One of the dirt-bag gang-bangers with a knife scar on his face looked up from the three-man poker game and sneered. "Because I like the hot little mama. Her and I are going to have some fun after that pig shows up and we get paid."
"Shut up, asshole," Agent Holstein snarled at Scarface, who shrugged and made a vulgar gesture toward Jenn, and Angie was grateful the younger woman wasn't able to see it. She was trembling enough as it was.
"So it takes five of you to kidnap two women and handcuff them to chairs in the middle of a warehouse? We're helpless and not going anywhere, so can you please put away your handguns?" Please Brody, be out there somewhere with Ian. Not wanting the kidnappers to catch on she was hopefully giving Trident information, she changed subjects. "How did you find out about Jimmy and me, anyway?"
While the pacing Holstein didn't want any of the gang-bangers to answer her questions, the same didn't seem to apply to his partner. Agent Jackson was sitting on a crate about fifteen feet in front of her. "Saw the prick talking on one of those burner phones he used a lot and figured there was a good reason behind them. When I tried to get closer to hear what he was saying, he hung up. Tossed it in his drawer when an 'agent down' came in, courtesy of an anonymous call, of course. After he tore out of there with the rest of the squad, I picked the lock on his desk, checked the phone and copied your number. Figured it would come in handy someday. Andrews, or Athos, or fucking asshole, take your pick, was never the type of guy who could stay away from U/C. I knew he'd go back under again someday, and I was right. Traced the number and found you. When our connections from New Orleans called to see if we knew the new guy who was making them nervous and sent me a picture of him...well, let's just say I wasn't surprised to see your boyfriend."
"So you're the one who told the drug dealers who he was, and the other agent who was murdered too?" The man shrugged without a verbal response but the cruel expression on his face confirmed what she’d asked. "So now what happens?"
"Now we wait a little while and when we're ready, you're going to call your boyfriend and tell him where to meet us. If he comes alone, you both die. If he doesn't, then you die, he dies and whoever he brings dies. Then we collect the money owed to us for this fucked up operation...simple enough?"
She didn't answer him.
"By the way, which one is really your boyfriend? Andrews or the hick who you escaped with?" He leered at her. "Or are you banging them both?"
She realized he still thought Brody was her boyfriend and knew nothing about her relationship with Ian. He jumped off the crate, stepped toward her and squatted in front of her chair. "Maybe I'll see what has all these assholes beating a path to your door, hmm? You that good in bed, darlin'?"
He imitated the Texas drawl Brody had used on him. When he dragged a finger down her face and neck to her chest, she shuddered. Instinctively kicking out her leg, she missed connecting her shin with his balls by mere inches. But he shifted in time then backhanded her across the face, sending her and her chair toppling over. "You fucking bitch!"
Seconds after she hit the ground, the metal doors on both ends of the warehouse were kicked in followed by flashes of blinding light and loud booms. Gunfire and pandemonium broke out and Angie pushed her legs against the cement floor, forcing her upper body toward where Jenn sat, frantically straining against her restraints while muffled screams emerged from around her gag. Unlike Angie, she was tied to the chair and couldn't get out of the line of fire. As the shooting continued, Angie managed to get to her knees and, using her upper body, knocked Jenn sideways, chair and all, to the ground then covered the helpless woman's body with her own the best she could.
* * *
"Sit-rep," Ian demanded.
They were still in a holding pattern. Brody was listening with one ear to a headset plugged into his portable tablet which ran the same program as his laptop, while his com-set was in his other ear. Angie's voice was coming in loud and clear with the occasional scratching noise, while he could just make out the male voices in the distance. He hit the record icon when he heard Angie start to ask the questions the team needed answers to. "Way to go, sweetheart. Teams, standby, our girl is giving us info... five tangos...principles are handcuffed to chairs in the middle of structure...handguns at ready. No hints at any other weapons...she's off topic. Your call, Boss-man."
"Team One, taking west end, Team Two, take the east end. Get me heat confirmation, Two." Ian signaled for his men to split up and circumvent the empty warehouse they were still behind toward what was the front entrances to both buildings. The other team would work their way toward the back. He also indicated for Carter to find a way to the roof to see if he could get eyes into the northern building. If the buildings were the same, high windows would run along the south side of the other structure. "Reverend, south sniper looking for position, do the same on north if you can." His teammate acknowledged him. "Heat signatures?"
Rad's voice came through as a low whisper since he was needed to be standing close to the target building. "Affirm. Looks like three sitting at a small table. Two others in chairs about twenty feet to my left, possibly our principles. One pacing east to west, looks like he's southeast of principles. One more sitting between duo and trio, maybe on a crate or something."
"Windows, doors?"
The men in the best positions to answer did so, starting with Rad at the north side and going clockwise. "Second story windows on North, no entry."
Marco's voice came next. "East, one kick-in door, no windows."
"South, windows, no doors," said Devon, who was first in line along the front of the unoccupied building and could see the last two sides from where he stood. "West, one kick-in, one overhead, no windows."
Carter reported in. "Sniper position on top of south structure. Partial line of sight. Best I can do. Can get head shots on everyone but pacer; he's too close to my side. Lots of hiding spots, boys. There's a bunch of wooden crates and boxes in there. Princess A, sitting in chair, hands behind back. Princess J, five feet east, hands same, also blindfolded and gagged."
"I've got pacer in sight line from north position in tree." Jake was straddling a limb in the tall tree he'd managed to climb about fifteen yards away from the target building. It wasn't the greatest spot because he couldn't rest his sniper rifle against anything, so it would have to be a holding shot without a spotter. As long as the branch didn't break under his weight, he'd be okay.
Ian acknowledged all transmissions. "Team One, breach west, Team Two, breach east. Team Three, standby for intercepts. On my go."
Marco took the remainder of his team and rounded the building to the back door and stated they were in position, while Ian's team took the front. Before Ian gave the word for Devon to use the mobile ram to breach the front door and Bannerman to do the same at the back, Carter spoke into his headset from his elevated roost. "Crate tango hopped down, walking toward Principle A. Right in front of her, no weapon threat, lost head shot...smacked her, she's on the floor."
"Breach!"
Simultaneously the east and west doors were knocked open and two flash-bang grenades were tossed through each, far enough for them to cause the most confusion among the buildings occupants. Explosions, screams, yelled orders, Beau's barking and sounds of gunfire filled the air as the members of both teams made their entries–some going left, others going right–and took cover. Jake's calm voice penetrated the headsets. "Pacer down, head shot.
The trio from the poker table and Agent Jackson scrambled for cover, while firing their weapons in the direction of the doorways. One of the gang members went down with a hole in his head, thanks to Carter.
Devon and Tanner had gone left after entry while Boomer and Urkel went with Ian to the right. They worked their way around a maze of crates and boxes as the two remaining gang-bangers tried to make a run for the front door using whatever they could find as cover. Boomer released Beau with an order to attack and the dog lunged for the nearest bad guy, clamping his jaw down on the man's arm. The s
uspect screamed in pain and tried to throw the dog loose but only succeeded in falling to the ground with the angry beast on top of him. He brought his gun up to shoot it but Boomer was there, kicking the weapon from his hand and shoving his own gun in the dirt-bag's face. "Don't fucking move, asshole."
Ian and Urkel worked their way in further, as the other team approached from other side of the long warehouse. A final gunshot sounded as Devon took out the last gang member, who'd still been firing his weapon while heading for the door. All was silent except for heavy breathing heard through the headsets and Beau's barking as the teams searched for the missing tango, Agent Jackson. From Ian's spot behind a crate he could see Angie's prone body lying on Jenn's. His niece was thrashing against her restraints and he couldn't tell if Angie was moving because she was also struggling or if Jenn's actions were causing the body on top of her to move. Seeing no sign of the last suspect and with Urkel covering his six, he ran low toward the women and knelt beside them, relieved when his angel turned her head to face him. "Ian!"
He put his assault rifle on the ground at his feet and reached to help her off Jenn. But the sound of near simultaneous shots had him drawing his sidearm and spinning toward where they came from on the other side of several large crates. Both teams converged on the spot and Ian heard curses and Tanner, their medic, telling someone to call for an ambulance. From where he was still covering the women, he could only see some of the team members and wasn't sure who'd been hit. Marco gave the 'all clear, suspects all accounted for' then Brody appeared at Ian's side and handed him a handcuff key before turning to Jenn to begin setting her free. Ian released Angie's wrists and she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him as hard as she could. "Thank God, you're here."
"It's over, sweetheart. I've got you, but you've got one hell of a punishment coming to you, Angel." Returning her embrace, he watched his teammate remove Jenn's blindfold and gag then cut through the ropes which bound her to the chair. Like Angie, she was crying and shaking but appeared to be unharmed aside from a few bruises. Adrenaline, fueled by Ian's anger, fear and relief, had him trembling as he held Angie tight but he stiffened as his brother's voice came through the earpiece.
Angie cried out and scrambled to stand after she heard Devon say 'Come on, Athos. Stay with us'. Her ear had been pressed against Ian's as the lowly spoken words had come over his headset. Ian helped her up and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they hurried to the other side of the crates. Marco was standing over Agent Jackson's dead body while Tanner and Devon worked on slowing the blood which was pouring out of the side of Athos' chest.
The dirty agent had rounded the tall shipping crates and come upon the other agent's blindside. Jackson had fired a millisecond before Rick Michaelson spotted him and could get his own shot off, hitting the bastard in the head. But the damage had been done. The bullet had entered Athos' chest from the left side, in the thin area under his arm which wasn't covered by the bullet-proof material. It was one of the worst places to get hit while wearing a vest. Ian could see the regret in Boomer's dad's face that he hadn't seen the suspect two seconds earlier. 'What if' was something they'd all learned to deal with since their first moments in combat but it never made it any easier. Jake and Carter appeared and cursed when they saw what had happened.
Angie rushed forward, falling to her knees as Devon made room for her at Athos' head. She grabbed her best friend's right hand while Dev leaned over his chest and continued to hold pressure on the wound. Tanner was quickly starting an IV in the injured man's left arm. Athos' eyes fluttered open at the sound of Angie's voice begging him to look at her. Struggling to breathe, his voice came out as a hoarse whisper. "Ang, you okay?"
"I'm fine. You are too, Jimmy. They're going to fix you up good as new." She wiped the sweat from his brow and the blood seeping out of the corners of his mouth, but it kept coming. His face was pale and his lips blue. Tanner looked up at Ian, who was standing behind Angie and gave him a small shake of his head. It wasn't good and unless a miracle happened within the next five minutes the man was going to bleed to death and there was nothing any of them could do. The bullet had caused too much internal damage, probably nicking the heart or aorta before lodging somewhere in the lungs.
"Promise me something, baby." The wounded agent was fading fast. His labored breathing was increasing and the blood filling his lungs was making him cough. "Promise me you'll be happy and remember I love you."
"I love you too, and you're not going anywhere, damn it! You stay here with me. That's what will make me happy! Stay with me!" The tears were pouring down her cheeks and her lips were trembling as she pleaded with him.
Athos' eyes shifted and met Ian's. "Take her. Take her out..." The rest of his words were lost to a coughing fit. He used the last of his strength to lift the hand which Angie was holding and gestured to the man he was entrusting her life to. Ian understood. Athos knew he only had a few minutes of life left in him, maybe even less, and he didn't want his best friend, the woman they both loved, to see his final moments.
Ian nodded and took hold of Angie's shoulders, pulling her up to her feet. She began to fight him, struggling to stay where she was, but her friend whispered, "Love you, baby. Go."
"No...no, Jimmy!" Angie became hysterical and Ian had no choice but to force her from the scene. "Let go, Ian! Put me down! I have to save him! Save him, please!"
Ian picked her up in his arms and cradled her to his chest as she continued to struggle and scream. He tried to offer words of comfort but she wasn't listening to him. As much as it hurt her to be forced to leave, she might even think he was being cruel, he knew it would be worse if she stayed. As death neared, Athos would begin to cough up a lot more blood and it wasn't a sight she needed to see. She also didn't need to hear the death rattle as the man took his last few breaths. Ian could hear the sounds of the approaching sirens as he carried her to the door. Urkel and Boomer had the one remaining suspect, who Beau had caught, in handcuffs. The others were all confirmed dead.
He brought her outside to where the paramedics, police, and a very pissed-off Agent Stonewall had just arrived. Carter had informed him, after the gunfight was over, he'd contacted Keon again. The deputy director would make sure the scene was cleaned up and no one, other than the one surviving gang-banger, would be in any trouble over the incident. Chase's men had secured the area and began to talk to the agents and officers in an attempt to give Ian and his team some breathing room.
Brody had taken Jenn outside as well, putting her into the front seat of Ian's still running Audi. One EMT ran over to check on her and Angie, while the others rushed into the warehouse where they were needed the most. Angie finally stopped fighting him and he set her down on her feet but refused to let her go, embracing her as she sobbed and mumbled into his chest. "He's going to die, isn't he?"
The painful acceptance in her voice caused a lump in his throat so instead of responding, he just held her tighter. A few minutes later, they both raised their heads when Carter approached. Placing a hand on Angie's neck, he leaned in and kissed the top of her head, whispering, "I'm sorry, little one. He's gone."
Her wail of grief was heard by all.
CHAPTER 20
Ian sat in the passenger seat of Jake's Chevy Suburban as his friend drove Angie and him home to the compound from the airport, and he was less at ease now, then he'd been before they left. It was three months since they'd buried her best friend next to his mother and sister in upstate New York. Brody's recording of Agent Jackson's bragging had ensured James Andrews was put to rest following a full federal-government and military ceremony. A U.S. Marines honor guard had carried his coffin in and out of the Lake George church where he'd been baptized as a baby, made his First Communion and Confirmation. DEA agents and supervisors, fellow Marines, high school friends, and the Trident Security extended family had filled the church pews to capacity for the hometown hero's funeral. Flower arrangements covered the altar, and later again, the grave site. Some of the col
orful memorial displays were from Will Anders, Roxy and Kayla London, Tiny and The Covenant staff, Shelby Whitman, several of Angie's friends from Florida, and one from Red Rose Books. Kristen must've let her editor know about their new graphic designer's loss.
Ian had spotted Carter, with dark sunglasses on, standing at the back of the church, and again, off to the side at the cemetery. The spy never approached them and disappeared after catching his and Angie's eyes, giving them a single somber nod of his head. At the grave site, three volleys of seven rifles were fired in salute and Ian held a weeping Angie as Taps was played. A sharply dressed Marine Corp captain knelt and handed her the U.S. flag which had been draped over the coffin, then folded with expert precision. He softly told her the President of the United States, the United States Marines and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration were grateful for her loved one's honorable and faithful service to his nation.
With Jimmy's death, what was left of the drug cartel in New Orleans had no reason to come after Angie. Besides the fact she could no longer be used as leverage for anything, they were too busy trying to keep themselves from getting life-without-parole prison sentences. The investigations which followed had led to Manny Melendez being killed during a raid and subsequent shoot-out with the feds and local police. Three of his minions were killed as well. There had also been a city-wide round-up of suspects, two DEA agents from the New Orleans office and three local cops, in addition to thirty-seven other people. For now, the Diaz connections in New Orleans were either in jail, on the run, or dead. The large incoming shipment of drugs had been seized from the transport cargo ship in a joint operation between the DEA, FBI and Coast Guard.
Henderson had survived the bullet wound to his chest but was out of commission for a few months while he recovered. Ian and Devon had kept their vow and paid for his partner's funeral, along with Chase Dixon. The team, Angie, Kristen and Jenn had attended that burial as well before flying to New York for Jimmy's funeral later in the same week. Jenn's bruises had healed and with the help of her psychologist, who'd counseled her following her parents' murders, she was getting past the memories of the kidnapping. Now, she had to convince her 'uncles' to ease up on their over-protectiveness which had increased ten-fold since the incident. They were back to arguing with her about running background checks on her prospective boyfriends among other ridiculous precautions.
His Angel: Trident Security Book 2 Page 23