by James, Ranay
“I don’t remember how I got to the hospital in Manila. I was airlifted back to Hawaii. I retired soon after.” She finished her story quickly not having any real desire to relive it.
“And there is not a day that goes by that you don’t think about the ones you couldn’t save. Am I right?” Mason felt he was more than just a little on target.
She stood up and turned her back to him, then nodded looking down as if ashamed.
There was nothing to be ashamed where her actions were concerned. She was a deeply emotional woman, and he was seeing he had misjudged her all these years. She was not cold, but quite the opposite. Her cool demeanor was a defense against caring too deeply, something no one had ever accused him of doing.
He held her from behind gently squeezing her. “It is war, war of a different kind, but war all the same.” He turned her around. “You just can’t save them all.”
He knew it, understood it, and five tours of duty later, he accepted it. He, too, had seen buddies die.
“Look at me, Doll.” He waited until she did. “Don’t dwell on the negative. Think about the ones you did save, Barbara, and almost at the cost of your own life.”
He stood there for a moment looking deeply in her eyes trying to see past her defenses and into her mind. She would never let him in, he concluded That was his own fault from the years of not caring if she existed or not. It was his loss, too.
It was time to go. They had one more child to save. Standing face to face he saw her fear as plainly as if she had stamped it across her forehead. He enfolded her into his arms and rested his chin on her head, softly rocking her for comfort, both his and hers.
“We’ll get Jesse back, Barbara. I promise. And then you can put the old ghosts to bed.” He kissed her on the head just before turning her loose.
Chapter 16
They had made camp late in the afternoon and shortly thereafter Mason disappeared leaving Barbara to wonder where the man had run off to without telling her. Night was falling quickly, leaving her with an acute sense of unease. It was never a good thing to be alone in the jungle, especially at night. She was worried and feeling a sense of him that she had never had before. He was running on high adrenaline and worry.
As she informed him earlier, she knew the drill and was not a rookie at this game of intrigue and danger. Neither was this her first day on the job. The sneaky move was not getting past her, and based on what her gut was telling her, Mason would have some answering to do once he returned. Her hunch was telling her he was meeting the others without her. Not a good thing. Her presence in this extraction made the operation legitimate in the eyes of the U.S. Federal government. If things turned sour her connection could well be the only thing to keep his ass out of a Panamanian jail. Furthermore, if he weren’t meeting with Robert and the others then the coincidental disappearance of the one other female in their group could only spell one thing. Mason was off screwing around.
Chapter 17
Mason was definitely not off screwing around, and truthfully it was the farthest thing from his mind. He was meeting the rest of the elite extraction team: Josh, Robert, Chase, and the other five. Right or wrong, he had purposefully chosen to leave Barbara behind at their campsite. He felt certain she was going to be way past the point of angry once she found out what he had done. He was still willing to take his chances leaving her behind.
First, he was leaving her behind because the trip back to the camp would be dangerous for her. Even as ten-feet-tall and bullet proof as he might be, he was not going by way of the jungle. Instead, he was taking the water’s edge which was going to often place him wading through potentially snake infested waters. He was used to such hardships. He was relatively sure she was not. Even if trained as a field operative, she had been away from the game for several years, and to his knowledge, this was the first job she was assigned to undertake in a while.
However, Robert would neither confirm nor deny his suspicion, which was making him just a little crazy. His mind was wandering into dangerous territory, picturing her on missions with someone else acting as her husband. God help him but he was thinking of her and Liam or John together. The thought had already earned both men a serious ass kicking in Mason’s mind.
Second, he was afraid she would volunteer to go inside the compound. It would be just like the woman he was coming to know, understand, and greatly admire. His talk with Robert earlier gave him more detail and background on his newfound boss and partner. She was very, very good at covert operations, having the ability to slip in and out without notice. She had been virtually invisible to him for six years. It was something that he should keep in mind.
That being said, this meeting would take place without her. The whole damn take-down and acquisition of the girl was going to happen without her if he had his way.
“Her purpose was to give me a viable cover to get into the country. She has served her purpose well. I’m sending her packing,” Mason argued with Robert.
He would be leaving her behind. Enrique was taking her back to Panama City, putting her on the first plane back to Dallas, and it was not up for discussion. If Enrique was doing his job back at camp, then the groundwork for that flight was already being laid. As bad as he felt, he had instructed Enrique to give her something to make her ill to force her to leave. A medical emergency was the only way he could see her leaving and it not raise suspicions with the police.
Robert was arguing the point. “Mason, that is not advisable. You came in together. You must leave together. It will raise suspicions if you don’t, and there are already questions being raised by the Panamanian National Police.”
“Juan Redondo, I know. He was at the reception.” Mason remembered the wily older gentleman.
“Then you understand you must stick together as a team. Any deviation will bring police involvement, which is something we don’t want and really cannot afford.”
In this meeting they were laying out the final plans. Tomorrow night would be the show down. There was no way around it and the longer they waited the less likely Jesse would come out of it alive or unmolested. It had already been four days, and that was much too long but there was no getting around it. One way or the other this was going to end. For all their sakes, Mason hoped it would be a successful ending. He saw how hard the deaths of the children were on Barbara when she shared her story at the river’s edge. Jesse’s death would be even harder to accept if they failed. He did not want her anywhere around to see the outcome. Truthfully, that outcome could go either way. His guess was a twenty percent chance of success of getting everyone out alive. Loss of life was going to be high considering the compound was heavily fortified and armed with men who were fully ready to die for the cause. Well, so were they, and they had the element of surprise. Del Torres knew they would be coming, he just didn’t know when. The fact Del Torres had not made one attempt to contact Josh made the whole situation stink to him. Usually, by this point ransom should had already been demanded. However, Del Torres was filthy rich. Ransom was not the objective here. It could mean the girl was already dead. It was a scenario they had to entertain. Josh and Barbara would never even hear it.
He and Sundown would set up their Gillie suits and act as snipers offering cover for the group as they retreated, essentially holding down the ones who were unfortunately left alive inside the compound. As long as the local police did not get involved the two of them would pick the survivors off one by one over a period of days if necessary. The psychological warfare was tremendous. This was another reason Barbara could not be a part of this leg of the mission. Come sunup and once they broke camp, he would no longer be a part of the pack, and it could take weeks for him to make his way back across the border to the safe house in Costa Rica. The secret to a sniper's success is the lie in wait tactic much like a spider in a deadly web of death. He would be set up hours before any of the rest of the team made their move, giving them the last and final communications of information. He would be able to secure
that information simply being right under Del Torres’ nose. He would be hidden in plain sight and using the jungle as an asset.
Chase was looking to Mason for answers. “Whatever you can give us from the outside is all well and good, but we have to get on the inside.”
Mason looked to Robert. “Is there any way we can get Agent Vega to meet with us and get us some intel?” Mason knew Robert would know better than any of them exactly where Agent Vega stood as an asset to them.
Josh could hardly stand it. The thought of his child in the hands of men as immoral and devious as the Del Torres brothers made his skin crawl. What the hell had Jacqueline been thinking to drag his baby into this world of drugs, guns, and death? “Yeah, we need more. The last thing I want or need is for us to storm the compound only to find Jesse dead because we weren’t careful enough or grew too impatient.”
Robert felt bad. “No, sorry boys. We cannot risk a meeting. It would only serve to get Agent Vega killed, but he did manage to fax this rough layout of the villa.” Robert explained how there was nothing else attached theorizing there was no time for more.
“I’m assuming X marks the spot where Jesse is being held?” Reese, one of Robert’s men, asked. He and Dark Man were experts in intelligence gathering. They would be the first to go in and relay the situation back. They would be going in tonight for a quick recon and supply the final pieces needed to move forward tomorrow night. It was green operations, just as Barbara had been doing when she was shot. All the men conceded just taking a look around could almost be as dangerous as storming the compound would be.
“Robert?”
All eyes turned to see Barbara at the edge of the campfire light.
“Sweet Mother of God! What the hell are you doing here?” Mason snarled shooting to his feet. “And how the hell did you find us,” he demanded.
“I’m part of this team, Mason, and it really pisses me off that you thought to exclude me, and how I found the camp is totally irrelevant.” She turned to Robert. “I can get in. You know I can, and this is exactly why we agreed I should be the one to take this assignment in the first place.”
Exactly what Mason suspected would happen was happening and his gut twisted in a way he had never experienced.
“Robert, I’m Team Leader not you.” Mason was angry. She was crazy to go in alone no matter how seasoned. If Del Torres got his hands on her then there would be two to extract and all element of tactical surprise and advantage would be blown. That is if Del Torres didn’t rape and kill her first. “And as Lead I call the shots, and there is no way I’m letting you go in there,” he said directing his attention back to Barbara.
She drew in a calming breath. She had to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Mason, you have never worked with me before and I may be a girl, which I know you hate the fact, but believe it or not this is one skill I have down to an art form. So, like it or not…” she hesitated, “you need me.”
She had them there. She managed to get within a few feet of all of them and not a single alarm was sounded. She slipped effortlessly and soundlessly past the entire group of watchmen sneaking right into their midst. She was a trained master in the art of ninpo or more commonly known as ninjutsu. In other words, she was a ninja with an uncanny ability to blend into her surroundings. No one except Robert knew this and with good reason. Mason had just witnessed her abilities firsthand. However, talent or not, need her or not, it didn’t matter. He was not going to let her go. He felt her being safe and back at camp was where she needed to be, not slipping off into the Panamanian night looking for bad guys.
“I don’t care if you have Scotty beam you in and right back out again, Barbara! You are not going. Don’t argue with me.”
“Robert?” she looked past Mason to Robert with a questioning look.
“He is Team Leader, Barbara. I wouldn’t commandeer or undermine his authority. It is his call to make. However, I would never question your abilities just because you are a woman.” He understood the tactic could backfire right into his face. He expected Mason to be a little quicker on the draw. Barbara beat him to it.
She whipped around. “Is that it Mason? The reason you are refusing to let me do what I came here to do is because I’m a woman?”
He didn’t answer right away. He was giving it credible thought.
Why was he so opposed, he asked himself? There were plenty of other times when he served in Uncle Sam’s Service that a woman was asked to go into danger. Why was he so opposed to that woman this time being Barbara?
It was because he really liked her. He thought of her as family and not just a team member. She was becoming his buddy and friend. Friends don’t let friends go into danger.
“You arrogant son-of-a-bitch.” She whirled around to face Robert. “You may not usurp his authority, Robert, but I will. As managing partner, I’m pulling rank. I’m going in.” Then she turned back to Mason narrowing her eyes, and before he could answer she dismissed him. “Dark Man, Reese.”
“Yes ma’am.” They both answered in unison while stepping up.
“You’re with me,” she commanded motioning back over her shoulder in the direction of the darkened jungle.
“Then so am I.” Mason stepped forward checking the clips in his gun and ammunition belt.
Barbara shook her head. “No, you aren’t. You are to stay here and that’s an order.” She quickly faded back into the jungle.
Mason had to be physically restrained to keep from going after her. Fear for her safety was paramount in his mind. He had made a promise to always have her back. How was he supposed to keep that promise if she was running off headlong and half-cocked into danger? He had the nagging feeling it was because of his reaction to her going in that she was doing exactly what he did not want her to do.
“Let her go, Mase. She knows what she is doing,” Robert urged.
“You undermining son-of-a-bitch.” Mason was furious almost beyond words. “You could have stopped her.” He tried jerking his arm out of Robert’s grip and was barely suppressing the urge to deck his brother.
“To what end,” Robert asked coolly, finally turning loose of Mason’s arm. By now Barbara was far enough into the undergrowth Mason could follow but wouldn’t because to do so risked the mission, her life, and maybe his own in the bargain.
“Damn it, Robert! She could be captured or worse.”
Tamping down the urge to take off after her, Mason turned in the direction she headed off into the hot sultry night. If he found her, he would first shake some sense into her and then kiss that same sense right out again. What she was doing to him inside was brutal, yet she seemed to be completely unaffected.
“Damn her,” he cursed under his breath, feeling frustrated at his impotence in controlling the situation or his emotions where she was concerned.
Robert was beginning to look at Mason through a new set of lenses. He was seeing things come closer and more into focus. He sensed change in Mason, even if his brother could not see it. Robert was not totally without understanding of Mason’s feelings. Barbara meant a great deal to him, too. However, he had an understanding of her which Mason did not.
“Yes, she could be hurt, but give her credit. She would be the first to tell you that she knows the risks she is taking here. She knew full well going into this mission how high the stakes were going to be for all of us. All this was her idea, everything except you.”
“Except me? What the hell do you mean by that, except me? Was there someone else she had in mind? Was I just some kind of fallback?” He now understood her surprise when he first stepped in the office. She was expecting someone else. She really did not know he was coming and had tried to get him out before the other man showed. Who was he, he wondered? Who was the man she would have preferred to him? Surely not Liam?
“I’m not prepared to go into that at the moment. Look, Mason, she needs to do this as much for herself as she does for Jesse.”
“I can understand about the kids, b
ut...”
“No buts,” Robert was quick to interrupt him. He was very surprised that Barbara had shared what happened in the Philippines with Mason. Only a very select few who she trusted explicitly had any idea of her background or the fact she had taken bullets for those kids. “She trusts you, Mason. Otherwise, she never would have shared that event. She is very private as you well know. Now, you have to return that trust and have faith in her abilities.”
“Easier said then done. But, I’ll try.”
“Good, that is all I can ask. And when she returns, for God’s sake, apologize for your lack of confidence in her. Make up some plausible excuse for your behavior other than the fact she is a woman. That may be how you really feel, but I, for one, find it deplorable.”
Mason ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of frustration. “Honestly, I think I would feel the same if it were you heading into Del Torres’ viper pit. I’d want to be there to guard your back,” Mason answered honestly.
Robert watched Mason closely.
“So -- it isn’t because she is a woman?” Robert was curious what Mason’s answer would be, feeling Mason himself didn’t really know why he felt so strongly about Barbara going off into the night.
“It isn’t that she is a woman, Robert, although that may be a part of it and I won’t deny it. It is because she is my woman to protect. She is my responsibility. She is family,” he added quickly realizing what he had just confessed.
Was that what she was to him? His woman?
There was a strange sensation shooting through him as he looked at the wedding ring. It felt natural where just a few short days ago it was choking him, threatening to drag him under.
Robert had no idea Mason felt this strongly for Barbara. He hoped from past observations but with his baby brother one could never be sure of his feelings other than he had a weakness for women. Weakness did not equate to commitment, love, or deep desire.