by Margaret Kay
“Or the big boss had him working on something else after Razor’s return,” Lambchop theorized.
Next, they informed Lambchop of their plan to get at Mendoza by having Sienna call him into school for an important conference regarding his daughter. “It’s nearly the end of the school year and conferences are on the calendar for next week, anyway. The call shouldn’t arouse too much suspicion, unless as we suspect, he knew she had been on the run. And even then, it would be more suspicious for him to decline to come in if he believed no one has made him,” Cooper said.
“Are we scooping him up or planting a tracker on him?” Lambchop asked.
“That is still being decisioned,” Shepherd said.
“We already have his phone tracked, got the number from what the school had in the kid’s file. The signal is stationary here in Virginia. That’s why I am anxious to see if he comes to the school tomorrow or if he plays a song and dance to push it out a few days. Charity will place the call from the school tomorrow morning requesting an afterschool meeting. We need to be sure we have an accurate read on his phone before we decide,” Cooper said.
This soon of a timeframe surprised Sienna. She hadn’t realized they would be trying to get him to come in the same day. She hadn’t said anything, but the thought of using his daughter to get at him disturbed her. Sophia was an innocent little girl who didn’t need to know what kind of monster her father was.
Sienna still had a hard time believing that Sophia’s father was a high-level cartel boss, the reason so many drugs made it onto the streets, where they killed nearly a hundred-thousand Americans a year, many of them just kids. She’d had many conversations with Raul Valle over the last year and would never have suspected he was who he was. She also would never have thought that he could have been the one who had either killed Greg himself, or ordered one of his men to commit the act.
“Sienna?” Garcia questioned, taking her hand in his. Her face had taken on a disturbed expression.
“I’m still just shocked at who he really is.” She shook her head. “I had many conversations with the man over the last year. How could he be such a monster and I didn’t know? He was most likely responsible for Greg’s death and responsible for sending those people after us in that warehouse in Colorado.”
“Monsters walk among us every day,” Madison said. “There are no neon lights flashing over their heads to alert us to who they really are. Don’t do that to yourself, question how you didn’t pick up on anything.”
“That’s right,” Lambchop chimed in. “These people have ordinary lives with children and families outside of their criminal activities. And they are masters at keeping it separate.”
Sienna nodded. “Thank you. You’re right. But after you get him, what about his daughter?”
“I’m investigating the Santana woman. If she’s clean, the girl can remain with her,” Jackson piped up.
“And if she isn’t?” Sienna asked.
“We find a good home for her. Don’t worry, Charity. We’ll make sure the girl is taken care of,” Jackson replied without missing a beat.
“We still need to figure out how the drugs are getting in,” Shepherd redirected. “If we can identify distribution warehouses, the DEA can have satellites on them so they can backtrack where the shipments came from to arrive there. But we need to be sure.”
“Well, we know the target facility is one, thanks to Charity’s husband and the recon photos he took,” Cooper said.
“I’ve already sent that location to the DEA. A satellite is in the process of being dedicated to that location, but we still need your group to breach it, Lambchop. Make that happen today.”
“In the works,” Lambchop guaranteed. “We can commence as soon as we’re done with this call.”
“Remember last fall, the assumption was that someone high ranking was allowing the drugs in, either at a port or at customs? What if it was the CIA?” Madison theorized.
“Vargas?” Cooper asked.
“I don’t think it was Charity’s husband,” Garcia answered.
“Yeah, he was clearly trying to stop something. His actions were not suspect,” Jackson said.
“Just his methods,” Garcia said. “He put his wife in danger.” He shook his head disapprovingly.
Sienna took his hand again and shook her head at him. “I’ll deal with forgiving him later. We don’t know why he did what he did, so please don’t blame him until we do know.”
“That’s very generous of you,” Garcia said quietly. He would not be that generous. As far as he was concerned Greg Andrews was a scumbag for keeping his wife in the dark about the threat and putting his wife in danger after he was dead and unable to protect her. Garcia knew if he even suspected there was a threat to himself or her, he would make sure she was tucked away out of harm’s way before he did anything else.
“Okay, Alpha, we’ll drop you from the call. Delta, are we a go to send the Birdman in?” Shepherd questioned.
“Roger that, Big Bear,” Lambchop said.
“I’ll be back in touch after twenty-one hundred,” Shepherd said, and then the call on the monitor ended.
Oscar
The remainder of the evening was uneventful. Sienna was exhausted and headed up to bed by eight pm. Garcia promised he’d be up shortly. After she disappeared up the stairs, and they watched her close the bedroom door on the security camera monitoring the hallway, the team finally spoke freely. This was the first time since they had liberated her from the Dearborne Energy Solutions building that she was separate from them except during quick uses of the bathroom.
Doc then descended the stairs ready to begin his overnight shift. They brought him up to speed on the developments of the day both there in Virginia and with Delta Team in Colorado. Garcia had already programmed the search for businesses with the word ‘Tires’ at that coordinate that was unlocked earlier, and Ops was running it.
“Well damn, why didn’t you call and wake me up?” Doc groused.
“We would have if we needed you, Doc,” Cooper said. “We need you awake and watching things tonight.”
Doc nodded towards her room upstairs. “Is she okay?”
“I know it scared the hell out of her, but she hung tough,” Anthony replied, even though, he couldn’t wait to get upstairs to her and once they were alone, find out how she really was.
“We’ll connect her back with Lassiter if need be,” Cooper said dismissively.
“Answering those questions, that couldn’t have been a pleasant trip down memory lane for her,” Madison added. Her eyes met Garcia’s. She saw in them, that he didn’t care for her trip down memory lane either. “She’s been so afraid since her husband died, I doubt she’s had the chance to go through any of the stages of grief.”
“Another reason to set up another call for her with Lassiter,” Garcia acknowledged. He appreciated Madison pointing that out for him. He had to remember what all she was dealing with, so he didn’t push too hard, no matter how much he wanted a relationship with her when this business was concluded.
“So, Mendoza? When will the decision be made on scooping him up?” Doc asked.
“Shepherd is negotiating that with the DEA,” Cooper replied.
“This one is tricky,” Garcia said, voicing his thoughts aloud. “Saucedo was different. I knew I could get info out of him. Mendoza,” he paused shaking his head, “he might be more valuable if we could follow him. I just wish we could get a tracker in him.”
“Yeah, we can’t risk him slipping away again,” Doc agreed.
“Doc, would you be able to inject a dose of the sedative into, say a piece of fudge or a brownie, strong enough to knock him out, but not keep him out for very long? If we could drug him, install the tracker, and then have him wake up with paramedics fussing over him in the classroom, he shouldn’t be too suspicious. A guy like him, once awake, would decline transport to a hospital,” Cooper proposed.
“The pain and the mark the tracker leaves would be the
only variable. If he were to feel it or see it, then he’d be suspicious,” Doc replied.
“Unless it’s bleeding when he comes to, and we tell him he smacked himself when he passed out,” Madison suggested.
“That could work. We could inject the tracker and then I could create a laceration near it to draw his attention,” Doc said. “We could even have Madison use the ring injector to sedate him. If she nails him in an artery or vein in the neck, he’ll be out fast enough that he won’t remember getting pricked.”
“The paramedics would be our people,” Cooper said. “This could work. Shepherd should be contacting us within the next hour. We’ll run it by him then.”
The video-call came in from Shepherd a short time later. Jackson was also online. The four members of Alpha Team huddled around the laptop. First Shepherd brought them up to date on the Birdman’s breach of the New Mountain Enterprises building.
“Nothing happened when he poked around the outside. As soon as he breached the building by picking a lock on an outer door, motion sensitive lighting clicked on, following him throughout the building. The building was empty, and clean. Not even a hint of the drugs we knew were there from Andrews’ pictures. Fifteen minutes later, the detectors Delta Team installed at the turnoff into the driveway of the facility registered company. Two SUV’s, each with four men in them, sped into the parking lot. They wore body armor and were heavily armed with brand new Smith and Wesson 40 caliber G22 Gen4’s.”
“I’m not liking the sound of this,” Cooper remarked.
“That’s a lot of dinero invested in eight men at six-hundo a pop in just weapons,” Garcia said and then whistled.
“Delta stayed cool. These guys were professionals. One SUV pulled up to each end of the building and they breached it simultaneously. The Birdman wore a camera in his clothes. The first guys who reached him frisked him and treated him none-too-gently. I was relieved when they interrogated him. I knew they weren’t going to execute him on the spot, but I ordered Delta to move in close enough to assist, if need be, just in case one of the hired-muscle went off script.”
“So, they asked questions first. That’s refreshing,” Madison remarked.
“Standard cartel behavior. You don’t waste a source before obtaining information,” Garcia said.
“But after, they usually waste them with little thought,” Doc chimed in, concerned for the Birdman, even though it was after the fact.
“Yeah, the Birdman played it well, even pissed himself when a gun was stuck in his face. In the end they bought he was just a drunk, strung-out homeless man looking for a place to crash. They escorted him out of the building and pushed him towards the main road. The fuckers didn’t even give him a ride out of the area. Then they reset the security system, buttoned the place up, and were gone five minutes later.”
“Eight goons guarding the empty facility is over-kill, don’t you think?” Cooper asked.
“Major over-kill,” Shepherd agreed.
“Was the satellite in place yet, to know where they came from?” Cooper asked.
“No. In hind-sight that would have been helpful.”
“We’re still working on figuring out the ownership and financials of that facility,” Jackson said. “I know your to-do list is full, Razor, but can you get back on that? We’re not having any luck even with the leads you gave us.”
Garcia chuckled. “They went to a lot of trouble to make it look legit while hiding who the owner on record is. Yeah, I will have some time tomorrow morning while playing Mr. Computer-man in the library at the school. Big Bear, which is priority, trying to reset the first question of the cipher or the target facility’s ownership and financials?”
“It all is. Get them done,” Shepherd ordered.
“I’ll be up early working them,” Garcia guaranteed.
Then they made their pitch to Shepherd for the operation to drug and inject the tracker into Mendoza. Shepherd approved it, as the DEA was adamant Mendoza could not be scooped up. He had to remain in play to lead them to the origin of the drugs.
Shepherd then gave a report on Juan Carlos. He was on the move with a known member of the Juarez Cartel, heading towards Chicago.
“Hopefully, the DEA won’t lose them this time,” Garcia remarked.
“We’ll deploy Bravo Team to surveil them upon arrival as well,” Shepherd said. “This could mean a shipment is moving in. Maybe our friend from Virginia will even head into town. We won’t blow this opportunity.”
“Jax, how close to running down those businesses that flagged from the search criteria program are you?” Garcia asked.
“About halfway. There are a shit-ton of businesses in the area with the word ‘Tires’ in them with enough square footage to house such an operation. Your program worked well. Charlie Team split up and are looking at them.”
“We’ll need two members from either Charlie or Bravo to masquerade as our EMTs. I hate to pull them if you need them,” Cooper said.
“We can send Taco and Powder out first thing in the morning. At least Powder can make the medical part look authentic,” Jackson said.
“That’s the plan then,” Shepherd announced. “We’ll touch bases back before the operation to install the tracker commences”
“Roger that, Big Bear,” Cooper acknowledged. Then the call was cut by Shepherd.
“If we’re done, I’m going to head up,” Garcia said as he came to his feet. “I’ll be up early and work on my growing to-do list.”
Cooper nodded his approval. After Garcia disappeared up the stairs, he spoke to no one in particular. “It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to set up a call with her and Lassiter tomorrow before this meeting with Mendoza. We need her solid.”
Garcia entered the bedroom. “It’s just me, Sienna,” he said into the darkness.
“I’m not asleep yet,” she said. “You were longer than I expected, though.”
“Doc was just coming on shift. We briefed him and then had a call with Shepherd. I plan to be up early to work on unlocking that first question of the cipher.” He stripped to his skivvies. Then he slid into bed beside her and took her into his arms.
“Mm,” she moaned as she turned into him and embraced him. “I’m glad you came up before I fell asleep.” She didn’t say it, but she knew she wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep if he wasn’t holding her. Although she was exhausted, after the events of the day, she needed the reassurance of safety his physical closeness brought.
“I would have woken you up,” he replied with a quiet chuckle, nuzzling her playfully. “Are you really okay?”
She nodded against him. “Yes, more or less. I was so afraid and at one point, I was convinced I was going to die.”
He tightened his embrace. “Don’t ever put yourself into a situation like that again, no matter what. Promise me.”
“I promise,” she agreed. Then she snuggled in and relaxed. She could go to sleep now that he was there.
“So, the answer to that last question,” Garcia whispered. He felt her tense in his arms. “If there is something you like and want to share with me,” he paused and chuckled at her reaction.
“Thank you for not reading it aloud. I would have been mortified,” she whispered. Truth was, even him reading it, and Madison seeing it over her shoulder had been humiliating.
Garcia chuckled again. “Sweetheart, it’s not a big deal. We’re both adults that happen to be having sex with each other. If there is something you like, I’m all for it.”
In the darkness Sienna felt her cheeks heat and was sure she had turned several shades of red. “Anthony, please stop.” Her voice was quiet and pleading.
Garcia chuckled again. “Sienna, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You amuse me, your reactions to sexual things but you are so uninhibited during.”
Uninhibited? Who was he kidding? She knew she was not even close to being uninhibited at any point. She gave a sarcastic sigh. “I’m not sure who you’ve been sleeping with these past,” she
paused abruptly, counting the days since she’d placed herself in his hands. She was shocked it had only been twelve days.
Garcia waited her out for several long seconds. “Sienna?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. It’s only been twelve days since I met you, or that biker, rather. How can that be?”
Garcia took hold of her cheeks between both of his hands and kissed her with everything he had. They were both breathless when he pulled his lips just an inch away. “Because it feels like that.”
Twelve days. She’d only been with him for twelve days.
“Now back to my question. Is there a sex toy you like that you want to share with me? Maybe in this very room, right now?” He spoke suggestively, wanting to know like he’d never wanted to know anything ever before.
