Page 6 of Edge of Desire

Damn, I was hoping this deal would close in a day or so. This could drag on for a while.

A week later I got a call. I was told to meet Ratanaporn at one in the morning at an address in a part of town I wasn’t familiar with. After a little investigating, it seemed it was a warehouse district of some sort. There was no way I would meet with Pete because I had eyes on me. I sent him a message via the hotel courier. It was cryptic, and if anyone intercepted it, they would think it was a teenager sending her boyfriend a message through a variety of Taylor Swift songs. It was a trick we’d used countless times, but we always changed the songs. The letters of the words would come from the second word of the line of each verse. It was a huge pain in the ass, but it worked like a charm.

When I arrived at my destination, there were several of Ratanaporn’s bodyguards waiting for me. They frisked me, and after they were assured I was unarmed and unwired, they both nodded.

“Mr. Shelton, come with us,” one of them said. I kept my mouth shut and followed orders.

We wove our way through crates and containers and reached a building that was well lit. The door was open, so I followed them through, and we ended up in an office. Ratanaporn sat behind a desk where several other men were present.

“Ah, Mr. Shelton. Shall we begin?”

I nodded and smiled. No introductions were made, but I made a mental note of what everyone looked like. I had a nearly perfect eidetic memory, so it wouldn’t be a problem for me to recognize these guys again.

“I have decided that I would indeed like to expand my heroin distribution into the U.S., namely the Los Angeles area.”

You have got to be kidding me. L.A.? My poker face gave no indication of my thoughts.

“Mr. Ratanaporn, I understand how appealing that market might seem to you, but I was thinking something less conspicuous to start with, such as Seattle or Portland.” I had to say that because he was testing me. He knew damn good and well that market was owned by one of the largest drug cartels. I didn’t really care where he wanted his crap. It wouldn’t get there anyway if everything worked as planned. I fidgeted and gripped my hands together, making it appear that what he suggested had me on edge.

“Mr. Shelton, you must understand my position. I want L.A. It offers me the most potential.”

Now I rubbed the back of my neck and looked around the room, acting as if I were gauging the others present. Again, I could give a rat’s ass about them.

“Mr. Ratanaporn, you must realize that L.A. is controlled by the Durango Cartel. They would not take too kindly to someone invading their turf.” I gave him a shaky smile. I was greeted with a solid stare and dead silence. “Surely you understand the importance of turf control, Mr. Ratanaporn?”

He slammed his hand down on the desk so hard, I actually jumped. It startled me, as I hadn’t expected it. He was not as mild mannered as I had initially thought. He was an experienced trafficker and I had made an error here.

I narrowed my eyes and said, “Mr. Ratanaporn, is L.A. worth shutting down every possibility of ever getting product established in the U.S.?” Then I shut up.

We had a staredown. He realized I knew my stuff. I knew the first person to speak would lose, so I clammed up.

After several extremely long and uncomfortable minutes, he finally said, “No. But I want it. So, what do you propose?”

“One small bite at a time. We start with Seattle, then Portland, then south to San Francisco. Before the Durango Cartel knows what hit them, we are firmly ensconced in L.A., stealing all of their fucking business. Not only heroin, but whatever else you want to sell. How does that sound, Mr. Ratanaporn?”

He slammed his hand down on his desk again, only this time it didn’t startle me. This time I smiled. “Do we have a deal?” I asked.

“I think we do, Mr. Shelton. How will you get the product?”

“I won’t be. You’ll be shipping it the usual way. We can work out the details. Is that good with you?”

“That is good with me. How long are you in Bangkok?”

“Another week. Is that enough time?”

“More than enough.” He smiled.

Then I smiled and dipped my head. I rose to my feet and let the bodyguards escort me back to my taxi. My job would be completed in a week. Then I would be in the wind for a month. That was how I operated. I carried several sets of aliases with me when I traveled but they could be destroyed at a moment’s notice. After next week, Mr. Shelton would cease to exist. When I went dark, there were only a couple of people who knew how to find me, Pete being one of them. I usually went to large cities where I blended in, where no one would notice me.

I left Bangkok ten days later, after Mr. Ratanaporn, his front men, and his connections had been arrested. I traveled to Katmandu, then back to Delhi, and I ended up in Istanbul for a while. When I figured things had calmed down, I booked a flight to Washington, D.C., to spend some time with my mom. Then it was time to go to Seattle. It was time that my sister and her husband saw the wedding pictures that they thought their photographer had lost.

Three

Ava

“Jeez, Melissa, don’t break it! That’s my fine china in there.” She was slinging the boxes I’d filled with china like they were filled with air.

“Oops. Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I don’t own anything that’s breakable.”

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