Noah chuckled. “Se?or Ortiz,” he said, “until just a couple of weeks ago, I thought you were nothing more than a drug dealer. It was only when I spoke to Raul Delgado that I heard that you might be involved in, shall we say, more lucrative opportunities. I had asked Raul that same question, and he suggested that you might be the man to talk to. If it hadn’t been for that conversation, I would have settled for some simple purchases I’ve made since I got here, and probably would’ve gone home several days ago, but I’ve been hoping to meet you.” He leaned forward, even closer to Pablo’s face, and Henrique and the others all slipped hands up under their shirts. “Tell them they can relax, Se?or Ortiz. I’m all alone here, so I’m not likely to present any kind of danger. I’m sure your people are smart enough that they would’ve spotted anyone watching this place from outside, so unless you think I’m some sort of miracle worker, then it seems to me that it should be pretty obvious I’m exactly who I claim to be. Just a buyer, working for clients. That’s me, and nothing more.”
Pablo let his smile grow even wider. “It is true what you say, that we know you have no one watching you. Eduardo has been keeping his eye on you since you got here, and he has told us of the deals you’ve been making. If there were the slightest possibility that you were any sort of risk to me, we would not be here today.” He picked up his glass and took a drink, then set it down. “I am curious about you, however. It is not often, in recent years, that an American comes to this part of our city unescorted. Do I think that you are a miracle worker? I do not know, but this I can tell you. You’re not a man who knows fear, because those who are afraid do not come here. So tell me, Se?or John, why is it that you are not afraid?”
Noah chuckled again, this time a bit louder. “Oh, you misunderstand me completely,” he said. “The fact is, Se?or Ortiz, that I’m downright terrified. This is the first time I’ve ever been asked to come into this part of the world, but as I said, I have a client who is looking for the materials I mentioned. It was she who told me to come here, based on some information she had that said there was a potential source to be located in this bar. I’ve just been taking advantage of the situation to make some other purchases while I’m here.”
Pablo sat back, and regarded Noah with suspicious eyes. “Your client for this material is a woman?” Pablo asked. “I find this to be very disturbing news, my friend. As far as I know, there is only one woman in the world who might seek such materials, and if you are working for her, then there is far more to you than I would have thought. Can you tell me your client’s name?”
Noah looked down at the table, then picked up his bottle of beer and took a long drink from it. When he set it down, he looked Pablo back in the eye. “I don’t know her name,” he said. “I only have a contact, a man who calls himself the Dragon. He tells me what she has to say. Does that sound like the same person?”
Pablo didn’t answer at first, but took another drink from his glass. “This Dragon, he is from where? Europe?”
Noah shook his head. “No, he is in Dubai.”
Pablo nodded, and this time his smile was more genuine. “Then I believe we are talking about the same woman,” he said. “It is very possible that I have access to what you seek, but I do not handle such things personally. In fact, the actual material is not far from your Dragon, in the same city. If we can come to an agreement on the price, delivery can be arranged in a direct manner. Would that be satisfactory?”
Noah shrugged. “I would have to check with my contact, and see what the client has to say.”
Pablo nodded. “Then we’ll meet again, this time tomorrow. You may tell your client that the price would be twelve million dollars. If that is satisfactory, then be sure you have the ability to transfer the funds when we meet tomorrow. If it is not, then do not return to this bar.”
Noah raised his bottle, as if proposing a toast. “Tomorrow, then,” he said, and then he reached into his pocket and took out several hundred-dollar bills. He gave two of them to Felicita, then rose and walked over to the bar and gave one to Eduardo. He left without saying another word, and Felicita hurried out the door behind him. A moment later, she came back alone.
Pablo called her over. “Your gringo no longer wishes your company?”
The girl smiled. “He told me that he will see me here tomorrow,” she said, and then she looked over at Eduardo. “He also told me to ask you to have a figure in mind for which he could buy me from you. He says he wants to take me back to America, and marry me.”
Eduardo’s eyes became as big as the moon. “And is this what you wish? To be sold like a dog, like a pet?”
Felicita looked smug. “If he wishes to marry me, I do not care how he obtains me. Will you give him a price?”
“Of course he will,” Pablo said. “If this gringo does return, and wishes to buy your freedom, and if he and I conclude our business satisfactorily, then the price will be named. Perhaps I shall even pay it myself, and give you to him as a gift.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Outside the bar, Noah had walked calmly down the street. He stopped at the first corner, and looked around as if trying to determine which direction he needed to go, but that was just a ruse to allow him to be sure he was not being followed. Once he had sent the girl back inside, he was fairly certain that everyone there would be involved in the conversation about his plan to marry her.
He crossed the street at the intersection and made his way over to the next one. A black-and-silver Chrysler sedan pulled up in front of him, and he opened the passenger door and slipped inside.
Sarah looked over at him. “Everything okay?”
“It’s all going according to plan,” he said. “How is Neil?”