Roz and Nathan were engaged in a skillful game of bartering. Roz wanted to eat Italian, and Nathan fancied something more Asian in origin.
"You chose last time," Roz said. A pretty standard opening, of low value, but it did suggest a precedent had been set.
"You chose twice before that," Nathan countered.
"We eat Italian, and I do the dishes," Roz suggested.
"Two plates? Hardly a major concession."
"I'll throw in a massage?"
"Now we're getting somewhere," Nathan said, a grin spreading across his face.
Roz was on the verge of keeping the massage as part of the deal, but offering terms as to the fate of the dishes, when the phone rang.
Roz fluttered her eyelashes at her fiance.
Nathan shook his head. Accepting defeat was part and parcel of living with Roz. The best he could hope for, was a tie. They were both competitive, but Nathan recognized that there were more important things than winning.
"You stay there, babe. I've got this." Nathan put the house phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Nathan?"
"At your service. To whom am I speaking." This was very formal for Nathan, and he grinned and winked at Roz, as he played the part of the English gentleman."
"Nathan, it's Gordon. Gordon Wilkinson. Owner of the Bahscot Keep.
"Gordon, of course, how are you. How's business? I'll bet that your restaurant is crowded every night."
"Business is great, Nathan, but it's a personal issue I've called about."
"What can I do for you Gordon. Name it?"
The change in tone of Nathan's voice made Roz neglect her TV movie and swivel her head towards her fiancé .
Nathan's face became serious as he listened to Gordon's plight. "Gordon," he said, "whatever your dilemma is, we're there for you. Of course we can meet somewhere. Name the place, and we'll be there."
Now it was Roz's turn to wear a serious expression. She raised her eyebrows, when Nathan locked eyes with her, then looked away.
"If you're only half an hour away, why don't you come to our apartment. You do have our address, don't you? Great, see you in a half."
Nathan returned the phone to its cradle. "It's obviously something he can't discuss over the phone," he said.
"Do we have any wine in the fridge?"
"One," replied Nathan, but I'll put another in. I got the impression that he required our professional services."
"Do you remember that comment he made the night we dined at the keep?" Roz asked.
Nathan nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. 'Money is not the glue that keeps a marriage together', is what he said."
Forty-five minutes later, Gordon was working his way through the second bottle of wine. He seemed unaware that he was the only one drinking.
"Maria means everything to me," he said, a gentleness in his voice. "She's been gone for two months now. I thought she was overjoyed to see her family and simply wanted to spend more time with them, but her brother sent me an email, yesterday." Gordon halted and poured himself more wine. "She's leaving me."
"Leaving you?" Roz asked. "Did her brother tell you that?"
"Her brother was the one member of her family who liked me from the word go."
"Start from the beginning, Gordon," Nathan said. "Don't leave anything out."
Gordon closed his eyes and with the help of the alcohol, laid out his dilemma as he saw it.
His first wife had died in childbirth. Bringing up a child on his own, was hard, but his daughter was his life, until he met Maria. His daughter was fourteen when he met the fiery Colombian woman who would become his wife. She was a few years younger than he, but the attraction was mutual from the start. His daughter took to her right away, so they married within six months. Gordon loved his wife to distraction and missed her terribly. Her father had been high up in a drug cartel. He was a ruthless individual, but his only daughter doted on him.
"Some women take ruthlessness as a strong male trait. It exemplifies the dominant male taking care of the submissive female. Submissive women often accept beatings as a form of love, believe it or not. If he doesn't beat you, he doesn't really love you."
"I would beat the living crap--" Roz started, until Nathan held up his hand. He wanted Gordon to let his anguish out, uninterrupted.
"I don't possess a ruthless bone in my body," continued Gordon. "I couldn't hurt my wife, even if it meant us breaking up, but... I want her back. I love my wife." Gordon's head dropped into both hands. "What do I do? How do I win her back?"
"Roz was about to comment, but Nathan stopped her, again.
"Gordon," he said, "there's something you're not telling us. Neither of us can help you if we don't have the full story. Your confidence is assured with us, but we need the full picture, you must understand that."
Gordon nodded. He took a deep breath and let it out.
"She has fallen under the spell of a charismatic cartel capo. A sadistic killer, by all accounts. My wife's father was killed in a shoot-out with the Colombian authorities a few months before we met. Her brother especially was happy that I could provide a new start and a different lifestyle for his sister. Everything was going just fine. We love each other and she seemed to embrace our culture, until we argue. I hate arguing and during the last disagreement, she called me... weak. The worst thing a Colombian man could be called. A barrier seemed to materialize between us. A few days later, she announced she was going to visit her family, back in Colombia. I thought it would give her time to cool down and think better of her accusation. Then I got the email from Eduardo."
"What is the name of this cartel capo?" Roz asked.
"Manolito Oroja."
Roz and Nathan exchanged glances.
" Mano Oroja?" Roz's voice raised in pitch.
"You have heard of him?"
"An up-and-coming commander in one of the big drug cartel families. Is that the one?" Roz asked.
"How do you know so much?" Gordon wanted to know.
"He dominates more TV time than some soaps," said Nathan. "He is one bad dude."
"Eduardo said in his email that Manolito has made it known that he wants my wife, for his own," Gordon explained. "Mano exemplifies everything that is coveted in Colombian masculinity. I fear that Maria will be led astray."
"Which drug cartel uses his services?"
Gordon stared at Roz and then Nathan. "The Escobar cartel. Her father's operation."
"Whoa!"' Roz exclaimed.
Gordon nodded. "Not an easy solution, especially because Maria's family house is no more than one hundred yards from the cartel's main compound in that area. That place is like a military barracks, filled with mercenaries."
"So how exactly do you think WE can help?" Roz asked.
"I was hoping that you two could coach me to woo my wife back. I know it's a long shot, but I don't know what else to do. Will you help me?"
"Gordon," Nathan said, "you're sleeping in our spare bedroom tonight. You have had way too much to drink and besides, Roz and I need to brainstorm. It would be helpful if you were still here tomorrow."
"I admit that I'm drained. I don't know if you can help me, but I'm willing to try anything."
Roz put a smile on her face. Looking more cheerful than she felt, she guided Gordon to the spare bedroom, before rejoining Nathan.
"Give me your thoughts, babe."
Roz's fiancé rubbed the side of his face. "I have several thoughts on the subject, but one such thought is the front runner. I don't think you're going to like any of them."
"I just knew you were going to say that," she replied, easing herself into his lap, and resting her head against his shoulder. "Tell me anyway."
"I'd rather sleep on it and see if it still seems like the only real option, in the morning."
"Is your plan sneaky? Your country can't have owned an empire without being sneaky."
"You are engaged to be married to the love of your life," Nathan said. "I find it somewhat insulting that you should consider him to be anything other than a solid citizen."
"Answer the question, Englishman."
"Of course it's sneaky."
"I knew it."
"But it's also dangerous."
"How so?"
Nathan hooked one arm beneath her knees and the other under her arms. He lifted her effortlessly as he stood up. "That's a topic for tomorrow. Tonight I want to make love to my princess."
"You do?"
"Absolutely, but since she's not here, you'll have to do."
Roz put a neck lock on her fiance and wrestled him to the ground. "Recant, knave," she said, releasing her hold and grabbing his chin between thumb and forefinger.
"I freely admit it. You are the only woman for me."
"Forever?"
"And ever," he said, caressing the side of her face.
"I don't take rejection well," she replied.
"I guess I'm stuck with you, then," Nathan said, turning her hand over and inspecting her engagement ring. "It's amazing what you can get for ten bucks on eBay."
"You'll never change, will you."
"Was that a statement or a question, my love?"
"Just remember, future husband, don't scream too loud in the bedroom. We have a guest. Cry into the pillow if you must."
"What IS this fetish with you? I've told you before. Men don't cry."
"So you keep saying," was her response, as she led him into their bedroom.
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