No Way Out

by Allison Brennan

  “I hope so.”

  “You do.”

  Jones wasn’t back, and Lucy didn’t know if that meant her idea didn’t work, or if they didn’t have the tools. The sun was working against them now, and so was time. She paced, unable to relax. Jones had gone into the tactical van, but he hadn’t come out—and neither had anyone else. But she couldn’t really see what they were doing, if anything.

  Her cell phone vibrated. It was Siobhan.

  “Are they there?” she asked without saying hello.

  What did she say? “We believe so, but we haven’t had confirmation.”

  “I just spoke with Hazel and Dean Hooper in Sacramento. Hazel’s ready. She knows what to do.”

  Lucy didn’t want her to have to do this, but there might not be another choice. “Siobhan, this is really important. You need to get proof of life before you let Juarez talk to her.”

  “I will. I know I messed up last time, but this time—I won’t forget. But—will it matter? Juarez still plans to kill him. How—”

  “We’re working on it,” Lucy said. “If it comes to it, Hazel will keep her father on the phone.”

  “Agent Hooper briefed her. She knows what to do. She’s strong. I just wish she didn’t have to do this at all.”

  “Me, too, Siobhan. Hold tight. We’re going to get them out.”

  “I trust you, Lucy. Let me know as soon as you know anything.”

  Lucy ended the call and continued to pace.

  Then she saw Jones coming toward her with a tablet.

  “We have it,” he said.

  “Have what?”

  “A drone. Better, we have it parked on the roof and we have a live feed. Not visual, but heat signatures.” He turned the tablet so she and Jack could see.

  They studied the image. “These two are Sean and Kane,” Jack said. They were close together, looked like they were tied back to back.

  Ynez and Joe approached. “Crime scene is at the crash site, we though you could use help,” Joe said.

  And, Lucy figured, he wanted to be where he thought his brother was.

  Ynez stared at the tablet. “I know this place,” he said. “That’s the center of the barn, there are several support beams there, they’re probably tied to one.”

  “Good to know,” Jones said.

  “Here,” Jack said, “is the kid. He’s the smallest one, by himself, sitting on a chair. Who are these?”

  Two other men were sitting down, up against a wall. They couldn’t tell if they were part of the gang or tied up, but they weren’t walking around.

  That left four additional hostiles, all standing.

  Eddie said, “There’s no guarantee if we breach that the hostages will make it. The boy is right in the cluster of targets and could easily be used as a shield.”

  “We might have to wait until Juarez makes contact with his daughter. It’ll distract him, at least long enough for us to get in position.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “No,” Lucy admitted. “But he hasn’t spoken to his daughter in nine years. We’ve briefed her. She knows that we found Kane and Sean, but she’s prepared to talk to her father. Siobhan will demand proof of life. That will help us know who is who—Juarez will have the phone. Once we have that proof of life, Hazel will get on the phone and talk to her father. She knows she needs to keep him talking.”

  “We have to take out the external security quickly,” Eddie said. “We’re working on a plan for that. But it would be best to get Juarez out of the barn, separate him from his team, and we can breach from the rear. There’s an unused door in the back. We don’t know if it’s locked, but we’ll assume that it is. We’ll go in simultaneously, front and back, with tear gas. Two of my men will go directly for the kid. The rest of my team will go in two three-man formations. My men are the best-trained in the state, and our goal is no casualties. But if someone aims a gun at one of my people or the hostages, they will be put down.”

  Lucy had to let this go. She had to let Jones and his SWAT team do their job.

  “However,” Jones said, “we don’t have the recon to go in, not yet. We don’t know if there are booby traps at the doors, and it bothers me that no one is manning that rear door, which makes me think there’s something blocking it. We also have a truck that can go in through a wall, separate the hostages from the hostiles, but the problem there is that the child is with the hostiles. We haven’t identified any external cameras on the barn, however, so I don’t see how they could be watching from the inside. There’s no working electricity. The lights they have must be coming from battery-operated lanterns or a small generator.”

  Jones looked from Jack to Lucy. “I know you’re worried, and we’re taking every known fact into account. But without solid intel, we don’t know what we’re facing.”

  “Just be ready for Sean and Kane to help themselves,” Lucy said. She watched the feed. It looked like they were moving slightly, but the edges of each human shape were indistinct.

  “I have two men doing recon now. They should be back in the next few minutes, then we’ll have more information.”

  He left the tablet with them and Lucy watched the screen carefully. What were they doing? Because it looked like Sean and Kane were up to something.

  Joe said, “I need to do something.”

  He had gone from concerned to extremely worried as he learned more about Juarez and the hostage situation.

  “SWAT is putting together a plan,” Lucy said.

  “That’s my baby brother in there. Our dad died when he was eight; I’m the oldest. I’m more like a father to him than a brother. I need to save him.”

  “Hold tight,” Jack said. “You can help, but right now we need more intel. Without knowing exactly what we’re dealing with, we’re not going to save anyone.”

  “I want to be involved in the raid. I can get Peter and Juan out safely. They won’t fight me on this.”

  “We’ll bring it up with Jones,” Lucy said. “But ultimately, it’s his call.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sean was facing the back of the barn, and even if he turned his head he couldn’t see much. Kane quietly gave him instructions, since he had the best line of sight to Juarez and the others and they had developed a rhythm where Sean would slowly saw the rope when no one was looking, and stop moving when anyone turned their way.

  In the last two hours, since Juarez had brought Gomez’s son into the mix, tensions were high, but no one was talking. The teens had fallen asleep against the barn wall; the younger boy was sitting on a chair, his head resting on his arms on a broken desk in the corner. Gomez was sitting on the ground next to him. Juarez had gone into a stall and was out of sight, but two of his goons stood sentry by the door.

  Sean had his binds cut almost completely through and they were now loose enough that he could shed them quickly. “Okay, I need to work on the knot,” Sean said to Kane.

  “Hold.”

  They were going to have to readjust so that Sean could get his fingers into position, and that might draw attention.

  Sean had a great sense of direction, but not as good a sense of time. It still seemed like it was dark outside, but with the lanterns on the east side of the barn and the lack of windows, it was nearly impossible to tell. All they would know was that at seven a.m., Juarez would call Siobhan to talk to his daughter.

  If they didn’t get out then, they’d be dead. And probably Gomez’s entire gang. Sean didn’t like petty criminals, but from what he’d seen, this wasn’t what they’d bargained for, and the fact that Juarez had grabbed the kid, that told Sean he didn’t trust Gomez or his team. The kid was for leverage.

  “You’re tense and antsy,” Kane said.

  “What time is it?”

  “About six fifteen.”

  How did Kane know that? They’d taken his watch.

  “There’s a SWAT team outside.”

  “How the hell do you know?” Sean hadn’t seen or heard anything.

&nb
sp; “I heard a drone. It landed on the roof directly above us.”

  “Juarez was working with drones.”

  “I heard a click of a mic in the back. It wasn’t Juarez, he doesn’t have short-wave radios. Between Lucy and Padre, they’ll have tracked down the local gangs. Lucy will have called JT, who called Rick, which would jumpstart SWAT action. You left the license plate numbers, they will have traced them, that was a win for us. SWAT will come in front and back, we need to be prepared to take cover. You get to the teens—neither are armed—but if they hesitate or fight, leave them. I’ll get the boy.”

  “I hope this will work.”

  “Trust me. Just loosen that knot so I don’t choke myself.”

  Finally. For the first time, Kane sounded like he knew what to do, and that alone comforted Sean. The earlier Kane, the one without a plan, without the vision of success, had scared him. Because if Kane didn’t know what to do, no one did.

  “They’ll probably wait until the call,” Sean said.

  “Yep. Adjust your position, but don’t start on the knot.”

  Sean stretched, taking care that his binds didn’t drop prematurely.

  Juarez’s head thug looked over at him through sleepy lids. “Settle down over there,” he called out, but didn’t come over.

  “Any chance for some water?” Sean called over to the guy.

  “Shut up.”

  The maneuver helped Sean move his fingers to the central knot that Kane needed loosened. It felt like a mess, but Sean closed his eyes and let his instincts take over. The rope was coarse and thick, and his fingers were already sore and raw, but he had to get this done. This was their only chance.

  Juarez entered the main barn. “It’s time.”

  It was seven already?

  Juarez pointed to his main right hand. “Get the kid.”

  “No!” Gomez shouted.

  Juarez hit him and disarmed him simultaneously. “You’re a fool, Gomez. Your kid will be fine, he’s insurance, and a lot more pliable than the Rogan brothers.” To his other goon, “Wait for my call. If Gomez doesn’t cause any trouble, he and his crew can live. Kill the Rogans and meet at the safe house. I’ll leave Rod here inside, and the others will guard the door. I don’t expect any trouble, but with that one—” he jerked his head toward Kane “—you never know. Anyone walks in through that door, put a bullet in their head. Understood?”

  “Yes, boss.”

  Juarez walked over to Kane and took a picture of him. “In case your little whore needs to see you before you die. Just know, I will kill her too. She took from me the only thing that I cared about.”

  “You sold your daughter to a pervert,” Kane said through clenched teeth.

  “Daughter? She was my property! Her betrayal cost me my reputation, half my territory, and made me a laughingstock! It took me years to rebuild what I had. I want that traitor to know that she will never be safe, that I will find her, find the people she loves, and kill them all. I want her to know that I punished those who helped her. That my nephew is dead because of her! That the old fool woman who raised her is dead because of her! She will beg my forgiveness, and I will not forgive. Actions have consequences.”

  He hit Kane. Kane took the punch. He spit at Juarez. “You will be dead before sundown.”

  Juarez laughed and walked over to the main entrance. He pulled Bobby up from the desk.

  “Do not take my son. Please, I beg of you.”

  “That’s a start. Do as I say, your boy will be fine.”

  “The truck’s out front,” Juarez’s guy said.

  “Let’s go.”

  As soon as Juarez left, Gomez started to pace. He was worried about his kid, and he should have been. Juarez had left two of his men in here, and all Gomez had were the two teenagers, who looked like they had no idea what was going on.

  But only Juarez’s men were armed.

  “Now,” Kane whispered to Sean.

  * * *

  Jones came running out of the tactical truck. “Juarez is leaving with two trucks—two men in each truck, and they have the boy.”

  “Leaving? It’s only six thirty!” Why would he leave before the call? Lucy wondered. Worried that she missed something.

  “He wants to be closer to the ranch,” Jack guessed. “He either thinks his daughter is there, or he’s planning another attack.”

  “That would be foolhardy,” Lucy said. “He should know that Siobhan would have protection.”

  She looked at the heat signature still coming from the drone on the barn roof. “Kane and Sean are getting up—Jones, they’re making their move.”

  Jones called on his radio. “Go go go!”

  “We have to go after Juarez,” Lucy said. “He has Bobby.”

  Jack didn’t need any convincing, but Jones said, “Take my number two, Fernandez. I’ll radio him, he’s at the end of the road in an unmarked truck.” He started giving orders and reassigning a field leader.

  Lucy was torn—going after Bobby was the right thing to do, but she still worried about Kane and Sean. Yet, Jones had this operation locked down, and damn if Lucy was going to lose that little boy.

  When they got to the end of the road, Fernandez—who went by Dez—introduced his partner, Paul. They had been monitoring the situation from the opposite end of the main staging area. “The suspect passed by three minutes ago. There are not many ways to get out of here.”

  “We believe he’s heading toward Hidalgo, to a ranch on the east side, outside the city limits.”

  “Rogan’s ranch.”

  “Yes.”

  “I know the place. Kind of hard to miss considering he has his own runway.”

  “My brother here built it.”

  “You’re Jack Kincaid? Friends with Frank Cardenas, from the Army, right?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ve known Frank for years. Good man.”

  “He is.”

  “Have you heard anything from Jones? Do they have the hostages?” Lucy asked.

  “No word yet. We’re monitoring right now, they’ve breached the barn, waiting for reports from the team leader. The Commander is good. Trust him. There’s the target. Paul, you got him?”

  “Got him.”

  They were watching a map as well as the road.

  “Is that GPS? You have a tracker?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Paul here planted it when he had the opportunity. To cover all our bases. Jones says you’re in hostage rescue, which puts you in charge here since our HRS chief is at the barn. What’s the plan?”

  Lucy had anticipated this, because FBI protocols were fairly standard from office to office, but this was a precarious situation because of Juarez’s motivation.

  “Juarez will use the boy. He doesn’t care about his life, or the lives of anyone else, even his team,” Lucy said, drawing on all her criminal psychology training and what she learned during hostage rescue training. “At this point, he’s motivated primarily by revenge, but it’s tainted by his sense of betrayal—from his daughter—and his self-worth, his honor. He wasn’t able to live up to his agreement when he promised his daughter to a man in order to unite two crime families, and that likely cost him. I don’t think negotiation is going to work.”

  “Not even a promise to see his daughter?”

  “I don’t think he wants his daughter back home; I think he wants to kill her. An honor killing. He thought she was lost forever to him, and that’s festered for years, turning into something even darker than the psyche that had him selling her off in the arranged marriage. He’ll want to see her only to kill her. But that’s not on the board right now—she’s not in the state. She is, however, prepared to talk to him. That’s when he’ll be distracted, and that’s when we’ll need to act. We get Bobby out of harm’s way, but don’t expect Juarez to surrender.”

  She watched the blip on the truck that they were pursuing at a safe distance. She hoped her profile was right. If she was wrong, Bobby Gomez would pay the price.

/>   * * *

  Sean broke his ropes, thanks to his being able to cut them nearly all the way through. How Kane slipped out of his binds was a trick Houdini would be proud of, and Sean didn’t have time to inspect the knots to see how his loosening just one had worked.

  Later, he’d have to ask Kane how he did that.

  When they jumped up, all eyes were on them. Sean hoped that Peter and his friend were with them, because it was going to get ugly if they weren’t.

  “Down!” Sean shouted.

  He ran toward the teens, heard a gun go, then a grunt. He didn’t think it was Kane, but he couldn’t be sure.

  Peter and his friend laid flat down as the gunfire continued. Sean jumped behind a low stable, which wouldn’t do much good as protection, but at least they were out of direct sight.

  Wood splintered all around him.

  “Peter, stay down!” Sean ordered. “Do what the cops say.”

  Sean peered out and saw that Kane was on the opposite side of the barn. He’d thrown the knife he’d retrieved from Sean’s pocket at one of the gunmen, and it hit him in the leg. He was down, but he was still armed. Sean couldn’t see where Gomez and the other two guys were.

  “Police! Hands where I can see them!

  SWAT breached from both the front and back of the barn, just as Kane predicted. Two teams of three came in.

  The gunman who Kane knifed raised his weapon but didn’t get a shot off before he was dead.

  Every other man put his hands in the air.

  “Rogan!” one of the SWAT called out.

  “Here,” Sean and Kane said simultaneously.

  Sean slowly rose, kept his hands visible. He was the hostage, but it was still best not to make any sudden moves around trained officers packing serious firepower.

  The five men—including the two teens—were all handcuffed. The dead shooter was checked and disarmed, and it was called into the team leader.

  A deputy in uniform came in behind one of the SWAT teams.

  “Peter!”

  “Joe?”

  Peter was cuffed with his friend. Joe ran over and hugged him. “Thank God you’re alive. Thank God.”

  “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know this was going to happen.”