“Lincoln, we’ll call you two back as soon as we’re there, okay?” Jarrett asked.
“Yeah, okay. We’re going to update Stanger and Diaz now,” Snow said. “I hope I can keep my cool. That’s the love of my life in that hellhole.” His voice was shaking and Jarrett realized it was the first time he’d heard his friend admit his feelings for Sarah. He’d known for a long time that they were in love but it was the first time either of them had actually said it. It was good to hear even under these stressful circumstances.
“Lincoln, we’ll get the women out of there,” Thayne said. “I promise.”
“Okay. Okay. Call me as soon as you land, okay?”
“Yes, Snow,” Jarrett said. “Galvez, take care of him.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that, brother,” Jose said. Jarrett knew Snow was in good hands. The call disconnected and Thayne turned to Jarrett as they headed for the 405 freeway onramp which would take them to LAX.
“I had no idea it was that serious between them,” Thayne said.
Jarrett rolled his eyes. “Then you were the only one. I mean seriously, they’ve been moonin’ over each other since Snow moved to LA, man.”
“I can’t think about it right now, Jarrett. All I know is that we need to get Sarah and Dev out of that prison and get Rios into an interrogation room and find out what the fuck he knows, all without getting any of them hurt or killed,” Thayne said.
Jarrett took his hand, squeezing it hard and then intertwining their fingers. “We’ll get them out, even if we have to go in there and kill every last one of them fuckers. We’re gonna get the women out, darlin’.”
Thayne looked at him and offered him a tiny smile, squeezing his hand. “Okay, Jarrett. Okay.”
Chapter Eleven
“You said our rooms are free of listening devices and cameras?” Nico asked the Mossad agent. He was thrumming with anger. He hadn’t liked the Israeli telling them that he’d only talk to Jarrett. His life and Mac’s life were in danger so he thought they should know everything that was going on.
Dayan nodded. “That’s right. But if you visit each other’s rooms to talk, you will be picked up on security cameras… unless, look, I can probably distract the guy running the control room for a few seconds to give you time to slip into one of your rooms late tonight. It’s a risk, but I can make it work.”
Nico glanced at Mac. They were both angry with the Israeli but he was offering to do them a favor. He returned his glance to Dayan and nodded.
“Please, if you distract the control room for just a few seconds so that Mac can slip into my room, we’d be grateful.”
Dayan nodded. “Fine. I’ll do that but I have to leave here just before midnight to meet with Evans and give him some information, but I’ll try to distract the control room for a few minutes right at 2300 so that you can trade information about what you’ve learned.”
“What information do you need to give Evans?” Mac asked, raising one silky red eyebrow.
“I’ll be giving that directly to Jarrett. You don’t have to worry about it,” the Israeli said snidely.
Before Nico saw it coming, Mac reached out and grabbed the front of Dayan’s shirt, pushing him back and pinning him to the wall as he lowered his face to the Israeli’s, so close there was almost no space between them.
“Hey!” Dayan shouted, flailing as he grabbed Mac’s beefy forearm with both hands. “I’m your ally here. I’m trying to give you as much information as I can. If you want to know so much, ask your guys if I can be trusted or not.” He was so angry spittle flew from his lips.
In any other circumstance, Nico was sure the man would be a formidable foe but Mac out-muscled him by a long shot. Watching his lover’s anger with this man was a heady experience. Nico never got used to seeing Mac in action. He just loved it. He desperately wanted to take his face in both hands and kiss him silly.
“We can confirm Dayan is Mossad but we had no knowledge of this ahead of time, guys,” Nico heard Snow say in his ear. He glanced at Mac who’d obviously heard the same thing judging by the way he nodded.
“Okay, the FBI confirms your identity,” Mac said, glaring at the Israeli. “You’re really not going to tell us what you have to tell Evans with relation to this case? Even if it can help us both get what we want?” Mac said through gritted teeth.
The Israeli shook his head. “No. That’s between Jarrett and me.”
“Look, I don’t know your history with Jarrett Evans but this sounds really personal,” Nico said. The operative slid a glance his way.
“Jarrett and I worked an op together overseas several years ago. I helped you guys recover the tabun nerve agent, and I helped with the fireworks case and the militias down at the Mexican border a couple years ago.” He glanced at Mac and sneered. “Let go of my shirt, man. If you don’t, you’re only putting yourself and Devecchio in peril.” The two men glared at each other for another thirty seconds before Mac loosened his grip and set Dayan’s shirt free. “Thanks,” the Israeli said, sounding as pissed as anyone Nico had ever heard before. Dayan adjusted his collar and nodded at them. “Now, get back to your jobs before you’re missed.”
“Don’t you think the cameras will pick up the fact that we haven’t done the tour?” Nico asked.
Dayan frowned. “Yeah, shit. Come then. Let’s make this quick.” He stalked off back down the corridor and Mac and Nico shared a glance.
“I’ll come to your room tonight, Nico.” Mac took Nico’s hand, squeezing it hard.
“Don’t worry about that. Right now, let’s just do our jobs. At least we know we have an ally inside.”
“If he really turns out to be one, Mac.” They walked side by side, following Adael out into the corridor, headed to the landing where he knew several elevators were located.
“We can only hope.”
****
A cacophony of frightening sounds rang out all around them. Sarah sat with her back against the wall, a prisoner of flex cuffs with Dev leaning against her right side. Her partner had come to after being slammed into the cinder block wall by Robert Rios and when she had, Sarah had almost cried with joy. When all hell had broken out in the prison and the lights had gone out, it had been terrifying; when the emergency generator had kicked in and the lights had blinked on to reveal a bloody Dev in one corner, Sarah’s heart had been broken. She’d thought her dead or horribly injured for sure.
The prisoners had dragged Sarah and Dev out into the corridor and put flex cuffs on them, then began taking out long years of frustration on the guards while the women were forced to watch. They were a depraved bunch, beating the men with whatever was handy. Two had been shot right in front of them and Sarah could only pray the torment would stop soon. She had no idea where the prisoners had gotten hold of the rifles they carried, but she could only assume the guards had some sort of armory in this cell block. She counted two guards dead so far and another six wounded but still alive. So far, she and Dev were unharmed except for the wound on the back of Dev’s head. From what she could tell, it was still bleeding and she more than likely needed stitches. Sarah knew she needed it to be looked at but there was nothing she could do about it. The infirmary wasn’t in the supermax cell block anyway. There was no way to get her seen by a doctor.
The only thing they could do right now was to stay silent and try to go unnoticed as long as they could. The longer the riot went on, the more time the authorities would have to perfect a rescue. She somehow knew Jarrett and Thayne were already on their way to them, though what good they could do, she didn’t know. Maybe just knowing they were close by would help with her peace of mind. She watched the prisoners in the corridors that were already awash with blood. They were still having their fun but eventually, Sarah knew their attention would turn to them. Being gang raped hadn’t been on her to-do list that morning.
Sarah hoped that the cooler head of Robert Rios or some of the others who were mostly spectators in the beating of the guards, would prevail but Rios eyeballe
d them every so often. She could only hope that when she had to, she’d be able to fight for her life and convince them that they needed her and Dev left unharmed. She’d have to make a case that the prisoners needed them alive and safe for the leverage it would take to get out of this hell hole.
****
“Are you kidding me?” Thayne stared at the massive helicopter parked on the tarmac at LAX. The thing was painted in camouflage green, beige, and brown, probably meant to be flown in the desert somewhere. “We’re going by helicopter? And where the hell did Tate get a helicopter?”
Jarrett chuckled, enjoying his partner’s surprise upon seeing the massive Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter parked right where Heston said it would be. When he’d called Heston to see if one of his friends out at LAX had transportation for them, he hadn’t expected to be told that his buddy had just set down at the airport to drop off a VIP before heading out to an airshow at Camp Pendleton in San Diego the following day.
“It’s technically not Heston’s helicopter, darlin’,” Jarrett said, smirking at his husband. Hell, with all they went through, seeing the look on Thayne’s shocked face and knowing he’d put it there with access to the US military’s finest helicopter, kind of made him proud. Thayne’s surprised expression morphed into a frown.
“I know it’s not Heston’s helicopter,” Thayne growled, pulling up to the huge bird and shutting off the Mustang’s engine. “What I meant was how did he get it?”
“Let’s ask him.” Jarrett waved at Tate Heston, who’d been standing and talking to another man wearing headphones around his neck. They were both dressed in Marine Corps fatigues and Heston was grinning like a crazy man. He and Thayne got out of the Mustang, waving back as Heston came their way. Tate was a good man, his superior officer in the Corps, and still a good friend to this day. He’d been married to his husband Chas Fordham III for a while and he and Thayne had been to their home on more than one occasion. Seeing him dressed in fatigues brought back the happiest memories Jarrett had from his time in the Marine Corps, when he’d served among brothers, before he’d been drafted as a sniper.
“Hey, buddy!” Tate said, throwing his arms around Jarrett as he walked up. Jarrett returned the strong clutch with one of his own. Tate slapped him on the back before letting go and then turned to Thayne, grabbing him up in a huge bear hug as well. “Good to see you, Thayne.” He slapped Thayne on the back and Jarrett watched his husband’s body jerk with the force of it. He was grinning and shaking Tate’s hand as he finally pulled away from the hug.
“I can’t thank you enough for this, Heston,” Jarrett said. They walked toward the pilot.
“It’s okay, man. You said it was a matter of life and death and that’s all I need to know. We’re here only to drop off a colonel so I’ll call this kismet,” Tate said. They reached the pilot and the man nodded his head, reaching out a hand. “This is Captain John Brandeis. Captain, this is my buddy, Jarrett Evans and his partner, Thayne Wolfe. They’re the ones I was telling you about.” Jarrett and Thayne shook the captain’s hand.
“I can’t thank you enough for this,” Jarrett said. “We’ll have it back to you tonight at some point. That’s a promise.”
“No problem. I just have to get it down to Camp Pendleton by 0900. Heston says you have regulation flight hours on the Sikorsky?”
“Yes, sir. That’s right.” Jarrett dug into his wallet and handed his card over to the captain.
“Wait a minute,” Thayne said. “You’re flying us?” He sounded shocked and Jarrett had no idea why. Captain Brandeis frowned at Jarrett.
“You’re up to this?” he asked.
Jarrett stepped back and saluted the captain. “Yes, sir.”
“Okay then. There’s flight suits in the bird.” The captain grinned, returning the salute. “See you back here tomorrow a.m.”
“Thanks, Captain,” Heston said. “Can we take your car? I hadn’t planned on needing one since this was only a pit stop.”
Thayne held out the keys, smiling. “Of course. Thanks again, Tate.” They all shook hands and the two men in fatigues walked off toward the car.
“We need flight suits?” Thayne asked, following Jarrett toward the big helicopter. He sounded a bit nervous about Jarrett flying them.
“We’ll be more comfortable,” Jarrett said, reaching in and pulling out fatigues for each of them. They stripped quickly, changing into the fatigues and climbed into the Sikorsky. Jarrett handed Thayne a set of headphones and began talking to the tower at LAX, giving them their flight plan after plotting their course. The tower gave them a priority clearance. Apparently, Snow had already called in and let the supervisor know that one of their agents would be taking off with a mission of national security. Jarrett smiled as he got the clearance, running through his final checks to the helicopter as he prepared for takeoff. When he started the massive twin engines, the sound was instantly familiar; he felt very much at home.
He glanced over to Thayne to find his husband gazing at him in the afternoon light. They’d be taking off heading west over the Pacific and then flying northeast toward Reno. Snow had told them the FBI had cleared a place near the prison for them to set down and were expecting them within the hour. They lifted off the tarmac two minutes later, flying into the sunset. It was a beautiful time to fly and Jarrett gave himself over to the sensations of the powerful machine. He’d always felt emotional when flying. He didn’t really know why. There was something very special about having a piece of machinery in his hands that historically had helped his country win wars. It was a heady feeling, nothing like it on earth… literally. Once they’d reached altitude, Jarrett glanced back at Thayne. His face was turned away, looking out the side window, down at the earth. He seemed relaxed.
“You ever flown in a helicopter, darlin’?” he asked.
Thayne turned toward him with a frown but he nodded. “Yeah, but don’t ask me about it. You’re not going to like my answer.”
Jarrett grinned. “Did you throw up?”
“No, not that.” Thayne turned back to look out of the window, letting the subject drop.
“Come on. Now you gotta tell me.”
Thayne turned back and sighed into the mic he wore. “Mills Lang flew all of us to Mexico once when I was undercover with him. We were in a different kind of helicopter and the flight was a lot different than this one. He was meeting one of the big bosses in the Los Lobos Cartel in Mexico City. It turned out to be good business for him because we were busy supplying arms for months after that.” Thayne sighed and pinned Jarrett with a grim expression.
“I still can’t believe I let it go on so long, Jarrett. I mean I was there to do a job, report back to the ATF on domestic crimes he was committing, and shut the bastard down but I feel like the work I did was only a drop in the bucket. I was with him for two years and Lang moved a hell of a lot of hardware in those two years. Those arms more than likely killed a hell of a lot of Americans. Those weapons are probably still killing American citizens and law enforcement personnel. It makes me kind of sick to think about it.”
Jarrett nodded. He figured it had been something like that. “If you hadn’t provided the intel you did provide, he would have still been arming the cartels as well as our enemies overseas. You saw the kind of weapons he had at his disposal. Nerve agent? Tanks? Barretts? Hell, he was the shit stain of the world and now he’s well and truly dead, darlin’. His pipeline is gone forever and all because of what you started there and the things we did to bring him down and finish it.”
“Yeah, I know,” Thayne said, turning away. “It just bugs me sometimes.”
“Don’t think about it, Thayne.” Jarrett reached out and took Thayne’s hand off his knee, holding it until he turned back to look at him. “Just enjoy the scenery. I’m gonna have the tower patch Snow through to us so we can get an update on Sarah and Dev.”
Thayne nodded and gave Jarrett’s hand a squeeze, letting it go. Jarrett called the tower and asked to be patched through.
“Jarrett? You two are on your way?”
“Yep. We should be there in thirty-five minutes, Lincoln.”
“I can’t believe you stole a military helicopter,” Galvez teased as he came on the line.
Jarrett chuckled. “I didn’t steal it, man. The good old U-nited States Marine Corps let me borrow it for a little while.” He could hear Snow and Galvez chuckling and when he glanced over at Thayne, he was grinning.
“That’s awesome, Evans.”
“What do we hear from the prison?” Thayne asked, all mirth draining from his face as his smile fell.
“The inmates are making demands. They want money and a private jet to take them to a country where they can’t be extradited. Can you believe that?” Snow said, sounding utterly disgusted.
“It’s like a bad Nicolas Cage movie, man,” Jose drawled with a thicker than average Chicano accent.
“Yeah, well good luck with that,” Thayne said, glancing grimly at Jarrett. “No way are they getting out of that prison alive. I just pray we are in time to negotiate something.”
“The warden is really pissed he hasn’t been able to do anything until you guys arrive. He keeps asking what the hell all this has to do with national security and the FBI on the ground in Susanville are kind of being dicks with him just because they can.”
“Oh mama, he’s pissed,” Galvez added.
“Great. That sounds like a fun situation to walk into,” Thayne said. “Anyone know how we’re gonna resolve this once we do get there? I have no experience with hostage negotiations. Does anyone else here?”
“Not me,” Jarrett replied. “I guess I can baffle them with bullshit.”
“Well, you’re good at that, for sure,” Thayne said, once again looking worried.
Endings and Beginnings (Death and Destruction Book 8) Page 17