CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The bad news was that the stadium was crowded and sold out.
That good news was that the stadium was crowded and sold out.
The crowds could help Sean grab Jesse and slip away with minimal attention, but first he had to get in. That wasn’t the difficult part—bribing a guard at a back exit did the trick.
But now he had to find Jesse. And Jaye hadn’t called him.
On the ride to the stadium—Sean had hot-wired an old motorcycle that was easy to manuever and park close to the stadium—he considered all the ways his plan could go wrong.
In fact, he didn’t see it going right.
But what other choice did he have? Kane’s idea of appealing to Dante Romero may or may not work. And then they would have to breach the Flores compound, putting both of them—and Jesse—at risk. Grabbing Jesse now and explaining to the kid on the way home what was going on seemed the most logical—and easiest—of solutions.
Sean didn’t want to scare Jesse. Hell, that was the last thing he wanted to do. He considered how to explain to his son what was going on … and the best way was getting him to talk to his mother. Sean had Madison now programmed on speed dial and he suspected she’d pick up on the first ring. He hoped. After this morning …
Focus, Sean. Focus on finding Jesse, then worry about getting him out.
Sean arrived just after halftime ended. People were still moving back to their seats, some agitated, drunk, excited. Sean liked to play sports for fun, but he grew restless as an observer. What was the last major sporting event he’d watched? Was it the Super Bowl? No … he missed most of it. He caught one of the games of the World Series last year, only because he’d been with Patrick who loved baseball. How did people have fun here? There was a certain energy and excitement—that he understood—but Sean would much rather be playing on the field than sitting in the stands drinking beer.
He didn’t know how much time he had—an hour, take or leave. He walked the entire perimeter of the stadium to get the layout. There were food and souvenir vendors in several strategic locations. The credit card that Jaye had caught only gave the name of the business entity that ran all sales at the stadium, so Sean had no idea which clothing retailer had sold Carson the shirts.
Jaye still hadn’t called.
He called her.
“Jaye, I need something.”
“Sean, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Funny, you don’t sound like Jaye.” Shit, it was JT.
“You’re acting on emotion. For a fucking genius, you’re an idiot.”
“It’s an opportunity.”
“You’re there without backup!”
“Kane is working his own angle, I’m working mine. If I can get Jesse tonight, we’ll be back in San Antonio before dawn.”
“I’m not saying the plan is bad—though it is because you don’t even have a plan—I’m saying you never go in alone. Kane is on his way. Do not do anything until he gets there.”
“I don’t even know where Jesse is!”
“Jaye is very good. Flores has season tickets, a box of eight—which means you’re not just dealing with some cartel lawyer and a kid; you could be dealing with bodyguards and one or more of the Flores brothers. Wait for Kane. He’ll meet you at the top of section one eighteen.”
“Okay.”
“I’m serious, Sean.”
“I said I’d wait for him!” He rubbed his face. He was so close … “Look, JT, I get it. But what choice did I have? What if Jesse were your kid?”
“This is why you bring backup—because emotions have no place in hostage rescue. Be safe—and smart.”
“I have no intention of dying tonight.”
* * *
“It’s about time,” Sean muttered when Kane came up silently next to him twenty minutes after he got off the phone with JT.
Kane was in disguise, of sorts. Black shirt but instead of his military surplus jacket, he had on a worn leather jacket, and he wore a home team baseball cap with sunglasses—even though it was near dark. Sean also wore sunglasses, and Kane pulled an extra cap from his back pocket. Sean put it on.
“You have one chance,” Kane said. “If anything goes south, we disappear, got it? Being arrested would really screw with our plans—not to mention being dangerous for both of us. I have a jeep parked outside the perimeter, directly across from the north exit, but it’s a quarter-mile walk. I couldn’t risk getting caught up in crowds leaving. This place is going to be a zoo.” He glanced at the scoreboard. “Good thing it’s tied at one, because if it goes into overtime, no one is going to leave early. This is important, Sean—if you get Jesse, get to the jeep. If I’m not there, leave. I’ll meet you at the plane.”
“I’m not leaving you behind.”
“I have a backup plan. Which is what you should have had before you got here.”
“We’re close, Kane.”
“I know.”
“Where is he?”
“The Flores family has a box directly above section one oh three—directly across the stadium from us.” He slipped Sean a pair of binoculars. “I already scoped it out when I arrived. The kid is there; so are Carson Spade, Gabriella Romero, and one of the Flores brothers. Four other men, two I pegged as bodyguards, two I believe are associates. I couldn’t stay long—this disguise is nonexistent. I’m sure Dante already alerted Gabriella to my presence, and she’s a wild card.”
“You’re going to have to clue me in later,” Sean said. He looked through the binoculars and adjusted them. He saw mostly a sea of red and white, the team colors.
And then he saw Jesse.
The kid was watching the game intently. His hair was longer than in the photo Sean had seen, long enough to curl at the ends just like Sean’s hair did. He wore a home team jersey that was too big on him, and held a bag of popcorn.
Sean’s heart rate increased. That was his son. He should be taking him to games, showing him how to play soccer and baseball. He should be watching him play in Little League or coaching his soccer team.
Focus. Sean turned the binoculars to the rest of the group. Carson wasn’t sitting next to Jesse—he was in front of him, next to a relaxed older man. Jesse was sitting between the only female in the group—Gabriella Romero, Sean presumed—and a broad-shouldered dark-skinned man with a mustache. He looked all bodyguard.
“We wait until they leave.”
“I hate that plan.”
“I’ve gone through the possibles and this is the only way it’s going to work. Unless the kid needs to use the bathroom, we’re going to wait until the group leaves. I will split him off from his group, using the crowds as a diversion. We need to act fast. Spade or one of the entourage will notice pretty quick if the kid isn’t with them. You have to convince him not to make a scene. If he goes quietly, we get out fast. If he argues, we bolt. Without him. You may have authority from his mother, but that doesn’t give you rights here in Mexico when Carson Spade is his legal guardian.”
Sean wanted to argue, but he didn’t. Kane didn’t talk much, so when he had a speech, Sean paid attention.
He nodded.
“Follow me.”
Sean followed Kane around the south end of the stadium until they reached section 103 where Jesse sat with his group. Cheers erupted when the home team scored a goal, putting them ahead 2–1 with two minutes left. Sean stopped where he had a vantage point, but Kane pushed him forward, around the corner, and up the stairs that led to the upper balcony. After the goal, many people started to leave.
Kane pushed Sean into an alcove—a food stand had once been there, but it was shut down now—and said, “Stay here.”
Sean waited. And waited. The stadium roared several minutes later, and thundering applause, shouts, and footfalls filled the arena. Where the hell was Kane?
He almost left. He watched from his vantage point as masses of people filed past him. They didn’t seem to be ending. Then suddenly Kane emerged with Je
sse by the arm.
“Let me go!” Jesse said. With the noise from the crowd, no one would be able to hear him.
Kane gave Sean a look that said they had little time.
“Jesse,” Sean said, “your mother sent me to bring you home.”
“No way, she would have told me. Who are you?”
“My name is Sean, and your mother and I were friends years ago. You need to trust me. As soon as we get out of here, you can call her.”
“Yeah, and you have a puppy you want me to help you find.”
Kane was watching the crowd. “Sean, time.”
“Jesse,” Sean said, “your stepfather is bad news, and he’s put your life in danger. Your mother hired me to find you. You need to come with me now.”
He reached for him, took him by the arm, and suddenly Jesse started screaming. “Let me go!”
Sean didn’t want to scare him, but what was he supposed to do?
“Carson Spade is working for the drug cartels, and you’re not safe with him!” Sean said, pulling Jesse toward him.
Jesse lashed out, scratching Sean. He saw Sean’s gun under his jacket and kicked Sean in the balls. Sean fell to his knees and Jesse slipped away.
“Kane! Grab him!”
Kane did and at first Sean was relieved, then Kane said in a low voice, “Jesse, do not tell anyone about this. You will put your mother’s life in grave danger. We’re coming back for you.”
Then he let him go. Jesse ran.
“What the hell?” Sean said. “Why?”
“We have to go, Spade already alerted security. If the kid talks, we’re fucked.”
Sean slammed his hand against the stone wall and followed Kane.
That didn’t go anything like he had planned.
* * *
Jesse ran away from the two creeps, but he had no idea where to go. He headed back toward the seats they’d been sitting in, fighting the crowds.
Carson Spade is working for the drug cartels.
That was the stupidest thing Jesse had ever heard. Those men were probably here to kidnap him for ransom. His dad had warned him that it was a real possibility.
Gangs think that all Americans are rich, that they can get money by grabbing kids and families. You have to be careful.
Jesse was almost back to his seat when his dad rushed up to him with Dominick. They both looked angry; his dad also looked scared. “Jesse! Where were you?”
“I—” He saw the gun under Dominick’s jacket. “I just got pushed by the crowd, then I couldn’t see you.”
Why didn’t he tell his dad the truth? That two men tried to kidnap him?
Was that really what they were trying to do?
Jesse really wanted to talk to his mom. She would straighten this all out, tell him the truth. And if she said she didn’t send anyone for him, he’d tell his dad everything.
“You’re not a little kid, Jesse,” his dad said.
“You’re sure that’s all it was?” Dominick said.
Gabriella came up to them with Dominick’s brother, Jose, “Dom, he’s scared, you’re scaring him more. You’re okay, little man, right?”
Jesse nodded. Did she know? Had she seen what happened? “Just—I didn’t know how to find you so I came back to the seats.”
“Smart kid, just like his dad.” Gabriella smiled at his dad. “Let’s get out of here. The limo should be out front by now.”
His dad put his arm around Jesse’s shoulders, then kissed him on the top of the head. Normally that would embarrass him in front of people, but right now he was relieved.
His dad would never let anything happen to him.
He almost told him what happened.
Almost.
As soon as he talked to his mom.
* * *
Kane took a roundabout way back to the plane not only to ensure they hadn’t been followed, but also to check the perimeter of their hiding spot. They were clear.
They set up camp without speaking. They wouldn’t sleep in the plane because that would make them an easy target, but they didn’t want to be too far from their ride home. Kane did another perimeter check, then they ate sandwiches, washing them down with cool beer that had been in Sean’s ice chest.
“I should have pulled the plug,” Kane said.
“I shouldn’t have gone in the first place.” Sean had been thinking about the entire fiasco. “When I was twelve, no way in hell would I go off with two strangers.” He paused. “I wanted to tell him who I was, but there’s no reason for him to believe me. And there’s no reason for him to believe his mother sent me.” Sean drained his beer. “Were the Romeros bad news when our dads were friends? Are you on the Flores cartel hit list? You shouldn’t be here.”
“I’m here because you need me—and Jesse is my blood.” Kane pulled out two more beers, handed one to Sean. “My educated guess is that Gabriella Romero has wormed her way into the Flores cartel for the sole purpose of assassinating Samuel Flores.” He paused. “Not the sole purpose. She doesn’t do anything with a single goal. If she can rip him off before she kills him, that would make her even happier.”
“You’ve already lost me.”
“It’s a long story, Sean.”
Sean didn’t say anything.
“Flores killed Gabriella’s lover ten years ago.”
“Ten years? That’s a long time to wait for revenge.”
“She’s patient.”
“And Flores doesn’t realize she’s out for revenge?”
“He doesn’t even know the connection. Few people do. Gabriella is … complex.”
“Do I hear a hint of admiration?”
Kane shook his head. “Not what you’re thinking, little brother.”
Sean really hated when Kane did that.
“Dante and Gabriella have helped RCK operations … and hindered RCK. They have their own agenda. Their mother died long ago, you know their father was friends with our father. Dante and Liam used to be tight, but they have their own war.”
“What else don’t I know?”
“A lot. Mom and Dad never wanted you to work with me—I’d already left the Marines by the time they died. They didn’t like some of the choices I made, and Duke made sure you didn’t follow in the same path. But you made your own choices when you grew up.”
“Many of them because Duke pushed me in the opposite direction.” Sean rubbed his eyes. He didn’t want to think about his complex relationship with his other brother.
“What I’m saying is, I’ve known Dante and Gabriella for a long time. You were too young to remember them. But it hasn’t always been friendly, especially after Mom and Dad died.”
“And their dad?”
“Lives in Louisiana, last I heard. The key point is, I know Gabriella well. Her fiancé was an Army Ranger, Doug Bonelli. He’d been part of Jack’s unit when he was still serving.”
“Small fucking world,” Sean muttered.
“These people we deal with—it seems insurmountable, but there are only two dozen cartels and gangs who are in serious power. There are hundreds of violent gangs and groups, but they don’t spread out, they’re localized. The most powerful cartels’ network have arms in the States and up into Canada and Europe and the Middle East and even China. They pull in gangs as they need, or hire them as protection, but the power centers are mostly controlled by families or family alliances. Sometimes the violent gangs, the rebels, the upstarts, the so-called private businessmen help them … sometimes they hinder them.”
“Just like the Romeros.”
Kane smiled thinly. “You understand.”
“So is Gabriella going to help us or not?”
“I don’t know. She saw me tonight. She was pissed off, but she won’t do anything until she talks to Dante. I’m hoping she’ll help—or at least stay out of our way. Until I saw Spade with Dominick Flores, I couldn’t confirm that he was working for the Flores cartel, but it’s pretty fucking clear he’s chummy with him. They were sitting together,
heads close—that’s not the sign of someone here on legitimate business.”
“Dominick is the oldest brother?”
Kane nodded. “The patriarch, now that their dad is dead. But there are three others. They work as a unit. Dominick is in charge, he’s the figurehead, but he won’t do anything without the agreement of his brothers.”
After several minutes of silence, Kane said, “When Bonelli was killed, I offered to take care of Samuel Flores myself. Gabriella said no.”
There was far more to that story that Kane wasn’t saying.
“She’s not going to back down, and Dante isn’t going to give me anything that will help. He said that Flores’s compound is impenetrable. I reconned the place; he’s right. Not without a large team and going in full-force, which puts the kid at risk. I have some specs on the place. Until tonight, we couldn’t even confirm Jesse was there—but I’m fairly certain he is. There are no hotel reservations in Carson Spade’s name, or either of his business names. Still, we need more information and help in getting inside.”
“You think you can convince her?”
Kane didn’t say anything.
Sean said, “I have an idea. But you might not like it.”
“Shoot straight.”
“I need to get Jesse a note. I’ll explain everything—can you convince Gabriella to give it to him?”
“Possibly.”
“I need proof that Spade is working for Flores. Seeing him with Dominick isn’t going to cut it. We get proof, I can then get Madison to tell Jesse to trust me.”
“She didn’t even want you here. She tried to stop us, Sean.”
“Because she’s in denial. With proof, she won’t be.” He shifted on the uncomfortable ground. He doubted he’d be sleeping much tonight.
“Each cartel has their own primary area, right?” Sean continued. “They’ll associate with shell corporations and lawyers that Spade associates with. I already have every corporation Spade’s firm does business with.”
“You’ve been busy.”
“I sent the list to Jaye. She’s going to run it against known cartel shell corporations.”
The Lost Girls Page 19
