The New Adventures of Amber!

[Oscar DeBarataria]

Rachel had a contact in Veracruz, a guy named Pablo, who had done a bunch of law enforcement work and was now in the private sector - on both sides of the law, I gathered. She said Pablo had the gulf coast of Mexico pretty well wired, and so when Rachel gave him the details we had about Amber's whereabouts it took him very little time not just to locate the warehouse but find a trustworthy local contact and rouse the local law enforcement.

So she showed up not long after I'd gotten ready for the day.

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"OK. Big day today, I think."

"It seems so. You're dressed for it."

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"Yeah? You like my outfit?"

"I do. That skirt definitely works for you."

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"I'm just shocked that you noticed the black thing I'm wearing first."

"Well, it's what I expect since you simply cannot stop wearing black."

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"Hey, I'm making progress."

"I know. Black AND WHITE shoes today."

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"Oh, come on. These have some personality."

"They're very zesty, Rachel. I will give you that. And yes, I see that you not only have a blue t-shirt but blue accessories as well. It's an amazing amount of progress."

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"Haha! You're such a tough crowd."

"And the almost-blonde hair, too. Boy are you coming around."

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"I mean, it's auburn. It's like a happy medium. I change, y'know, slowly."

"Amber always says auburn is a happy medium, too."

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"Oooookay then."

"I guess I should say I'm sorry for bringing her up, but I'm really not."

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"No, you shouldn't. I'm sorry. I felt like we were having a little moment, but you're right. In fact, I'm here because this could be a big day working our case."

"Your guy came up with something?"

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"Oh, did he ever. They've got the dry cleaner. In fact, they've got the van. And the Tampico police are using it to raid the warehouse around sundown."

"Why sundown?"

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"Because that's when the van makes deliveries. They'll drive on in, and then the doors will open and out come the cops."

"Seems like a good plan."

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"Look, Oscar. So far everything in these dreams of yours has come out as good intel, and I'll admit I've been wrong about it from the start. But we need to be realistic here."

"Nothing about anything this seems realistic, Rachel. It's like a horror fantasy show. Like a season of Lost or something."

[Oscar DeBarataria]

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"I totally get it. But I'm just saying, don't get your expectations out of control for this evening, OK? This is a long shot. It's a shot-in-the-dark type of long shot. You can't assume that when they go in, Amber's going to be there. First of all, she could be anywhere..."

"Including the warehouse you found because she told me about it."

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"Again, we don't actually know that's what happened. It's one explanation among several. Yes, the info so far has checked out, but what are the chances of that?"

"Look, I'm not arguing with you about that. But the fact remains that we're here."

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"We are here. I'm not denying that. And we're here because all of my efforts at finding your girl have produced nothing comparable to what you're getting out of your dreams. We know there's an El Corazon dry cleaner in Tampico which makes afternoon deliveries to a warehouse owned by an affiliate of Cartel del Noreste and there is word on the street that the CDN affiliate traffics girls. OK, it's crazy that we'd find this stuff out without somebody on the inside and we have because of your dreams."

"But you're still not a believer. I get it."

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"I believe in you, OK? Anybody else and I would have sent them to therapy for saying they were dreaming all this. But I respect you too much for that. Nevertheless, I don't want you to lose it when we don't get Amber today."

"Rachel, if this raid results in some girls getting to go home, even if Amber isn't one of them I'm going to say it's a win."

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"That's the exact correct attitude. And Pablo says he expects that very result. OK? It's a big day even if the nightmare isn't over."

"Rachel, let me ask you a question."

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"Sure. Hit me!"

"Are you trying to rain on this parade because you're not much of an occultist, or is there some other reason?"

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"I just told you, Oscar. I spent seven years in the 'active measures' game and we never got intel from dreams. It's not in my experience, so I can't evaluate it."

"OK."

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"Why?"

"Nothing. It's just...the more time we spend together it's starting to seem like..."

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"I feel it, too, you know. I can't act on it, because it would be wrong, and I'm not going to be the one who ruins Amber's homecoming that we're trying to work toward. But it's there."

"OK. I'm glad we have that straight. But yeah. I really like you, and if things were different..."

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"Right. If things were different."

"And you look really, really good today."

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"I do?"

"I think this is a new Hot Rachel record."

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"Mmmmm! Danger, Will Robinson!"

"Yeah. So anyway, what's on tap today?"

[Oscar DeBarataria]

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"Ummm, so I have a business plan that I emailed you, and I want to go over it, and then I have a lunch meeting with the RDC people that you can come to if you want..."

"Nah. Unless you need me there."

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"You don't have to. It's pretty cut-and-dried stuff."

"Good. I'm just gonna sit around the office today and play with my Robinhood account."

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"Becoming a day-trader, are you?"

"Not really. I'm not OCD enough to manage a stock portfolio in real time. But I'm finding some stocks I want to play with, and now that I'm an investor this is a fun video game I'm getting into."

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"Something else I'm jealous about."

"What, that I sold the business?"

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"Yeah, and...never mind."

"Rachel, you're really getting sentimental on me?"

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"Nope, because I'm gonna stop right now."

So she took me through her business plan, and I've got to admit that it's good. Not that I was surprised hyper-organized and whip-smart Rachel would write up a well-thought-out business plan.

Then she was off for her lunch meeting, while I got in a run, ate something, zoned out in front of the computer, and then it was time for the Zoom call with Pablo...

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...at which he said he and his local contact would be trailing behind the cops as they went into the warehouse. The call then centered on plans and logistics for getting Amber home should they find her.

Then the call ended, and...

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"OK, are you good?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

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"We'll know something in a couple of hours. Do you want to get dinner?"

"Nah. I'm not really hungry."

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"You're nervous."

"Wouldn't you be?"

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"Oscar, I'm nervous. Really, I am. I hope this works."

"Thanks, Rachel."

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"So do you want me to hang around? Or I could call you when we know something."

"Tell you what - I'm not hungry, but there's a ton of food in the fridge. Want me to make you dinner?"

[Oscar DeBarataria]

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"I'd like that, Oscar. Thanks."

And as I got up from my desk, she grabbed my hand.

And I kissed her. It was on the cheek, but I felt my heart quicken anyway, and the look she gave me told me she felt the same thing.

[Lord-Kawa]

they both looks nice.

[gogodolls]

Oh dear! She's absolutely gorgeous! She's the kind of woman I love!

Entertaining story and photo series, big BRAVO Oscar!
Cheers!

[Oscar DeBarataria]

Oh dear! She's absolutely gorgeous! She's the kind of woman I love!

Entertaining story and photo series, big BRAVO Oscar!
Cheers!

Thanks!

Your appreciation is taking the edge off the stress of awaiting Amber's fate!

[Oscar DeBarataria]

Rachel insisted on helping with dinner, and we shared a bottle of wine.

It was nice getting to know her. Especially since she was nothing like her carefully-crafted tough-girl persona. I found someone vulnerable, sweet, giving and surprisingly funny.

There was a lot in her past she couldn't talk about, but I sensed her time as a spy had wounded her. I imagined the stark moral judgments, the forced betrayals and the constant dangers inflicted on a girl in her early to mid 20's must have been taxing. She confided that her marriage was little more than an escape from that life.

"He was a lifeline," she said. "But I used him. I was a bad wife, and it was obvious almost immediately that I wouldn't be able to give him what he wanted. It's taken time to recover the Rachel I should have been for him."

But after we'd cleared the table and put the dishes in the wash, the phone rang.

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"OK, Pablo. How did it go?"

I looked at her expectantly.

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"That's really good. I'll tell him."

My heart leapt. "How is Amber?" I whispered. "Can I talk to her?"

Rachel hushed me with a look.

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"So it's, what? Ongoing? Or no?"

"What's ongoing?" I whispered. She ignored me.

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"I see. Well, I'll pass that along. Thank you, Pablo. And if you need my help locating the families, just message me."

I just stared at her expectantly as she hung up the phone.

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"OK, so..."

"We didn't get her."

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"They rescued five girls from the warehouse. They're all Americans. All real girls. You were right. Your dreams are real."

"Well, like I said, this is a win."

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"Amber and two of the other girls were taken out of there earlier today."

"Taken where? And nobody thought to stop them? They didn't have that warehouse under surveillance?"

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"Oscar, it's Mexico. Almost certainly a deal was cut."

"Explain it to me like I'm stupid, would you Rachel?"

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"Pablo says what he thinks happened is that the police tipped CDN off that the raid was coming, so the boss came down and picked the girls he wanted."

"And left us the rest, giving the cops a nice PR win. Did they even arrest anybody?"

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"He said they shot one of the captors. Big hairy guy who went by El Oso. He's dead. I guess he was the sacrifice. They say he mistreated the girls, so that was his punishment."

"Well, like I said. It's a win."

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"I can't tell you how sorry I am, Oscar. I know how disappointing this is for you."

"No, it's fine. I'll be fine."

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"Can I get you anything?"

"I think I'm just going to go lie down for a while if that's OK."

She put her hand on my cheek, and for a minute everything really was all right.

But then I felt guilty as sin, so I tore myself away.

[Oscar DeBarataria]

Rachel could have bailed on me. She didn't. She even took Rufus for his night-time walk while I brooded in my bedroom, washed and put away the dishes and brought me a bottle of water. Then we watched TV in bed until I fell asleep.

When I woke up, Rachel was there.

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"Hey, how did you sleep?"

"Shitty. I didn't talk to her."

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"Oscar, there could be all kinds of explanations for that."

"I know. I get it. The boss took her away and wouldn't let her sleep. She's too entertaining not to keep awake."

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"Yeah, exactly."

"Or they figured a Factory Girl would make good target practice, or else they could have fun torturing her to death."

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"There's no point in assuming the worst, Oscar. Don't do that to yourself."

"I just feel like I've failed her. And it's like I've lost her all over again."

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"I understand. Hey, can I make you breakfast? How about some world-famous Rachel flapjacks?"

"You're really sweet, but I don't feel like eating right now. I might be coming down with something."

Her hand shot to my forehead.

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"Well, it doesn't feel like you're running a temperature. But it makes sense that you'd be feeling a little sick, so..."

"So what do I do now?"

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"Well, what do you have to do today?"

"Nothing. Today was going to be a nothing day."

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"Then today I'm going to take you out. We'll go somewhere for lunch, we'll go and watch a movie, we'll take a drive...I promise that I'll do everything I can to occupy you so you don't fall into the doldrums."

"What if I need some time in the doldrums?"

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"Too dangerous. You can't try to process grief all at once, Oscar. That's an elephant you have to eat one bite at a time."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

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"It's one of the things I can't talk about, but yeah."

"Hmm."

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"Oh, come on. Let's get you moving. I'm going to run home and get dressed, and then we'll meet up..."

"Wait."

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"What's that?"

"You don't have to go home."

[Oscar DeBarataria]

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"I don't?"

"I mean, there's a whole closet full of stuff that'll fit you here."

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"That's true."

"I don't know. Maybe that's a bad idea."

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"Oscar, I can do it either way. If you don't think it's a..."

"Betrayal."

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"Oh. Well, that's fine. I can go home."

"No. Stay. When I told Amber about the suit she was happy that you looked good in it. She'd be happy that you were wearing her things today, I think."

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"Like she's with us, in a way."

"And I'll try not to be weepy or weird about it."

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"Let's just try to be respectful, OK? This is a hard situation and we're doing the best we can."

"That's fair. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Rache. You've really been good to me."

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"It's...easy with you. It isn't usually easy."

"I know."

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"So OK then. I'll go and get showered up, and..."

"Hey, the hot water takes a while in there."

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"Oscar, I'm using the guest bathroom. You can use the master bath."

"Oh, right. It's just..."

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"What?"

"Nothing. You're right."

And a little later, I met her on the stairs...

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"Well? How do I look?"

"You're gorgeous, Rachel. Really."

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"You know, it's been a really, really long time since anybody has told me that."

"Well, it's a fact."

She took my hand and led me down the stairs to the car.

[4891d]

Damn, another twist!
Try a quick nap in the middle of the day, in case the situation forces Amber to sleep at odd times. (This is Saaskiya's suggestion. Since she knows a lot about dreams and also has the practical and precise mind of a scientist, it's worth a try).

[koaplayer1998]

It could be just me, but I see an "uncanny" resemblance to Amber in Rachel, so it is very easy to see how she triggers such warm and deep feelings for you.

Meanwhile, the plot-twists are happening so frequently lately, that we feel like we are watching a tennis-match.

[Alottahope]

Lovely Sundress! What a babe!

[Oscar DeBarataria]

Wasted post #1 before we start a new entry on the next page...

[Oscar DeBarataria]

....and wasted post #2....