by Desiree Holt
“One of my men doing a regular drive-by saw them leave about half an hour ago. They may be headed toward today’s open-air market. I radioed back and told them to keep a sharp eye out.”
Barrera grunted. “Let’s hope their eyes are really sharp. I have a very bad feeling about the way things are going.”
“We probably should have raided last night as you originally planned.”
“But no one but you and I and our key soldiers even knew we were going to do it,” Barrera pointed out to him.
Ruben shrugged. “Secrets have a way of leaking out no matter what. You know that.”
“But I also know,” Barrera said, “that they had no place to go and no one was going to hide them. One of the many advantages of ruling a country that is completely on an island is that people can’t get away from you. They do what we want or we kill them. So even if they found out ahead of time, what could they do? Where could they go? Besides, I had already arranged for Moreau to be here on Friday night and there’s too much money involved there to have made changes.”
Ruben nodded his agreement. “True, true.”
Barrera nodded. “And I want to be there myself to see what they find. Fuck it all, anyway.” He drew on his cigar and blew a smoke circle. “If we lose them, we’re in deep shit, for a lot of reasons.”
“Let’s hope we can frighten the truth out of them about the Kane woman, because there’s still no trace of her, and we’ve scoured the island.”
“Fuck.” Barrera spat the word.
“I’ve tried to think where she could go and keep hitting a blank wall. We know she hasn’t left town because of the checkpoints.”
Ruben rubbed his jaw, a sign Barrera knew meant he had a new wrinkle to throw into the mix.
“What if she’s in La Jungla?”
Barrera’s jaw dropped. “What? What the fuck do you mean?”
“I mean, we haven’t had any luck locating her in the city and the jungle can be accessed without using exit roads.”
“If she’s there, the jungle might do its work for us. Although it would deprive me of the pleasure of torturing her myself. It is a very tough environment to make one’s way through.”
“I’m just offering it as a possibility.”
Barrera thought for a moment. Would the bitch be brave enough to traipse though all that overgrown area to find a way out? And what then? There was that rocky stretch bordering the jungle and a steep cliff dropping down to the water. It would be almost impossible for a boat to pick her up there.
“All right. Let’s give it until we make the raid tonight. Maybe wherever she’s hiding, when we go after her friends, she’ll show herself to save them.”
“Maybe. She certainly didn’t seem the type for that kind of physical exercise, though. What do you think?”
Ruben shrugged. “It’s hard to say. I haven’t been in La Jungla myself for years. No reason to except to dump bodies. Then I have my men do it. It isn’t an easy trek, though.”
“Can she get through there and find a path off the island?”
“Again, difficult to answer. One area of the jungle butts up to the rocks, but it’s treacherous getting to it. And even though I haven’t hiked those rocks since I was a lot younger, I remember at the time it being very difficult and stressful. Besides, where would she go? There aren’t any beaches on that part of Santa Marita.”
“A boat can’t get close enough for her to board,” Barrera commented. “She’d have to swim out to it, and with the huge breakers and the wind on that side, it could be a death sentence. There’s no way she could be rescued from there.”
“So are you saying just leave her and let the island kill her?”
“No.” He studied the ash on the end of his cigar. “That would be nice if we knew that definitely would happen. I’m saying we may have to send people into the jungle looking for her if we don’t find her anyplace else.” Barrera shook his head. “Let’s leave all that for a last resort. Meanwhile, put a team together if needed to go in there looking for her, if we can’t find her anyplace else. I won’t rest unless I can see her body.”
Ruben just shrugged. “Your wish, as always, is my command. Let me put more men on the streets and see if we can flush her out from wherever she’s hiding.”
“And find the Albado family. Call me the moment you locate them and keep an eye on them. If they’re at the market, which I assume they are, put a man on them so we don’t lose them. We may be able to use them as bait.”
“Consider it done. I’m going to the market now myself to see if I can spot anything. I stopped by to ask if there was something particular you wanted me to do. I’ll put the Albados at the top of my list.”
Barrera leaned back in his chair, frowning.
“I say again. They have no way off the island. The marina is under watchful eyes as always, but that doesn’t mean they might not try something. So be sure everyone and everything is checked. I want regular reports.”
Ruben nodded. “As you wish.”
Barrera sat staring at the opposite wall after Ruben Vidal had left, everything jumbled in his mind. La Jungla was a shitty place to look for someone, what with the thickness of trees and plants, the abundant wildlife and no path to follow. Somehow, he didn’t see the woman making it through there. Then what? Traipsing over rocks? To where? To who? She certainly hadn’t looked the type for any of that.
Was he overreaching here?
Fuck. How had things gotten so complicated? He couldn’t lose control here, not because of some stupid bitch and an insignificant family. Not now, when things were going so well. And if he had to kill a few more people to protect what he’d built? Well, so be it.
* * * *
Even though Ed was Eagle’s friend and Eagle had been the main contact for this exercise, Blaze had somehow slipped into the position of Galaxy team leader. It would have been Rocket since this was his gig, but of course he was somewhere in the middle of La Jungla waiting for word on their next move. Therefore, Blaze was riding shotgun with Ed as they managed to move the car through the narrow streets. They had spent the better part of an hour getting everyone ready. Eagle, who for whatever reason looked the least threatening, had done what he called ‘moseying’ along the motley group of display tables set up at the edge of the parking lot and spilling over onto some of the docks.
“Pretty damn big for an unscheduled event,” Blaze commented.
Ed snorted. “It’s only unscheduled as far as Barrera is concerned. He makes a big deal out of the regular markets as a way for people to earn money and sell products of Santa Marita. But he also knows he’s changed the economy so much, focusing on his drug business, that these people need a way to feed themselves and their families. And he can play the big patron by quote unquote letting them have these extra events.”
“What an asshole,” Eagle muttered.
“Top of the line,” Ed agreed.
More ambitious vendors—and probably those with a bigger cash stash—had set up tents back behind the tables, which made it easier to do some of the switching they needed. It also helped that Inez was a favorite with a lot of people who also loved her parents. And the Galaxy men, blending into the scene with beach clothes they’d scarfed up from one of the vendors, very carefully maneuvered the process, all the while managing to put themselves in positions that would not call attention to any of them.
Ed was standing next to Blaze at a crowded table filled with colorful scarves and shirts, Eagle and Viper nearby. They were holding up shirts that partially concealed them and pretended to be examining them. He nudged Blaze and inclined his head to the left.
“Part one’s about done. Steal a glance over there.”
The Albados, dressed as tourists, carrying bags from the outdoor market and wearing big straw hats, had made their way one at a time to the end of the middle dock. Inez, who had camouflaged herself well, was window shopping at one of the tables while her parents boarded a fishing boat that had been docked there o
vernight. The owner, a friend of Ed’s—of course, Blaze commented silently to himself—was also on the dock, standing beside his boat and drinking beer with three other boat men. Blaze watched as the owner gestured at his boat, lifting a bottle of beer, and when he ushered the other men onto his boat, the Albados moved along with them. Then, in the blink of an eye, the Albados disappeared—and not a second too soon.
Blaze nudged Ed and inclined his head in the direction of the parking lot. Two large vehicles full of Barrera’s soldiers had driven up and parked at the edge of the market setup. Ten of them were disgorged from the vehicles and began walking through the market and along the docks.
“Watch, my friend,” Ed told him in a very low voice.
Blaze shifted his gaze to the boat the Albados were on and saw the owner standing on the deck with the men he’d been talking to, all of them drinking beer. Apparently, the man had told them a funny, raunchy joke, because they were all laughing boisterously. The man grabbed the empty bottles and carried them below. When he opened the cabin door to jog down the short flight of steps, Blaze strained his eyes to see if the Albados were in there.
“What the hell did he do with them?” he asked Ed.
“Most of these guys carry contraband of some kind along with fishing equipment, so some boats have hidden compartments. They aren’t all that spacious, but it’s better than a coffin.”
As two of the soldiers walked down that dock, eyeing all the boats, Ed’s friend climbed back up to the deck, fresh beer bottles in his hands, the door open behind him. He grinned and nodded at the guards as he kicked the door closed and handed out the beer.
The guards glanced at each boat again as they moved along the dock. Blaze kept his gaze focused on the scene until the men reached the end of that dock and made their way to another one. They made no stops along the way, including the boat where the Albados were hiding. When they finally reached the end and headed for the next one, Blaze let out his breath and felt the tension ease a fraction.
Then he glanced at Ed. “How are the plans to connect Inez with her parents coming?”
“Good. Very good. She’s a smart woman and knows what she has to do.”
“Just curious, but what are you going to do with them when you get them all to Manzanillo? That’s still too close. I’m guessing Barrera’s men go over there now and then. And I know you don’t want to keep them in an expanded kill zone.”
Ed shook his head. “They’ll be transported to another location far away from this where they can start a new life.”
“Here’s what I wanted to tell you. I don’t know if Eagle communicated it, but if we get Mallory Kane out of this mess—no, when we get her out of it—her sister, who hired us, will be very indebted to us. That sister is a very powerful United States senator who I am sure would be very happy to help us with the Albados.”
“Good to know. We may take her up on it.” Ed glanced at his watch. “In fact, Inez should be on her way right now.”
Blaze looked around. “Yeah? Like where?”
“Check the dock on the far end. The little short one.”
Blaze looked where Ed was pointing. The last dock was only long enough to accommodate one boat. The one currently tied up looked like it had seen better days. From the activity on deck, Blaze could see it was a fishing boat that was bringing its catch to Santa Marita. Panel vans from two restaurants were parked at the dock and employees were busily unloading carriers of fish. There appeared to be seven people on the boat, all wearing jeans and denim jackets, managing the transfer. Once the fish were all offloaded, the vans pulled away and the remaining workers began cleaning up the deck.
At that moment, the motor on the boat kicked over and it slowly chugged out of the harbor. Some of Barrera’s thugs stood nearby, watching it. And Inez Albado was nowhere to be seen.
Blaze hid a tiny grin. Ed knew his damned business all right. They were damn lucky he was helping them.
“Okay, we’ve got all the Albados to safety,” he murmured. “Now we need to get ourselves the hell out of here. Barrera has locked down any exit by water or from the airport, so we only have one real choice.”
Eagle nodded in agreement. “And we don’t have a very big window. You can bet Barrera’s got a picture of Mallory Kane by this time and has sent it to every one of his so-called army. I think when he can’t find us anywhere else, Barrera will send his soldiers to the jungle to hunt us. Time to pick up Rocket and Mallory and head for that cliff. And I mean now. When Barrera discovers all his targets are gone, he’ll turn this island upside down.”
Ed headed away from the marina. “Amen to that. Let’s move. Now.”
They had planned a method of leaving the market and hooking back up together without drawing attention to themselves. They followed the plan and fifteen minutes later, without any of Barrera’s guards noticing, they were back at the battered SUV and driving slowly away from the area of the marina. Ed did his usual, zigzagging through streets and neighborhoods until they were at the very edge of the city limits where the jungle began.
“I just hope we haven’t fucked up your situation here.” Blaze glanced over at Ed. “You’ve had to use a lot of resources taking care of our project.”
Ed shrugged. “Maybe it was time to move on anyway. But that’s for later. Blaze, call Rocket and tell him we’re on our way and to watch out for us.”
“On it.”
“No shit.” Viper grunted. “Ed, you did a masterful job getting the Albados out of here, away from Santa Marita, but they’re secondary characters to Mallory Kane. And when Barrera executes his raid tonight and finds the Albados in the wind, all hell will break loose. And he’ll redouble the search for Mallory.”
“Agreed. Call your pilot. He’s got that chopper, right? From Vacation Rentals?”
“He does.” Eagle leaned forward from the back seat, sat phone in hand. “He rented it right away when we gave him the go ahead. He’s done a couple of flyovers so no one will ask why he rented a helicopter and isn’t using it. Plus, he wanted to get a visual of Santa Marita.”
“Good, good.” Ed nodded.
“He also said there were a few other helicopters getting some airtime, so he doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.”
“Better yet.”
“Besides, when I told him where the exfil would have to be, he wanted to get a good look at it and mark the images in his brain. He’s good to go. Let me get hold of him.”
* * * *
Bruno Elizondo didn’t usually consider himself a lucky man. His life had proven that to him over and over again. He thought it was his usual lot in life when he’d lost track of the men he’d seen and overheard in the coffee bar. But then good fortune had smiled on him. He took a break from his multiple coffee rounds to check out the nonscheduled open market and decided to spend a little of his meager salary to buy a present for his wife. She loved scarves and especially the ones she found here.
He parked his car on the street and made his way to where the market was set up, found the scarf booth he wanted…and there was his reward. Two of the men he’d eavesdropped on, pretending to shop but in reality watching the docks. Bruno found himself a place to be invisible in the crowd and watched the same crowd. He had no idea who he was looking for, but when two of Barrera’s men marched down one dock, eyeballed the boats then returned to the market, he knew something was going on. He just didn’t know what, but he’d figure it out.
Then he saw them watch a fishing boat making its deliveries at the last dock, the short one. He noted a woman helping with the deliveries and boarding the boat before it chugged out of the harbor. Could that be the female they were looking for? If it was, he needed to get to Barrera right away.
He edged a little closer to the men, standing slightly behind them, and realized it wasn’t the woman at all. Maybe Inez Albado? He knew there was a raid scheduled for the Albado house that evening, either to find the Kane woman or force the Albados to say where she was. Would Barrera be upse
t they were gone? Was this Kane woman on one of those boats with them?
No, he decided, when the men regrouped and headed away from the market. They looked like men with a purpose. They hadn’t rescued their friend yet. He would need to find a way to follow them without being detected, then he would report back to Barrera. And hopefully earn himself a promotion and a fat raise.
When the car they were in drove slowly away from the area, Elizondo followed at a safe distance. Lucky for him, two cars pulled in between him and the battered SUV. There was enough traffic to swallow him most of the time. It was only when the traffic thinned out that he had to do some magic maneuvers, especially when they ended up on the edge of a residential neighborhood. There was minimal traffic to hide behind and he was afraid that if he cut over to another street, he’d lose them.
What to do. What to do.
Fuck! Where the hell could they be going, anyway? These streets dead-ended at La Jungla. Was that where the Kane woman was hiding? If so, she must have a lot of guts, because it wasn’t exactly a friendly place. The SUV reached the end of the street and stopped. Were they really going into that overgrown hellhole? Were they walking? Driving an impossible route?
He had to do this very carefully. But one thing he seemed to be good at was being invisible. Hardly anyone ever paid attention to him. Today that was going to pay off, if only he could figure out how to follow them. Just in case, he pulled out his cell and took a picture of the vehicle.
Then, as if in answer to a prayer, a landscaping truck pulled in front of him and parked in front of the next-to-last house. Bruno parked behind them and got out, walking up to the men as they climbed out and greeting them as if they were friends.
The man who appeared in charge stopped and studied him.
“Can we help you?”
“Por favor. I was driving around looking for work because I am a good at this kind of stuff. I thought, maybe mow a lawn or something. Then I saw your truck and I wonder, are you looking for more workers? I work hard and do a good job.”