The air had turned almost chill, and he tugged at the lapels of his linen suit, pulling the jacket tighter.
“I thought you might want one.”
He turned and saw Raul handing him a fresh cigar. “I wasn’t sure if you had woken up or rolled over.” He took the cigar and rolled it under his nose. “You sound like a chainsaw when you sleep.”
Raul chuckled as he sat next to him. “Sorry. If we continue to keep these hours, I’ll be sure to bring a daybed to the office.” He leaned forward and let his head droop, fatigue still evident. “Why do you not rest, Jefe?”
He laughed softly as he clipped the end of the cigar. “Anticipation, hermano. I know that my enemies are preparing for war. I could not sleep if I had to.”
“Si, they prepare. But you should rest. You cannot fight your best if you are tired. Even the sharpest mind is dulled by exhaustion.”
He lit the cigar and for a brief moment, lost his night vision. “I am aware.” He puffed smoke into the still night air then slipped the gold lighter into his breast pocket. “I have not felt this alive in years, Raul.” He leaned back and smiled. “You remember who I was…before Don Murillo took me in?”
“Si, señor. I remember all too well.” He rolled his head around his neck, stretching the stiff muscles. “I remember that many of us thought that you could not be trusted.”
“And when did you know that I could be?”
Raul hung his head again and his voice was barely a whisper. “Teresa.”
El jefe nodded. “Teresa.” He sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees, still staring into the gloom of the night. “If it had not been for her…where would I be?”
Raul shook his head gently. “Not here.”
El jefe chuckled. “No, certainly not here. Waiting for my enemies to come and remove me from Don Murillo’s life’s work.” He spat an errant piece of tobacco from his lips and ground his teeth. “You and I, we’ve worked hard to maintain this legacy, si?”
“Diligently, Jefe.”
He puffed the cigar again then let it dangle in his hand. “You wouldn’t be working against me, would you hermano?”
Raul sat upright and stared at him wide eyed. “Señor?”
He turned slowly and faced the smaller man. “You heard me. You wouldn’t be working with another Don, would you?”
“Me, Jefe? How could you ask such a thing?”
“That is not an answer, Raul.”
“Of course not!” He came to his feet and stared down at his boss, knowing that if El Fantasma wished you gone, you would simply no longer exist. “How could you question my loyalty?”
El jefe scoffed as he sat up. “It’s been brought to my attention that the other Dons had no issue entering into our agreement. They’ve had no issue maintaining the peace over the years. Everyone has done their share, stayed out of each other’s territories, even assisted each other when dealing with drug enforcement.” He grunted as he came to his feet, his muscles protesting. “Until now.”
Raul shook his head nervously. “And how does this bring my loyalty to question?”
“The timing is…unfortunate. Or fortuitous, depending on how you look at it.”
Raul’s head continued to shake. “I do not understand, señor.”
“Now, when I am preoccupied with killing Bravo team…now…now the Sinaloa decide to attack me?” His voice rose as his anger built. “They do not know our business. How could they hope to absorb our operations?” He reached out a finger and poked Raul in the chest. “Unless they had somebody on the inside who already knows our day to day operations?”
Raul stumbled as he stepped back. “No, señor. I would never.”
“Who else would have something to gain by coming after ME?” He stepped closer and poked him in the chest again. “Who else might…” He trailed off, his anger preventing him from finding the words he wanted to say. “I was prepared to hand it all over to you, Raul.”
“And I told you then, Jefe, I don’t want it.”
“Of course not. Who could respect your authority if it is given to you, si? But if you TOOK it? Who could deny your authority then, eh?”
Raul continued to back away, his head shaking. “No, señor. Even if you begged me to take it, I do not want it.” He suddenly stopped and his own anger forced him to face his impending death with honor. He squared his shoulders and stared at the man he both feared and admired, the man he loved. “I have never acted against your best interests. I would never betray you. If I must face death to prove my loyalty then I am prepared to do so. Do it now.”
El Fantasma stared at the little man, acting brave and staring him down. “Why should I believe you now, Raul? If you have acted only in MY best interests, why wouldn’t the other Dons take my calls?”
Raul set his jaw and shook his head. “I do not know, Jefe. Perhaps Esmeralda got to them. Perhaps they approved of the Sinaloa taking over. I cannot say.” He stepped closer and held his head high. “And I will not pretend to know the minds of others. If you truly think that I have not been loyal, then it is your duty to kill me.”
El Fantasma nodded slightly. “Si. It is my duty.” He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew the gold plated pistola. “But, please, Raul. Tell me why I shouldn’t. Give me one indisputable reason why I should trust you.”
Raul swallowed hard and nodded slightly. “Teresa.”
El jefe raised a brow. “You would invoke her name…now?”
Raul nodded. “Si. We all loved her.” He leaned forward, his eyes hardening. “But…not as I loved her.”
He stepped back and cocked his head to the side. “What are you saying, Raul?”
“Had it not been for you, I would have pursued her myself.” He scoffed at the notion but continued. “I know that I am not the kind of man she could ever love. I am not large. I do not have thick, wavy hair.” He laughed again and shook his head. “I am not even pleasant to look upon. But I loved her with an intensity that…” He looked away for a moment then turned back to face him. “A love that only you could truly understand.”
El Fantasma gave him a confused look, his mind not connecting the dots. “I am afraid, I do not understand.”
Raul cleared his throat and stepped forward again. “Don Murillo had mentioned turning control over to me. I knew that it was the only way I could ever hope to win her over.” He clenched his jaw and tried to keep the tremble out of his voice. “If I had his power…she would have little choice.”
“But Don Murillo chose me.”
Raul scoffed again. “No, señor. Teresa chose you.” He sighed and his shoulders slumped. “Don Murillo knew your past. He knew your connections. He knew everything there was to know about you. But because of her, he trusted you enough to hand over the operation to you.”
“And how is this admission supposed to prove your loyalty?”
Raul sighed again and sat back down. “I loved her. More than anything.” He glanced up at him and gave him a wan smile. “But she loved you.”
He waved the gun at him, urging him to continue. “Go on.”
“Don’t you see? It all worked out. She was happy. Don Murillo was happy that he had somebody STRONG to carry on for him.” He lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “And I loved her enough to let go of the idea…the fantasy. I was happy for her.” He choked back a sob. “I loved her enough that her happiness was enough for me.” He looked back at him, tears in his eyes. “And because she loved you, I swore an oath to God. I indentured myself to you both. Don Murillo trusted you, and I was his right hand; when he died, I became your right hand.” He came to his feet again and slowly reached for the pistola. He pressed the barrel to the heart of his chest. “If you think I would go against my oath to God, then pull the trigger.”
El Fantasma pulled back, jerking the gun from his grip. “You loved Teresa?”
Raul scoffed and extended his arms wide. “We ALL loved her, Jefe.” He paused and sighed. “But, si. I was in love with her.”
<
br /> El jefe’s face fell and he reached out to embrace his right hand man. “I didn’t know.”
“Nobody knew, because nobody needed to.” Raul pulled back and wiped at his eyes. “She was happy with you. And I have been happy to serve.”
“Forgive me, hermano.” He pulled back and ground his teeth. “I think my mind is…”
“You’ve been preoccupied.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You have many things to consider, so I am not surprised that you begin to think paranoid thoughts.”
“I should never have accused you.”
Raul placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Somehow, I do not think the seed was planted by your own thoughts.” He gave him a knowing look.
El jefe growled low in his throat and stared towards the grounds where he knew Miguel was. “No, hermano. It was not.”
27
Near Chapala, Mexico
* * *
Mauk keyed his coms as he peered through the optics of the scope. “Vulture, overwatch is set.”
Slippy’s voice came through the earpiece, “All IFF’s reading five by five. Hornets ready on your mark, Vulture.”
Bridger pressed the transmit button and whispered into his mic, “Sparrow, are you in position?”
A moment later Laughlin’s voice answered, “Sparrow is having issues. Wait one.”
Bridger ground his teeth in frustration and glanced at DJ. “Tell me you’re a go.”
DJ nodded, tightening his grip on the carbine. “Dollar waiting on a dime, Top.”
Another moment later and Lisa’s voice whispered in his ear, “Sparrow and Momma Bird, standing by.”
Bridger took a deep breath then pressed the transmit button again, “Release the hornets.”
“Hornets away.” Slippy’s voice already sounded distracted as the miniature killing machines took to the air.
David Mauk felt goosebumps form on his arms as the dark and deadly shadows passed silently overhead. He whispered a prayer then made a rough sign of the cross, even though he wasn’t Catholic.
Slippy’s coms remained active as he mumbled, “Passing the canopy…entering the open…and they are officially in the suck. Vulture, you are clear to launch.”
DJ reached forward and squeezed Bridger’s shoulder and the pair began to work their way forward. In the distance, distinct popping sounds were muffled by the thick vegetation. DJ grimaced, realizing that what sounded like somebody popping bubble wrap was in reality suppressed, nine millimeter rounds taking an unwitting life.
“This is fuckin’ spooky, Top.”
“Cut the chatter,” Bridger whispered as the team pressed forward.
Mauk shifted uncomfortably as he scanned the area below. He watched the hornets zip in and out of the thick vegetation, smoke trailing them from the suppressed rounds they had fired. He knew that at any moment, the signal would be given and he would be free to clear those in the open closest to the compound.
He bent his head to either side, relieving pressure with a distinct crack before lowering his eye to the reticle of his scope once more.
Diego chanced moving closer and caught a glimpse over Slippy’s shoulder as he typed commands into each computer, his eyes rapidly darting back and forth, confirming kills as they occurred in real time. “Madre de Dios…”
“Shht,” Slippy whispered, his eyes staring at the screens. “Concentrating here.”
Diego stepped away and felt his hands trembling as he assumed his position once more. He fought the urge to look back, even when the shooting began.
Near Chapala, Mexico
* * *
“The rumors are true, Fantasma. My men are planning something, and it will be soon.”
He gripped the phone tighter and clenched his teeth, forcing himself not to scream. “How soon, General?”
“Any time, señor. I overheard them saying: ‘before dawn.’”
El jefe glanced at his watch and cursed under his breath. “It is less than an hour before dawn, General.” He couldn’t disguise the malice in his voice. “You wait until now to tell me this?”
“Señor, I only just now overheard them. I have been here at work for days just trying to find out what was going on with my own men and…” He sighed heavily and pressed the phone closer to his mouth. “The very moment I heard what they had planned, I called you.” He seemed to stiffen over the phone and his voice took a much more authoritarian tone. “My debt to you is paid. You have been warned. We are done.”
“General!” El jefe barked. “HOW will they attack?”
The general sighed again and his voice softened. “I heard them tell one of the men to relieve a UAV pilot early. If I had to guess, they will be using an air to surface missile.” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “I must go. So should you.”
El jefe saw red when the phone went dead in his hand. He spun and looked across his office. “Raul. We must go.”
“What is it, señor? Who was on the phone?”
“That was General Mendoza.” He strode purposefully past him and reached for his safe. “He called to inform me that his men will be attacking soon.”
“How soon?” Raul felt his voice crack as he spoke. “How can we—”
“Very soon, Raul!” he yelled at him. “And we are taking the tunnels.” He paused and gave him a lopsided smile. “You were wise to prepare them.”
Raul nodded quickly. “I did not think it would be…” He swallowed hard. “When will they be here?”
El Fantasma glanced to the ceiling and shook his head. “They could already be here.”
Gunshots erupted outside and both men stiffened. Raul shot him a wide-eyed stare. “They are here!”
El jefe shook his head. “I think not, Raul. Mendoza claims he heard his men tell a UAV pilot to prepare.” He shoved paperwork and money into a duffel then jerked the zipper shut. “My guess is that is Bravo team.”
Raul shook his head nervously. “No, señor. The odds of both of them attacking at once are…”
“It does not matter.” He stared out the windows of the office and shook his head. “Perhaps we can return and sift through the wreckage for the bodies of Bravo team.” He glared at Raul. “Something tells me that the Sinaloa will be stealing my vengeance from me as well.”
Near Chapala, Mexico
* * *
“Going hot,” Mauk announced as the men guarding the compound realized they were being targeted. He settled the illuminated crosshairs center mass on the man closest to the stairs of the house and applied pressure to the trigger. He ignored the recoil of the rifle and barely noticed the man pitching forward before he maneuvered the barrel to the next target.
He cleared as many of the guards that were in the open as he could before he resigned himself to scanning the windows of the grand house. One or two of the lights had come on once the shooting started, and anybody stupid enough to create a silhouette near the glass was dropped. It didn’t take long before the lights went out and the building remained in the dark.
Near Chapala, Mexico
* * *
Bridger made a cautious approach to the house and caught movement from the corner of his eye to the right.
“Contact right,” DJ barked before dropping the target with three shots from his suppressed barrel.
The pair never broke stride as they closed the distance to the main structure of the house. Once they erupted from the dense vegetation, Bridger held a fist in the air, stopping them.
A quick scan to their right and he noted Sparrow and Momma Bird emerging from the darkness and closing the distance to the rear of the structure. Bridger motioned forward and DJ squeezed his shoulder again.
Bridger angled to the left and slipped under the railing surrounding the deck, coming up low and scanning the front and side of the porch before the pair moved forward. Staying below the dark picture windows, he came to the main entrance and stacked on the left. DJ stacked right and pulled a flash bang. “Cover.”
Bridger
watched him pull the pin before turning away from the open door and covering his exposed ear with one hand. Once the flash popped, the two men spun and entered, barrels swinging left to right, dropping anybody who dared be inside.
Near Chapala, Mexico
* * *
Laughlin stacked outside the rear doors and watched as Lisa pressed herself to the other side. They could hear men yelling in Spanish inside and Laughlin pulled a flash bang. He ripped the pin and looked to Lisa, who gripped the door handle.
They heard the first flash bang pop inside along with the distinct sound of glass breaking. Laughlin nodded to Lisa, and she jerked the door open. He tossed it inside and she slammed the door shut just as the incendiary erupted, temporarily blinding and disorienting anybody in its immediate vicinity. Lisa pulled the door open again and the pair entered, shooting at any target that presented itself.
Laughlin transitioned left and Lisa fell in behind him, clearing rooms on the right as he cleared those on the left. They worked their way down a long hallway until they faced a set of glass double doors with sheer curtains inside blocking their view.
Lisa braced herself and kicked the middle of the doors, sending broken glass and shards of wood into the ornate room as Laughlin swept left around her. The pair pulled up short and glanced at the medical equipment, unsure what to make of a lavish hospital room inside a drug czar’s compound.
“Clear,” Lisa announced before turning back towards the gunfire. Laughlin paused for just a moment then fell into step behind her, sweeping right as she cleared left.
Lisa pulled up along the edge of the wall just shy of another long hallway running parallel to the one they had just cleared. She could hear men yelling in Spanish and gunfire being answered by suppressed weapons. She took a deep breath then glanced around the corner. She nodded to Laughlin and the pair spun, entering the fray.
Burning Bridges Page 18
