by Mike Ryan
“Looks like three,” Bridge said.
“We can handle that.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“What? You don’t?”
“Problem is, now they’re on the alert. They just saw the body out there by the door.”
“You didn’t move it?!”
“I was a little busy!” Bridge replied.
The men waited by their car and looked at the building, hesitant to come in until they knew it was safe. One of them started talking and shouting someone’s name.
“Can you make out what they’re saying?”
“It’s Spanish,” Nicole said.
“I know that.”
“They’re just calling for one of the dead guys. I assume it’s the one we shot in there. I doubt they’d be calling for the other guy since he’s lying out there with them.”
“Brilliant deduction.”
“Let’s just hurry up and get this over with.”
“You’re always in a hurry,” Bridge said.
“I prefer taking the fight to them instead of letting them take it to us.”
“Point taken.”
“We can still get them by surprise.”
“Well, they still gotta come in here at some point, right?”
“Not necessarily,” Nicole answered. “They might just cut tail and run.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Bridge looked around the room and saw a small window to the right of the door. “OK, you get by the window. As soon as you get a shot, take it.”
Nicole smiled. “Now you’re talking my language.”
She quickly went over to the window and peeked out, readying her rifle. Bridge looked out the crack of the door. Suddenly, he heard the rapid fire of Nicole’s rifle going off.
“Damn you and your impatience…”
Bridge threw open the door and started firing toward the men standing behind the car as well. The pop-pop-popping sounds of gunfire soon filled the air as bullets started flying in all directions. The other side was down to two men, as Nicole killed the first one as soon as she started firing. That’s why she let loose when she did. Clear shot. Moments later, the second of the men fell to the ground, being helped there by a bullet from Bridge’s gun. The third man felt the situation was hopeless and just wanted to get out of there. He hopped back in the car and tried to put it in reverse. Before he was able to, a barrage of bullets from Bridge and Nicole went through the driver side window, smashing it to pieces. Several bullets lodged in the man’s head and neck, killing him instantly.
“Stay here and get her ready,” Bridge said, stepping outside.
“What are you doing?” Nicole asked.
“Making sure they’re all dead and the coast is clear. I’d hate to run into a surprise as we get out of here. Just stick with her. I’ll be back in a few.”
As Bridge went outside and started checking the bodies, Nicole went back to the other room to check on Cammi.
“You OK?” Nicole asked.
“Yeah, you?”
Nicole smiled. “We’re good. Luke’s making sure it’s clear out there. As soon as he gives the word, we’re out of here, OK?”
“I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you guys.”
“You just did. Now it’s time to get you home.”
Nicole led her out of the room and to the front door of the building, standing just outside of it as they waited for Bridge to appear again.
“Where is he?” Cammi asked.
“He’s just making sure there’s nobody else out there.”
“What if there is?”
“Then we’ll deal with it. Don’t worry.”
“But it’s so quiet.”
“Quiet is good. It means nothing’s out there. If you hear shooting, that’s when you have to worry.”
A few minutes later, a shadowy figure came walking up toward the building. The light was low, visibility not much better, but Nicole knew that walk. She knew who was coming. She breathed a sigh of relief as she waited for Bridge to get to the building.
“Looks like we’re all clear,” Bridge said.
“Good,” Nicole replied.
“Walk her down to the car and I’ll finish up here.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“Take pictures. IDs, driver’s license, license plates, whatever will make identifying who these guys are easier and in turn lead us to where we have to go next.”
Nicole nodded. “OK. You got five minutes.”
“Won’t even need that.”
As Nicole took Cammi down to their car, Bridge pulled out his phone and started taking pictures. The faces of the dead men, their IDs, license plates, everything. One of these men would lead them somewhere else. He was sure of it. If not, it would be a much longer road to travel. But identifying who these men were, there was no question in his mind that it would expedite the process. It only took two minutes before he was finished. In this game, a person learned to do what was necessary quickly. If you didn’t, there was a plot somewhere with a matching headstone. Those who dawdled found themselves dead. Bridge didn’t rush through things by going so fast that he made mistakes. He was taught from the very beginning on how to move fast without being sloppy. Once he was done, Bridge left everything just as it was, making sure he didn’t leave fingerprints.
Back in the car, he checked on the others. “You guys good?”
“Good as can be,” Nicole answered. “Get everything?”
“Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
“Hope it leads to something.”
“It will.” Bridge started the car and began driving.
“Are you guys, like, secret agents or something?” Cammi asked.
Bridge snickered. “Not quite. Close, though.”
“Why didn’t we just stay there and wait for the police or something?”
“Because we’re in a foreign country, and we just dropped five bodies back there. With our backgrounds, we try to stay as low-profile as possible. We try to avoid international incidents.”
“But couldn’t you just explain what was happening?”
“Most governments don’t appreciate people like us coming in and killing people, no matter how noble the intentions. Especially when they’re left in the dark about it. If they’re given a heads-up beforehand, maybe. But they hate knowing after the fact.”
“And in some cases, you don’t know who you can trust in situations like this,” Nicole said. “There are some governments that are just as crooked as the people you’re going after. I’m not saying that’s the case here, but until we identify who we just took out and who they’re tied to, it’s better for everyone if we just move along quietly.”
“Everything’s so… weird.”
“If you only knew the half of it.”
“We have some friends in the FBI,” Bridge said. “And the CIA, too, but, regardless, we’ll get you back home. Just gotta figure out if it’s as easy as putting you on a plane, or we need to go through a back channel.”
“Why would we need a back channel?” Cammi asked.
“You were obviously very valuable to somebody. Once they find out what happened here, and believe me, it won’t take long, they’re gonna be on the lookout for you. If we just drop you off at the airport, who’s to say they won’t have someone there waiting for you just to pick you up again?”
“Oh. I see what you mean.”
“So we’ll play it cool for a few hours. But don’t worry. We’ll get you there.”
“Am I gonna have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life now? I mean, are they gonna come after me if they find out I’ve gone back home?”
“You should be fine. In most cases like this, they try to stop you before leaving. Once you’re gone, it’s too much of a risk for them. They just move on to someone else. They don’t know if someone will be watching you to keep you safe, and trying to abduct someone who is much more wary of their surroundings now, is usually tougher than snatching a new pers
on.”
“These people need to be stopped. It’s not right.”
“No, it’s not right. And they will be. We just need to find them first.”
“I wish I could help. I just don’t know much.”
“Hey, you did what you needed to do to stay alive,” Bridge said. “That’s the biggest thing you did. Now we’ll do the rest.”
Once they got back to the hotel, Nicole gave Cammi some clothes and then Cammi took a shower. While she was doing that, Bridge called Happ and told him the situation.
“Jesus, Luke, there’s five bodies out there?!”
“What are you so sore about? You’re not the one who has to clean it up.”
“Because this is starting to get high-profile. People are starting to look into this.”
“Starting? This should have been high-profile six months ago, to be honest.”
“And I don’t disagree. I’m just telling you, people are going to be looking at this.”
“Let ’em look. I don’t care. We’re doing what nobody else was either willing to do or was capable of. Besides, nobody’s gonna know it was us, anyway. We didn’t leave a trace.”
“Honestly, Luke, everyone knows you guys. If you’re in a country and bodies start dropping, it doesn’t take a lot to put two and two together.”
“Two plus two or two minus two?”
“Don’t be cute.”
“Just saying.”
“Well, don’t just say…”
“Hey, I need a favor,” Bridge said.
Happ laughed. “I was wondering when that was coming. You need a favor? You need a favor? You just killed five people and you need a favor?”
“In all honesty, I think I only killed three. Nic got at least two.”
“What’d I say about being cute?”
“Forget about all that.”
“Forget about it?”
“Would you just listen and stop interrupting?” Bridge said.
“Fine. What’s the favor?”
“We found one of the girls they abducted.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. Canadian named Cammi… I don’t think I got her last name. Anyway, she was taken in New Jersey like the rest. About four or five months ago, she thinks.”
“And?”
“And I need to get her out.”
“So what are you calling me for?”
“Oh, come on, Eric, you know I can’t just shove her on a plane somewhere. She might not ever get back, and you know why.”
“OK. I’ll make some calls and get back to you.”
“Preferably tonight.”
“Can’t make any promises.”
“Tonight, Eric.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“And whoever comes to get her, they better be trustworthy,” Bridge said. "‘Cause if they’re not… they’ll deal with me.”
“If I send them, you know they’re good.”
“Maybe.”
“Anyway, did you get any leads off those guys you mowed down?” Happ asked.
“Not sure yet. We’ll start running things down soon.”
“What’s that mean? What’d you get?”
“Just some IDs, plates, faces, things like that,” Bridge answered.
“I’ll run a few down for you.”
“If I need you, I’ll let you know.”
“Why so secretive now?” Happ asked.
“You said it yourself. It’s starting to get high-profile. I don’t wanna be sending you information and then you pass it along and then other people wind up getting in my way or trying to slow me down.”
“That’s not how it works, Luke.”
“It’s exactly how it works. We both know that. I pass things along, it gets booted up the ladder, then if the puppet masters don’t like what I’m doing for some reason, they try to put the kibosh on my movements. Everyone else had their chance on this case. Now it’s my turn. That means we’ll do it my way.”
Roughly an hour had passed since Bridge’s last conversation with Happ. While he waited on word about what to do with Cammi, Nicole started running down their new leads, typing the names of the dead men they’d killed into her computer. As she was doing that, Bridge got another call from Happ.
“OK, it’s on.”
“What is?” Bridge asked.
“Cammi’s extraction. Take her to the airport. She’ll be on flight B17038. There will be a man waiting for her there. He’ll be wearing a blue New York Mets hat. He’ll bring her back here.”
“Then what?”
“Then we’ll debrief her, contact her family, and take her back home.”
“Who is this guy I’m handing her off to?”
“He’s trustworthy.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Luke, you really think I would do something that’s not on the up and up?”
“It’s not your integrity I’m questioning. Wouldn’t be talking right now if I did. This girl’s already been through a lot. I just wanna make sure it ends for her.”
“Believe me, it will. The person you’re handing her off to works for the FBI and is a part of a joint task force there. Can’t really say any more than that. He’ll escort her here, then fly back in a few days to continue his assignment. It’s the best I can do.”
“OK. When?”
“Hand her off in one hour.”
“I’ll be there. Thanks, Eric.”
“You got it.”
Bridge put his phone down and went over to Cammi, who was sitting on the bed reading a magazine.
“It’s time to go. Get your things.”
“I don’t have anything.”
Bridge smiled. “I forgot.”
“Anyway, where are we going?”
“You’re getting on a plane and going to New York. From there, there will probably be a few FBI officials who want to talk to you, find out what you know, then they’ll contact your family, let them know you’re safe, then you’ll go home.”
Cammi forced out a smile, then nodded. For the past few months, she hadn’t believed this was a day that would ever come. “I’m going by myself?”
“No. There will be another man to escort you there. He works for the FBI. Trust me, you’ll be safe.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. I’ll wait there and make sure you get on that plane. Then I’ll call my contact to make sure you get there.”
Cammi smiled again, this time naturally. She wiped away a few tears in the corners of her eyes. Then she jumped off the bed and hugged Bridge closely. “Thank you.”
Bridge couldn’t help but smile himself. These were the moments that reminded him why he did what he did. He made a difference. He saved the lives of people who sometimes fell through the cracks if someone like him wasn’t looking for them.
“You’re welcome.”
“How can I ever repay you?”
“Just stay out of trouble.”
Once Cammi released him from her grasp, Bridge pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to her.
“What’s this?”
“It’s my phone number,” Bridge said. “Just in case things don’t go according to plan. If something happens or you feel like something isn’t the way it should be, you call me.”
“What if something happens before I can get to the phone?”
Bridge thought for a second. “We’ll do it this way. You call me this same time tomorrow night. Exactly twenty-four hours. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll know something went wrong, and I’ll come find you again.”
Cammi hugged him again and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re so great. Both of you are.”
Since she had nothing other than what she was wearing, Cammi was already ready to go. She didn’t need additional time, except to go to the bathroom before they left.
“You really worried about her making it back there?” Nicole asked.
“No, not really. If Eric says the guy’s trustworthy, I gotta believe him.�
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“Then why give her your number?”
“She’s been through a lot. And now we’re asking a lot of her, to place her trust in not only us, but that we’re handing her off to the right people. That’s gotta be difficult after what she’s been through. And scary. Anything we can do to help put her mind at ease and feel like she’s finally safe… doesn’t hurt.”
Nicole nodded. “If only people could see The Extractor being such a softy.”
Bridge grinned. “Don’t let the word get out.”
Cammi came out of the bathroom, ready to go. Bridge gave Nicole a kiss on the cheek.
“You want backup there?” Nicole asked.
“Nah, I should be good. You just keep working on finding something on these guys. I’ll only be gone a couple of hours. Hopefully by the time I get back, you’ll have found something.”
“Wishful thinking, but, hey, I’ll give it a shot.”
Bridge smiled and kissed her again. “Make it happen and there’ll be more of that in your future.”
“You sure know how to tease a girl.”
“Did it work?”
“Of course it worked. You know me.”
“I do. And I know if anyone can do it, you can.”
“Here’s to hopefully a long night.”
11
Just as Bridge said he would do, he watched Cammi and the FBI contact get onto the plane headed back to New York. He watched through the window as the plane took off, secure in the knowledge that Cammi was finally safe. He sent a quick text message to Happ to let him know she was in the air. Then he went back to the hotel. He hadn’t gotten two feet inside when Nicole suddenly appeared out of nowhere and lunged at him, jumping onto him. Bridge held both her legs, wrapped around his midsection, as they passionately kissed.
“Can I ask what this is about?” Bridge asked, their mouths taking a quick break from each other.
“You promised me a long night if I found something.” Nicole planted her lips on his again.
Bridge set her feet back down on the ground. “Wait, did you?”
“Uh, yeah, of course.”
“Well, what was it?”
“You promised…” Nicole continued kissing.
“Business first, pleasure second.”
Nicole sighed and hung her head. “You’re so dull.”
“Plus, the information needs to be verified before you get your compensation.”