by E. E. Borton
“Ain’t that the truth.”
“We’re running out of time, Chief.”
“Yeah, we are. But so is he, Boss.”
39
Valor
THERE WAS NO TIME TO celebrate the flawless execution of the plan to take down Little Al on his turf. There was even less time to rest. As soon as the men arrived back at the house, Grey and Chief headed for the War Room to dig up as much information as possible about Santiago. After two hours, they had nothing of value.
Agent Ramirez arrived to move Ronnie and his family to a safe house. Evan and Abby were downstairs boxing the toys, DVDs, and art supplies they used to make Jessica’s room comfortable. They knew the safe house would have no entertainment for a five-year-old girl. Kate entered the War Room with a carafe of coffee and three cups.
“Looks like you guys are going to be pulling an all-nighter,” said Kate.
“You’re an angel,” said Chief, taking the first cup.
“Good to see you again, Agent Ramirez,” greeted Kate.
“You’re getting around well,” said Carlos. “You’ve come a long way since the rehab center.”
“And I pay for it at the end of the day,” said Kate. “Every muscle in my body aches.”
“Carlos,” said Grey, getting his attention. “What do you know about Ermano Santiago?”
“You want the CliffsNotes or encyclopedia version?” said Carlos. “I can give you both.”
“Little Al told us the unsub works for him,” said Chief. “Called him the Reaper.”
“All of Santiago’s enforcers are called Reapers,” said Carlos. “He has at least a dozen between here and Cuba.”
“So he is Mob,” said Grey.
“No,” said Carlos. “He is the mob.”
“Start with the CliffsNotes,” said Grey, closing his laptop. “We’ll work our way up to encyclopedia.”
“He’s an old school gangster,” said Carlos. “He goes all the way back to the Bay of Pigs in 1961. He’s in his late sixties now, but was trained to fight by the CIA when he was eighteen. He’s political and very anti-Castro. He moved up the ranks in the Corporation to eventually become a lieutenant of none other than Jose Battle Sr. himself.”
“The Corporation?” asked Kate.
“The Cuban Mob,” replied Carlos. “Jose Battle Sr. was also a CIA-trained fighter at the Bay of Pigs. He and Santiago were taken prisoner together and survived two years of torture in a Cuban prison. They were released after a deal was brokered by the Americans. For his service, Battle was given a commission as an officer in the U.S. Army. After serving a few years, he ended up moving to Jersey to further his enterprise and build the Corporation’s strength. Santiago stayed behind in Miami to look after their local interests. Battle moved out of Jersey to avoid the heat and returned to Miami in 1980.”
“Didn’t they lock up Battle?” asked Chief.
“They did,” said Carlos. “He was arrested in 2004 for racketeering and died in prison in 2007. Most law enforcement, including the FBI, thought that was the end of the Corporation. For the most part it was until Valor Santiago quietly took over the entire operation in 2005. He’s not flashy and doesn’t like being in the limelight like Battle did. He also doesn’t order hits unless they’re absolutely necessary. Battle would have had your head if you looked at him wrong. It’s why Santiago doesn’t draw a lot of heat down here.”
“Is he on the FBI’s radar?” asked Grey.
“He’s a tiny blip,” replied Carlos. “He’s a criminal, but he doesn’t gets his hands dirty. There’s no association with him and drugs. His specialties are money laundering, gambling, loan sharking, and smuggling guns. But even his gun running has slowed down over the past few years. The ATF was working up a case against him. As soon as he found out, he closed up shop. When things cool down again, there’s no doubt he’ll resume the weapons trade. Like I said, he’s old school.”
“I’m not sure what that means,” said Kate. “Old school?”
“Battle’s downfall was his political agenda turning into a personal one,” said Carlos. “He got caught up in the big money and lifestyle. He cut all ties with the groups looking to overthrow Castro. That’s when the U.S. Government turned their backs on him and let the FBI chew him up. But Santiago is a different story and a different breed of gangster.
“He still has strong ties with groups inside Cuba looking to take control away from the Castro family. A large portion of the money he generates through the Corporation helps to fund their programs, but it isn’t much. We estimate his operations generate about a million a year. He sees himself as more of a political activist than a crime boss. He stays away from drug trafficking or any other illegal act that will make him a bigger target on the radar. If another group or young gun tries to move in and change things, that’s when he sends the Reapers to maintain balance.”
“It makes sense that he wouldn’t know about his Reaper going after Kate,” said Grey.
“I agree,” said Carlos. “His history of violence is limited to political assassinations in Cuba and making a few local gangsters disappear. He’d consider what happened to Kate and Caleb as despicable and dishonorable.”
“Do you think he knows now?” asked Kate.
“I don’t know,” said Carlos. “He’s fiercely loyal to family, and the word on the street is all his Reapers are family. Even if he did know, he’d deal with it himself. I doubt he’d just hand him over to us.”
“He won’t be handing him over to the FBI,” said Kate. “He’d be handing him over to me.”
“I doubt that’ll make a difference,” said Carlos.
“Is he touchable?” asked Grey.
“Not like you touched Little Al,” answered Carlos. “There have been a few attempts on his life over the years, but nothing recent. He has a modest house south of Miami near Little Havana, but the property it sits on is vast and very well protected. He has a small army out there. Thirty, maybe thirty-five, goons at all times. Getting on the property would be difficult. Getting inside the house would be suicide.”
“Then how do we get to him?” asked Chief.
“Like his Reaper got to me,” answered Kate. “And how we got to Ronnie. We find out what he loves the most, and then we take it from him.”
“He has a daughter and two sons with a handful of grandchildren,” said Carlos. “None of them live in Florida. I’ll try and get you more information when I return, but I need to get Ronnie and his family out of here.”
“Of course,” said Kate. “Thank you for everything you’ve done, Carlos. I know what you’re risking by helping me.”
“I wish there was more I could do about Santiago,” said Carlos. “He just has too many guns around him. And it doesn’t help that he’s smart.”
Carlos walked out of the War Room and escorted Ronnie and his family to the SUV parked in front of the house. It was the only time Grey had allowed a vehicle so close to the front door. Evan and Abby joined the team after Carlos left the property. They could sense something was wrong in the quiet room.
“Why so glum?” asked Abby, standing beside her sister’s chair. “I thought you guys had a good day.”
“Well, the good news is, we only have one more link in the chain before we discover the identity of the unsub,” said Chief. “The bad news is, that link happens to be the head of the Cuban mafia.”
“That is bad news,” said Abby. “What’s the plan?”
“There is no plan,” said Grey, “other than finding somewhere to hide Kate until we figure this out.”
“I’m sitting right here, Grey,” said Kate. “I’m not a package, and I’m not going anywhere. True, this is a setback, but we still have time.”
“No, we don’t, Kate,” said Grey. “We need to move you tomorrow.”
“Grey, I’m going to end this argument before it gets started,” said Kate. “I’m not hiding from anyone. We’ll revisit this conversation in the morning. Goodnight.”
Kate slid
her chair back and stood before Grey could respond. She hugged Abby and headed for the stairs. Several minutes passed before anyone still seated at the table spoke.
“Well, I had a pretty exciting day,” said Chief, standing. “I’m gonna take my old ass to bed. That is unless you wanna have a drink with me, Evan.”
“I’m good,” said Evan, holding up his hands in surrender.
“We’ll sort this out, Grey,” said Chief. “Try to get some sleep, Rambo.”
Grey smiled at Chief as he walked past and patted his head. Abby stood and made her way to the kitchen. Evan stood as well, but Grey stopped him.
“How about you grab us a couple cold ones and join me out back?” said Grey. “I think we could both use a drink.”
“Sure thing, Boss,” said Evan, turning for the kitchen.
“Grab me one, please,” said Abby, making a sandwich. “Do you want something to eat?”
“No, thanks,” said Evan, opening the refrigerator. “I’m probably about to get my ass chewed, and I’d rather it happen on an empty stomach.”
“Why are you going to get your ass chewed?” asked Abby. “I thought you guys did great today.”
“They did great,” said Evan. “All I had to do was lock a door and hold a gun on an old man. Grey and Chief did all the heavy lifting.”
“So why are you in trouble?”
“I was all pumped up after and said something I shouldn’t have,” said Evan. “Grey had to kill two of them, and I acted like it was a game.”
“You’ll be fine,” said Abby. “But just in case, I’ll keep an eye on you from here.”
“Thanks,” said Evan, leaving the kitchen with a fistful of beers.
“Just what the doctor ordered,” said Grey, taking a bottle.
Evan took the seat across from Grey at the poolside table. He didn’t make eye contact as he opened his beer and took a long drink. He knew it was coming, but he didn’t know how hard. He felt like a kid waiting for his dad to drop the hammer.
“I’m sorry, buddy,” said Grey. “I jumped down your throat today instead of telling you that you did a great job in there. You were fast, focused, and kept a level head. Three things most new FBI agents can’t even do.”
“It’s okay, Grey. I was still a little jazzed up and should’ve kept my mouth shut. I didn’t have to kill anyone; you did.”
“That doesn’t matter,” said Grey. “I was just glad you were there to watch my back. I need to tell you that more often. I know I can be a hard ass, but this wasn’t one of those times I needed to be. You did well, Evan.”
“I appreciate that, Boss. So you couldn’t tell I was scared to death?”
“Not at all,” said Grey, drinking his beer through a smile.
“What are we going to do about Santiago?” asked Evan, taking advantage of his elevated status.
“I have no idea,” replied Grey. “I’m hoping it’ll all come to me in a dream. The harder part is going to be convincing Kate that we need to move her. Too many people know where she is. I don’t care how secure we make this place, her best chance right now is not to be anywhere at all. We need to turn her into a ghost while we sort out our next move.”
“She’ll come around,” said Evan. “She does trust you.”
“We’ll see.”
“I’m gonna hit the sack before Chief shows up with a bottle and tries to kill me again,” said Evan, standing. “I appreciate you talking to me. You were still pretty bad ass out there today. I wouldn’t wanna piss you off.”
“Goodnight, buddy.”
Grey propped up his feet and slid back into his chair. He was looking at the problem at every possible angle. After an hour, he gave up and stared up at the sky, hoping an answer would materialize out of thin air. When he heard the back door open, he closed his eyes and made a wish.
“You have a long drive home,” said Abby. “Why don’t you stay with me tonight?”
“Thank you,” whispered Grey.
40
Honor
AS IT CAME INTO FOCUS around him, Grey noticed the brightness of Abby’s room. With a building sense of panic, he threw off the covers and darted for the neutral ground of the bathroom. He grabbed his watch off the counter and cursed.
Showered and dressed in ten minutes, Grey flew out of his room and headed downstairs. In his mind, he was ready for the landing at the bottom of the stairs to be flanked by everyone in the house with disapproving scowls. There was slight relief when he saw the living room unoccupied. As he walked through, he heard the Chief’s bellowing laugh in the War Room. He turned the corner to see everyone except Kate seated at the table with smiles.
“Morning, princess,” greeted Chief. “I take it you slept well?”
“Obviously too well,” said Grey taking his seat. “Where’s Kate?”
“She’ll be down in a few,” said Abby. “She’s finishing her workout. Do you want some breakfast? I mean lunch?”
“No, thank you,” said Grey, cocking his head and shooting her a look. “But I’ll take a cup of coffee if there’s any left.”
“There is,” said Abby, standing with a sly smile. “Cream and sugar, Boss?”
“Please. Did you see Kate this morning?” asked Grey, turning his attention to Chief.
“I did.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Did she say anything about taking our advice and getting the hell out of here?” asked Grey.
“Check your fire, Grey,” replied Chief. “If you hadn’t decided to sleep ‘til noon, you could’ve asked her yourself.”
Grey sat up straight in his chair as Abby placed a cup in front of him. “Touché, Chief. I’ll take it down a notch. But did she?”
“Sort of,” answered Chief. “But she did say she wanted to talk to you about the subject.”
As Grey picked up his coffee to take a sip, Kate turned the corner into the War Room. Without a word being spoken, both Abby and Evan headed out the back door. With a puzzled look, Grey watched them evacuate and turned to Chief. He had his arms folded across his chest and was staring up into a corner of the room.
“Am I in trouble?” asked Grey, turning to the only person left looking at him.
“No,” said Kate. “But I probably am.”
Before he could react, his phone vibrated on his hip, alerting him to a visitor at the gate. The Chief didn’t bother to reach for his phone and sat quietly. Grey touched the alert icon and the video link appeared. On the screen he could see a long, black sedan with tinted windows accompanied by a larger black SUV. The car pulled up. The rear passenger window was only lowered halfway, but he could see an elderly man in a dark suit and sunglasses. Grey noticed Chief made no attempt to verify the identity of the men at the gate.
“Who is that, Chief?” asked Grey, narrowing his eyes.
“That is Mr. Ermano Valor Santiago,” answered Kate. “And he’s right on time.”
Grey continued to stare at Chief, who continued to stare at the corner. “She only told me an hour ago,” said Chief, not looking down.
“He nearly had a heart attack,” said Kate. “I told him I’d tell you myself when you woke up.”
“Well, I’m definitely awake now,” said Grey. “Oddly, I don’t have the urge to tell you just how bad you fucked up – again.”
“He knows the rules about security, but feel free to remind him if necessary,” said Kate, sidestepping the argument. “Other than that, just follow my lead.”
“That’s it?”
“Grey, look at me, please.”
He shifted his glare from Chief to her. “If you’re not satisfied at the end of this meeting that it solves our current problem, I’ll go wherever and whenever you tell me to go. No questions, I promise.”
“You do realize it’ll be too late by then,” said Grey. “We only had one guy to worry about; now we’ll have an army to coming after you. So whatever it is you plan on doing, you’d better make sure it works or we’re all dead. That inc
ludes your sister, Kate. Or did you forget about the other people risking their lives for you?”
“Kate,” said Chief, getting her attention. “We should answer the buzzer. I don’t think they’re the type to stick around for too long.”
“It’s your call, Grey,” said Kate. “But either you bring him in here, or I go out there.”
“My call, huh? Now, that’s a good joke.”
He pressed the icon on his phone that activated the intercom system at the gate. “Good mor…afternoon, Mr Santiago. Kate is expecting you. We’ll be picking you up at the gate in a few moments. We appreciate your patience.”
The window on the sedan rolled up, blocking Grey’s view of Santiago. “Chief, go grab Evan and the cart. I’ll give you instructions over the intercom when you get to him.”
“Roger that, Boss,” said Chief, heading out the back door. Abby came in a few seconds later. She was unaware of the visitor as well.
“What’s going on?”
“Not much,” said Grey. “Other than your sister inviting the head of the Cuban mob inside the house for a chat. And by the way, he’s the guy employing the man trying to kill her.”
“You did what?” asked Abby as her jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me?”
“Not now, Abby,” said Kate. “But I want you in there with me, okay?”
“Of course,” answered Abby, sensing her resolve.
Chief and Evan exited through the pedestrian gate and notified Grey they were in place. “How many goons with him?” asked Grey, loud enough for Santiago and his men to hear.
“Five, including the two in the SUV,” replied Chief.
“We have room for two on the cart,” said Grey. “Mr. Santiago can bring one unarmed man with him to keep him company. No exceptions. You know the drill, Chief.”
“Understood,” said Chief. “One mob boss; one goon; no guns. Got it.”
Grey ended the call and returned his attention to Kate. She walked away from him and into the living room. Abby shook her head as she walked past Grey. He followed a few seconds later after clearing his mind and calming down.