by L. T. Ryan
“Any idea what it could be?” Jack asked.
“There are always rumors, but they usually don’t hold water.”
“What’s the strongest one?” I asked.
Sadie’s eyes unfocused, moving from left to right as if she were reading invisible notes in the air in front of her. “His nephew has been moving up in the ranks. People listen to him, but he’s an idiot. He doesn’t have his uncle’s tactical brain. He leads through fear and intimidation.”
“That can get you far in this world,” I said.
“Not with Goddard. He respects Martinez because he takes the slow and steady route. Less chance for failure. It took both of them a long time to get to where they are, but they did it through their guile, not through intimidation.”
“So we’re looking at a possible coup?” Jack said. “Where do we fit into all of this?”
Sadie formed her words slowly. “My recommendation can get you through the door. He’s met you already, Jack, so he might be more open to a collaboration.”
“What kind of collaboration?”
“Your story doesn’t have to be far from the truth. Former military turned independent contractor. You’re in town for another job, willing to pick up another for the right price. We promise that you’re discreet. You’re even willing to offer a discount since you owe me a favor.”
“Do I?”
“If we have a business history, it’ll go over well,” Sadie said. “I can tell him I didn’t bring it up right away because it had been several years since we’d seen each other and I didn’t know you were still in the business.”
“Seems plausible enough.” I tapped my fingers impatiently on the rough surface of the table. Jack and I were men of action. Sitting around going through every step of the plan, however necessary, was tedious. “There are a lot of places where this could go sideways, though.”
“I don’t disagree with you.” She paused, bit the corner of her bottom lip. “But we’re throwing this together last minute. It’s not going to be perfect. Experience will be a big factor here, gents.”
“What about the big man?” Jack jabbed a thumb in my direction.
I turned toward her.
She nodded at me for a moment before saying, “Backup. We’ll need you out there in case this thing goes off the rails. You’ll have to be our cover in the event we need to get out of there quickly.”
“Probably best I hang back anyway. Goddard’s security guys didn’t like the look of me the first time they saw me. I doubt they’d like me any better the second time.”
“So what now?” Jack shifted in his chair. He was getting as impatient as I was.
“Now, we get some rest.” Sadie stood up and crossed the room and placed one hand on the doorknob. “In the morning, I’ll call Goddard.”
Chapter Eleven
March 26, 2006
Goddard hung up the phone and rubbed his hand along his jaw. He rarely shaved when in country, and this trip was no exception. The bristles on his face scratched at his soft fingertips. He’d been an avid guitar player when he was younger and had thick callouses on his fingertips. Those days were long past. The only strings he played were the ones attached to those he had control over.
The smell of his untouched breakfast lingered in the air. There was too much on his mind to eat this morning. A problem had finally reached its peak and now it was time to deal with it.
“Sir?” Jordan asked.
Goddard looked up. He had forgotten his assistant was still in the room. That seemed to be the man’s specialty—disappearing into the background when he wasn’t needed and reappearing immediately without prompting at the perfect moment. Jordan’s hand was hovering over his PDA, waiting for instruction.
“That was Michelle. She had a recommendation.”
“Jack?”
Goddard tipped his head in his assistant’s direction, said nothing.
“Her reason?”
Normally Goddard would remind anyone who pried into his business where exactly they stood in relation to him—which was to say as far away from having the privilege of being able to ask such questions. Jordan was the exception, however. The man had become an extension of Goddard and had earned his right to ask. Life was easier when he was as informed as Goddard.
“It seems she thinks Jack can help us with our Mateo Martinez problem. He’s an independent contractor.” Goddard raised an eyebrow and the assistant nodded in understanding. “She promised he can be discreet.”
Jordan tapped on his device before looking back up at the senator. “Michelle has proven her loyalty many times over.”
“She has.” Goddard rubbed at his chin again. “Have we heard back from Spero yet?”
“No, sir. Shall I—”
There was a knock at the door, and Jordan immediately sprang from his chair, PDA still perched on his palm. He strolled across the room, twisted the handle and allowed a few inches of space to see who was bothering them and why. Apparently satisfied with the reason, Jordan stepped back and allowed the man to enter.
It was Spero. He strolled past Jordan and held up a plain manila folder.
“Just in time. We were about to call out the search and rescue team to find you.” Goddard reached for the file. He admired the scar that started on the right side of Spero’s forehead and traveled well past his jaw. “What did you find?”
“Very little, sir.” Spero remained standing with his hands clasped in front of him. He spoke as though he were reading off a dossier floating in mid-air between them. “Jack Smith. Former Marine. Disappeared for a few years. Resurfaced recently. Appears to be an independent contractor. He’s taken out some high-profile targets. No official channels are aware of his record, but I talked to some of my own contacts and unofficially he checks out. For our purposes, he’s clean.”
“Smith?” Goddard raised an eyebrow.
“Alias.” Spero tilted his head and shrugged. “It’s common, especially for his line of work. Sometimes they only go by their monikers, but Jack doesn’t seem to have one.”
Goddard flipped through the contents of the folder. “The file is relatively thin, no?”
Spero shifted his weight from one foot to another. “There wasn’t a lot of dirt to dig up. Jack appears to be quite good at his job. He goes in, he does what needs to be done, he gets out. No complications. No need for a clean-up crew because he had to kill a maid or a neighbor or a pet parakeet. He doesn’t take many jobs, but the contracts he has are all worth millions. He seems to be the one you call in when no one else can or wants to do the job. This guy doesn’t care about risks, and therefore they don’t affect him.”
Goddard nodded and scanned the papers inside the folder one more time. He pinned them down with his thumb so that the warm ocean breeze blowing through the suite wouldn’t send them flying. He knew some of Jack’s previous targets, had even benefited from a few of their deaths. The fact that he had no idea who had taken out those men was a testament to Jack’s abilities as an assassin. He could prove to be quite useful to them.
“And how do you feel about the idea of bringing Jack on board, Spero?”
Spero shifted his gaze from his boss to the window, where outside the sun was shining against a bright blue, cloudless sky. After a moment he returned his attention to the senator. “It’s a risk. We don’t know much about him.”
“But you can keep digging?”
“I can, but given the results from my initial investigation, I expect the results to be fruitless.”
“Have you found any connection between Jack and our Michelle?”
“No, sir.” Spero looked confused. “He tends to keep to himself, working alone. He’s been known to have an associate or two, but it seems to be out of convenience rather than loyalty.”
“Michelle says they go way back.”
“I have not found any evidence of that, sir.”
“Very well.” Goddard tossed the file onto his desk. “I’ll meet you out front in an hour.”
<
br /> “Sir,” Spero said, with a nod of his head. He turned and let himself out of Goddard’s office.
“It’s peculiar Michelle did not show up anywhere,” Jordan said.
“Possibly.” Goddard was not one to trust easily, but Michelle had singlehandedly carried his books for several years. She had everything on him. But here he stood, a free man. If he couldn’t trust her, then he’d be left with very few friends. “But in this business names change and so does one’s direction in life.”
“Still, we must be careful, sir.”
Goddard took a moment to himself before standing up and turning to the window. The reflection showed that Jordan had also stood, ready for his next instruction. “Put Vasquez on the case. I trust Spero, but this is what Vasquez does for a living. If there is something to find, he’ll find it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Goddard could already hear Jordan tapping furiously at his device. “And call Michelle back. Have her invite Jack to our next meeting.”
“It’ll be a risk, sir. If he is not who he says he is, he could cause trouble.”
“He already knows who I am,” Goddard said. “And Michelle has proven at least the benefit of the doubt, hasn’t she?”
“Of course, sir.” Jordan still sounded reluctant.
Goddard turned from the window and crossed the room, clasping Jordan on the shoulder. “I know you’re just looking out for me, and I appreciate it. But I didn’t get to where I am today without taking a few risks.”
Jordan nodded and finished off his message to Michelle. “Anything else, sir?”
“A change of clothes. The white suit.” Goddard wanted a very specific message to be conveyed with this trip to visit Martinez. “And tell Spero it’ll be his job to keep an eye on Jack while we’re there. We must find a way to test his loyalty without turning him away.”
Jordan nodded and left the room, set to do exactly as he was told. If only everyone could be as efficient and reliable, perhaps they wouldn’t be in this situation with Martinez to begin with.
Chapter Twelve
“How is Costa Rica treating you so far, Jack?” Goddard was riding shotgun in the vehicle, while Jack and Sadie sat in the back. The seats were made from some of the softest leather Jack had ever felt. All four windows were cracked a couple of inches. The smell of grilled sausage from a nearby street cart filled the cabin.
Jack was wired, though the connection did not go both ways. They wanted Bear to hear everything that went down today, but they needed a minimal amount of tech on them in case Goddard got spooked and decided to do a sweep. The tiny mic placed under the collar of Jack’s shirt would be undetectable.
“Pretty damn good, sir.” Jack cast a glance in Sadie’s direction. He noted that Goddard caught sight of it. The two were playing up the ‘old friends’ angle, and the more it seemed like something was going on between them, the more likely Goddard would be willing to trust him.
Except Jack still didn’t trust her. She was CIA. Jack and the Agency hadn’t seen eye to eye since he’d left the CIA-sponsored program he had been indoctrinated into at the age of eighteen. For all he knew, once their op was over, Sadie would haul him and Bear in and see what charges they could get to stick. It wouldn’t be many, but after everything he’d done over the course of his career, even one could provide him with a life sentence.
Then again Sadie was putting her life on the line, too. She had spent years under Martinez’s wing, finally working her way up to getting into Goddard’s good graces. She begrudgingly accepted Jack’s and Bear’s help. The idea that her boss wanted everyone in on this meant Goddard wouldn’t be easy to take down, especially now with the complication of Javier’s daughter having been taken.
The morning hadn’t treated Javier any better. He hadn’t appeared to have slept the night before. His clothes were wrinkled and smelled of day old sweat. His bloodshot eyes drooped, standing out against the dark circles under his eyes. With every minute his daughter was still missing, Javier grew more desperate. A desperate man was a dangerous man, and Jack and Sadie certainly didn’t need that kind of complication now that they were entering the lion’s den.
And Bear wanted things to get more interesting...
The SUV pulled to a stop and Jack glanced over their destination. He had been informed during the ride that they were heading to Mateo Martinez’s personal residence. As far as houses belonging to drug lords went, this one was understated. It was well-concealed behind an array of meticulously groomed shrubs and bushes. Sprawling colorful gardens circled a stone stairway that led up to the front of the house. The façade was ornate, made of wood and stone, but much smaller than Jack had anticipated. From what he had learned of the cartel leader, Martinez was an excellent businessman, and conservative by nature. He didn’t invest more than necessary in his home. Rather he put it back into his empire to build it up further.
Goddard, Jack, and Sadie exited the vehicle while the senator’s driver stayed behind. It was mid-afternoon now and the sun glared down without obstruction. Goddard was wearing a white suit and hat, but seemed to be acclimated to the humid weather. Jack could already feel himself sweating through his thin cotton shirt. Sadie looked comfortable in her short red dress. She had shifted into her light and carefree mode as soon as Goddard’s man had picked them up, and she hadn’t let up since. He was used to working with chameleons, but she was one of the best.
A second sedan pulled up a few moments later. Three of Goddard’s men joined them, as well as the personal assistant Jack had seen the other night at the restaurant. The first man was introduced as Spero, head of the senator’s personal security contingent. The other two were Reynard, who had closely cropped red hair and high cheekbones, and McGinnis, who had jet black hair and a thick mustache. The men said little.
Spero looked down at his phone, and then up again at the front entrance to the house. “Wait here a moment, sir.”
Goddard nodded his head and turned toward the rose bushes lining the driveway. “What do you think of the gardens, Michelle?”
Sadie’s light accent returned when she addressed Goddard. “Every time I see them, I find them even more beautiful.”
Goddard swept his arm toward the house. “Jack, you came at a perfect time to see the wonder of this place.”
“Flowers aren’t exactly my thing.” He kept his gaze fixed on the home, watching the entrances and the roof. Why weren’t there more men out here?
“We shouldn’t overlook nature’s beauty just because we often find ourselves busy with work. It’s important to find balance.”
“Never would have pegged you as the philosophical type.” Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Anyway, I like finding nature’s beauty at the bottom of a glass. Though that doesn’t usually lend itself to having balance.”
Goddard laughed at the same time as one of his men’s phones rang out. McGinnis lifted it to his ear, shot a look toward Reynard, and the two of them hurried off after Spero. Goddard’s gaze followed them inside the building, but he didn’t look particularly concerned.
The senator was an interesting creature. He had all the power in a situation like this, but he put full trust in his men. The assistant appeared to have all of Goddard’s plans at the tip of his fingers, legal and otherwise. Spero and his men were tasked with keeping the senator safe, which couldn’t be an easy job considering everything Goddard had his hands in. How much did they know?
The man himself wasn’t particularly imposing. He was older, lean without being muscular, and more than likely wasn’t carrying. His furrowed brow and tight lips made him look serious, but he had the ability to become jovial at the drop of a hat. He turned his back on Jack as if he had no worry in the world that this stranger could end his life right then and there.
And he could. It’d be one of the simplest jobs yet. He could reach out and snap Goddard’s neck and take out the assistant in a couple of blows. Wouldn’t even need Sadie’s help. The other men had left. By the time they returned onl
y the bodies would remain. The only other protection Goddard had was from the driver. By the time the man exited his vehicle and drew on them, either Jack or Sadie would’ve already taken out the others and made their move toward the car. They could be out of there in less than two minutes. Mission accomplished.
Sadie caught Jack’s eye and shook her head slightly, as if she knew exactly what was running through his mind. A spike of annoyance coursed through his body, but as quickly as it arrived, it was gone. Their first mission was to find Javier’s daughter. Taking out Goddard would not ensure they’d be able to do that. It’d reduce their chances to zero.
Before the senator found something else of no consequence to comment on, Spero jogged down the sidewalk, gun drawn. Jack couldn’t help the flinch that rocked his body as he went for his own weapon, only to remember that he and Sadie were unarmed. It was an act of faith that could get them both killed.
Goddard picked up on his apprehension. He held up his hand with a tight smile on his face. “You’re safe here, Jack,” he said, before turning to his man. “What happened?”
“They’re all dead.” Spero sucked in short, quick bursts of air, catching his breath. He was on high alert but not panicked. He had been trained well.
“Is the house clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Show me.”
Spero led them up the front stairs. The smell of death greeted them before they were through the main entrance. The air felt heavy and still.
The group remained quiet as they were guided through the foyer and into the main sitting room where the stark white furniture had been painted with crimson. Six bodies lay haphazardly across the floor. All had bullet wounds to the head or chest. In some cases, both.
Sadie let out a gasp and held her hands to her mouth. She took a step closer to Jack and leaned against him. He automatically wrapped an arm around her shoulder. But when he looked down at her he saw no fear in her eyes. It was an act. Sadie had seen plenty of dead bodies in her lifetime, but it didn’t mean Michelle had.