Scottsdale Silence: a fun, romantic, thrilling, adventure... (Laura Black Mysteries Book 9)

by B A Trimmer

  “Honestly, I’m not sure if Max will want to be directly involved in something like this. If things went bad, it would only increase tensions. But I know he wants to keep the truce between your two organizations.”

  “We’ll go back and start to make plans,” Sebastian said. “You get together with your contacts in Max’s group and see if they would assist us.”

  “I’ll do that right away. Assuming they’re willing, how soon would you be ready to meet?”

  “Let us meet in two hours. We’ll come to the meeting ready to leave from there and attempt a rescue. If your friends are unwilling to help, you will give us the information you know, and we will attempt it ourselves.”

  ~~~~

  The men took off to make plans. I got my jewelry box down from the closet and knocked on Grandma’s door.

  “Hi, Grandma,” I said when she answered.

  “Did you find your cousin?” she asked.

  “Not yet. But I think I know where she is.”

  “That’s good,” Grandma said. “Hopefully, you can get her without too much fuss. She then looked at the box in my hands.

  “Um, somebody broke into my apartment this morning. Would you be able to keep this until I can get my door fixed?”

  Grandma gave me a look and shook her head. “Out of all the apartments in the building, they always seem to go after yours.”

  “I know,” I said as I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s crazy.”

  “I’ll keep your box,” she said. “I’ll also call building maintenance and have them order you a new door. Although, I have no idea how much they’ll charge you for something like that.”

  “Thanks, Grandma,” I said as I started down the hallway. “I need to get Danielle. I’ll see you at the wedding.”

  ~~~~

  I went down to my car and called Max. “Danielle was likely taken when she pulled into the apartment parking lot to visit Grandma. Her car is still there. Plus, someone broke into my apartment sometime last night or today, presumably to find me.”

  “It sounds like your assignment with Scottsdale General is starting to ramp up again.”

  “Yeah,” I admitted. “I thought it was over, but you may be right.”

  “What do you need?”

  “Would you be willing to help rescue Danielle? They’re probably holding her in the same place they had me. I didn’t make any commitments other than I’d bring up the idea with you. You’d be dealing directly with Sebastian. He’s Danielle’s second in command.”

  Instead of answering right away, he paused, as if considering. “Let me ask you something,” Max said. “And think about it before you give me an answer. Do you think the kidnapping and the Black Death’s worry over it is genuine?”

  His question shook me a little. I was going to blurt out, “Of course, it’s genuine.” But I paused to think about it.

  I mentally went over everything that had happened over the past couple of hours. I then reexamined everyone’s actions and emotions.

  “As far as I can tell, everything is just as it appears,” I said. “I do believe someone was in the process of going through my apartment, looking for me, when Danielle pulled into the parking lot. They probably mistook her for me, and they took her. What are you getting at?”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way,” he said. “But when I’m forced to quickly place myself in an awkward or dangerous situation, there’s usually something behind it that isn’t obvious.”

  “I see why you’re questioning it. But I don’t feel anything like that. I can sense they’re floundering over this.”

  “If we don’t offer assistance, how do you think they’ll handle it?”

  “From what I’ve seen, they have no idea how to rescue Danielle, other than to storm the building. They apparently have some experience in doing that, and it usually doesn’t work out well for the hostage.”

  “It’s easy for something to go wrong. When you’re in a building, and everyone but the hostage has a gun, accidents often happen.”

  “Plus, I was the one who suggested you had someone in the group who might be able to assist. They hadn’t even considered asking an outsider for help.”

  “You didn’t mention Gabriella or me by name?”

  “No. They still have no idea who in your group would be on the rescue team.”

  “Good, that gives me a measure of confidence. There’s always the possibility they’ve done their homework and have discovered our past work. If that’s the case, this operation would be tailor-made to draw both Gabriella and me in.”

  “Well, what do you think?” I asked. “Are you willing to risk it? If you succeed, it will strengthen the relationship between the two groups.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that aspect as well. Honestly, that’s the real draw to this. And yes, I’m willing to take the risk. Plus, I know Gabriella is always ready for a little bit of fun.”

  “Great. I’ll let Sebastian know you’re willing to discuss it. Do you have a preference on where we meet?”

  “Let’s make it somewhere near where you think she’s being held, and it needs to be neutral ground. I would imagine the people at the Black Death are asking the same questions about us. Tensions will be high, no matter how this goes.”

  “I have the perfect place,” I said. “There’s a vacant lot south of Curry Road, right against the Salt River. It’s been for sale for as long as I can remember. I think the street is called East Gilbert Drive.”

  “How close is it to the target building?”

  “A quarter of a mile as the crow flies, maybe a little less. But it’s three or four streets over. There’s no way they could know we were there unless they had someone driving around the neighborhood checking on random vacant lots.”

  “Okay,” Max said. “Look up the address and let me have it. I’ll need to make a few phone calls.”

  “How can I help?”

  “I’ll need a map of the building and the grounds. It will need to be as accurate and as complete as you can possibly remember. What I need in particular are the room layouts. Where the doors and windows are. Best routes in and out. Think you can put something like that together quickly?”

  “It’ll be crude, but I can do it,”

  “Very well,” he said. “You start working on the map. Contact the Black Death and give them the location where we’re meeting. We’ll meet you at the lot in two hours.”

  ~~~~

  I went back to the office and pulled a big piece of paper from the bottom of the copying machine. I then sat in my cubicle and began to draw the layout of the building.

  Fortunately, the business wasn’t very large. In my short time there, I think I pretty much saw the entire thing. There were only half a dozen rooms in total, not counting what looked like a loading ramp and the large room where the women had been working.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I drove out to the vacant lot and wasn’t surprised to see that Max and Gabriella were already there. They were sitting in a black Cadillac SUV and appeared to be having a conversation.

  An unmarked blue utility van was parked a short distance away. The sliding door was open, and Carson was quietly sitting on the edge. He was wearing a Navy SEALS baseball cap. He had on a black combat outfit, complete with body armor.

  Looking into the van, I saw two other guys. I’d seen both of them before but didn’t know their names.

  Two black SUVs and a beat-up cargo van pulled up on the street, next to the vacant lot. Panadería Rosetta Hernández was painted on the side of the van, along with two giant cupcakes.

  Max and Gabriella climbed out of their vehicle and looked at the newcomers. Like Carson, they were dressed for combat.

  Sebastian and Roberto climbed out of their SUV. Both of them eyeing Max and Gabriella. Four men then got out of the second Black Death SUV and fanned out around the dirt lot.

  I was relieved when no one seemed overly hostile or was openly carrying arms. It would raise tensions if everyone had
a gun in their hands, plus it would look rather suspicious if a patrol car were to drive by.

  I went over to Sebastian. “I’m glad you’re here. Come on over and let me make introductions.”

  Both men followed me, but Roberto stopped about ten feet from Max. Gabriella had also drifted back to get a better view of the entire group. Sebastian continued until he was directly in front of Max.

  “This is Max Bettencourt,” I said. “Max, this is Sebastian, second in command of the Black Death.”

  Max walked forward and extended his hand. Sebastian shook it and his eyes opened wide. I could see him taking in the fact that Max was in full combat gear and was obviously going on the raid.

  “You are directly participating in the effort to rescue Danielle?” Sebastian asked. He was clearly a little shocked.

  “I’m going to lead the group in,” Max quietly said. His voice had a steely and commanding quality I’d never heard before.

  Sebastian looked like he was still having a hard time believing what he had heard. “But you are head of your entire organization,” he said. “There has been so much bad blood between our groups. Why would you risk yourself to rescue Danielle?”

  “We’ve just negotiated a truce between my group and yours,” Max said. “I don’t want to see anything happen to change that. Three of us have some experience in hostage rescue. I don’t want to sit by and have something unfortunate happen to her.”

  “Very well,” Sebastian said as he slowly nodded his head. “No matter what happens today, I will let it be known you have personally put yourself in danger to help us.”

  “Gabriella and Carson will be going in with me,” Max said, pointing out both people. “It would be best if we went in with two teams of two. It would also be good if one of your men was directly involved with the rescue.”

  At hearing this, Roberto stepped forward. “My name is Roberto López. I’ll go in with you. Protecting Danielle is my responsibility. I should have been with her when she was taken. I’ll be there when we rescue her.”

  Max looked at Sebastian for approval. The second in command of the Black Death nodded his head. “Yes, I want one of my men to be with you at all times. I know Roberto. He will not panic if things become tense.”

  “Roberto,” Max said as he stepped forward to shake his hand. “It’s good to have you with us. I’m going to pair you up with Carson. He has extensive training in combat and hostage rescue. Go to the blue van. He’ll get some body armor on you.”

  As Roberto went to the van, Carson pulled out an oversized bullet-proof vest. He then helped strap the armor onto Roberto.

  “We’ve suspected the group from Scottsdale General Hospital has somehow been interfering with the narcotics business,” Sebastian said. “I’ve been hearing rumors about them ever since I arrived in Arizona, four years ago.”

  “From what we’ve learned,” I said. “They’ve been operating for almost seven years.”

  “Yes, that matches with what Carlos told us,” Sebastian said. “However, I don’t think even he realized the scope of their operation.”

  “They’ve been good about flying under the radar,” Max said. “We’ve also suspected narcotics were getting to the street from an independent source but had no idea who the supplier was.”

  “Carlos was in the process of mounting a campaign of aggression to take control of their operation. I believe he was planning a raid on their secret facility. But when Carlos died, the plans went with him. Until today, none of us knew the location of their operation.”

  No one said anything for a few moments. Carlos had been killed during a negotiation meeting several months earlier. Tony hadn’t started the gunfire, but Carlos was dead because of it. Sebastian, Max, Gabriella, and I had all been there.

  “I’ve been keeping my superior, Tio Francisco, apprised of the situation.” Sebastian’s voice became quiet as he spoke to Max and me. “He’s willing to let us handle the situation ourselves, for the time being. However, he’s also sending Largo to come up and assist us.”

  Crap.

  A cold shiver swept through me. I’d met Señor Largo a couple of months before when Danielle was having problems with the group. Although he and I seemed to work together as an effective team, Danielle said he was a man who was both violent and sadistic.

  She’d gone on to describe Largo as the cartel’s problem solver. He was someone who’d eliminate any threats to the organization, whatever it took, often through brutal methods. Danielle said whenever Señor Largo showed up, there’d likely be carnage.

  I suppose, in a way, I’d been lucky to have him on my side. He ended up taking out a guy named Raul, who had been a severe pain in my ass for months. If he hadn’t been watching over me, I likely would have been killed.

  Sebastian seemed to know I understood the implications of Señor Largo coming to Scottsdale. Likely from the look of shock on my face.

  “Who’s Señor Largo?” Max asked.

  “He’s their version of Gabriella,” I said.

  Max nodded his head in understanding. He then looked at Sebastian. “When will he get here?”

  “His plane lands in a little over two hours. Once he arrives, I must yield operational control to him. If we fail to rescue Danielle, he will be the one to decide what to do next.”

  “What do you think Señor Largo will do if we haven’t rescued her by then?” Max asked.

  “I’ve worked with him and know of his reputation,” Sebastian said. “He’ll gather twenty men, and we’ll raid wherever he decides she’s located. Even if Danielle comes out unharmed, we’ll need to deal with the aftermath of a bloody massacre. This isn’t a backwater in the jungles of Mexico. We’ll have the FBI down on us faster than I can snap my fingers.”

  Max looked thoughtful for a moment. “We’ll need to cross our fingers they’re holding her in this building, then make sure the rescue goes smoothly.”

  “Amen to that,” Sebastian said.

  Max glanced at me. “Do you have the map?”

  “I’ve got it right here,” I said as I held up the rolled piece of paper.

  “Very well,” Max said. His voice was steady, but I could tell he was starting to operate at a different level.

  We went to the side door of the blue van. From the way Roberto kept shifting and adjusting the straps, it was probably the first time he’d ever worn a bullet-proof vest.

  Max took the map from me and spread it out on the van’s floor while we gathered around.

  “Would you describe the location?” Max asked me. “Give us as much detail as you can.”

  “The building is two streets over and halfway up the block. It’s on the west side of the street. The parking lot is here,” I said as I pointed.

  “Entry points?” Max asked.

  “The front door is most likely the only way in. Although, it might also be possible to get in through the loading dock,” I said as I again pointed.

  “We’ll check it out, but we’ve already driven by the building and I think you’re most likely right. We’ll need to start this at the front door.”

  Max looked at me. “It might be best if you could help get us in. It looked like there was an intercom, perhaps even a camera on the door. Having a civilian asking to be let in will raise fewer suspicions. After that, I want you to leave the area.

  Oh, crap.

  I didn’t think I’d be directly participating. But I should have known I’d somehow be involved. I simply nodded my head.

  “Talk about the rooms,” Max said. “What is the purpose of each one?”

  “This is where they tortured me,” I said, pointing to a room on the map. “Danielle will likely be in there if they’re still interrogating her.”

  “Alright,” Max said. “That room will be our primary target.”

  “After they were through asking me questions, they held me in a storage room, here.” I again pointed. “This one will be easy to spot because the door has a sliding bolt on it.”

 
; “That makes the storage room our secondary target,” Max said.

  “What is this room?” Gabriella asked, pointing to the space next to the storage room.”

  “That’s the office. If you get there, you’re at the very back of the building. The office has a door on the back wall that leads out to the parking lot. It’s locked but can be opened by pushing on the bar. When I was there, there wasn’t an active alarm on it.”

  “And this room?” Max asked, pointing to the large area containing the loading dock.

  “This is where they were opening cases, presumably narcotics, and repackaging the drugs for the street. Half a dozen women were working when I was there.”

  “This is good map,” Gabriella said. “Very clear.”

  “How many bad guys do you think are there?” Max asked.

  “I saw three, plus Lillian. There might have been one or two more working in the drug room.”

  “I understand,” Max said. “Let’s count on at least six. We need to assume they’re all armed. Some may have automatic weapons.”

  “Yes,” Sebastian said. “They’d need to be armed in case of a raid on their drug operation by the police or a rival gang.”

  At that, Roberto smiled. “Well, they aren’t far off in worrying about a raid.”

  Max walked around to the back of the blue van and everyone followed. A wooden case, maybe three feet long and a foot high, sat on the floor.

  Max opened it, and inside were several pump-action shotguns. They were unusual in that part of the stock, and the handle of the pump were colored orange.

  “These guns fire a beanbag filled with bird-shot,” Max said as he handed out the weapons. “Keep in mind, these have a limited range. To be effective, you need to be closer than fifty feet to your target. As long as you don’t make a headshot, they shouldn’t seriously injure anyone. However, a beanbag to the belly will definitely put someone out of action for fifteen or twenty minutes.”

  “How many rounds?” Roberto asked as he lifted the gun to get a feel for it.

  “There are six in tube and one in chamber,” Gabriella said as she handed everyone two extra shell-holders with five additional beanbag rounds in each. “Here are ten more, but if all goes well, they will not be needed.”