by James, Ranay
“All right. I’ll take that hit. I’m being a jackass. I know, I am. I’m sorry, Doll. Forgive me. Please, accept my apology.” He really meant it, too. However, somewhere along the way this conversation had ceased to be about a cover to leave the camp and became more a reason she was not interested in him as a man. “Really, I am sorry, but I cannot change who I am, Barbara. And that is what you’re asking. Maybe not in so many words, but I can read between the lines.”
She did not say a word, wondering deep down if he believed he could not change or if he just did not want to change. She believed it was lack of desire for any alteration of his life. He thought his life was fine the way it is. She wanted to scream at him to open his eyes. He could not see the forest for the trees.
He had hurt her feelings. He understood that much even if nothing else was making sense to him. He wanted her to leave the jungle to be safe. He did not want her to leave him outright. That was now very clear to him. She was important to him, and he did not want to leave her with it this way between them, especially if things went badly tonight.
“And if you want to leave and go back to Dallas, I won’t stop you. We can figure out all the details when I get back once we have a chance to cool down. Just promise me you won’t leave tonight in that rundown jeep. It’s too dangerous.”
He waited for her to acknowledge. “Promise me,” he asked again.
“I won’t leave in the jeep,” she promised. Still, it left a lot of other options open.
“Good. Thank you for that.” He smiled softly at her. “If anything were to happen to you, who would I fight with?”
She shrugged. “Good question.” She was feeling calmer, and so was he.
“You’re the only woman I know with enough balls to call me like you see me.” He placed his palm at the nape of her neck pulling her close and into a full hug. “I’m not all bad, Baby Doll,” he said just before kissing her on her crown.
“I know.”
“Give me a kiss for luck. Robert is waiting and I have to go.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “And there is more good in you than you know, and I hope one day there is a woman who will be lucky enough to enjoy it.”
He studied her looking deeply into her heart and soul. “But not you,” he said the words more for his own confirmation than a question for her.
She shook her head. “No. Not me. Go. Be careful and good luck. I’ll see you in Dallas for the debrief.”
He kissed her deeply one last time and left to give Enrique his final instructions before heading off in the direction of the river. She watched until he was no longer visible, yet he was still in her heart.
She went back to the tent, went inside, and slit a hole in the back side facing the jungle. She soundlessly eased out and into the darkness. What Mason did not know was she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and did not need a jeep, a guide, or a map to get her home.
Chapter 26
National Police Headquarters
Panama City
Juan Redondo sat behind his desk looking intently at the reconnaissance photos. He may not be the C.I.A.; nevertheless, he was not without his sources.
He was tracking the progress of the McKinnon couple and his latest report showed their night of hunting had proven eventful.
The boar was a nice touch.
Could be real or not, he surmised. He was still withholding his judgment.
The phone rang, jarring his concentration.
“Hola,” he answered closing out the file.
“He is going on without her. Apparently, she is leaving him already.” The informant cut right to the chase.
“Hum. Do you have any idea why?”
This was interesting, Juan thought as he stroked his coal black mustache putting the phone on speaker freeing up his hands.
“Oh, yes. It was very obvious. She thinks he screwed around on her and her feelings are hurt, simple as that.”
“Has he,” he asked pointedly. Juan knew this woman, and if any man had it in him to stray she would, without reluctance or remorse, get him to do so.
“Not with me, he didn’t. And don’t think I didn’t try either. He was not rude to me, but still made it exceedingly clear he is rock solid in his commitment to the woman.”
Carmen sounded disappointed to Juan’s trained ear. He had chosen well in his informant, and there had been many times over the years that her beauty proved beneficial. Not so this time, it would appear.
Carmen did not know what to think either. She had gotten nothing out of the men short of the obvious and had been thwarted at every turn to dig any deeper into the couple’s business.
“Juan, I’m beginning to believe this is just a honeymoon gone really bad. He left with two of the men for his night dive without her.”
“Perhaps.” Juan still smelled a rat. He had been in the world of law enforcement too long to ignore the nagging feeling in his gut. Juan was sure there was more here than met the eye and those two were here in Panama for more than an adventure honeymoon.
However, he had to be cautious and make completely certain of their purpose for being here. He just could not fully place his bets on them going after Del Torres, not at this juncture. There was no motive that he could plainly see and the woman was not exactly what he would consider mercenary material even if by all accounts she was proficient in martial arts. Hell, he thought, even his wife could fend for herself quite nicely. That did not make her a spy, a mercenary, or special operations agent. She was a housewife and grandmother of three.
Carmen continued. “I am taking her back to Panama City along with Enrique tomorrow morning. Mason wants her on the first plane out.”
“You think this is an act?” he asked as he pulled the darts out of the game board on the far wall across from his desk.
“No, I don’t think so. He looked hurt by her accusations and her reactions were genuine. No woman is that good an actress, trust me, and the conversation was just too believable to have been contrived.”
So, Juan thought, as he tossed the first dart, Mason had managed to get the woman out of harms way, remove his informant from his camp, and make it look believable. Perhaps this deserved a closer look. He tossed the second dart.
“Find some reason to stall her departure, Carmen. I’ll be there by morning, but I’m making a detour first by Del Torres’ first.” One can never be too cautious, he thought as he tossed the final dart. It landed with a heavy thud expertly hitting the mark.
Barbara was in the jungle listening intently from a distance. It was then she realized where she had seen Carmen before this trip. Only at the time the woman had been in a blonde wig. Carmen was the woman who Barbara saw in the workout room reflection at the resort the night of the reception.
So, Carmen was either one of the good guys or she was one of the bad guys, but either way Carmen was not in this for Mason and the team’s best interest.
Barbara had to get word to Mason that they were in for company. She wasn’t exactly doing what he made her promise not to do, she rationalized. She left the jeep and took the kayak paddling off into the night. If luck and the night was with her, then she would make the villa before they had the National Police crashing what was going to be a very exclusive and extremely high octane party.
Chapter 27
Barbara beached the kayak, then silently dragged it away from casual eyes. There was very little threat of a patrol from Del Torres, but the more she thought about it the more she was convinced the Panamanian National Police were on the way. It was leaving them precious little time. If the authorities were as stealthy as the S.W.A.T. teams back home, she might as well phone ahead telling Emilio they were at his door step and to just go on and shoot them.
As much as she hated using the time necessary to go the extra distance, she left the kayak a quarter of a mile away from the compound's private inlet cove. Taking every precaution, she eased her way down the rocky beach, hugging the jungle line growing right to the be
ach’s edge.
She surveyed the terrain. There were thirty yards from the private beach to the house, and it was wide open leaving her no cover. The wall and breakwater Del Torres had built to mark the property lines and to keep casual beach combers out would under normal circumstances prove challenging, but not insurmountable. Since Barbara had an injured leg and hip, she had to circumvent the wall and ventured back into the deeper waters past the rocky breakwater, which Del Torres had fortified with shards of broken glass and sharp lava rock. She was a strong swimmer and had a solid understanding of water survival, which saved her because the riptide was fierce, dragging her through the coral reef shredding any bare skin exposed to the elements. She washed up just on the other side of the property line where she lay motionless regaining her breath and strength as the waves continued to pound her. Camouflage clothing was actually her enemy in this environment. She was really wishing she had on something lighter to blend in with the golden sand of the beach.
She looked up at the night sky feeling certain it was going to rain soon just as Enrique predicted. She wondered if the weather would be a friend or foe. With their line of work it could go either way or both ways in a matter of minutes.
She would just have to work with the elements and use them to her advantage. There was little in the way of moonlight, and cloud cover was heavy. It would have to suffice and was better than a full moon by any stretch which would give her presence away much more quickly.
Fearing traps along the edge of the wall, she decided her safest bet was to run straight up the middle of the beach making a straight line for the nearest cover. That was when Dark Man got his first glimpse from his perch in the trees.
“Holy shit, Reese. Check it out. On the beach at your three o’clock,” Dark Man warned his buddy, speaking softly into the satellite radio with secured, scrambled channels. “Mason is going to go ballistic.”
Reese felt ballistic was going to be an understatement. Since arriving at the camp, Reese noted Mason was so wound up and agitated that he and Robert had come to verbal blows. The topic of conversation, a catalyst of that confrontation, revolved around the very woman easing up on Mason’s six.
Getting to the villa was more than just a little tense. However, once there, Reese and the others watched as their Team Leader settled in and was now his usual calm and total machine-like self. The man was a marvel, able to just turn emotion off when he had to turn the mercenary warrior on.
However, Reese wasn’t so sure Mason was going to be able to keep his cool in this instance. For whatever the reason, this woman just racked Mason’s composure, and if it were any man besides Mason McKinnon, well, Reese would have to say the man was falling like a fortress wall under intense mortar fire. However, Reese reminded himself, it was Mason, the notorious womanizer and self proclaimed bachelor, he was talking about, so there had to be some other reason this woman was under his skin. Then again, maybe not, he shrugged mentally. The next ten minutes would tell if they had the luxury of letting time do what time does best.
There was no time at the moment as they were set and any second Mason was going to give the all-go. They were currently all on-point and in their assigned position, and once Mason gave the signal and Reese pulled the trigger, taking out the main breaker box to the power, there would be no turning back. For better or worse, Barbara was looking to be a part of this mission, whether Mason wanted her here or not.
“Cut the chatter,” Mason’s voice came softly over their ear pieces.
“Mason, friendly at your six. Repeat friendly at your six.” Dark Man felt it prudent to give Mason warning. Barbara was just feet from his location. He made a mental note to ask her the secret for her abilities. Mason was usually the one no other could sneak up on without finding a knife to their throat. She was right on his back and within striking distance.
“Copy,” Mason responded expecting to turn and see Robert.
It definitely wasn’t Robert.
“What the holy hell are you doing here?" Mason whispered. "Get your ass back to the camp and that is an order. I don’t need this, Barbara. We are about thirty seconds from going into what could be fierce exchange of firepower.”
She crouched beside him in the underbrush.
“Will you just shut up a minute and listen to me? I know we are running out of time probably even better than you do. So you had better make it fifteen seconds and not wait thirty, because we’re having company. Carmen is with the National Police. Redondo is on his way, and I’m sure by now they know I’m gone.”
“Christ,” he cursed softly under his breath. “Men, we’re having party-crashers. Nationals are onto us. We are switching to Plan B, repeat we are now in Plan B. Are we go for launch? Reese?” he asked softly into the headset.
“Ready.” Reese could not get this party started fast enough.
“Dark Man?” Mason asked, never taking his eyes off Barbara.
“Let’s do it.” Dark Man was ready and waiting.
One by one they were standing ready for his command.
Barbara touched his arm. “Mason, I’m here. Tell me what I can do to help.”
He stared intently at this incredibly competent, unbelievably intelligent, undeniably stubborn, and unflinchingly loyal woman. She would make one hell of a McKinnon wife.
He handed her a gun, butt first. “Don’t get yourself killed, stick to my six, and we go after the girl. Can you manage that?” he asked, helping her with her body armor. She may have taken five bullets in the past, but he was not about to let her take a single one tonight. Not on his watch.
She nodded loading a round into the chamber. “Ready.”
Mason pulled the ski mask down over his face looking at her one last time. Drawing in a strong solid breath, he wondered what the next six minutes of his life would hold. He never worried in the past about coming back alive. It was a given. Tonight felt different like there was just more at stake and way more to lose. He had two good reasons not to get his reckless ass in trouble: the kid and her.
“Game on,” she said with a smile.
Ready or not this was it, he thought.
“Go! Go! Go!” He pulled the proverbial trigger.
Chapter 28
They went in for the kill just as the rain began to pour, making their loop video feed useless. What the security monitors were showing was not what was happening just outside the window. Barbara hoped more than ever that the girl managed to get the drug to Agent Vega to administer to the security watch. If not, she shrugged, this was going to be a very short night.
Reese took the first shot, hitting the transformer box just as a crack of thunder rolled and lightning filled the moonless night sky. It left the house in total darkness, sending the guards scrambling. Mason saw most of the men running to the warehouses in the back of the estate leaving the front completely unsecured.
“Rookies,” Mason mumbled as he made his way to the interior of the compound not believing their luck yet not looking at it too closely either. It made their job so much easier. He said a prayer of thanks for the favor, taking any lucky breaks he could get.
Tango, Sundown, and Fly Boy heard the generators kick on in the first warehouse just as they set the charges designed to take out the buildings containing the drug labs and processing facilities. The second and third warehouses were full of drugs and munitions ready for shipment. The timing was going to be very close. As long as the house remained dark for another ninety seconds, Barbara and Mason would be inside via the roof. They were taking a huge risk, but one that had to be done.
In spite of the pain, Barbara climbed the tree and dropped soundlessly down onto the roof just as she had the previous night. Only this time the rain made the terracotta tile roof extremely slick, and she lost her footing. Mason cringed as he watched her go down hard, slipping and sliding off the edge trying to catch a hand-hold. She dangled thirty feet above the ground by her finger tips until he could pull her back up. There was no time to breathe a sigh of relief.
They were now squarely inside the kill zone and seconds were ticking off the clock.
There were approximately seventy-five seconds left before the detonations would begin to go off and they needed to be off the roof and onto terra firma by then. Otherwise, the explosions would illuminate their outline on the roof making them easy pickings, like ducks in a carnival shooting gallery.
She peered over the edge of the roofline into the third-story window. The security officer was passed out sitting in front of totally blank screens with the exception of the battery-powered laptop hooked up to a separate video feed. He was doing a little extra voyeur activity on the side.
She did a back roll off the roof and into the open window permanently silencing the guard just as she was trained to do. Even though she had no hesitation, she did not like it. His was still a life even if it was a worthless life. She had no time to ponder it. Barbara reminded herself for the first time of what would probably be many that Jesse was more important.
Barbara stood frozen as she watched the laptop. It was painfully obvious one of Emilio’s men was raping some unfortunate woman in one of the rooms of the sprawling villa. He was completely oblivious to what was happening around him.
“Mason?” She whipped around to look at him.
Mason saw her gaze pleading with him to save the woman. We have to do something, her look was saying.
He shook his head. “Jesse is the target. She is all that matters.” He pulled her back to the window. “Come on, time is short.”
He felt the need to apologize, but there was no time for even that small comfort for her. If he managed to get the girl and them out alive, he would count his blessings here and now and ask for forgiveness for leaving the woman later.
Dropping down out of the third story window and onto the ledge of Jesse’s room, she understood that they must follow the plan. The little girl left her window open just as Barbara has instructed. Mason scrambled back up to the roof attaching the pulley and repelling lines.