By the time I reached the fifteen-foot electric barbed wire gate, it swung open automatically, just like the voice on the intercom said it would. On the other side of the gate was a black stretch limo with Joe standing near the rear door next to the chauffeur. There was an SUV right behind the limo for my security team. As I approached the limo, Joe and I exchanged a grin and a nod. However, we knew this was far from over and the battle had only just begun.
“Hey, Dom!”
“Hi Joe, we good to go?”
“Indeed. We are heading straight to DCA, our guys will be waiting at the hangar. We take off at 4:35 p.m. I know you’re desperate for a nice hot shower and a decent meal. The flight crew have been instructed to have everything in order,” Joe said.
“Good, let’s get going,” I responded.
We sat in the back of the limo, and I reached for a club soda and dropped a slice of lime into it. I had developed a taste for club soda and lime over the years. Joe knew this and suspected that I would need a drink, and he made sure it was available for the ride to the airport. We had to use a different limo service this time. For some reason our usual limo service wasn’t available in DC. I didn’t trust the limo or the chauffeur, because for all we knew the driver could have been undercover, and the limo could have been bugged.
We didn’t talk about business or about the trial the entire way to the airport. We talked about family, vacations, Thanksgiving dinners, the children, and sports. I was a huge baseball fan and supported the Milwaukee Miners. There hadn’t been a major-league baseball team in Wisconsin for over a decade until 2030. The previous team had been sold to Tennessee years ago. Joe was a Seagulls fan, and even though his team was mediocre, he was die-hard. He would always say, “We’re going all the way this year, Dom, we’re going all the way.” So we talked about the rival teams and argued about which team had the best players. In all honesty, we were both hopeless fanatics. We knew every intricate detail of the sport right down to individual players and their stats.
We finally arrived at DCA. The limo stopped, the chauffeur opened our doors, and as we stepped out, our luggage was moved from the trunk onto the plane. I headed straight into the Gulf Streak. This one was mine, and it was paid for. The private jet is one of three that I own. It comes with suede seats, mahogany trim, and all the bells and whistles gadget-wise. I bought them, not to be a show-off, but because it was the most convenient way to travel. We were up in the air in no time, and my plan was to have a quick shower before eating. After that, Joe and I would get down to business.
Chapter 6
La Ambición
Where: Puerto Plata
When: 0720 hours, Sunday, August 13, 1995
Currency: Dominican peso
On the morning of August 13, 1995, the special cargo ship would be departing the Puerto Plata port to head for Miami. This information had been provided to Guillermo by his friend the port officer, so he could make the necessary preparations for the journey. Guillermo had been busy trying to come up with the travelling fees. He had already sold the house, the Otis Sealiner, and his pickup truck. The only thing left was the restaurant. It was difficult to find a buyer at short notice.
In the end, Guillermo found a solution to this problem. He sold sixty percent of the restaurant to one of his competitors. Sixty percent was all that the competitor could afford. The remaining forty percent was sold to El Pez Grande employees. It was a good deal for all parties involved. Guillermo walked away with around six hundred thousand Dominican pesos, which was around fourteen thousand US dollars. The restaurant owner had gotten rid of the competition and gained sixty percent of a new business. As far as the six employees were concerned, their forty percent stake in the restaurant guaranteed a regular income significantly higher than the salary Guillermo had paid them.
After selling everything, Guillermo was able to generate about twenty-five thousand US dollars. In the weeks leading up to the journey, he and his family needed a place to stay. They had to move in with relatives immediately after finalizing the deal on the house.
***
Guillermo was already awake when the alarm went off at four a.m. on the day of the journey. His anxiety level was the reason for the sleep deprivation, and understandably so. Shortly after he told Anna about his plans for America, they had discovered that she was pregnant. They were both excited about the baby. However, there was a bit of worry about how they would cope with a new-born in foreign territory in the coming months.
Even though there was good reason to worry, they were happy all the same. The excitement of moving to America overshadowed their fears. Guillermo woke Anna up, and she got herself and Isabel ready. He had previously arranged for a taxi that would take them to the port, where they were to meet up with his friend the port officer. By 5:30 a.m. the taxi had arrived. He loaded up all their luggage, three regular suitcases. The instruction from the port officer was for them to travel light. They headed for the port and arrived around 6:50 a.m.
The officer was already at the harbour, standing next to another individual. Guillermo stepped out of the taxi and waved to the officer, the officer, waved back. He paid the cab fare and unloaded their luggage. He, Anna, and Isabel started to walk towards the harbour where the ship was
