The Lies I Believed

Finally!

"I have the files. All we have to do is get him to trade with us. Honestly, this is going to be a piece of cake. With Don Ruiz out of the way, we have free reign here."

"Great. Why was he in America anyway?"

"I don't know, and I honestly don't care. I just know that if he comes back, America won't be great to him."

"Right. Now what do we do? Aaron knows we're here and he isn't scared."

"Trust me, I bet he was shaking in his boots when he heard I was here. I may be one step behind, but I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve. He isn't about to get away."

"And if he does?"

"Be a little optimistic, please. Lexi is counting on us to rescue her. If things are going as planned, we should receive word about her situation any minute now."

Aaron kept his distance as the two men entered a restaurant. He didn't know what they were doing there, and he didn't want to find out, but they were talking about his files. He knew they didn't have them on them, so it was worth trying to figure out where they were hiding them.

He entered the dimly lit restaurant, grateful for the lack of light. The hostess was soft-spoken, so Aaron had another thing to be grateful for. She asked him if he was alone and led him to a table that happened to be on the other side of the wall Jackson and Asher had chosen. He could clearly hear the conversations happening on the other side.

"You're going to send him a message tomorrow, explaining that we have the files. The exchange is going to happen Saturday. If he starts being difficult, then we'll give them to him on Sunday."

"What about the recordings?"

"...He can have those, too. I listened to them. They have nothing to do with me."

"What about me?"

"Asher...the world doesn't revolve around you."

"Hi, what can I get you gentlemen this evening?"

"Start us with your finest bottle of Rosé...."

"Good evening, sir." Aaron grinned at the woman who flashed her chest like it was a trophy. "What can I get you on this fine evening?"

"I'd like the shrimp scampi," he said.

"Of course, sir. What sides?"

"Sautéed mushrooms, squash, and zucchini."

"What would you like to drink?"

"Your oldest bottle of Verdejo."

"Our chefs will get right on that. If you need anything else, I'll be standing nearby."

Aaron hoped she wouldn't be standing nearby. It always makes him uncomfortable to see waiters waiting for him to need something. Sometimes they don't wait for anything. As soon as he tastes his food, they swarm him, asking if he needs a refill or if the food is to his liking. At first, it used to amuse him. Now he saw it as a waste of time.

As he listened in on Asher and Jackson again, he noticed they'd grown quiet. He knew they were still there, but it was a little awkward sitting in his booth not knowing what to do. Jackson and Asher had resorted to texting each other. They couldn't trust speaking about their plan in public. They'd seen Aaron enter, but hadn't known it was him. As Jackson mentioned earlier, it had been years since he'd last seen Aaron's face.

Asher: when is Aaron's photo going to be distributed

Jackson: once Cameron sends it to Jenni, she'll get back to us