Chapter 23
Diego lifted one of the eighteen carat gold bracelets sitting on top of his desk and began to finger it, once again, while Gaines and Victoria stood silent, patiently waiting for his answer.
“Well,” he said, admiring the three-quarter inch width, traditional herringbone. Its ultra-bright sheen would make it something his organization would be able to sell within the next 48 hours. “Without seeing the rest of the stuff you brought, the best I can offer you for these two pieces is five hundred tops - not a penny more. .... Either take it or leave it.”
That figure was completely outrageous, and Gaines Davis scowled as he turned to face his mother-in-law.
“I’m going to need at least two thousand,” Victoria calmly stated, looking at the black marketer. “Otherwise, the deal’s off.”
Diego tapped single tap on his desktop with the tip of his forefinger. “I see”, he said, mentally contemplating of ordering his men to just go ahead and kill them. “But before I can consider offering you that much, I'm first going to have to see everything you brought.”
“I’m sure you do.” Glancing downward, Victoria reached for her exquisite black leather purse.
No doubt, this is nothing but a ploy to get me to show him everything so he can steal it. But what else can I do?
Diego’s dark eyes carefully watched Victoria’s every move, and the second he heard the click of the snap coming from the top of her handbag; a small grin formed across his lips.
“So you’ve decided to be reasonable,” he said while “grandma” reached inside.
“Yes,” Victoria said, gazing in his direction as she gently slid a four-inch plastic remote inside the cuff of her sleeve. “I don’t really have a choice. Do I?”
Diego smiled.
First one gold bracelet, then another was placed on the walnut stained desktop. And not unlike a young adolescent waiting for the presents to be handed out on Christmas morn, the black marketeer watched with ever-increasing anticipation.
Every gold ring glistened as if it contained a wee bit of starlight, and each golden bracelet (either seven or eight inch) glimmered as if reflecting light from a full harvest moon. However, what genuinely opened Diego’s two dark brown eyes were the eighteen-carat necklaces.
Though few in number, each piece appeared to be exquisitely hand-crafted. No doubt, either Victoria or her husband was more than a jewelry designer; they were an artisan.
“Is this everything?” Diego asked when the last piece was finally set before him.
“Yes,” Victoria answered, giving him a short nod.
Diego displayed an unusually wide grin and picked up the necklace nearest to him.
While examining each eighteen carat gold item sitting before him, not even a hint of a grin appeared on his face. Nor was either corner of his mouth turned upward. Yet, despite this obvious attempt to maintain absolute total self-control, Diego could not prevent his pupils' reaction each and every time a new ring, bracelet, or necklace would slide between his two fingers.
Victoria noticed how his brown pupils widened the instant he picked up an item from the pile in front of him. This involuntary reaction was one she had seen countless times when a customer finally discovered that certain special item they were wanting to present to their loved one.
“Fifteen hundred dollars,” the black marketer said upon completion of his inspection.
Gaines’ two lips parted, revealing his surprise at the unreasonable small offer. “Only fifteen hundred?”
Victoria looked at the well-dressed man seated in front of her, and shook her head no. “I told you, Mr. Diego, I needed at least two thousand.”
Diego smiled, and each of his two armed guards raised their semi-automatics. “Really? I thought there might be a little room for negotiation.”
Gaines turned a ghostly white, and stared at the two guns pointed directly at his mother-in-law’s chest. “Is this lethal threat absolutely necessary?”
Diego chuckled. “Perhaps not.” He then purposely tapped the edge of the desktop with the tip of his forefinger, and his guards lowered their loaded weaponry. “So what’s your counteroffer?”
“I’ve already told you, Mr. Diego. I need at least two thousand,” Victoria answered in a stern tone.
Diego guffawed. “Are you sure sixteen hundred wouldn’t do, grandma?”
“Of course not, Mr. Diego, Sir. Unless you’re expecting my daughter and I to ride inside the plane’s baggage compartment.”
Diego grinned at her response. “I see you have a sense of humor. However, grandma, it would be wise to remember who you’re dealing with. If you’re not careful, the words you speak, even in jest, could prove quite deadly.”
“I’ll have to remember that,” Victoria said. “And by the way, at least for you, Mr. Diego, my name certainly isn’t grandma. It’s Mrs. Vargas.”
“Okay, Mrs. Vargas,” Diego said with a bit of haughtiness in his voice. “I’d be willing to call you that if you’d like, but only if you’ll begin to be more willing to negotiate.”
Victoria's lips formed a semi-smile. “Negotiate? What’s there to negotiate? I’ve already stated my first and final offer. … Both of us know this amount of jewelry would sell for at least four thousand American dollars either here or at any of my jewelry stores in Arica. And today, I’m offering it to you for only half that much.”
“That’s very true,” Diego replied. “But once again, may I remind you, grandma .... I mean Mrs. Vagas ... that you’re currently not in downtown Miami, nor in Arica. You’re standing here in front of me in Little Havana trying to pawn off this stuff in a hurry. Isn’t that correct?”
Victoria paused and frowned deeply. No doubt, Diego's unmistakably right and mostly likely I’m going to end up having to settle for a lot less than certainly needed.
Interrupting the two parties' conversation with a deliberate cough, “You know, since it seems that we’re only a measly five hundred dollars apart,” Gaines began. “Why don’t we split the difference and agree on an even thousand seven-fifty?”
Victoria turned, and immediately gave her son-in-law a long angered stare. How dare you make a stupid statement like that? Most likely, any possibility of getting the two thousand I really wanted has just flown out the window.
“Seventeen fifty?” Diego let a small smile appear as he started to think about this new figure. That’d be a nice amount for them to think they might receive.