The Perfect Pieces Ch. 08

"Hola," the voice on the other end greeted. It had a crisp business-like snap to the word. Amber nodded to me. It was Pablo.

"Good morning, Mr. Castillo," I said in Spanish. Amber smiled. I was rusty and I'm sure my accent was worse from years of non-use. "I am representing Samantha Donaldson." I paused for a moment to let that sink in, "I would like to schedule a meeting with you at your convenience."

"Who are you?" Pablo asked. This time he spoke slower. I could tell he was holding back expletives in order to see where the call was going.

"You can call me Sam for now," I answered.

"How did you get this number, Sam?" Pablo asked, making 'Sam' sound like a swear word.

"An acquaintance acquired it for me," I replied. I felt my Spanish was coming back to me quickly. "This conversation would be more appropriate in person."

"Is the bitch with you?" Pablo asked. I raised my hand to Amber, stalling her retort. I would prefer that Pablo be kept in the dark on how close she was to me. I took a breath and bluffed.

"We can speak calmly, at your convenience," I stated firmly, "or we can meet at my convenience. I assure you, that would be less satisfactory for everyone concerned." Veiled threats rarely worked well. I waited, listening for his response. At first, I thought he had hung up and I would have to try a different way.

"Are you in Phoenix?" Pablo asked. I could almost hear his teeth grinding.

"I will be, in two days," I answered, my voice calm, proud of my Spanish.

"Call me when you are in town," Pablo said. The call went dead. I put the phone away and smiled at Amber.

"That went better than I expected," I admitted with relief in my voice.

"He sounded angry," Amber added.

"Yes, but he's willing to meet," I said, "I thought a meeting was going to be more problematic. This is a good sign." I reached over and caressed her knee. I could feel goosebumps. The call frightened her. "We'll get through this," I assured her.

"I'm afraid he will kill you," Amber admitted. I was pretty sure he would think about it. I was confident I could preempt any attempts.

"No," I said with my best Vito Corleone accent, "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." My Spanish was better than my Italian accent. It made Amber laugh, so it served its purpose.

Continued...