Raffie wasn’t his real name, though most on the street called him that. Rafael Ahmed Dubar was more like it. However, he wasn’t from India or Dubai, for that matter. And he certainly didn’t own a jewelry store, an airplane, nor could he claim a large clientele. It was all a ruse smartly put together by that flirtatious witch. He was the product of mixed parentage, who moved from the United States to Devin’s Cay in hopes they would flourish selling used car parts. Seventeen years old at the time, Raffie was doing well alongside his parents in the family business until eleven years later when tragedy struck. Both of his parents were instantly killed in a head-on collision.
The business struggled along for another three years, eventually going bankrupt. Because even though Raffie was good at convincing people, he was horrible at managing the books. By then, he was married with two small children, a mortgage and two car payments. He also had expensive taste and though his wife would encourage him to cut back and save the little income that was coming in from her fabric store, he would splurge the money on himself. His belief was that if you looked like a million bucks, people would treat you as such.
However, Raffie soon discovered that his wife’s money wasn’t enough to sustain the needs of him and the family. He started gambling heavily, hoping to cash in big. And when he did, he put a stash of hundreds in his wife’s hand and then took the rest to Vegas, only to gamble away everything he had won that night. It was during one of those trips to Vegas when he met Shiloh, who shared a table with him at the casino. But Shiloh’s intention that night wasn’t really to gamble, but to flirt, and ultimately seduce the first good looking man to fall prey to her charms.
Raffie may have been half drunk when Shiloh shoved her hands between his legs and squeezed, but he was quite aware of the sensation that shot from his head to his big toe. Taking his reaction as a positive sign, Shiloh pulled him up from his chair and dragged him toward the elevator. By the time they got to Shiloh’s hotel room, they were one clothing article away from being completely naked. That night they satisfied their lust in grand style, trying out some of the most dangerous sexual positions that Raffie would never think of having with his wife.
The next morning they said their goodbyes with the hopes of getting together that evening. But Raffie never saw Shiloh again. She did, however, leave him a brief note explaining that she would contact him whenever her travels took her to Devin’s Cay. Three years passed without any contact from her. And within that time, both Raffie’s drinking and gambling habits had taking a turn for the worse. It got so bad that he and his wife ended up separating because of the constant arguments about money. She moved out of the house, taking the kids along with her.
Raffie still had a mortgage to pay and with no income coming in at all, he agonized over his options or lack thereof. It would be one of those mornings when he went looking for work that he saw a young drug pusher counting a wad of money before stashing it away in his pants pockets. Raffie knew he sold drugs because he’d tried to sell some to Raffie before. Raffie’s initial thought was to beat up the youngster and take his money, but Raffie knew far worse would happen to the young lad if he showed up to his boss with missing money. Raffie had a better idea.
He approached the youngster and asked to be taken to his boss. Raffie was then introduced to Waldo St. John and the rest, as they say, is history. Raffie quickly learned the tricks of the trade and the routes he was to mark as his territory. In a matter of weeks he was making more money in a day than the average person made a month. Of course, the bulk of the money always went to Waldo, who was one of the main suppliers of Meth and other common drugs that sold quickly on the streets.
Two months ago, Raffie was scheduled to drop off a huge shipment, but was intercepted by a group of thugs and was brutally attacked. They took his knapsack containing drugs that were worth some fifteen thousand dollars, maybe more, if Raffie factored in the higher cost he’d planned to sell the drugs. But the drugs didn’t belong to him and he knew that he would be in a lot of trouble, even though it wasn’t his fault that the drugs had gotten away from him.
It took Raffie almost three days before he called Waldo with the bad news. The conversation ended with a threat on his life and ever since then, he’d been ducking and dodging Waldo. It was fate when Shiloh called him out of the blue and told him that she had a gig paying fifty thousand dollars and if he did accept, she would send him five thousand dollars right away to let him know how serious she was. Of course he accepted. He didn’t even question why she took three years to call him.
And as Shiloh had promised, the next day, she wired five thousand into his account and with it, he was able to rent the Cadillac for two weeks, buy some new threads and all the technical gadgets he would need to make this gig a success. That was why Raffie was banking on Hunter to return with a favorable response to the package he’d left in her care. Or else he would have no choice but to put a bullet in that pretty face. It was either his life or hers and Raffie certainly didn’t love a woman that much to stand in her stead.
He sighed away the pathetic memories of his life, as he inconspicuously pulled the luxury sedan a few yards from Suanne’s house. He saw Hunter’s Jaguar parked next to the picket fence. The audio feed suddenly came to life with prolonged static before it cleared enough for Raffie to understand what was being said. Hunter was discussing something with Kevin and by the sound of it, Raffie knew it had to do with his visit to Hunter’s office.
“I want to talk to you about something,” she said.
“Okay…I’m all ears.”
“A gentlemen paid a visit to my office…nice-looking chap, clean and well-dressed…”
“Are you trying to make me jealous?” Kevin quipped.
“You must be pulling my leg,” Hunter said “Because you know there’s no other man for me, but you.”
“You sure?”
“Quit teasing, I’m trying to tell you something serious. Besides, my charming prince, you are by far the finest man I’ve ever met…no comparison at all…”
Raffie rolled his eyes. How sappy could two people get? Despite himself, he upped the volume to make sure he heard everything Hunter was about to relay to Kevin.
“Now as I was saying,” she continued, “this guy shows up in my office and says his name is Raffie Ahmed. He’s from Dubai and according to him, he has great knowledge in trading gold, diamonds, precious stones and other articles of luxury. He now owns Sierra Gems, one of the leading traders and manufacturers of luxury jewelry in Dubai. Here’s the part that concerns me: this guy flies all the way from Dubai to hand me an envelope. And then he had the audacity to invite me on his private jet – so that he could give me a tour of his facility.”
“You did say, no, right?” Kevin just needed to be sure.
“Of course I said no. I wasn’t going to fly halfway around the world with a stranger. I mean, I know my company is growing by leaps and bounds, but I never imagined my jewelry collection reaching so far that it could provoke that level of interest.”
“You would be surprised to know,” Kevin said. “But I can see why this would be of concern to you. What did he want – besides offering to take you for a ride on his private jet?”
“Here…take a look at this and tell me what you think. I did my due diligence, of course, and it appears as if Mr. Ahmed’s company is legit.”
Raffie scooted up in the driver’s seat, waiting for the other shoe to drop. However, he relaxed after two minutes, as it seemed as if Kevin was taking forever to respond.
“So,” Hunter prompted. “What do you think?”
“I’ll say this is a hell a lot of money,” Kevin said. “Fifteen million dollars to sell the rights to your Nuptials Collection. Help me understand.”
“I will not be selling my company – just to make that clear. However, if I agree, I will be handing over my original designs and any future designs to Sierra Gems, who will have exclusive rights to not only showcase this particular collection, but to trade on it in the investor’s market. Apparently, this guy feels as if my Nuptials Collection would give his company the edge it needs, making it the premier holder of the jewelry industry in Dubai.”
“Wow…I don’t know, Hunter…this doesn’t sounds like something you should get into. Of course, it’s your decision, but something just doesn’t seem right about it. And you said this guy was from Dubai?”
“So he says. What are you thinking?”
“Well, the only person I know that has these types of high-end jewelry businesses in Dubai is Shiloh Bethune. Her father owns a large market share and is always looking to acquire new businesses.”
An awkward silence ensued, which caused Raffie to think that his listening device had incurred a problem. But it soon rattled again with conversation.
“Do you think Shiloh is behind this?” Hunter asked.
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Kevin said. “But then again, this could just be our imagination running away with us. Shiloh doesn’t have any idea that I’ve moved back to Devin’s Cay. And if she does know, how could she have targeted us so quickly?”
“And why would she send someone all the way from Dubai to trap me into some sham?” Hunter added. “She ought to know by now that I’m not that gullible. And it doesn’t make sense to be this suspicious, but I am.”
Another awkward silence.
“Describe this guy to me again,” Kevin requested of Hunter.
“Like I said, he was well-dressed, handsome, looked to be in his mid to late thirties. He certainly looked like he was from the Middle Eastern side of the world. He also carried around a satchel.”
Kevin’s voice sounded with alarm. “A satchel? This sounds like the same guy I was telling you and Ma about, who I caught snooping around this neighborhood.”
“We should call the police,” Hunter suggested, “and let them have a look around the area.”
“I agree,” Kevin said. “But first, you had better call that guy and let him know that you’re not interested in anything that he has to offer.”
“I’ve told him that already,” Hunter said, “but this time it will be an official rejection.”
Raffie let loose a barrage of expletives as he heard his cell phone clamor to life. It was Hunter calling to give him the bad news, but she hadn’t any idea that she’d just signed her death certificate.