by Mike Ryan
“Just like that, huh?”
“Just like that.”
“What makes you think he’ll answer?”
“It’ll work. I’ve done it before with him. He’ll answer.”
“OK, Sherlock, even if you do get him to answer, and you do happen to throw the net around all these characters, how are you gonna bring them all in? Gonna go on a road trip with all of them?”
“Well… you know…”
“You might have to drop one or two of them off at the local station down there.”
“No, that’s not happening.”
“So what are you gonna do if you’ve got four of them wrapped up?”
“I’m only interested in Hatch and Ava at this point. Anyone else they’ve contracted to help is beyond my scope right now.”
“I’m sure they’ll feel the same way.”
“Listen, if I have to, anyone else who gets in my way, I’ll tie them up and throw them in a closet until I’m long gone.”
“And Ava and Hatch? You think they’ll just blindly accept you taking them back here so they can get arrested?”
“Well, listen, they’re coming back one way or another. They can either do it willingly, or they can do it in a body bag.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Hey, if I have to, I’ll tie them up too, put gags in their mouths, and leave them in the trunk of the car until we get to the border. Don’t matter to me. And it’s a three-hour trip. Not twenty. I think we’ll be OK.”
“As long as you’re sure.”
“I am. Don’t worry. Once I get them in this car again, they ain’t getting out.”
“Well, once you have everyone in hand again, call me so I can get someone to the border to meet you. But I’m not doing it until I know for sure that you’re on the way.”
“Do they at least know I’m coming yet?”
“They’re aware of the situation and will cooperate. But the welcoming party won’t get there until you’re on the way.”
“Sounds good.”
“Good luck.”
Bridge hung up and looked at his girlfriend. “Everything’s still on track… once we have them.”
“Well, that’s kind of the biggie, isn’t it?”
Bridge raised his eyebrows. “I suppose. Let’s get back to making it happen, then.” He picked up Andujar’s phone and scrolled to Hatch’s name, beginning to text him. “Anything different from what we agreed on already?”
Nicole shook her head. “No. I think that should do it. If that doesn’t, then nothing will.”
Bridge began texting. “Hey, just ran into our friends again. This time I killed one of them. The woman. She’s out of the picture.” Bridge thought for a second before continuing. “I’m on the run from the guy. U able to pick me up?” Bridge let out a sigh. “Let’s see how this goes.” He then hit send.
“You wouldn’t think it would take too long with news like that,” Nicole said.
“Unless he’s setting Andujar up to be the fall guy and doesn’t even care about him anymore.”
“Well, if that’s true then…” Nicole was interrupted by the sound of Andujar’s text ringer going off.
Bridge looked at it. “It’s him. Hatch.”
“What’d he say?”
Bridge leaned over and showed Nicole so they could both read it together. “That’s awesome, man. I knew you could do it. Is the guy still following you?”
Bridge texted back. “Not sure. Had to get out of the apartment real fast.”
“You in ur car?”
“Nah. Had to ditch it. I don’t know how they would’ve found me at my apartment unless they tracked me somehow. Might’ve planted something on it to follow me. I dunno. Not taking chances now.”
“Probably better if we just split up for good now. Too many risks.”
“There it is,” Nicole said. “We’re losing him.”
“No, we’re not,” Bridge replied. “I’ll get him back.” Bridge thought for a moment, then started texting again. “Yo, you’re not cutting me out of this. I want my money.”
“You’ll get it.”
“Sorry if I don’t exactly believe you, but you and your gf could split and stiff me. I did a lot of work for you on this. I just killed one of the people on your trail.”
“You’re not gonna get stiffed.”
“I’m not waiting for a payment six months from now. I want the money now. Then we can go our separate ways.”
“I’m not sure I wanna take that risk right now.”
Bridge smiled. He seemed to be enjoying himself.
“Having fun?” Nicole asked.
“It’s always fun to pretend you’re someone else. You can say or do things you wouldn’t normally.”
“How ‘bout you just say something to get Hatch to tell us where he is?”
“I’m working on it. Relax. I’m getting there.” Bridge then started texting again. “Listen, dude, you’re in my country now. You think I don’t know people around here? You think you can hide from me? You either tell me where you are right now so I can get paid or I’ll make sure you both wind up in a box. Or maybe I’ll just talk to that other guy that’s been on us?”
“You really don’t need to freak out over this. After all we’ve done so far, you really think I’d stiff you?”
“There’s a lot of money on the table here. I think people get greedy.”
“It’s a good thing he hasn’t decided to just call you instead,” Nicole said. “Can you sound like Diego too?”
“No worries,” Bridge answered. “This is the younger generation. Nobody calls each other on the phone anymore. It’s all texting or commenting on social media posts or emailing and things like that. Phone calls between friends or acquaintances or business partners are sooo for people over thirty.”
“And that might even be pushing it.”
“Might be.” Bridge looked down at the phone and saw another message coming through. “Here we go.”
“Fine. We’ll meet now if you’re so worried about it. You just need to make sure you’re not followed again.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already lost him.”
“You better, ‘cause if I see anybody other than you, we’re splitting right away, and then I’ll get the money to you somewhere down the line. And that’s just the way it is.”
“I’m good, dude, I won’t be followed.”
“How you gonna get here?”
“Depends on where here is.”
Hatch then texted the address. “You’ve got 30 minutes to get here. If it gets to 35 or 40, we’re gone. Not taking any chances.”
“I’ll be there, I’ll be there.”
“How are you gonna get here without your wheels?”
“I’ll steal one. No biggie.”
“Fine. Don’t be late.”
“I’m good, I’m good. See ya.”
Bridge put the phone down in the center console and took a deep breath. “Well, that’s it.”
Nicole plugged the address into her phone. “Looks like it’ll take us about twenty-three, twenty-five minutes, right around there.”
“Not giving us much time to spare.”
“I’m sure he knew that.”
“He did.”
“We still don’t know how many people we might be going up against, though.”
“Well, he said we,” Bridge said. “So I’m assuming that meant him and Ava.”
“They could have more there, though. Should’ve asked about having anyone else there.”
“I thought that might be pushing it. He might’ve figured that’s something that Andujar should’ve known already. If I asked that, he might’ve assumed that it wasn’t really Andujar he was talking to and cut it short.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Well, either way, we don’t have time to worry about it. We gotta hightail it. No time to spare. Can’t be late.” Bridge started the car and began driving.
“You thought of a plan yet for when we actu
ally get there? I mean, the minute he sees you, he’s gonna know Andujar’s not there and that it’s a trap. And what about me? I’m supposed to be dead now?”
Bridge thought about it. “I think all we can do is try to surround them.”
“There’s only two of us.”
“I mean, once we get there, you circle around to the back and hold them up. Because as soon as they see me, you’re right, they’re gonna try to duck out the back. And as soon as they try that, you let them know it’s a bad idea. Then they’ve got nowhere to go.”
“You hope.”
Bridge nodded. “Yeah. I hope.”
“And if Hatch has a bunch more helpers?”
“Easy. You’ve got your bazooka with you, right? You start mowing them down.”
Nicole smiled. “Now that’s the part I like best.”
22
When Bridge and Nicole finally got to the location Hatch had given them, they couldn’t see a house yet. They pulled over to the side of the road, in front of a bunch of trees. Bridge looked at the time.
“We still got six minutes.”
Nicole looked at the trees and sighed. “We’re gonna need every one of them if I’m gonna get in back of wherever it is that I’m going.”
Bridge pointed to a small opening in the trees, where a patch of dirt appeared to lead inside. “Looks like a driveway there. What is it with these guys and shacks and secluded areas?”
“What? You thought they’d hide right in the middle of the city?” Nicole asked.
“Didn’t they ever hear of disappearing in plain sight?”
“Apparently not.” Nicole got out of the car and went to the back, and opened the trunk, pulling out her bag. She put a communication device in her ear and checked to make sure it was operating normally.
“Let me know when you’re back there.”
“Will do.”
“I’ll give you as much time as I can.”
“Would it make sense for me to drive in with you and drop me off at some point before you reach the place?”
“What if they have someone watching the path?” Bridge asked. “If they do, then it’s over. We’d have blown it right there. Then there’s nothing preventing them from escaping.”
“Yeah. I’ll let you know when I’m in position. Good thing I have my running shoes on.”
Bridge smiled. He watched Nicole for a minute or two until she fully disappeared into the trees. He looked at the time. He wasn’t going to start pulling in until a minute before he was supposed to be there. Hatch did say thirty-five or forty minutes, so he didn’t say he couldn’t be late. Just not too late. And Bridge would use every minute he could to their advantage.
It took Nicole about five minutes until she got to a point where the trees thinned out and she could see the cabin that she assumed their targets were waiting in. She took a few seconds to look around, making sure there were no lookouts, booby traps, or other devices that would alert someone of her presence.
After catching her breath and taking a few seconds, she let Bridge know of her status. “Luke, I’m at the cabin now. I see it. It’s gonna take me another three or four minutes until I’m able to get around to the back.”
“OK. I’ll wait three more minutes before starting my drive in. Then when I get there, I’ll try to pause and wait for another minute or two.”
“That should be good. I’ll let you know when I’m there.”
While he was waiting, Bridge double checked his weapons and made sure he had enough ammunition in case the fight lasted an extended amount of time. He had a pistol on his side, one strapped to his leg, and an assault rifle on the passenger seat. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use any of them and that Hatch and Ava would just give themselves up, realizing that it was a lost cause. But he wasn’t confident that would end up being the case. He rarely came across people in their cases who willingly gave themselves up. He was sure this would be no different. Of course, Ava wasn’t a hardened criminal, at least not yet, so maybe that would be the difference. He wasn’t counting on it, though.
After waiting three more minutes, Bridge put the car in motion and started driving on the dirt pathway that led through the trees. He only went about fifty feet in before stopping again. He wanted to give Nicole as much time as possible in order for her to get into position. He sat there and waited for two more minutes. Then he heard her.
“Hey, I’m here,” Nicole said, breathing heavily. It sounded like she’d had a good run.
“You ready for me?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“OK. Coming in now.”
Bridge started driving again, going down the small, narrow path that weaved around several tall trees. It only took a couple minutes of slow driving to get to the end of the tree line where the cabin was in sight. Bridge stopped the car and sat there observing the building. There was smoke coming out of the chimney. There was a black car parked along the side of the house. Someone was there.
Bridge continued driving, pulling up in front of the house, though not too close to it for when he assumed the shooting would start. He sat there again, quietly, being still, hoping someone would come out of the cabin to welcome him. He didn’t want to be the one to make the first move. After two minutes, though, it appeared he wasn’t going to get his wish. He was going to have to show himself. He slowly opened the door, though he didn’t get out yet. He wanted to see if that would start something. It didn’t. Then, he finally got out and stood behind the door. Hopefully that would stop or deflect the bullet should one come his way.
“Hatch! Ava! I know you’re in there!” Bridge waited a few seconds for a reply, but none came. “C’mon, I know you’re there. Let’s talk!”
A double-hung window opened up. “We got nothing to talk about!” It was Hatch’s voice.
“Sure we do. Diego killed my partner. Then I killed Diego. But not before he told me that you were here.”
“So?”
“So it’s over. The game’s up. I know it all. I know everything that happened. I know Ava’s behind it all. She’s not the victim. I know Diego killed her father. It’s all over.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“It means that you can’t profit anymore. Ava’s involved in her father’s death. That means she can’t inherit his money. She’s now effectively broke. And she’s going to jail. And so will you.”
“I think you’re missing something.”
“And what’s that?”
“If we kill you, then nobody else knows anything.”
“Not true,” Bridge said. “I’ve already talked to the FBI about it. They know it all. Even if you were to kill me, they’re placing a hold on all of Bodie Dermott’s assets. Money, real estate, everything, it’s all going to be frozen.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not. You guys are going to wind up doing all of this for nothing. It is truly over.”
“Not for me!” Hatch then opened up and fired, several rounds from his rifle hitting the door to Bridge’s car. The window shattered, bullet holes formed in the door, and Bridge quickly retreated to the back of the vehicle.
“C’mon, Hatch, this isn’t really how you wanna play this out, is it?”
Hatch’s response was firing his gun again. “Sure is!”
“Listen, the Mexican police are on their way here. All I have to do is keep you busy long enough for them to get here. So you got two choices. You can either put your guns down and come with me and I’ll take you back to the U.S., or, you can stay here and wind up in a Mexican prison. I can’t guarantee what’ll happen to you after that, but from what I hear, Mexican prisons aren’t as nice as the ones back home.”
“You forgot the third choice!”
“What’s that?”
Hatch fired his weapon again, Bridge still taking cover. “I can just get out of here and not wait for anybody!” Hatch fired again, keeping Bridge ducking.
Bridge assumed that meant that Hatch, and whoe
ver else was in there, were finally going to try to escape through the back. An eerie quiet filled the air for a few moments as Bridge peeked his head around the back of his car. Suddenly, it wasn’t so quiet. Gunshots came from the rear of the cabin. Bridge knew that was Nicole’s weapon firing. He knew the sound it made. She shot three times, then a couple from what sounded like the same rifle Hatch was using.
“Nic, you OK back there?”
“All good. A few of them just started coming outside.”
“A few? How many are in there?”
“Four that I saw. Hatch, Ava, then there were two guys in front of them.”
“How many’d you get?”
“I got one. Then the rest scooted back inside.”
“So there’s three.”
“That I saw. Who knows if they got one or more people roaming around in there?”
“I’d assume we’d know it by now.”
Their conversation was cut short by the sound of more gunfire. This time, it was coming at both of them. Hatch continued shooting at Bridge, while the other guy took aim at Nicole. They kept it up for about twenty seconds.
“Well, if we keep letting them do that, eventually they’ll run out of ammunition,” Bridge said. “Right?”
“Assuming they haven’t stockpiled a big amount in there. And I wouldn’t give you good odds on that.”
“Yeah.”
“You know, if this goes on a while, they’re gonna know you were lying about the police coming.”
“I know. Doesn’t really matter, though. I only said it to get them moving, which it did. At least we got one of them out of the way from it.”
“Yeah, but if they’re heavily armed, this could go on all day. I mean, there’s a clear opening on both sides of the cabin. We’re not getting there in one piece. They’ll cut us down long before we get there.”
“I know. We’ll either have to wait them out or hope something breaks.”
“Other than us, you mean?”
Bridge sighed. “Yeah.” Bridge took another peek around the back of his car, which was now shot full of holes. He got an idea about getting in the car and driving it into the cabin, just like they do in the movies. Everyone inside would be distracted and disoriented. Then he could get out and get the drop on them all. Then he looked at the front of the car. The smoke rising out of the hood told him that was not going to happen. With all the shots that had been fired in his direction, several had found their way through the engine block. His car wasn’t going anywhere. That led to a new problem of how he was going to get his prisoners out of there, but he’d worry about that when the time came. First, he had to get to them to begin with. And that seemed rather unlikely at the moment.
