Ripple Effect

by L. T. Ryan

  Jack approached her from the side. He reached for the revolver. She gave it up without a fight. He put his hand on her shoulder. “You all right?”

  Sadie took a minute to answer. Her voice was steady when she did. “I’m angry that all the people he hurt over the years won’t get the retribution they deserve.” She looked up at Jack. “But yeah. I’m okay.”

  I walked across the grass and stopped in front of Jordan. He’d soiled his pants somewhere along the way. He was shaking, tears streamed down his face. He managed to look me in the eye. “And what should we do with this one?”

  Jack and Sadie exchanged a look. We were all thinking the same thing. He had been with Goddard the whole time. He had been privy to the senator’s every move. He was as much a culprit as his boss had been.

  “I can tell you all about the pipeline.” Jordan fought through his cracking voice. “I can tell you who’s involved in it. I can tell you what else Goddard was into and who he was working with. I’ve got names. Evidence. Congressmen who would be none too happy if they knew Goddard had kept a record of their indiscretions.”

  I looked to Jack. Jordan wasn’t on the hit list, and he might have some value to the Feds back home. “What do you think, partner?”

  Jack kept his focus on Jordan. “I think I need some answers. You stay useful, you’ll stay alive.”

  No sooner had Jack finished his sentence than his phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and swore. It was Vasquez. He put it up to his ear. “What?” There was a pause. Jack’s face twisted in anger. “It’s done. Now tell us where the girl is.”

  I couldn’t hear what Vasquez was saying, but I had an idea. Even if he told us Camila’s location, it would allow him to be long gone before we could do anything about bringing him in or giving him the same fate as Goddard.

  Jack’s grip on the phone tightened. “I can’t wait until the day we meet again, Vasquez. One of us won’t walk away from that meeting.”

  Vasquez said something else before hanging up, that caused Jack to nearly throw the phone at the house. He turned toward us. He held the revolver in front of his face, shaking it.

  “What is it?” Sadie said.

  “I know where Camila is.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The four of us stopped in front of Sadie’s car. Vultures circled overhead, casting shadows on the bodies that littered the ground. The corpses already started to swell and the smell of human excrement was strong.

  Jordan stopped and bent over and threw up all over his feet. He rose, shaking, and wiped his mouth. He tried to make himself small after, perhaps hoping he wouldn’t be noticed. I didn’t think we’d have any issues with him, but I kept a wary look out anyway. If he managed to escape, we might not learn what Thorne was up to. Besides, the kind of information Jordan had was a special type of currency. I’d rather be holding that in my hand than see it in someone else’s.

  I tossed the little guy in the backseat, then climbed in after him. Jack and Sadie took their positions in the front. She turned the key in the ignition. The engine stuttered a few seconds then came to life. Sadie adjusted the vents after cranking the air on high. She held her hand there for a moment, then shook her head as she cut the fan off.

  Jack turned to her. He jutted his chin toward Jordan. “I need you to take him to Javier. Keep him safe. Make sure no one informs Frank. I don’t want him or anyone else in on this until we know what we’re dealing with concerning Thorne.”

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  Jack glanced over his shoulder at me. “We’re going after Vasquez.”

  “What about Camila?” Sadie gripped the wheel. She’d left the car in park and pressed angrily against the gas pedal. The engine wailed in response and the car shook. “We can’t leave her.”

  Jack placed his hand on her arm. “I never said we were going to. Meet up with Javier. Hand over Jordan.” Jack popped the glove compartment and pulled out a crumbled napkin and a chewed-up pen. He wrote down an address and handed it to her. “Then tell Javier he’ll find his daughter at this location.”

  I leaned forward until I was in between them. “How do you know we can trust this guy? I mean, look at everything he put us through.”

  “He doesn’t want to hurt that little girl.” Jack eased back against the door and placed a hand over his eyes. “Call it instinct, or a hunch, but I can hear it in his voice. He saw an opportunity and he begrudgingly took it. The girl served her purpose. Vasquez has a granddaughter about the same age. He wouldn’t be able to hurt Camila any more than he’d be able to hurt his own.”

  “And what are you two going to do?” Sadie asked.

  Jack tossed the pen back into the glove compartment and snapped the door shut. “Like I said, we’re going after Vasquez.”

  “You gonna look at him down the barrel of your gun?” I asked. “No one’s gonna back us up if you do.”

  Jack again shifted in his seat so that our three faces were inches apart. “That all depends on one thing.”

  Sadie and I were silent as we waited for Jack to finish his thought. When he didn’t, Sadie asked, “And that is?”

  “How useful he can be to me.”

  * * *

  Sadie dropped us off at the Land Rover and Jack hopped into the front seat. He pulled Thorne’s shades down over his eyes, which served as a reminder of the fire we were heading into. Vasquez was a pit stop on the way back home, on the way back to Frank, and on the way to figuring out what the hell Thorne was up to.

  Before exiting the Camry I secured Jordan with a length of rope and jumper cables Sadie kept in the trunk of her car. It was too hot to throw him back there, so I laid him down on the back seat with a threat that I’d castrate him if he caused her any trouble. The tears in his eyes indicated he took me seriously.

  I settled into the Land Rover’s passenger’s seat and leaned it back as far is it could go. It was hot. I was covered in dirt and blood and sweat. The damn air conditioning didn’t work in this car either. I could’ve used a nap, but I doubted my near-constant state of adrenaline these past few days would allow me to get more than a couple winks. In fact, it might dull my edge, so I scrapped the idea altogether.

  A few minutes after Jack had pulled away from the curb, I spoke up. “So where are we heading?”

  “The airport.”

  I looked down at myself, then at him. “The airport? You seen us lately? We’re not getting through any kind of security check like this.”

  Jack drummed his fingers against the wheel. His mood was continuously rising. There was no music playing, but he didn’t seem to notice. “So we’ll stop then.” He paused a few beats. “After all of this, after seeing Camila and finally turning her over to Javier, what do you think is the first thing Vasquez will want to do?”

  “See his family.”

  “Exactly.”

  “But the airport? Why do you suppose he’s gonna fly out of here?”

  “Vasquez is smart. And he understands that distance is a good thing. He would never keep his family in the same city where he does business. The trick is figuring out where he’s flying to.”

  “International or domestic?”

  Jack nodded. “Would he keep his family in the same country in case something came up? If they’re close enough, he can jump on a small charter plane and take care of any problems. If they’re back in the States, back in Miami, they’d be far enough away that few people would be able to use them as leverage.”

  “But then he’d run into the issue of trusting other people with his family’s safety.”

  “I imagine Vasquez has a wide network of friends.” He thought for a moment. “Enemies, too, for that matter. But how many of his associates would he trust with his family’s lives?”

  “Vasquez was a cop. Those guys bond for life. If anyone followed him from that life into this one, that would be enough to trust them with something that important.”

  The wind rush streaming in through the open win
dow blew Jack’s hair back. “Vasquez would use his old connections, the ones who looked the other way when it came to his new occupation. That’s who would protect his family.”

  “That still doesn’t answer where they are, though. Even if we know they’re back in the U.S.—hell, even if we know they’re in Miami—that’s a pretty big area to search.”

  Jack pressed his foot to the gas a little harder. From my view it looked as though we were doing twenty over the speed limit. He braked and turned into a small parking lot, pointing at a clothing store. “Which is why we need to get to the airport before he takes off. So let’s hurry up here.”

  We headed inside, found the restrooms and washed the muck off our hands, arms and faces. Then we each grabbed a pair of khaki pants, and button-up shirts. The kind tourists like to wear with lots of flowers and junk on them.

  “To the airport,” Jack said once we were seated in the car again.

  “This is a risk, man. We need a backup plan.”

  “I’ve got one.” Jack reached behind him and grabbed Jordan’s PDA off the bench seat. I had noticed it back there when we got into the car but had figured he planned on turning it over at some point so the data could be extracted. The screen was smashed and it was probably password protected.

  I looked up at him when he handed it over to me. “How is this going to help?”

  Jack grinned at me. “I had our friend Jordan bring up everything on Vasquez before we parted ways.”

  “It didn’t take me that long to take a piss, man.”

  Jack laughed. His mood was starting to improve mine. “Only took a couple of seconds. Go ahead. Unlock it. See what we’re working with.”

  I swiped at the screen. My skin caught on the jagged glass in a couple spots. Despite its condition, the device worked without a glitch. When the lock screen faded away, a detailed spreadsheet took its place. It took me a minute to take in all the information.

  “Holy shit.”

  “I’m thinking of hiring Jordan as my personal assistant,” Jack said. “He’s nothing if not thorough.”

  I read off the top row of the spreadsheet. “Date, To, From, Location, Time Stamp, Receipts.” I looked up. “Goddard knew how much Vasquez spent on his morning coffee every day and whether or not he decided to put sugar in it that day.”

  “And Vasquez thought he was the private investigator. I’m telling you, I think Jordan has a future in espionage if he wants it. I’m gonna recommend to Frank that he needs to take this guy, lock him up in a cell with a computer and put him to work.”

  I waved off his babbling. “There are several entries here for flights back to Miami.”

  “Doesn’t mean his family is there.” Jack paused while he took a sharp right turn. When we straightened out, he checked his rearview and continued. “It’d make sense for him to make a lot of trips back to his former stomping ground, especially if he’s got contacts back there who can help him with deals in Costa Rica and elsewhere.”

  “But a lot of these receipts once he lands are for toys and children’s clothes.”

  Jack cracked another smile. “Exactly. It’d take some time, but we’d be able to figure out where his family lives now.”

  “But we’re not ones to mess with other people’s kids and grandkids like that. No matter what they’ve done or how bad they are. So what’s the play here?”

  Jack’s smile faded and he turned his head toward me. “Vasquez turned on Goddard because his hand was too obvious. He directly threatened Vasquez’s family. I don’t have any interest in doing that and I don’t think it would work out in our favor.”

  “But?”

  “But showing up at the airport means we’re close. We don’t need to say we know where his family is. Even if he assumes we don’t have an address, he’s going to be cautious. He’s going to be more cooperative.”

  “Or more hostile.”

  Jack shrugged. “A man like Vasquez didn’t get to where he is today by having a temper. His revenge on Goddard was clinical. There may have been emotion behind the decision, but everything after that was a strategic move on the chess board. Look at how he handled us. He’s gonna keep his cool so long as we play it calm. All we wanna do is talk.”

  “About what? How is Vasquez going to be useful to us now? Goddard’s dead. Chances Vasquez has connections with Skinner is pretty slim.”

  “Our new friend Jordan may be good at doing the leg work, but Vasquez has connections. He knows how to find information when no one else can. And I think he’s smart enough to realize that if he helps us, he’s expanding his network, both with us and with Frank.”

  “And you really think he’s gonna buy that we’re cool as cucumbers now after what just happened?”

  “It’s just business. Right?”

  I shrugged. “Not so sure about that. Anyway, you think he’s gonna help us figure out what’s going on with Thorne?”

  “Even better.” Jack turned to me and waited until I met his gaze. “He’s gonna help us beat Thorne at his own game.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Wild vines climbed the three-story office building. Grass grew through cracks in the deserted parking lot. The place had been abandoned for years, Javier had said. Sadie believed it. The afternoon sun hovered over the tree line. There was no breeze here, making it feel even hotter and more stifling than earlier. She could smell the effect the day had had on her and hoped the ordeal would be over soon so she could get out of her clothes and under a cool stream of water. One that could wash the past few days away.

  Javier had resisted the idea of sending his men into the building without him. His daughter was within reach now, but protocol required he stayed behind. It took Sadie and his right-hand man, Rafael Calderon, to convince him to stay put. He had plenty of men at his disposal. Let them go in and make sure the building was clear. They would react to any potential scenario as they had been trained. They’d do it without the emotion that Javier was drowning in. God forbid something did happen. The man wouldn’t be in any kind of condition to make the calls. It was a good thing his second-in-charge was present. Sadie didn’t want to have to do it, though she’d accept the responsibility if required.

  Sadie had also argued to keep Javier on the sidelines because she had no idea how he’d react to seeing his daughter, dead or alive. Vasquez was a wild card to her and she didn’t share Jack’s full faith that the guy wouldn’t harm Camila. But she agreed that Javier was never the target. It had always been Goddard.

  A means to an end.

  Camila’s condition aside, they didn’t know what they were walking into. What if there were men in there? Explosives? Some kind of trap? What if Vasquez feared retribution for his part in this? There was no guarantee they would allow Vasquez to get away with kidnapping and holding his daughter hostage.

  Javier wore a path in the asphalt behind Sadie. His footsteps echoed through their silent surroundings. She kept her focus on the door to the building and double checked her comms unit. She had learned a few minutes prior that Vasquez owned a shell corporation that had bought the building and kept it standing for private meetings and brokered its use out when groups needed a large area to load and unload merchandise. She suspected it had a few other uses, too.

  The team Javier had sent ahead was lined up against the façade of the building. There were six total, clad in tactical gear, ready to breech the front door. The first man tested the handle and then swung the door inward. When nothing happened, he signaled for his team to follow him and the men filed inside, their H&K MP5s at the ready.

  A solid five minutes passed before they received an update from the team. Javier double-timed his pacing. His collar was soaked with sweat. It coated his face, arms, and his hair had grown slick with it. His shoulders were high and tense. He balled his fists. The muscles on his forearms ripped. Veins poked out. The world around them was silent. Sadie would’ve killed for an update. An all-clear would’ve been even more welcome.

  Sadie no sooner h
ad the thought than her phone buzzed in her hand. Javier was by her side before she even lifted it to her ear. It smelled like he hadn’t showered in a couple days. She put a calming hand on his shoulder and pushed him back as she listened to Rafael Calderon’s voice over the line.

  “We’re on the third floor. No souls on the first two. We found his daughter. Tell him she’s alive.”

  She didn’t have to. Javier pressed his sweaty body into hers so that he could hear the conversation. His reaction was delayed. He stood there, staring at Sadie for several moments. Then his eyes misted. He sank to his knees and sobbed. Sadie remained where she stood, phone to her ear. She wondered why Calderon had chosen to call rather than use their comms system.

  She knew there was something he hadn’t said yet.

  “We’ve got a situation.”

  “What is it?” She looked down at Javier and longed for the unaware bliss he was experiencing.

  “There’s a bomb strapped to Camila’s chest.” Sadie could hear someone in the background trying to reassure the girl that everything was going to be okay. “I’ve got a couple of my guys working on it now.”

  There was a pause where Sadie could tell Calderon pulled the phone away from his ear and covered the mouthpiece. Why would Vasquez do this? Would he really blow the girl up after all this? Did he have a beef with Javier that she was unaware of? Or was the guy simply trying to buy himself some time to ensure his getaway? She heard incoherent mumbling on the other end before he came back on the line, clear as before.

  “She’s asking for her father.”

  Sadie looked down at Javier. The man wasn’t bound to react well to the news that his daughter was connected to an explosive, but she didn’t feel as though there was any way to avoid it. He deserved to see her and was already climbing to his feet to do just that. He extended his hand. She grabbed it and pulled him close to her. If these were Camila’s last minutes on Earth, she should be spending them with her father.