Montoya pushed Medina away and stood up. “Oh… my… God! CD, you psychopathic monster! Did you come all the way down here to kill… shit… you came to get me. Well hell, big boy, step up, and tell me it’s really you.”
Dostiene laughed appreciatively, convinced they were alone. “Hey, Lynn, nice outfit.”
Montoya gestured at the red, off the shoulder attire with a slow, tantalizing wave with both hands downward. “You like, sailor? Me give you long time, baby.”
Dostiene laughed even harder. “Maybe another time. I’m glad to see you. Who do you have there with you?”
Lynn turned to smile back at Medina. “She bought me from the police. I made myself very seductive for her, Clint.”
Medina regained her feet unsteadily, pointing at Dostiene. “You… you know this man?”
Lynn put an arm around the cringing Medina’s shoulders. “Yeah, I do, girlfriend – at least in that I’d recognize those weirdo eyeballs of his anywhere. As to what he might have in store for us is anyone’s guess.”
Clint straightened. He pointed at Medina. “A female cartel leader?”
Lynn looked back at Medina, her hands clasped in a joyous pose for his benefit. “Yeah, Clint… how much can I get for her.”
Clint chuckled. “I can’t pay you. You know that. I need an intel find to make this rogue mission a sanctioned one. I already have you, so I’m good, baby. I know she must have a lot of money here. She must know where the details of the cartel are. If you were to convince her to fill in all the blanks, I bet you and I would be lookin’ pretty good.”
“And if I don’t?”
Dostiene’s eyes darkened imperceptibly to the casual eye as he tightened the grip on his Mac-10 assault weapon. “It’s all good, girlfriend.”
Lynn laughed appreciatively. “Give me your K-bar, stud. I’ll have a chat with Senorita Medina. You have no further use for her, right?”
“Nothing comes to mind, little one.”
Montoya’s eyes glazed slightly at Dostiene’s comment. “No one calls me little one, baby. I like the way you do it.”
Dostiene nodded. He handed her the deadly looking knife, turning his back on her to cement their involvement.
Montoya flipped the knife around in professional form while watching Dostiene walk away. “Oh baby. You’re the whole package, Clint. Whatever you have in mind, I’m in.”
Dostiene glanced back with a grin of acceptance. “I think you’ll like your decision. Should I leave?”
“Not unless screams bother you, stud. The only reason I’m not in a burial site somewhere, missing essential body parts, is I noticed Senorita Medina likes women. Apparently one of the adjustments I made down here was to one of her lieutenants. He raped and cut up the women while she watched. She wanted to torture and kill me herself. When the damn Mexican cops sold me to her, I made a very convincing case why I’d make her a hell of a lover.”
Dostiene grinned. “It looks like you did all right.”
Medina stared back and forth between the two in horror. “I…I’ll make you both rich beyond your wildest dreams. Just let me go. You loved me, Lynn. I could tell. Don’t-”
Lynn shrugged her shoulders, as she fondled the knife in her hands. “I’ll tell you what, Lou. Open up the safe I know about, and give us all the cartel business on your computers. If we had a safe untraceable account to transfer all your offshore stuff, that’d be the bomb, but your buddies would track us down the money trail so we’ll take everything you have here. If I like what you give me, I’ll let you go out with a painless smile on your face. What do you say, Cara Mia?”
Medina went to her knees, weeping, and holding her hands up to Lynn. “That is no deal! Please… I can give you so much more if you let me live.”
“It’s a better deal than you gave all those women you let that butcher torture and mutilate. Besides, if we let you live, Clint and I would be watching over our shoulder.” Lynn glanced over at Dostiene. “What kind of time do I have for slicin’ and dicin’ Clint?”
“Couple hours maybe.”
Lynn twirled around toward the sobbing Medina. “Hear that, girlfriend? Make a choice or I’ll make it for you.”
Medina stared into her paramour’s eyes with cold recognition. She stood up, a slight smile spreading on her face, coupled with a resigned look of fate. All semblance of fearful weeping angst disappeared. “I should have cut you into little pieces. You fooled me very well. I will tell you nothing… bitch!”
Lynn ran Medina over a split second later, smashing the knife handle into the now screaming woman’s face. Montoya didn’t stop her attack. She shifted to body-shots with the handle of the K-bar knife, fracturing ribs. Lynn stopped and then struck Medina directly on her nose, mulching it into bloody pulp. She then gripped Medina by the throat, squeezing off her screams, and leaning in closely to her face with a smile.
“You don’t know me at all, baby.” Lynn looked back at Clint. “If you’ve become squeamish, Clint, it might be a good time for you to go outside.”
Clint smiled. “Naaahhh… I’ll stay. I love watching a professional work.”
Lynn let out a short acknowledging laugh, and turned to the groaning Medina with the K-bar knife. “You experienced one side of the knife, Cara Mia. Would you like a demo on the other side?”
Lynn put the razor sharp knife up under the squirming Medina. Her first probe provoked a scream of surrender. “That’s the girl. I guess you haven’t run across the term impalement in your travels. It’s a physical blending you don’t want, girlfriend. I’m real good with it, right Clint?”
Clint sighed as Medina let out a high pitched ululating squeal in response to Lynn’s knife action. “You’re the one, baby. No question. She made the rapists who got off jubilant to tell everything. As I recall… it didn’t do them much good. Lynn makes that Dexter guy look like a campfire girl.”
Montoya wiped the knife off on Medina’s clothes before standing up with a sigh. “You’re lucky I don’t hold a grudge, Lou. She’s ready to help. Want to escort her around. I know where most of her stuff is, but we’ll need the combinations to the two safes I know about.”
She laughed at Medina’s widening eyes. “Didn’t know I knew about the floor one under your office desk, huh? I’m thinking that’s where she keeps all her backups.”
Clint lifted the groaning Medina up easily. “That will make things go a little smoother.”
Lynn glanced out the shattered window frame at the smoke and fires from the earlier explosions. “Who do you have for backup?”
“Tonto.”
Montoya’s laughter brought a smile to Dostiene’s face as he carted Medina after the gesturing Montoya. “You brought that puppy with you to back up your attack on a Mexican cartel?”
“Don’t disrespect Tonto. He’s two and a half now. Believe me, he’s better at this than anyone I could have gotten on short notice. He liked you. I was training him when I came and got you.”
Lynn nodded without turning, continuing down the hallway. “A dog that likes psychos… who knew?”
Chapter Five: Bloody Path To Antelope Wells
A half hour later, Dostiene administered a deadly dosage of pure heroin to Medina. The ghost of whatever last thought she had faded quietly from her features. He patted his pack as he straightened up. “You were sure right about our plunder. I took a look at one of the flash-drives. It has stuff on there guaranteed to get a happy dance back at the DEA. How much did you get?”
Lynn had changed into jeans, hiking boots, pullover shirt and black windbreaker for the trip out. She had stuffed all the money they’d found in a pack from Medina’s closet. “I figure it’s about two hundred and fifty thousand along with another thirty grand in gold coins. Sure you don’t want half?”
Dostiene shook his head. “I’m good. Like I said, you’ll need a stash in case anything we do in the near future goes south. Do you have an account set up anywhere or do you want me to get you an alternate drop for your investment?�
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“I have a whole identity set up in Mesa, Arizona. I had planned to lay low after I finished with Gradowsky until they sent the damn CIA after me. You do realize it’s illegal for you to screw around with us nasty civilians on USA soil, right?”
“I was farmed out for collaboration with those two suits who took you off my hands. C’mon, Tonto will be getting anxious. We have ten miles to cover. I have an LZ there plotted out for a buddy of mine. They won’t be looking in on things here for a few hours.”
“Did you kill everyone?”
Dostiene led the way out. “I let the women and kids scramble away that were here. I blew up everything that moved on two or four wheels, so they won’t be going anywhere.”
“Should have wasted them, Clint. You know the cartels. They don’t leave anybody alive. You did want this to look like a rival hit, right?”
“Tonto likes kids. He wouldn’t let me.”
“You big softy!”
Before they left the mansion, Dostiene handed Lynn a mask to put on. She slipped it into place without a word. Tonto appeared instantly at Dostiene’s side as he led the way out of the compound. Cartel soldiers’ bodies lay in various mangled heaps, some caught in the building explosions, while others were killed at long range.
“What did you use on the buildings, a cannon?”
Dostiene chuckled, glancing back at Montoya. “I snuck into the compound a couple of times over the last few nights. I wired the buildings in the compound to go off by remote, so I could make it seem like they were being bombed. Don’t worry about any live ones. Tonto takes care of the survivors. When he glided in next to us it meant we’re clear. We have to move fast over the next mile and a half. Then we wait for anything moving on our back trail. We’ll continue the pattern until we make it to my LZ. Laredo hates it when I arrive with unexpected company.”
“Laredo?”
“Don’t ask. He has cowboy delusions. We worked Afghanistan together. You’ll like him.”
“If he can fly us the hell out of here, I’m in love.”
Nearly a hundred yards from the compound, Clint picked up a camouflaged casing, slinging it quickly over his shoulder. Tonto slipped ahead, keeping the pace for his human companions at slightly faster than a jog. The plush vegetation around the compound gave way to a desert panorama with very little cover. They reached a rock strewn rise which Tonto climbed ahead on.
“Your damn dog even knows where you want to stop?”
“What can I say? Tonto’s the best. I wanted to make sure our surveillance photos were accurate before making an assault. Plus I wanted to take my time planting the exploding treats I brought,” Clint replied over his shoulder, leaving out any mention of the hit squad that assisted.
They reached the top a few minutes later. Dostiene began setting up his sniper rifle, taking the fifty caliber M107 out of its case, and positioning it to fire back along the route they had traveled. He next took out a spotting scope, before giving Lynn a set of binoculars.
“We’ll stay here fifteen minutes and then move on. If nothing is on our trail by then we’ll make the next spot easy.”
Five minutes later, Lynn nudged Dostiene. “We have movement at ten o’clock. I think they’re just wandering around looking for a direction.”
Dostiene shifted his range finder to the direction indicated. He watched the two all terrain vehicles crisscrossing in a wide trajectory. After a moment, he nodded. “They’re trying to cross our trail. I admit I thought this was overkill with the back trail thing. I knew they’d get the word out about an attack. I just didn’t think they’d get anyone out here this quickly. Oh well.”
Clint eased behind the silenced M107, double checking the readings with his Leupold Mark 4 spotting scope. His first shot took the head off the driver in the lead vehicle just as it closed in on the approaching other vehicle. The driverless all terrain vehicle sideswiped the other one, flipped over and skidded upside down to a dusty halt. The sideswiped vehicle halted, throwing up a cloud of debris. Clint squeezed off his second round, which pulped the second driver’s head. He then shifted to the scrambling passenger. As the man leaped from the vehicle, Dostiene blew off his ankle. With the man’s screams carrying to their rocky escarpment, Clint turned the rifle on the passenger in the upside down vehicle, slowly trying to work free of the wreckage. The next fifty caliber bullet tore the squirming man’s exposed shoulder into bloody tatters.
Lynn smiled at the carnage nearly half a mile away. “I take back the softy remark, you monster. Aren’t you going to finish those two off?”
Dostiene hurriedly encased the M107 and his spotting scope. “That would defeat the purpose of wounding them in the first place. What’d you think, I missed my mark? Hopefully, their screams will keep any followers busy. We’ll be waiting at the next spot if this wasn’t enough to give them second thoughts.”
“Maybe the fact they hit out toward our trail is the same reason I ended up getting caught by the Federales.”
Dostiene gestured for Tonto to lead the way, falling in next to Montoya on the clamber downward. “I wondered what the hell you were doing foolin’ around down in this hellhole. I guess it’s a target rich environment, but damn girl, these folks don’t play down here.”
Lynn shrugged, keeping pace with Clint and Tonto. “I knew I was being watched by the Feds, and I couldn’t get near my stash. Mexico seemed like a great place to wait for things to cool down. Unfortunately, I was only down here a week before Medina’s henchman spotted me in a local bar. He decided to get romantic. Since everyone was scared shitless of the cartel’s soldiers, he figured to tune me up. I should have just given him a quick blow job and been done with him.”
She sighed as Dostiene laughed appreciatively. “But no… I had to carve him up like a pumpkin pie. Problem was, someone North had tipped off the Federales. Unknown to me, they were already staking my place out. I had talked Don Juan into driving me somewhere secluded when I realized he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. After I finished with him, and disposed of the body, I received my second revelation – Medina had a tracker on Don Juan. She put the Federales on my position. They nailed me before I even got home. The next thing I knew, Medina had me, and I was on my way to the tool shed for recycling. I put on my award winning act with Medina. Since she wanted to play with me, I worked on making myself the best playmate she ever had.”
“I should have known not to come down after you,” Clint replied. “Here I was thinking you were in a dungeon, awaiting dismemberment, and instead of being an inmate, you’re running the damn asylum. Oh well… live and learn. At least I got some good intel for Justice to play with.”
Lynn reached out and gripped Dostiene’s shoulder for a moment as they jogged behind Tonto. “You came just in time, Hombre. Lou was tiring of me. Naturally, I would have done some damage when I figured it was time, but I’d never have gotten out of there alive. Why did you come for me, and don’t give me any of that serial killer crap.”
Dostiene exchanged glances with Lynn, before shrugging. “Baby, if I knew that, I’d tell you. I don’t. Take the money and run if you think I’m setting you up. I’ll cover for you.”
Lynn started laughing. “Hey… I never for a moment considered you were setting me up. I’m just curious as to why. What is it that would make a talented agency killer like you come down to this God forsaken dump, and risk everything in an obviously unsanctioned mission to free up a murdering psycho like me?”
“Well hell! When you blurt it all out like that, there’s only one reason – I’m mental, and my survival instinct has gone bye-bye.”
Montoya gave him a slap to the back of his head. “I thought maybe you might actually like me for some twisted reason. I know. You want to watch, right? You’re one of those kind, huh? Wow… it’s always the quiet ones.”
“Yep, that’s me… the watcher.”
“You like me. You want me. C’mon, Clint, you little tool, admit it.”
Clint smiled over at
Lynn. “I sure didn’t come down here to cure our illegal alien problem. Yeah… you intrigue me. Speaking of tools, maybe it was my FBI partner team that ratted you out. Can you still work with them if you found out they were responsible?”
“Can I gut them after we solve their serial killer problem?”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.”
Lynn sighed again. “Okay… I owe you. They get a free pass, but if they work me again, I’m gonna’ get me some. Deal?”
“Deal.”
At their next two back trail pauses, no one showed up. At the third stop, they could hear the sound of a helicopter approaching. Lynn looked quizzically at Dostiene, a smile spreading on her features. Clint, feeling her attention, glanced over from his spotter scope.
“Something funny here I’m missing?”
“I thought you might have an opinion on the air force the cartel seems to have,” Lynn replied, petting Tonto, who waited patiently between them.
Dostiene chuckled and settled behind his M107. “The air force may not be all it’s cracked up to be, baby.”
Clint squeezed off a rapid fire clip, and the helicopter tail disintegrated. It spun out of control, crashing in a fiery conflagration moments later.
“Well damn, cowboy! You sure know how to show a girl a good time.”
Clint began packing up his rifle. “Let’s hit the road. They’ll know now they’re on the right track. We’ll go full bore to the LZ, and see if we can bugger on out of this pit before anyone’s the wiser.”
“Okay, but I owe you a blow job for that little showpiece.”
Dostiene laughed, unable for a moment to continue his packing chore. He finally sighed and nodded his head. “No thanks, baby. Payback is the proverbial bitch from you. A simple thanks is sufficient.”
Hard Case: Boxed Set Books 1,2 & 3 (John Harding Books) Page 36