SEAL Undercover (Silver SEALs Book 10)

by Desiree Holt

  “Wait. Bernardo didn’t give you a final list? That’s not what this is?”

  “How could it be when the locations have yet to be confirmed. I thought that’s what part of this meeting was for.”

  Regan noticed all eyes focused on Max. This was the first big test. Bernardo Ferren had indeed told them that, but he could have been lying. It could have been a little nugget he planted that would show the others she and Max were ringers. She held her breath, waiting for someone to speak.

  At last, Kurt nodded. “That’s true. And it’s very thorough of you and Bernardo to have prepared a list for each place.”

  “Bernardo is always thorough,” Jed told them.

  “I know I’m late to the actual party,” Max said, “but if we’re going to meet the deadline, I need to know those locations today. Guns and munitions don’t just deliver themselves. Some of them we’ll truck in, some o we’ll fly in on chartered planes. And we have to do it in a way that doesn’t raise anyone’s suspicions as we move them into place. But we have to have locations plus the number of people who will need to be armed.”

  “We also need to know,” Regan put in, “how many people at each location will be handling the explosives and if they’re familiar with them.”

  “Why don’t we call Bernardo,” Lorena said in a sharp voice. “We can get him in on this with a conference call. Then we can be doubly sure we have the right figures and correct information.”

  Max looked around the table, and, when he spoke, ice dripped from his voice.

  “Perhaps Ferren Arms and Munitions is not the right partner with you for this, after all.” He looked at Jed Whitlow. “You and Bernardo have been friends for years. It’s unfortunate that you and I never had much occasion to spend time with each other but, as I’m sure you know, my brother and I each have our own circle of friends. I can assure you he would not have sent me in his place if he did not think I knew what I was talking about.” He closed his folder. “As I said before, maybe you need to contact someone else to handle this. Trust is very important. My brother became involved with you because he believes in what you are doing. But if you don’t trust us, we have nothing more to say to each other.” He pushed back his chair. “Come on, Regan. This has all been a fucking waste of our time.”

  Regan forced herself to appear calm, gathering the items in front of her while the people at the table absorbed what Max had just said. Si had discussed this with them and told them it might happen. And also that there could be more than one challenge until the people around this table were satisfied with Max’s presence. If they let the two of them walk out without a word, the shit would hit the fan. There wasn’t time to plant someone else in the group to get the details. And on top of that, they might just decide to kill her and Max. Once E-Day, as they were calling it, took pace, it wouldn’t matter anymore.

  Jed Whitlow was the first to crack a smile.

  “That’s exactly what your brother would have said.” He looked around the table. “All right? Everyone satisfied that this man is who he says he is and that he is here with Bernardo’s full faith and confidence? We need to get down to business.”

  Regan let herself relax in slow increments. Okay. They’d jumped the first hurdle, but she was sure it wasn’t the last. These people had everything at stake. They were rolling the dice on the biggest gamble of their lives. If it worked, they’d control the entire United States and then, little by little, the rest of the world. They could not afford to make any mistakes.

  She did her best to appear calm and businesslike for the rest of the morning as she listened to everyone at the table discussing the merits of the different locations. They had the same list Si had shown them of the fifteen largest Fourth of July celebrations in the States. Washington D.C. with the celebration on the Mall at the top of everyone’s list. If this group was lucky, they’d also hit a lot of elected officials and politicians at this particular spot. Bone Frog had already figured that out. It was the other locations that needed to be identified.

  Lorena Alvaro put down the sheet of paper she’d been studying and looked around the table. It was obvious in that marriage who the dominant partner was, Regan thought.

  “Let’s consider some other things here.” She rose, refilled her coffee mug, and sat down again. “We want to spread it out across the country, so we should not focus completely on the East Coast.”

  Kurt Cavanaugh nodded. “Agreed. We want every area to feel the impact.”

  “Remember,” Lorena continued, “that Luis will have men at each location to provide enough manpower. And if we pick sites where he already has working groups, that will give us a greater reach.”

  “By groups do you mean gangs?” Max asked, his voice deceptively mild.

  She glared at him across the table. “Perhaps your brother did not explain this to you thoroughly, Senor Ferren, but Luis Rojas is our ace in the hole. He runs the second most powerful cartel in Mexico and South America. We are fortunate that he is committed to being part of our plan.”

  “No question about it.” Max’s voice was deceptively mild. “I’m simply trying to fix in my mind who plays what part and who the people are who will be carrying out these actions. I have every confidence that the men who work for Rojas will do exactly what they are supposed to.”

  “And more,” she sniffed. “He’s providing the bulk of the manpower to fire these weapons and set off the explosions. Doing it in a place where they already have a foothold and can then use the situation to consolidate their own power is a win/win situation for everyone.”

  “Okay, great.” Max nodded. “I understand, and I have no desire to disrupt that. Just trying to maximize everything all the way around. My suggestion is we include Houston on the list. Texas is a key area, and it will make a huge impact there.” He looked across the table at Lorena. “And I’m going to assume Rojas has a significant functioning organization in that region, also. Am I correct?”

  “Yes.” Lorena nodded. “He has a strong foothold in that region.”

  “I don’t mean to usurp anyone’s authority here.” He glanced at Jed Whitlow. “As I understand from Bernardo you are, in fact, the unofficial chairman of this group.”

  “I am. Although we are all equals here, it works much better when things funnel through one person.”

  “Of course. I was just going to note that we should get photographs of the venues where each event is held so we can pick the best locations to station the shooters and place the explosives for maximum effect.”

  “We also need shots of the past two years,” Gavin Emery added, “so we can see where they station the cops and if the setup changes.”

  “And don’t forget the snipers they station on the roofs,” Regan added, playing her part as she’d been instructed. She looked around the table and saw that everyone was staring at her. “I’ve been to enough celebrations like this to know they always have snipers stationed somewhere high up. Usually on the roof. Once you identify where they are, you need to figure out a way to get someone up there and take them out.”

  Jed cleared his throat. “Good point. We discussed that but thanks for reminding us.”

  His voice wasn’t quite so hostile, and she noticed Anna Whitlow studying her with a different look in her eyes and swallowed a smile. Whatever these people had expected, it wasn’t what they were getting.

  As the morning progressed, they discussed the logistics of each remaining site, eliminating some. It amazed her how calmly they could sit here discussing plans to kill hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, as if they were writing a grocery list. She had to keep reminding herself these people had created a plan to take over the world in the same manner, with cold, calculating deliberation and with their handpicked person in the leadership seat.

  She wondered if they’d get around to discussing that. And if she and Max would learn the name of the puppet they were setting up to be their front man.

  By one o’clock they had settled on the rest of the l
ocations—New York, New Orleans and, strangely, Columbus Ohio.

  “That’s an odd one,” she commented. “Not Boston, which might have a larger crowd?”

  “We’ve already agreed on New York,” Kurt Cavanaugh reminded her. “Columbus, surprisingly, has one of the largest celebrations, and we want to hit different areas of the country.”

  She nodded and looked at the map they’d each been handed. “Makes sense.”

  “On that note,” Jed Whitlow said, “I’d say it’s time for lunch. Tonight we’ll barbecue,” he told everyone, and glanced at Max and Regan. “The first night of these meetings we like to relax with a good meal and a glass of bourbon. Or whatever your alcohol of choice is.”

  “Sounds good to us,” Max told him.

  Anna Whitlow pushed back her chair and stood up. “As usual, we’ve had everything else catered. It will only take a few minutes to get it all on the table.”

  “I suggest you all stretch your legs,” Jed told them. “Return any business calls you need to. Whatever. Give us fifteen minutes.”

  “I think we’ll step out to the patio,” Max said to no one in particular. “You all have been here before, but we’d love to look around.”

  “Help yourselves,” Jed told them. “Just be careful of the wildlife and the snakes.”

  They can’t be any worse than the snakes in this room, Regan thought.

  “Thanks for the tip.” Max nudged her arm. “You’ll protect me, right?” He looked across the table at those still gathering their things together. “You’d never know it to look at her, but Regan’s a crack shot.”

  Some of them gave her a startled look. Then Gavin Emery laughed.

  “I always did like a woman who could shoot straight.” It was the first humorous thing he’d said since the meeting began.

  Regan just smiled. She wasn’t about to mention the fact that she and Max had spent an entire morning at the gun range where they were staying, working with Ferren firearms. She was, however, damn glad they’d done it. The Ferren version of the Glock, for example, was one of the best weapons she’d ever handled.

  Happily, no one followed them outside, preferring instead to wander to other rooms in the house to conduct their business. They strolled to the end of the oversized patio and stood to one side, where they could see the landscape and also anyone exiting the house.

  “It seems no one wants to be overheard,” Max joked.

  “I’m with them, but wow. For a group of people planning to take control of the world, they don’t seem to have a lot of trust in each other.”

  “Goes with the territory. Meanwhile, we have to talk quickly,” Max told her. “No telling when we might be interrupted.”

  “You think someone’s gone through our luggage yet?”

  He nodded. “Without a doubt. Probably one of Whitlow’s security guards. He never travels without them and I’m sure they’re making themselves scarce around here, at his orders. Ever wonder why a rancher needs security guards?”

  “He’ll tell you it has nothing to do with ranching and everything to do with his excessive fortune and the people always hounding him. I’m sure he’s got a couple stashed away here. But they didn’t find the concealed compartment, or we would have heard about it.”

  “It’s nearly impossible to find,” Max assured her. “But I need to get the luggage up to our room and at least get the small handguns out. I keep getting strange vibes from these people. I have a feeling they still don’t trust us.”

  “Would you if you were them? If I was planning to overthrow a government I’d be paranoid about every new face that came into my group, even if it had supposedly been vetted.”

  “True that. Listen, I have to contact Si and give him the names of those locations. Just in case something slips through and we can’t stop everything, he’ll need to have defenses in place.”

  “Go ahead. You have your secure cell. And thank god for that, or I’m sure they’d figure out a way to tap into it.” She looked through the glass doors into the dining room. “I see others are using their phones, too, so you won’t attract any undue notice.”

  He grinned at her. “My darling ‘wife,’ in case you hadn’t noticed, we are the icon of undue notice. Those people kept eying us as if we had the plague.”

  “I guess I can’t blame them. I’d feel the same way in their situation.” She glanced inside and back at Max. “I just hope to hell Si is able to keep all the real Ferrens under wraps until this is over.”

  “I have every confidence in the world he can do it.” He paused. “Although things can go to shit without even a moment’s notice.”

  “Yes, I know.” Sadness filled her eyes. “That’s what happened with Dylan’s mission.”

  “Damn, Regan.” Max rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, I—”

  She held up a hand. “It’s okay. I’ve learned to live with it. But it also taught me never to trust any situation. You’d better hurry and call Si before someone else wanders out here.”

  Max hit speed dial and turned away from the house to give a short report to Silas. Regan made a show of checking her phone for messages as she saw some of the others doing. She was glad when he finished his call.

  “Okay, he’s all over it,” Max reported. ”I told him I’d check in again after dinner.

  “They haven’t brought up Luis Rojas yet,” she reminded him. “I kept waiting for Lorena Alvaro to say something, but she didn’t and neither did anyone else.”

  “Let’s see what they say this afternoon when I ask about manpower. And I’m trying to figure out a way to ask about what comes next without making them realize Bernardo didn’t give us a lot of details.”

  “We’ll play it by ear the way we do everything else.”

  “I’ve got the pen with the audio,” she reminded him. “I’m going to hit the bathroom and check it out. I’m guessing Whitlow has this entire house bugged, paranoid as he is, but even he wouldn’t snoop in the bathrooms. I hope.”

  Max grinned at her. “Don’t be so sure. But I’d guess it’s pretty safe in there. You don’t want to take it out here where someone can walk out of the house any minute.”

  “Like now,” she said in a low voice, nodding at Gavin Emery and his wife, Rachel.

  “I didn’t get a chance to tell you,” Rachel said as the couple walked toward them, “how very nice it is to meet Bernardo’s brother and sister-in-law. “

  “We’re honored that he chose us to take his and Jeanne’s place at the table.”

  Gavin looked at Max. “Jed told us you and Bernardo have owned Ferren Arms for nearly thirty years.”

  Max nodded. “It was a small handgun company when we bought it, but we had big plans.”

  “Lucky for us they worked out. So you’re guaranteeing to deliver the full amount of arms and munitions we need?”

  Max dipped his head. “I am. I want to work out the logistics before this meeting breaks up so I can begin to outline what goes where.”

  “Listen, I’m going to freshen up before lunch,” Regan broke in and looked at the Emerys. “We’re looking forward to working with all of you.”

  And taking you down, she said to herself as she hurried into the house.

  Chapter Nine

  Luis Rojas had debated with himself for a long time about the wisdom of what he was about to do. He didn’t like change in the middle of complex plans, although he’d dealt with it before. Still, this was so complex and of such enormous magnitude that any change could throw an unwanted kink into things. And that would be disastrous.

  He’d thought about it and thought about it, quizzed Lorena who had become very irritated with him, but still he couldn’t settle it in his mind. Bernardo Ferren was the key player in this. He was providing all the arms and munitions for a five-point attack. It wasn’t as if they could just highjack a shipload of weapons to fulfill their needs. That worked fine for a local event. No, for something on a national scale—soon to be international— they needed a massive s
upply, and the Ferrens were providing just that.

  When he couldn’t put his mind to rest or accept the explanation they’d been given, he decided to check it out himself. He told no one. Lorena would have pitched an unholy fit, and her “partners” would have insisted on getting involved. He didn’t need a committee to do this. And if they became that worried, they should have thought of this and acted on it before.

  He also could have sent someone to do this for him and saved himself the hassle of the trip. It was something he’d have done under normal circumstances, and he certainly had plenty of other things to attend to. But nothing about this entire project was normal. The scope of it and the vast reach of the results required his personal attention.

  The tantalizing image of taking the cartel international filled him with an excitement he hadn’t known since the day he became el jefe. Under those circumstances he wasn’t sure he trusted anyone’s observations except his own. Besides, he was the only one who had met Bernardo Ferren in person. If this was a scam of some kind, he’d be able to tell if there was an imposter hanging out in the hospital’s cardiac care unit. And if, as Jed Whitlow seemed to believe, the man had actually had a serious heart attack.

  So he rearranged his schedule and flew to Denver on his personal jet, landing at the very private airstrip at the home of Hector Infante, one of his major distributors. He always bypassed public airports at all costs for a variety of reasons. Today it was even more important that he not be identified in a public place.

  He had dressed for it in jeans and a Denver Broncos T-shirt and cap. He wanted something that didn’t smack of “cartel leader” and that would leave people with the memory of a Broncos fan and nothing else. They’d focus so much on his gear they wouldn’t even study his face. He had perfected a North American accent to use when he needed it, and he wanted people to remember the outfit, not the man. His research had revealed that Bernardo Ferren was a major supporter of the Broncos, and he was going to turn that to his advantage.

  When he jogged down the airstairs and stepped onto the ground, Hector was standing there to greet him, hand extended.