Chapter 22

Natalia woke in her cabin the following morning and did not want to stir from what had been a fitful night’s sleep.

She had been thinking about her life to date and concluded that she had had a difficult route to the present. This was mixed up with the thought that she had pulled herself together and been strong and made a huge success of the chances that she had been given, and this had made her family proud.

Even if her competitors had not respected her techniques for dominating the Lima market in the buying and selling of leatherwear, and the front that the business provided, they did at least admire her for her cunning and hardness.

She had managed to build up her father’s business from humble beginnings in a small shop within the centre of Lima. It was when their business branched out that it became successful. Whilst her father had been an excellent negotiator and was always able to command a much higher price for his goods than those that were sold to him from the tribal people, Natalia had taken the business into a whole new realm of success.

With her contacts across South America, Natalia had firmly set up the first major export routes for high value cocaine, with their main market being the UK. The cocaine that arrived in the UK was initially distributed through Portsmouth, and it was from Portsmouth that Natalia ensured that the UK operation was receiving and distributing their valuable supply effectively.

There were risks and, at the beginning, those risks had been minimal. Many of Natalia’s wider family were already involved in the production of the paste in enclaves within the rainforest. The rainforest provided an excellent supply of the raw materials, running water and the ability to hide from the government searches in their helicopters.

Natalia had had the brains to develop the distribution side of the business but needed strong arm help when she met with resistance. In addition there was unacceptable risk from individuals who could not be corrupted and were a hindrance to expansion, or from those who were likely to inform the incorruptible elements of the authorities, where even the Morales family had no power. This was where her brothers played their part.

Whilst they may not have been born with the same intelligence that Natalia possessed, they were athletes and went running every other day. Both brothers were also members of kick-boxing clubs and sparred with each other. Their contacts were of a different nature, as underground Lima ran on threats, violence and the ability to persuade. The brothers and their kick boxing friends and acquaintances soon developed the ability to persuade and it was recognised before very long that you did not want to be on the wrong side of the Morales brothers.

Natalia was still snoozing, and pulled the covers closer to her body, endeavouring to keep the heat from escaping into her large and airy cabin. She dreamed of owning a place in the mountains, a ranch with a masterful husband. He would have to be of strong, Spanish-South American blood. She would have at least a couple of children and land as far as you could see in every direction. This was her dream… she purred and rolled over for some more snoozing. She did not need the beauty sleep. Everyone on the freighter had eyed enough of her beauty. After all, she was the baby sister of the family, the one that should be looked after and taken care of.