“And when we approach the lieutenant, we tell him what? ‘Hi, we’re the guys who have been fucking with all your fun. Let’s be friends,’” Snap said sarcastically.
“I like that idea. You run with it. While you do that, the rest of us will approach them and let them know we have connections and the ability to help alleviate some of their problems—if they want to bring us on board.” Santo had gone back to sharpening his knife.
“Oh, yeah, that won’t raise any warning flags at all.” Snap rolled his eyes.
“That’s why we need to connect with our contacts over there.” Stryker looked pointedly at Phantom and Buzz.
“Let’s start establishing our stories and backgrounds,” Phantom said.
“Some of it has already been done for us,” Stryker said, as he pulled up their dossiers. “Phantom and Buzz, we’ll be encountering the lieutenants and interacting with them to gain access to the cartel. Buzz, you’re going to have to focus on getting a copy of their hard drive or as much off of their network as possible to allow us to begin deciphering their coded documents.”
“Gotta love the covers they give us. Why do we always have to have facial hair?” Buzz grumbled and Phantom chuckled.
Stryker looked around at the men and felt a tightening in his chest. He could be sending his team into a death trap. Lacking information and unable to know who they could trust, they were in a difficult position. All he could do was lead them the best he knew how. “All right, team, we know what we need to accomplish. Let’s get started.”
Chapter 11
“Who the hell are you and what are you doing on my property?”
Elena’s breath caught in her throat. The voice was soft and calm, yet there was a tension she could almost feel in the air. She lifted her head slowly and had to look up—way up—the man was tall and muscular. But his face was expressionless. She would have preferred to see anger than a man who spoke in a threatening tone, yet gave no other clue as to his state of mind. It was disconcerting.
Every logical part of her brain told her to get away from him. This man was dangerous. It was in his eyes, so dark she could barely discern what color they really were. She didn’t feel the need to run from him, though. There was something about him that rippled just beneath the surface, and she wanted to learn more.
Drawing in a shaky breath, she extended her hand to him. “I’m Elena Garcia. The horse trainer. You must be Phantom. Anya told me I’d run into you eventually since you are running everything with the horses now.”
His eyes narrowed. “How do you know my name?”
Her hand fell back to her side. Things certainly weren’t going as she as she had hoped. She had been so excited to work with someone who loved horses as much as she, but it seemed the positive feelings weren’t reciprocated. “Anya told me to look for a tall, lean, dark haired man who loves horses. Aren’t you Phantom?”
“You seem to know a lot about me. I’m at a disadvantage, I think.”
Elena blinked slowly. “So is your name some kind of nickname or something?” She cringed. Don’t ask personal questions. It’s probably best for you to know as little as possible about this man.
“Or something. Anya told you about me? The veterinarian?”
“Yes. Anya and I have been friends for a long time. I’ve been the horse trainer at this ranch for many years. Didn’t Stryker tell you? I presume you’re the other new owner here?”
“Anya knows we are quiet people and like to keep it that way.”
“Oh.” Had she just gotten Anya into trouble? “I’m certain she thought it was all right. I was training the horses while your house was being renovated. I met the man who was overseeing everything—his name was Stryker. You are one of the new owners, aren’t you?” He wasn’t answering a single one of her questions.
“There are a few of us running the ranch. My focus is on the horses. It’s my area of expertise.”
“So you know something about horses! That’s good to hear. The last owner loved to win ribbons and trophies, but had no idea how to care for them day-to-day. I had to make extensive lists for him. But he did have impeccable taste and purchased some of the most beautiful quarter horses I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with.”
Phantom continued to watch her. “I’ve seen the trophies and ribbons. Are you the one who shows them?”
Elena ran her hand through her curly black hair and gave him a genuine smile. “Yes. It’s an absolute pleasure showing animals that are this finely tuned. Though…I must admit, they seem a little more wired than usual.” As if to prove her point, one of the horses kicked at the sturdy barn door near where they were standing, and she flinched slightly. “Have you, by any chance, changed their feed?”
“These horses were on coastal hay and oats. That’s not enough to maintain their stamina.”
Elena lifted her eyebrows in surprise. “So, you did what, exactly? You put them on sweet feed?”
“Homemade sweet feed. The stuff you buy at the feed store is overprocessed with too much molasses. I have a special recipe we used for our horses all the time.”
“How long has it been since you’ve worked with quarter horses?” Elena asked as delicately as possible. He didn’t seem the type to jump into a conversation willingly. Was he that irritated she was there, or was he just a difficult person to begin with?
“I’ve never worked with quarter horses. I had plenty of experience raising thoroughbreds when I was younger.”
A light bulb triggered in her mind. “You raised racehorses, didn’t you?”
The ever-so-slight lift of one eyebrow was the only indication that she’d surprised him. “Yes, that’s right. How did you know?”
“Things you said. Plus, making your own sweet feed is something I usually hear about in the racing areas of the equine world. Then when you said thoroughbreds, I realized you must have worked with racehorses. It all adds up.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, and Elena found herself holding her breath, wondering if he was going to bestow a smile on her. She had no idea why she wanted to see one so much. But there was something about the man that intrigued her.
The smile didn’t come. “I take it you think I should be feeding the horses differently?”
Elena glanced into the stall at the horse pacing back and forth. “Absolutely. Quarter horses operate much differently than thoroughbreds, and require a different diet. That’s why I had them on oats and coastal hay. We don’t give them sweet feed until a few days before a show, in order to get them a shinier coat and the extra alertness a judge likes to see. Even with the small amounts of sweet feed that we give them, we have to exercise them extensively to burn off the energy.”
“Good to know. Now, I appreciate the years you’ve put in here training these horses, but I’ll be able to take over from here.”
Elena felt as if she had been punched in the gut. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t have need of your services.”
“Surely you’re joking. Training quarter horses to be winners in any of the categories we show them in—”
“I’ll be showing them going forward. I know enough to manage. I thank you for your efforts and all that you’ve done up until now. We’ll be just fine without you.”
Elena felt tears burning the backs of her eyes. This was her favorite ranch. She had put her heart and soul into training these horses. It was as if he’d just told her she couldn’t see her own children anymore.
“Mr.…I mean, Phantom, I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into. Showing quarter horses is a very competitive sport, and—”
“Thank you, Señorita Garcia.”
With her back stiff, she turned and began to leave the barn, refusing to let this man see her cry. But she couldn’t leave without a parting remark. “If you ever change your mind, Phantom, just ask Anya how to find me.”
<
br /> That comment earned her a smug, knowing smile. He didn’t believe he would ever need her. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said softly.
Nodding firmly, Elena turned and made it to her truck before the first teardrops fell.
* * *
“Your woman could be a liability.” Phantom focused on Stryker as he walked into the dining room.
Stryker paused, his fork halfway raised to his lips and his eyebrow arched. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Anya. She’s been telling some woman all about us. Or at the very least, all about me. It raises red flags.”
“Some woman? Just a random woman? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Was she good-looking?” Snap asked. “If so, I’ll handle getting rid of her next time.”
“There won’t be a next time,” Phantom said blandly. “She apparently used to be the horse trainer here before we bought the place. But she knew my name and that I’m managing the horses.”
“The horse trainer. Yeah, I knew about her. She came out and worked with the horses the entire time we were remodeling this place. She knew I was involved with the place while she was out here, but we never really got a chance to talk. I forgot about her. She even took the horses to a few shows while I was around. Never asked for any help, though she made sure to deliver any prize money to me as soon as she returned. Seemed nice enough. What’s your problem with her?”
“It should be everyone’s problem with her. Why didn’t you tell me about her? You had a fit when Anya showed up unexpectedly, but you didn’t have any problem with Elena?”
“Elena. Pretty name,” Snap spoke up.
“Pervert. You are way too much of a horndog lately,” Buzz grumbled.
“What do you mean lately?” Santo ribbed.
“I did have concerns with her being around,” Stryker said. “But she never went anywhere except to the barn, the arena, and her own truck. I ran a full background check on her, and even did some investigating in town.”
“And?”
“She moved here when she graduated from Texas A&M. The owner of this ranch at the time personally reached out to her and offered her a lucrative job training his quarter horses. Rumor has it, he saw her competing at a couple of horse shows and he was blown away by her knowledge and experience. She’s been showing horses since she was a child. But the deal wasn’t enough for her to make a living, as sweet as it was. So she established her own business training horses around Hebbronville. She trains at four or five other ranches around the area, though she focuses primarily on roping, cutting, and reining with those ranches.”
Buzz began to hum “Silver Bells” under his breath and everyone at the table threw glares in his direction. “Seriously, Buzz?” Snap moaned. “Can’t you go even one day without a Christmas carol? It’s months away!”
Buzz lifted his chin, chewing on a mouthful of food, then swallowed and placed a hand over his heart. “It’s constantly Christmas in my heart. I can’t help it that the rest of you are so jealous.”
The men groaned in unison, and tuned out Buzz’s humming as they returned to the topic at hand.
“You fired her, didn’t you?” Brusco asked, frowning across the table at Phantom.
“Yes. We have no need for her now. I’ll manage the horses.”
“So, who’s going to take care of the horses when you’re out on a mission?” Stryker asked, and Phantom’s eyes dropped to the plate of food he’d just made, beginning to lose his appetite.
“I’ll train one of y’all in what needs to be done. It’s simple enough.”
“In your mind.” Buzz laughed. “I wouldn’t know the head from the ass.”
“Just because you’re ranch-knowledge impaired is no reason to count yourself out. Working with horses can be incredibly rewarding.”
“Yeah, um, you keep thinking that way, buddy. If it has hooves, I don’t go near it. We had agreed on this, or have you forgotten already? I am your communications and tech guru. I like artificial lighting and have adverse reactions to hay, fur, and hooves. So, you won’t be getting any help from me with this problem you’ve created.”
“It’s not a problem. The woman is not needed on our premises. She’d just be a liability.”
Phantom felt Stryker’s eyes on him for several long seconds and finally looked over at him. “That’s how I felt when I first met Anya. As you well know, she’s been extremely valuable to the ranch. Elena could be the same.”
“I know how to take care of horses. There’s no reason for us to keep her around.”
“And show them? There’s an expectation that this ranch will continue competing and drawing in breeding clientele who want to use that giant black stallion we have and the beautiful brood mares in the paddock right now.” Stryker watched him closely.
“Why on earth is there such an expectation?” Phantom demanded, beginning to feel irritated.
“Because we need to actively participate in the ranching community. Not only is it part of our cover, it allows us to hunt for information that might be relevant to any of our missions. There’s a reason we were placed here—to keep our ears to the ground and stay on top of anything concerning Mexico and Central and South America.”
Phantom sighed heavily. “I’ll give it some thought. Let’s just get through this mission in Mexico. Oh, and, Santo, I’ll leave the care of the horses in your hands while we’re gone.”
“Son of a—”
The men’s laughter drowned out Santo’s curse.
Chapter 12
Stryker didn’t like to be confined. Even if it was a relatively decent-sized room, it was still too cramped for him. The admiral’s waiting area needed serious remodeling. It could have been featured as a waiting room on an old episode of Miami Vice. He had grown up watching the reruns and could quote practically any episode. The biggest difference in the décor of this waiting area, though, was that it lacked any color other than awful cheap paintings hanging on the wall.
The only things that made it obvious he wasn’t in a “normal” waiting room were the large glass case full of plaques, awards, and navy paraphernalia; the picture of the president prominently displayed; and the navy emblem and various insignia placed on the wall. A fake palm tree stood in one corner, and everything was polished and neat, nearly pristine. The carpet was a depressing shade of blue, and the obvious path marks where people had walked frequently showed the need for replacement.
He gripped the folder of printed data pages. He wasn’t looking forward to this conversation. He didn’t know how far he was going to get with the admiral, but he had to fight for information for his team. They couldn’t be expected to go into these situations blind, and if this was precedent for how they were going to conduct things, he was going to let the admiral know he needed to find someone else to lead a team of SEALs. Stryker wasn’t about to lead his men to their deaths because some bureaucrat wanted to keep certain things confidential.
He had debated talking to Admiral Haslett over the phone, but this type of conversation required face-to-face interaction. Haslett needed to know how serious Stryker was about the situation, and that couldn’t be conveyed in a phone call.
Down a long hallway to his left, there was the sound of a door opening and a tall, middle-aged man with the standard buzz cut strode forward, a slight frown on his face. From the faint wrinkles in his skin, it was obvious the frown was a permanent feature. “Lieutenant Salas,” he said briskly, then turned and headed back down the hall with clear expectations that he would be followed.
Stryker stood quickly, placing his hat in the back of his pants and cringing as the leather of his navy-issue boots pinched at his feet. He’d become far too comfortable in his ranch boots. Fortunately, the visit had only required that he dress in his fatigues and not his dress uniform. Those shiny black shoes would have had him limping by the end of the day.
Admiral Haslett stood at his desk as Stryker entered, and Stryker instantly saluted him. Haslett returned the salute then took his seat, irritation crossing his face as he watched Stryker sit. His eyes were focused on the folder that Stryker held. “When you took this assignment, I told you there would be a variety of situations. You don’t get to pick and choose the missions you want.”
“Understood, sir. My men and I are prepared for any mission you send our way.”
“Then why have you come to see me today? What is the issue?”
Stryker pulled out several pages of the file. “My men and I are prepared just as I said. However, we won’t go in with one hand tied behind our backs.”
“What are you talking about?” Haslett snapped, his irritation visibly growing—until Stryker handed him the pages with the redacted information.
“What the hell is this?” he demanded.
“That’s the same question I asked. I pulled this directly from the file uploaded to our server.” Stryker watched Haslett with intensity, but Haslett’s shock seemed real.
He hit a button on his phone and his secretary’s voice came across the intercom. “Find me Commander Davis. Now.” He punched the button to turn it off and then turned to his computer, quickly punching keys to open up a secure file on the screen. It took several long moments to load, but finally he pivoted the computer screen to face Stryker.
He stabbed at the screen, watching Stryker as he did so. “This is what you were supposed to receive.”
Stryker looked at the document, and it was exactly the same as what they had received, except none of the information had been redacted. The entire document was clean. Stryker ran a hand over his mouth as he reviewed the new information. The key pieces that had been hidden from them could very well have cost them their lives.
“This begs the question, then, of how we went from this document”—Stryker pointed to the computer—“to this.” He pointed at the redacted pages that sat on the desk.
A SEAL Never Quits Page 11
