The Oaths We Keep

Chapter 22

While sitting at his desk, the cell phone he carried in his pocket rang. He had been expecting this for some time now and was beginning to think Fernando wouldn't call. "You've got the files?" he asked, giving no emotion to his voice.

Fernando answered him, "Yeah, we got them. Just dropped them off at the agreed upon spot."

"And the doctor?"

"We put him outside the city limits like you said. We're done here, man, so we're moving on. You want your shit; you know where to get it."

"Good. That will be all," he said and then ended the call. He immediately made a call to his boss. "Mr. Barbero?" he said, taking a deep breath and waiting for a response. He started regretting working for Santiago Barbero. He wasn't part of the Mexican cartels since most of his operations were in the US, but he had ties to them. Not to mention that he could be cold as ice to anyone who crossed him. "It's done. Dr. Harper has been released, and your two men are headed out of town."

An uneasy silence followed. "That is good. Although, I'm a little concerned about how my money will be moved now." Barbero's voice did not indicate what was going on inside his mind. He doubted the wisdom of kidnapping Dr. Harper from the beginning.

"I assure you, Mr. Barbero, now that Erin Harper is out of the way, I can begin handling your money more efficiently. She..."

"Has been accounted for, I assume? She will take the fall for the money laundering and embezzlement, and then you can take over the handling of my money more directly. I hear you saying that, but I want to know if you understand the gravity of the situation. If there is a disruption in my business, my cash flow suffers. If that happens, I can only blame the one responsible for ensuring my money is hidden and clean."

"Of course, Mr. Barbero, I understand. I've already made the arrangements to put people in place that can...."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you have. But you need to understand that if this Harper woman becomes a problem, you must take care of it."

"There is no need to worry, sir. Erin will be out of the way, and nothing can come back on either of us. Your money is safe."

"It better be senor. I will hold you personally responsible if it is not." With that, the call ended. He knew better than to think that Barbero didn't mean what he said. Still, he was confident he could deliver his promises to the drug lord.

He still wasn't sure just how Santiago Barbero found out about him. One night, he celebrated with his friends with a little bit of blow, and the next day, he got a call from a guy wanting to talk about some financial options. The only thing was when he showed up; the man brought up the cocaine use the night before and threatened to rat him out to his bosses. However, it could all be forgotten, and he could profit significantly if he would do a favor or two for his boss. The boss, of course, turned out to be Barbero.

It all started small enough. Hide small transactions into legitimate investments and keep it all clean. The problem was the amount of money kept getting larger, and it took more work to hide at his level in the company structure. As luck would have it, an opportunity became available for a promotion within the company, but it went to Erin Harper instead.

Ironically enough, the solution to his problem came with the same group of friends that got him involved with the drug lord in the first place. He was at the home of one of his college friends when he brought out some old home movies. The video was his friend's bachelor party, and he nearly fainted when he realized that the stripper was none other than Erin Harper herself. He took a copy of the video and then got the idea to do an internet search for her under the stage name Dani Jade. It took a lot of digging, but he found a couple of old adult movies on a pay-per-download site of vintage porn.

Putting together the whole blackmail scheme was easy enough. He sent her pictures and videos of what he found and threatened to expose her if she didn't cooperate. Once Erin was successfully under his influence, the money laundering operation was in full effect. Things ran smoothly until Erin decided she had done enough and wanted out.

He knew he had to act quickly, or she would jeopardize the operation. If she came forward with what she knew, it could ruin everything, not to mention Barbero would seek retribution for failing him. That's when he got the idea to force Erin to take the files and implicate her in the money laundering. Erin would take the blame for the entire thing, and then she would be out of the picture. After that, he could take the position in the company that should have been his in the first place. Once that happened, he could continue to launder money for Barbero and be rid of any threat to his operation.

Barbero was suspicious of the plan. He believed it would be easier to arrange for Erin Harper to die in an unfortunate accident. While that could work, he argued that if Erin was removed suspiciously, it might cause authorities to look at what she was doing at work with greater scrutiny. It's better to have her caught in the commission of a crime. That way, any law enforcement would believe the case was closed and move on once Erin was exposed. In short, she takes the fall, and business continues.

The kidnapping became necessary to force Erin's hand. He knew Erin would never abandon her husband, but he felt she was ready to come clean about her past. When she refused to cooperate, Barbero sent Fernando and Manuel to take her husband. Once the ransom was paid, Erin would be exposed for what she had done, clearing the way for him to take over her job. The best part was she had no idea who was setting her up.

Still, he worried that something could still go wrong. He selected his accomplices carefully to keep that from happening. None of them knew the scheme's extent or who was involved. One of the guys in the tech department was recruited to build phony businesses to legitimize the movement of Barbero's money. Another accomplice came from the accounting department, who ensured no one could question where the money had gone. The last one was someone in Erin Harper's office, whose job was to keep track of her comings and goings.

Each of the people involved was paid well. He knew that money alone might not be enough to keep their loyalty, so he often reminded them there would be consequences if they were to betray him. So far, the threats were not needed, but the fear needed to be there nonetheless.

Sitting at his desk, he couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Erin stealing files he didn't even need. How ironic that she would throw away everything she worked so hard for and overcame in her past for completely useless files. Everything pointed to her, and the best part was that Barbero's money was safe, except for the smaller amounts that the cops would eventually find. Erin would be ruined, and he would soon take her place.