh, sure,” I said as calm as I could.
“Thanks. Brandon is graduating in a month. You should come out and say hi. You know you’re his favorite uncle.”
“Sure. Yeah, of course, I’ll be there. I’ll talk to you later. Have fun.”
“Will do. Talk to you later.”
As I hung up, I knew I shouldn’t bother any of my other brothers. They all had their own lives and their own things to worry about. I didn’t need to be adding more to them by telling them what was going on with me. I certainly didn’t need to put them in danger by bringing them into the world of Jose Escabar.
Just like my father, any one of them would pay off Jose for me. I might have to reach out to them if the deadline came near, but I hopefully could avoid it. All four of my brothers were financially successful, and I felt like the loser of the family, for sure. But in the end, I would much rather go to one of my brothers for the money than to my father, at least they wouldn’t cut me off from the entire family.
My mind spun with all the options, and then I saw a text on my phone from Jordan. A smile flashed across my face almost instantly. As I thought about our conversation earlier in the day, I couldn’t help but think that I wanted to be the kind of man she was impressed by. Not impressed by my money, but truly impressed by the type of person I was. Certainly, I couldn’t say I would impress her at all if she knew who I was at that moment.
Just seeing her name on my phone calmed me down right away. I couldn’t wait to meet her in person. I didn’t know her at all, but there was something about that girl that I really wanted to have around. Her smile, her eyes, her lips – I couldn’t wait to have them all right there with me.
“Got the information from your assistant about my flight. Can’t wait to meet you,” her text read.
“I’m excited to meet you, too. Have a safe flight,” I responded.
I took a couple deep breaths and drove the rest of the way home. It was going to be a long couple of days waiting for Jordan and trying to figure out how I could get the money I needed. I also had to get my house ready for her to visit. I didn’t want to force her to sleep in my room, so I needed to pull some things out of the garage and set up the second bedroom for her.
Hopefully, things would go really well with us and she wouldn’t want to sleep in there. But at least for the first night, she would probably want her own space. I couldn’t help smiling as I thought about having Jordan actually in my home. But the weirdest thing of all was that I thought about what it would be like to make her breakfast in the morning and sit around the table. I didn’t think about what it would be like to have her in my bed. It was odd for me to think about any woman in more than a sexual way.
As I walked into the house and looked around, I decided I definitely needed to pick up before Jordan arrived. The house looked like a bunch of frat boys had taken over. That certainly wouldn’t impress her when she arrived. I wasn’t in a position to hire someone to clean up for me, so I took to cleaning it up on my own.
Chapter 8
Jordan
Selling everything I owned in less than two days was surprisingly freeing for me. Most of the people in my apartment complex were happy to buy my furniture items, because I had them at ridiculously low prices. But I needed to get things sold so I had some cash of my own. When people would come over for a couch or chair they had purchased, I would sell them other things like my dishes and rugs.
I didn’t want to get to America and not have any way of caring for myself. I didn’t want to rely on Chase to take care of me if he turned out to be some horrible person. Plus, I would need money to buy food at the airport, and if Chase happened to not show up or something.
I was too responsible of a person to just fly off to America without a plan. I made sure I had enough money for a bus ticket to Florida, so I could be with Ana just in case the thing with Chase didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to.
My messages to Ana had gone unanswered and the number she gave me for Gordon just rang and rang. Of course, I could only think of the worst possible reasons why she had not contacted me after arriving in America. She knew I was waiting for her call! I was angry as hell at her for not calling me, but that anger was stifled by the feeling that something might be terribly wrong with her trip.
I hoped once I got there, I could figure out where she was and make sure she was safe. I knew Ana well enough to know she would have called me if she could. Something horrible must have happened to her. My brain couldn’t think of any other reason that she would not have called me or at least sent me an email.
As I packed my suitcase with my things, I said a little prayer that Chase was who he said he was and I would be all right. I couldn’t imagine not being able to talk to Ana or my mother before I left on my journey, but I had no way of reaching them.
Finally, I decided to send them each an email. They weren’t the type of people to check their emails very often, but hopefully they would at least get my note, eventually. I also left a voicemail on Scott’s home phone. Although, I knew they would be traveling for weeks and not able to check those messages, because they were trying to live off the earth and bond. Eventually, they would return, and she wouldn’t have to worry about me. I left all of Chase’s contact information and told them to email me as soon as they could.
My little apartment actually looked big when it was emptied of all my belongings. I grabbed my suitcase and looked back one last time when I closed the door. I said a little prayer that I would never have to live like that again. Not that I didn’t appreciate our apartment, because I did. We had heat in the winter and that was more than many other people had. It was a safe building, and my mother and I had been comfortable there together.
But it was time for me to move on. I had always wanted to see the United States, and it was actually happening. I was done with the old, disgusting world of my past and on my way to a brighter future.
The dirty walls and horrible brown water was all in my past. I was on my way to America and would live there for as long as I could. It was the land of the free and I wanted it. I wanted all of America. I needed to live in the land of opportunity.
It was weird to have a purse full of money as I got into a taxi heading toward the airport. My entire life I had not seen as much money as I had in my purse that the time. It was at least $500 U.S. dollars, and I knew it would be enough to get me by if I got to America and couldn’t stay with Chase, or if he turned out to be someone I didn’t want to stay with.
The airport felt oddly familiar, as I waited in the same line as I did with Ana only a few days before. The check-in clerk was the same one as Ana had used, and I felt like she knew exactly why all of us young women were going to America. But she didn’t judge. Instead, her eyes were filled with understanding and compassion for our journeys. She had the same bright smile on her face as she had when I was there with Ana.
“Good morning,” she said. “Can I have your identification? Is that the name your registration is under?”
“Morning. Yes, my ticket is under Jordan Miller.”
The woman typed my name into the computer and compared what she saw with the confirmation number I had written down.
Chase had had his assistant book the flight for me
and I had written down every word from her email. I didn’t have a printer, so I wanted to make sure I had everything exactly right for when I got to the airport. I checked and rechecked everything I wrote down several times to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
It seemed to be taking the check-in girl much longer than usual to get my ticket. I started to get nervous. I knew I had written everything down correctly.
She kept checking my confirmation number and my identification. Her face seemed so serious that I had to assume something was wrong. I started to panic and wanted to just leave and go back to my empty apartment.
“Okay, I have exciting news,” the woman finally said with a huge smile.
Her grin instantly put me at ease.
“What is it?”
“Your reservation is for first class.”
“What?” I said loudly, unable to hide my excitement.
Everyone around me turned to look at me, as I had yelled so loudly that they wanted to see what the commotion was all about.
“Yep, I checked it several times. You will be riding in the first class cabin for your trip to Atlanta, Georgia.”
I stood there stunned, as I stared at the woman. She seemed very understanding of the situation and why I was so shocked. I suspected she had seen hundreds of women fly to America from our little airport, which was on the border in St. Gallen, Switzerland. I couldn’t help but wonder how many of them had received a first class ticket for their flight.
“This is good. This means he’s really who he says,” I said under my breath.
The front desk clerk smiled and nodded. Her eyes told me she knew exactly what I was saying. It certainly did put Chase in a new light for me. Not because he had spent so much money, but because it added a legitimacy to his story of who he was.
“Yes, this seems like a pretty good guy. Good luck to you.”
She handed me my ticket and pointed me toward the gate. I had a bit of a bounce in my step as I made my way through the line and walked toward my gate. I stopped at a coffee shop and bought myself the most expensive drink they had. My heart soared with excitement as I sat down in front of my gate. Life definitely seemed to be looking up for me.