by Don Easton
“Perhaps,” said Ramirez to Damien, “some of the shipping containers of shoes might contain a much more expensive product.”
“That,” said Damien, “would depend upon how expensive it is for me!”
Ramirez smiled and replied, “We will talk after dinner.”
At eight-thirty, a man arrived and stood quietly in the doorway. Eventually, Ramirez excused himself from the table to talk with him.
When Ramirez returned, he smiled as he sat down. “I have just been informed,” he said, “that Carlos’s Mercedes, three vans, and two SUVs have left Buga on the road to Palmira. It is estimated that he has thirty men with him.” Ramirez paused to sip his wine and then said, “So many men. Carlos is a coward, is he not?” He added, “Does he think that I am Superman?” and laughed.
Jack, Laura, and Damien also laughed politely.
“Now,” said Ramirez, “we have one hour before we should leave. I recommend the dessert tonight. Grilled banana with a rum glaze topped with ice cream.”
“Sounds good,” said Damien.
“Ah, my friend,” said Ramirez, looking at Damien, “after tonight I will give you the best price I have given anyone.”
“That sounds good, too,” said Damien. “After dessert, let’s discuss it further and I will call my men in Canada to arrange the details.”
Jack glanced at his watch and looked at Laura. What will happen when I meet Carlos? One thing is for sure ... Damien will keep right on going — with me to thank for bargain prices!
chapter thirty-eight
Jean-Louie received the report that Ramirez’s Land Rover, accompanied by three Hummers, was leaving the estate.
“What do ya think?” asked one of the narcs.
Jean-Louie didn’t respond as he dialled Jack’s cell.
“Hey, Jack! How are you, my friend? This is John calling from Canada. I hear you are out of the country someplace?”
“John! Good to hear from you,” replied Jack, relieved that the Land Rover he was in had tinted windows. “I am out of the country. Partying with a friend,” he said, smiling as he glanced at Ramirez. “They really know how to have a good time here. They’re even providing limo service to the guests. How’s it going up there?”
The call was brief, but when Jack hung up, Ramirez looked at him and said, “No more calls ... for any of you.”
Jack glanced at Laura and Damien, who stared ahead in silence. There was no mistaking the icy tone in Ramirez’s voice. The remaining half-hour trip to Palmira was made in silence.
As they approached Palmira, Jack looked around and realized that their small convoy had become well spaced. None of the Hummers were in sight.
Ramirez watched Jack, then smiled and said, “You are observant, my friend. If Carlos has men watching for me to arrive in Palmira, it is better if he thinks I do not have security.”
Ramirez might have been right. At the outskirts to the city an SUV appeared to follow loosely behind them. It only took minutes for Ramirez’s driver to lose him in traffic.
“The dog does not want to alert the chickens too soon,” observed Ramirez, wiping the palms of his hands together in anticipation. He looked at Jack and said, “They will rely on you to tell them where I have gone. We will park my Land Rover at the villa to bait the trap. I have another vehicle there too.”
Ramirez paused to take a call on his cell. When he hung up, he said, “Good! Carlos’s Mercedes and two of his vans have been seen driving near the church.”
Jack realized that he was holding his breath and slowly started to exhale. I almost feel disappointed that he showed up. Great time to think that this isn’t such a good idea!
A short time later, they slowly drove past a row of buildings. Most were homes, with about half of them in darkness. Others had a few lights on, including the occasional porch light.
Some noise and a bustling of activity came from one building in the centre of the block with an Aguila sign above the door. The street had no sidewalks, but a few people could be seen walking along the edges of the road. Just past the bar, the road turned to dirt. The Land Rover slowed and turned onto a single-lane bridge that spanned a creek, marking the entrance to a driveway.
The dirt driveway led up to a modest two-storey building. They parked and Jack walked around the villa. With the exception of a small mango grove behind the home, there were few trees for protection. A short distance away from the side of the villa was a small shed where some of Ramirez’s men waited. It was a perfect place for an ambush.
“What do you think, my friends?” asked Ramirez.
Damien smiled and slapped Ramirez on the back and said, “I like it. You have done well!”
“Good. When it is over, I will have my men pile the bodies like a monument. It will be a symbol for those who cross me!”
Damien smiled and said, “I think your competition will get the message.”
“We will go to the plaza now,” replied Ramirez.
“I would like to stay here,” said Damien. “If one of your men would lend me a gun, I would like to be here when Carlos arrives.”
“But it is not your fight,” said Ramirez, looking puzzled. “It is me he wishes to kill! Besides, it is too dangerous. Carlos will enter the villa, and then my men will switch on the lights when they climb the staircase. There will be much shooting.”
“It was me he insulted,” replied Damien, “when he told me to risk Laura’s life. I consider it a matter of honour to take part in his execution. I hope he sees my face when he dies.”
Ramirez stared intently at Damien but did not respond.
“I could hide out here, under the bridge,” said Damien. “If Carlos tries to run back, then I will be waiting.”
Ramirez relented, shrugging his shoulders and said, “As you wish!”
“Speaking of shooting,” interjected Jack, “should I be forced to go with Carlos into the villa, let your men know that as soon as the lights go on, this gringo will drop to the floor. They’ll have about two seconds of surprise to shoot everyone standing. Make sure they know who I am!”
Ramirez chuckled and said, “Don’t worry. I will tell them not to shoot you!” He then spoke with his men and Jack watched as Damien was handed a snub-nosed, five-shot .38-calibre revolver.
“It is all that is available,” said Ramirez. “It will not penetrate Carlos’s car, but maybe if any of Carlos’s men escape you will find a use for it.”
Jack pondered over Damien’s unexpected decision as he and Laura were driven back to the centre of the city. A true survivor. If things go wrong he has a chance to escape.
Twenty minutes later, Ramirez ordered his driver to park in an alley before turning to Jack and saying, “Walk to the end of the street. You will see the steeple. It is only two blocks away. A couple of my men will be watching.”
Jack nodded.
“Do not worry,” said Ramirez. “If you must go with him inside the villa, my men have been told not to shoot the gringo.”
“If Carlos knows that it is a trap, it will not be necessary for me to worry about your men,” replied Jack.
“By the time that happens, Carlos will be dead. He must trust you, or he wouldn’t have asked you to carry out this mission. I am sure that you will be permitted to remain outside. Perhaps you could wait in the bar down the street.”
Jack nodded silently.
“You seem troubled,” said Ramirez, looking at him closely. “Perhaps there is something I do not know about? Between you and Carlos?”
Jack shook his head and said, “I’m just the cautious type.” He then glanced at Laura and said, “If need be, apologize to Natasha for me, will you?”
Jack saw the Mercedes parked between two vans in front of the church. As he approached, four men surrounded him. Jack recognized two of the men and felt the dampness spread down his shirt. They were the ones he robbed outside of the Spotted Owl Motel. Hope they don’t recognize my voice.
“With me, señor!”
Jack f
elt the barrel of a gun nudge his kidneys. He tried to smile and nodded politely as he followed. The side door of the van opened and a sharp jab from the barrel told him to step inside.
The search was thorough and did not take long. One of the men took Jack’s cellphone, then he was allowed to dress himself before being hustled out of the van. He was then brought to the Mercedes, where the rear door opened on the passenger side and he was shoved inside.
“I am Carlos,” said the short, squat man sitting beside him. He wore a green beret and a light jacket that was open to expose a pot-belly.
Thoughts of Charlie flashed across Jack’s mind. He thought of Holly and the terror that Danny and Susan were still living with. Wonder if I could grab his throat and squeeze the life out of him.
Carlos’s eyes peered at him from under the beret. Jack knew that his hatred showed, but for a brief moment he didn’t care.
Carlos barked out a command in Spanish and a burly man sitting in the seat in front of him turned to face him, while reaching into his waistband. At the same time, the driver reached into his shoulder holster while staring at Jack through the rear-view mirror.
“You have my money?” snapped Jack, pointing his finger at Carlos.
“You do not talk at me in such manner!” roared Carlos.
Jack stared back. He knew his actions were not professional. I’m supposed to make this guy like me, or at least not appear as a threat. He sat back and looked down in submission.
Carlos appeared to relax and then said, “After Damien is dead, you will be paid.” He gestured to the two men in the front and said, “You tell my men to drive to Damien now! They come back from Canada. They speak English good.”
Jack glanced quickly at the two men and then said, “I will tell you how to find the place when you let me out of the car. I do not have a gun. It would be dangerous for me to go with you.”
“You will tell me now or you will die!”
“If I die, then...”
“Then my men will wait for Damien on the road to the airport,” countered Carlos. “He leaves tomorrow. I can wait.”
Jack looked around him. I feel like I’m in the middle of a movie. It’s all so surreal. I may never see Natasha again ... Carlos might win.
“Talk my men now!” ordered Carlos.
When the small convoy consisting of Carlos’s Mercedes, three vans, and two SUVs drove past the tiny bar with the Aguila sign, Jack pointed to the end of the street and gave directions into the villa.
Carlos immediately ordered the convoy to park down a side street while one SUV left to check out the area around the villa.
Muted light from a nearby home illuminated the men’s faces in the car. Carlos accepted a call on his cell and then looked suspiciously at Jack and said, “There is a Jeep in front of villa. Is that Jeep belong to Damien?”
“I think he borrowed it from whoever he hired to kill you.”
“That Jeep, it look like a Jeep belong to man I were at war with.”
“You’re joking!”
“I am no joking!”
“Maybe tonight is not such a good idea. Is this man dangerous? The one whose Jeep —”
“Enough! I think maybe you know this man!”
“I don’t. I know your reputation. I am not stupid enough to do anything to make you angry!”
Carlos stared at Jack for a moment and then said, “We will wait here until Damien is got by my men.”
“You’re not going in as well?” asked Jack. “I thought ... man to man ... you would wish to avenge your brother!”
“I will revenge when it is safe,” replied Carlos. “There is a small bridge to the villa. I do not think it wise to cross bridge until my men have Damien.”
Jack looked at the two bodyguards in the front seat and noticed four more standing outside near the car. I’m dead!
Carlos continued to stare at Jack and said, “You know that I telled my men to kill you in Canada. Yes?”
Jack saw the distrust in Carlos’s eyes. I’ve got to gain control — and his trust — fast! He smiled and said, “That was simply business. I understand that.”
“That man my men shoot. The news it say his baby cannot walk. What you think?”
“I think ... I’m glad you made a mistake and didn’t shoot me.”
Carlos was determined. “I am told you upset that my men try to drown the policeman’s baby. Yes?”
Jack shrugged and said, “It was expected that I should look upset, so I did.”
Carlos leaned closer. “Tell me. What woman think when she see her baby die in water?”
Jack’s mind flickered back to an undercover operation years earlier when he had purchased child pornography. The operation was successful, but he had found it humiliating and degrading to even pretend to be that kind of person. Now I have to pretend to be worse — to be like this man. He looked at Carlos and laughed, and then said, “I think she squirmed ... just like a baby kitten when you light it on fire!”
The shock was evident on Carlos’s face, and then he sat back and laughed too.
Jack watched him laugh but also saw something else. A glimpse of a holster on the side of his waistband under his jacket.
Carlos then slapped Jack on the shoulder and said, “Yes, amigo. That is what I think too!”
“I would like to see Damien squirm when you catch him,” said Jack. “Just like a kitten!”
“He will, amigo. He will squirm long time.”
“But if your men kill him, we will not see that. It is better if we go with your men.”
Suspicion returned to Carlos’s face. “No! We wait here!”
Jack’s mind raced for a solution. “How will your men catch him?”
“I send everyone to drive fast to the villa. My men call me when safe and we go see.”
“Damien might be killed before you catch him. I know how to catch him alive.”
“Alive? How?”
“Have some of your men sneak up to the back of the villa first. Then have the rest of your men drive up to the front really fast. The more vehicles the better. We could go too but stop at the bridge. Damien will get scared and run out the back door. Bingo!”
“Bingo?”
“You would have him! Your men could jump on him in the dark!”
Carlos thought for a moment, then said, “That is a good plan. I want caught him alive!”
“There is a small problem, but I can fix it.”
“Problema? What problema?”
“Damien sometimes sets a booby trap.”
“What is booby trap?”
“A grenade to go off. It could kill your men and warn Damien.”
“He has a grenade,” said Carlos quite simply. An item that did not surprise him.
“Give me my phone back and I will call the woman who is with him. She will tell me about the trap and she could describe what the villa is like and what room Damien is in.”
“This woman. She think she work for the policia?” asked Carlos.
“Yes. She is an informant. She is who told me about Damien. She hates him. She is expecting me to call. She thinks the police will arrest him tonight.”
“I hate him also,” said Carlos. “But you phone her and maybe Damien hear her speak.”
“I do this often. We talk most nights at this time. Damien thinks it is her father who calls. You can listen as I talk.”
Carlos thought about it for a moment and then said, “Okay. I listen. You make mistake and you squirm like a kitten on fire a long time.”
Jack was thankful that Laura answered.
“Listen closely,” said Jack. “I am outside your villa right now with the top boss. We are going to wait here until after his men raid the villa and catch him.”
Laura felt sick when she heard the words. “You mean he’s not coming in here to —”
“That’s correct,” Jack interjected. “Listen carefully to what I say and please do exactly what I ask.”
“I understand,” replied L
aura, wondering if Carlos was listening in to Jack’s conversation like Ramirez was hers.
“From your tone, I know that you are being listened to ... correct?”
“Yes,” replied Laura, shrugging her shoulders and smiling at Ramirez.
“I want a description of the inside of the villa. It is important to know which room the men need to run to. I know you can’t talk right now, but as soon as you can, I want you to get a pad of paper and a pencil and draw a picture of the inside of the house. I am worried about the booby trap near the back door. I presume it has been set?”
Laura paused and then said, “Yes,” hoping it was what Jack wanted to hear.
“When he is getting ready for bed, make an excuse to go outside. Say you’re emptying the garbage. Take the paper and pencil and leave it on the bridge under a little rock. Then get out of there. I will draw a sketch to show the boss the booby trap and then the men will rush the house. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
When Laura hung up, Ramirez looked at her and said, “I don’t understand. Why does Carlos not go to the villa? He has lots of men.”
“That’s the problem,” replied Laura. “He has so many men he doesn’t need to risk his own life. He isn’t going into the villa until after.”
“As long as he crosses the bridge. That is most important. Otherwise my men will have to ram his car with the truck. That might not be so good for Jack.”
“No, that wouldn’t be good,” agreed Laura.
“And his car is strong. He might still escape.”
“I need a pencil and some paper,” said Laura. “Then I’ll cross the creek farther down the road and come up past the villa and leave it on the bridge like Jack asked.”
“I don’t understand,” said Ramirez. “Why did Jack say there was a booby trap?”
“We do not know what is being said between Carlos and Jack. It is best we do this.”