Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch5

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Chapter 5

“Happy graduation.” Luis patted Nicolas on the back as he handed him an unusually large stack of bills for his payment one weekend.

“What?” Nicolas frowned, reluctant to take the money.

“You graduate in two weeks, no?”

“Yes …” Nicolas still hesitated.

“So, this is my graduation present to you.”

Slowly, Nicolas reached out and accepted the payment. Luis chuckled.

“What are your plans now?” Luis asked.

“I’m looking for an apartment I can afford in Ixtapa.”

“Oh?” Luis looked down. “As a matter of fact, I happen to know of a very nice apartment you can have, rent-free.”

Nicolas stared at Luis, with one eyebrow raised.

“It is a … distribution office for us. You will of course have some responsibilities: keeping inventory, receiving and distributing product.”

“Product? Do you mean …?”

“Crystal meth and marijuana mostly, some heroin.”

“I’ll be selling it?” Nicolas averted his gaze, twisting his fingers together nervously.

“Oh, no.” Luis shook his head. “You will receive shipments from manufacturing locations, and our vendors will come to you to restock their supplies. It will be very important for you to keep good records of what comes in, what goes out, and to whom it goes out. Inventory must be accounted for.”

“So, I just sit in the apartment all day? And wait for people?”

“No, no.” Luis chuckled. “They will call you in advance, so you can arrange a time to meet—usually in the afternoon or evening.”

“Also …” Luis continued. “If you feel they are trustworthy, you can share the apartment—and the responsibility––with your friends, if you wish. You will handle the calls of course, but you can delegate responsibilities as you see fit. Just be certain that you can trust them.” Luis grew serious. “You will be collectively responsible for any accounting errors.”

“Is this something new?” Nicolas queried suspiciously, “or am I replacing someone?”

Luis drew in a breath and glanced at the ceiling.

“You are replacing someone. Two someones, actually. They started using some of the product—out of curiosity at first––but then they used more to throw parties with some friends, and it became a … habit.”

“So, what happened?” Nicolas shifted nervously, recalling the penalty for drug use outlined in the Templario rulebook.

“Well, naturally we couldn’t allow such behavior. We had to terminate their employment.”

“Where are they now?” Nicolas persisted.

“They and their friends disappeared while hiking in the jungle. Very tragic.” Luis paused in somber reflection. Then his face brightened. “But I am not worried about you, Nicolas. You are a very bright young man, with a very promising future.”

Nicolas stared down at his hands, then realized he was still holding the money. He pulled out his wallet and tried to cram the paper money in. The stack was too thick to fit. After several attempts, he stuffed the bills that wouldn’t fit in his wallet directly into his pants pocket.

“I have business to attend to at the moment,” Luis said, “but if you’d like, I can show you the apartment later this afternoon, say … in two hours?”

“Sure.”

“Excellent.” Luis smiled. “I will call you with the address in roughly two hours and meet you there.” He rose from his desk, indicating it was time for Nicolas to leave.

Nicolas rose, shook Luis’ hand, and left the office.

* * *

“So …” Oscar closed his eyes in thought. “You get an apartment, rent-free, just for taking a few calls and managing some inventory?”

“That’s what he said,” Nicolas said between bites of a sandwich.

“Where do I sign up?” Javier cut in enthusiastically.

“I don’t know.” Oscar shook his head slowly. “That sounds like a good deal but …”

“But what?” Javier spoke after a moment’s silence.

“It’s just … I don’t know. What about the money? He didn’t say anything about that. Are you responsible for collecting the money from the dealers? Do they buy the stuff from you? Do you have to pay for the deliveries? What if you make an accounting mistake? Can you trust the dealers to not take advantage of you?”

“Aww, c’mon, man. This is Nicolas. He’s a genius. He can totally figure a way to keep that from happening.”

“I don’t know.” Oscar shuffled his feet. “I mean, stealing a little change from spoiled, rich gringas, or collecting insurance money from shopkeepers, is one thing, but drugs? I don’t know …”

“Oscar––” Javier’s tone was condescending “––we aren’t going to be dealing drugs, or making them, were just transferring them from maker to dealer. We’d barely even be considered as ‘in the drug business.’ Besides, people want to use the drugs—it’s not like we are forcing them to take them. So why not make a little money supplying people with what they want?”

“I think you two might be getting ahead of yourselves,” Nicolas interjected. “I mean, we should probably look at the apartment first, right? What if it’s a dive? In a trashy neighborhood? There are places I wouldn’t want to live, even for free, you know?”

“True,” Oscar conceded. “Might as well check the place out before we make any decisions.”

They finished their meal and sat together, talking idly for several minutes, until Nicolas’s phone rang.

“It’s Luis,” Nicolas announced as he answered the call.

“Are you ready to take a look at your future accommodations?”

“Sure, we’ll take a look at it.”

Luis chuckled. “Okay, I will be there in about fifteen minutes, let me give you the address and directions, and I will meet you there.”

Nicolas recited the address and directions out loud. He wasn’t very good at remembering verbal instructions, but Javier and Oscar would keep it straight. As he continued reciting the directions, Javier developed an odd look on his face.

“Are you sure you said that right?” Javier asked after the call ended.

“Yeah.” Nicolas frowned as he walked to his scooter. “Why?”

“Is it a long way from here?” Oscar picked up his bicycle. “It didn’t sound like that many instructions.”

Nicolas grimaced. “Is that it, Javier? Am I gonna have to wait forever for you two slowpokes?”

“Oh, sure,” Javier whined, “rub it in, scooter boy.”

“But no.” Javier’s brow was furrowed. “It’s pretty close, I think. If I got it straight, it’s close to the beach. The nice beach, where the resort hotels are. The nice ones.”

“Are there apartments down there?” Oscar questioned.

“Yeah ...”

“Let me guess,” Nicolas cut him off. “The nice apartments.”

“Oh, scooter’s a comedian.” Javier threw his head back in mock laughter. “C’mon, let’s go take a look at this place.”

The apartment was in fact a condominium, situated midway between two golf courses, one to the southeast and the other northwest. It was just less than a kilometer from the ocean. There was a master bedroom and three smaller bedrooms, an ample-sized kitchen, and an enormous living space, made larger by a balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors.

The balcony, situated just above the tree line, faced the ocean and provided an expansive and spectacular view. The master bedroom had its own smaller private balcony, furnished with a bistro table and two chairs.

The entire space was luxurious, with tile floors, granite and marble stonework, and rich wood trims and finishes.

Oscar crossed the large main balcony and peered over the edge. Directly below was a small, manicured strip of green grass, bordering a cement patio, with a circular sauna, and an irregular-shaped pool serving as the primary features. The far side of the pool, was a straight infinity edge, which dropped to a bed of dark gray river rock. Beyond that, a thick grove of trees created a natural boundary between them and a large tourist zone, consisting of several blocks of restaurants, clubs, bars, and a few hotels.

South of that was a large street, lined with shops, including the shop of Gaspar’s father, and just beyond that lay the large stretch of beachside resort hotels—the primary location where Nicolas and his friends used to find their victims and liberate them from their excess money.

“Of course.” Luis stepped beside Nicolas as he stared out at the vista. “We expect you to take care of this apartment. As you can see, the walls, floors and ceiling are in excellent condition—freshly painted and cleaned. You are welcome to hire a maid if you wish. Just––” Luis gazed at the view a moment, then directed a smile at Nicolas “––keep it clean.”

Nicolas glanced briefly at Luis, then back to the scenery, nodding absently as he did so.

“So,” Luis asked gazing at the pool below, “are you ready to move in?”

“Of course he is.” Javier strode briskly across the balcony, wrapping an arm around Nicolas’s shoulder.

Luis grinned. “And when would you like to take occupancy?”

“Tomorrow?” Javier asked, staring anxiously at Nicolas.

“He still has to finish school, you idiot.” Oscar glared at Javier from the doorway.

“Nicolas?” Luis spoke softly after a long pause, during which Oscar and Javier stood, staring at Nicolas with bated breath.

“Graduation is a week from Friday.” Nicolas twisted his fingers pensively. “Monday after that?”

“That would be fine.” Luis beamed, exposing his brilliant white teeth.

Javier pumped his fist enthusiastically while Oscar stared at his friend, his face unreadable.