by Mima
“Don’t think that other nightclubs don’t do this, by the way? It happens all the time,” Diego added. “Bars aren’t just selling you a drink and a good time, they often have drugs dealers in place, prostitutes, you name it. Those places are expensive to run in power alone, they need whatever brings people in and what makes them leave feeling satisfied with their night.”
“It’s not about the club but the experience,” Chase calmly replied as Diego made his way from the kitchen to the living room, a cup of coffee in hand. Plunking on a nearby chair, he turned in Chase’s direction.
“Nothing ever is how it seems in business,” Diego took a deep breath. “And that’s the kind of thing they don’t teach you in business school.”
“Wouldn’t having our own venue shine more of a light on us?” Chase wondered. “Especially with religious groups complaining now?”
“Maybe, but even if someone was caught, we can honestly say we don’t know them,” Diego insisted. “We have a lot of drug dealers and most have a small amount on hand, which makes them less of a target if they’re caught. They usually make it sound like it’s their own stash that they’re selling as if they are ‘helping’ the other person out. It’s manipulative, but it works. It’s all in the wording and believe me, Hernandez has them well-trained on how to proposition someone for drugs or anything else.”
“Are there prostitutes at our parties?”
“There are a few in place to seem like guests, yes,” Diego replied and made solid eye contact with Chase. “That has been the case from day one as well. Hernandez also takes care of that and these guests have to show interest in the less….we’ll say, desirable or popular guests. They’re paid well to do so.”
“How do we know none of these people will talk if they’re caught?”
“Hernandez picks them carefully and he makes it very clear that if they open their mouths,” He hesitated for a moment. “Let’s just say, they know better than to talk. They can walk away if they don’t want to do it but they must never tell anyone. Trust me, he knows everyone has a weak point and he’s not beyond taking care of it.”
Chase felt his heart race and he looked away.
“Don’t worry, you’re in good with Hernandez,” Diego appeared to read his mind. “And that’s exactly what you want.”
“So why do I need a gun?” Chase got back to his original point. “What kind of danger is he in?”
“It’s not that he’s in danger necessarily,” Diego replied. “He’s well protected. He has a lot of government contacts back home as he did in the US and here in Canada. How do you think me and Jolene are getting our citizenship pushed ahead without waiting years? The man is well-connected. He’s untouchable.”
“But how?”
Diego shook his head. “Look, his family, they’re protected. They’ve always been protected in Mexico and elsewhere. As much as the government tries to say that drugs are the root of all evil to the public, in private, they know that they add to the economy. Look at me. I created more jobs because of drugs. I buy nice things and spend money because of drugs. I put money back into the economy because of drugs. As much as we want to make them the problem with society, they are merely a symptom and most of the time, people are only casual users. That is how I see it. As long as Jorge keeps out of the news, keeps under the radar, no one cares what he does. The minute someone complains, they will arrest his ass and pretend that they always have known about him and were ‘investigating’. That is how the police work. But with his lawyers, they’d have him out of it in no time. He makes it very hard to connect him to this case.”
“And he tells people he works in coffee?” Chase asked, still attempting to process all this information. “Isn’t that his cover up?”
“He technically does works for his father,” Diego grinned and held up his cup. “They are in coffee.”
“Why didn’t you tell me all this before?”
“I figured, you know, the less you know, the better. You know me, I’m a little protective of you,” Diego gave a shy smile and shrugged. “But Jolene, she thinks we need to tell you more to cover yourself.”
“So the police?”
“Some care, some don’t,” Diego shook his head. “What difference? Even crime creates jobs. Even if all the illegal drugs were off the market tomorrow, it would only give the big pharma companies more power because addicts are their bread and butter. But that’s ok cause they wear nice suits and have expensive lawyers.”
Chase couldn’t help but grin at this comment.
“That is why we wear nice suit and hire expensive lawyers,” Diego spoke smugly. “Two can play at that game, amigo.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
After Diego told him the truth, Chase began to think about all the little things that happened since he started to work with Jolene and suddenly, so many things made sense. The clues had always been there for him but yet, he had never been one to make assumptions. Although he once thought himself as naïve, he now felt it was because he had always viewed the world in black and white. Diego brought out a lot of grey.
He thought back to the woman who overdosed a year earlier while he was still working in Calgary. At the time it occurred to him that maybe dealers might be in place at the party but then felt ashamed for assuming that his Colombian boss would necessarily be involved in such a thing. It also explained why his former friend Maggie quit her job as a hostess, especially in her pursuit to join the RCMP. How much did she know? Being inside the party gave her a lot more opportunities to see, an advantage Chase never had while working at the door.
It took him a few days to accept this new reality. Although it made him a little nervous, it also was strangely intriguing. It seemed as though every detail was considered; from how to get the drugs in the bars, to how to sell them and cover everyone’s ass in the process. Diego didn’t talk to him about how they got drugs into the country but from the sounds of it, it didn’t seem like Jorge Hernandez would have any trouble especially when he was so politically connected. It was an eye-opening conversation for Chase, one that would change his view on business, society, and government.
He now watched the news with cynical eyes. His brain constantly analyzing the words, dissecting the information given, putting it together in light of his new perception. Politicians were merely robots wearing starched suits, their lips repeating words written by someone else after careful analysis on the topic by a third-party, burned to the memory of the talking head. Business news made him laugh. The fake concern about community matters and charity was so overblown, insincere, only in place to remove attention away from the evil many were doing; polluting the environment, poisoning customers with questionable ingredients in their products and intimidating their employees to go with the flow. Society was a fucking mess and yet, he worried about working for Diego, Jolene, and Hernandez? At least he felt loyalty and could most people say that about their employer?
It was about a week after his conversation with Diego that they had another one that was just as eye-opening. It was almost as if he wanted to give Chase enough time to allow the information to absorb before handing him more details. The two had just walked in the condo on a Friday night and while Chase smiled at the housekeeper, Diego immediately started speaking to her in Spanish in a lively exchange. The two laughed and glanced in Chase’s direction as he checked the mail and threw it on the island. Their conversation continued before she said buenos noches and left.
Chase sat on the couch and was about to check a message on his phone when Diego walked past him and plunked down in his usual chair. It was small, expensive and apparently imported from somewhere or another; a luxury Diego would insist on while shopping for something as basic as a chair. His eyes fixated on Chase, he looked as if he wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say.
“What’s up, Diego?” Chase sat back on the couch, sliding the phone in his pocket, his
body relaxed. “What did the cleaning lady say?”
“Her?” Diego pointed toward the door. “Ah nothing, well, not really anyway. I do want to tell you something about her though.”
“Is she a drug dealer too?” Chase joked and Diego’s face fell into an evil smirk and he shook his head.
“No, amigo but she’s no normal cleaning lady either,” He seemed to relax slightly, his arm leaning against one side of the chair. “That woman there, she cleans, yes, but she also does a little extra work for me too.”
“Her?” Chase glanced toward the door as if it somehow represented the Latino woman who dropped by every Friday afternoon.
“She checks the apartment for cameras, listening devices, that kind of thing,” Diego spoke casually as if it were the normal ‘extra duty’ of a housecleaner. “She knows where to look, what to look for, all of that and she makes sure we are secure here and also, we have her go into the office a couple of days a week. That is why Jolene goes in so early, so she can meet up with her before the rest of the staff gets there.”
Although stunned by this news, the situation was so absurd that it made him laugh. “You’re joking, right? This sounds like something out of one of my mother’s soap operas.”
“I do not joke about this kind of thing,” Diego insisted with a serious expression. “So far, nothing here in Toronto but one must always be careful.”
“Isn’t this a little paranoid?” Chase wondered out loud.
“No because we have found something in Jolene’s old office,” Diego shuffled uncomfortably in his chair. “That was another reason we left Calgary. We didn’t feel as secure there. Toronto had always been good to us business-wise, so we come here.”
“So there was something in Jolene’s office?”
“A small listening device, yes,” Diego nodded. “The time that I met you? That time, something was found during a routine search that Hernandez insisted on. Even we thought it was extreme until we actually found something. That is why we are iffy about talking about this kind of business at the office and try to take it to a public place, somewhere away from others.”
“So you came to Calgary to talk to Jolene about what she found?”
“Yes and to meet you, of course,” Diego insisted. “I was a little concerned it was you who planted it but right away, we figure it was your little friend, Maggie. Perhaps trying to get in good with the RCMP, she was pretty desperate for them to accept her, so it made sense.”
“I don’t think Maggie would do that,” Chase interjected but Diego was already nodded.
“Oh yes, she did and I made her confess,” He spoke honestly. “That is why she left. She had nothing, just a hunch and both me and Jolene had a very stern conversation with her and that is why she not only stays away from us now, she probably stays away from you.”
This news shocked Chase. He knew Maggie had her suspicions and hinted to that effect but she was trying to build proof against Jolene and Diego? He felt betrayed as a combination of deceit and anger filled him. Even though they had been friends for years, it seemed obvious that she was willing to throw him under the bus without a second thought. He thought about how the police once paid a visit to their office asking to speak to Maggie about her sister, who was missing at the time. He thought it was weird that they would even know where to find her, especially since she was only part-time and rarely at the office during weekdays. It was all coming together and he didn’t like the picture.
“I didn’t know if I should tell you at first,” Diego quietly admitted. “Jolene said you were close to her growing up and she felt it would hurt you, that it was better to not say anything but we talked it over and decided that you had to know the truth. There is a possibility that she will return to your life and if she does, at least you will know why.”
Stunned, Chase never would’ve thought she would be involved with something like that.
“But if she wasn’t in the RCMP, why would they let her get involved?” Chase asked as he attempted to sort out the details. “Plus, didn’t you say we are protected?”
“We are protected at the top but not from every officer out there. It’s our job to keep off the radar,” Diego shook his head with a neutral expression on his face. “As for Maggie, why do you think she disappeared? She was training. They must’ve liked that she was proactive and trying to help with a case against us. Needless to say, she could be a huge problem.”
“Hernandez went to your hometown to talk to her sister,” Diego continued. “Not just because he was researching you to make sure you could be trusted but because he wanted to learn more about Maggie, through Kelsey. He knew that the younger sister liked to talk a lot, had issues with the law and so he set it up that they would have a nice, drunken chat. When he did, he found out everything he had to know to put the pieces together.”
“But why would Kelsey tell this stranger anything?”
“He found out she was on a dating site and decided to make his move that way,” Diego spoke calmly and folded his hands together. “And he’s handsome, so of course, he charmed her, went to visit her town, got her drunk, asked a lot of casual questions and here we are….we know Maggie is in the RCMP, that she did a ‘special favor’ to help earn brownie points? I think that is what she said.”
“Wow,” Chase shook his head. “I can’t believe she would do that.”
“Believe it,” Diego insisted. “You, however, checked out perfectly. You always have. Hernandez said she talked about missing you, about what a great father you were, how great you were with the kids and that is when he got the idea that maybe you should keep an eye on Maria for him. He also heard about you threatening that bar owner very forcefully, I might add, when you learned about the underaged porn Kelsey was in. He thought that spoke to your character and loyalty and that is why, my friend, you’re in such high regards to Hernandez. He wants to think you would do the same if anyone ever came near his little girl. He wants to know you would go to great lengths to protect her.”
Chase silently thought about his words before finally replying. “I would. Even if it wasn’t Hernandez’s kid, I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.”
“He sees that with you,” Diego insisted. “You, my friend, will always be protected too as long as he feels that the loyalty goes both ways.”
Chase nodded and allowed these new revelations to gently fall into his consciousness and he felt stronger than he ever had before as if the door to the truth had finally been opened.
“That is why your son’s killer, he is cold in his grave,” Diego admitted, his eyes grew softer. “We would never allow someone to hurt one of our own and not pay. You’re our brother, our family.”
Chase felt his emotions weighing heavy on his heart. He had never had this kind of connection with his real family. Sadly, he didn’t even feel this strong connection with his own sons, regardless of how hard he tried. No one had ever risked anything for him before and no one had ever let him know that he mattered. Swallowing back the lump in his throat he looked in Diego’s eyes and nodded. There was a deeper understanding that no words could express.
“Unfortunately, we live in a world where loyalty means so little that when we find it, we must respect it,” Diego continued and sat forward in his chair. “So, we keep in contact, we keep our eyes open and we stay vigilant. This condo, Jolene’s, the office, we check everything regularly because we can never be too careful. We also have our own camera so we can check all three places when we wish. We place them near the doors to keep an eye for anyone who might come in that is unfamiliar.”
“So the camera is by the door here?” Chase asked and glanced around the room. “Like, in the lights?”
Diego shook his head.
“Picture?” He pointed toward a photo of him and Jolene.
Diego shook his head.
“The mirror?”
“No.”
“Where then?”
Diego rose from his seat and walked toward the lime tree, turning it around in a way that hid the pieces of fruit forming and pointed in the tree. Chase rose from the couch and briskly walked over, he got very close and at first, he couldn’t see a thing. Then he saw it. Small, almost completely hidden, it was in the direction that Diego always insisted when they left the house.
“Your lime tree?” Chase grinned as he stood back up. “You’ve had a camera hidden in your lime tree all this time? Is that why you have it?”
Diego twisted his lips and made a face. “Who would suspect? No one!” He grinned and then his expression grew serious. “But, you know, I really do like limes.”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
“I did not think that you would want to know,” Jolene gently commented over a glass of wine. Her eyes sparkled when met with the dim lights of the small Italian restaurant, as the three of them joined together on a Saturday night. Diego sat in silence, a pensive expression on his face. The enticing aromas from the kitchen filled the room, tantalizing Chase as he attempting to focus on her words and in a way, he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Hidden cameras, drugs, deception, loyalty or lack thereof; it was a lot to process. His life was starting to feel like a television series.
“I am sorry about Maggie,” Jolene continued and stared into her glass of wine for a moment before continuing. “But you know I never like her. I always had a bad feeling, you know? She had walls up and that made me suspicious. I couldn’t put my finger on it but I knew something was not right.”
“You were right,” Diego cut in and the two made eye contact then both shifted their attention to Chase. “But I don’t understand something, Chase. If she was suspicious of us and she thought of you as a good friend, why would she bring you in on all of this? Why would she recommend you to Jolene?”
Chase considered his words for a moment, fearing they were possibly suspicious of him. Parting his lips slowly, he clamped them shut again and mused.