CHAPTER 57
Donna’s phone vibrated on the nightstand. It was nearly half past eight. They were both awakened together, and had slept much longer than they anticipated. They needed the catch up sleep.
“Yes,” Donna said.
“They want proof. A photograph.”
“What did you tell them?”
“Just as we said.”
“Perfect.”
“We’ll email it to you this afternoon. The photo will appear to come from a security company. Send it shortly after it arrives.”
“Will do.”
“Did they say anything else?”
“No. They gave no indication of the meaning.”
“Did you detect anything in the voice?”
“No. It remained flat and cold throughout. Just another order.”
“Same as always.”
“Yes, but I could hear someone speaking over their shoulder. That was a first.”
“Could you make it out?”
“No. I don’t speak Spanish. Can’t make heads or tails out of it. Plus it was too fast and too muffled.”
“Did the number show up?”
“No. Blocked as you said it would be.”
“Okay. Thank you. You did a great job.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep an eye out for the message.”
Donna hung up the phone.
It didn’t matter if the number was blocked or not. She had set up IMSI catchers just outside the doctor’s house and office. Once she retrieved them and ran the data, she’d know at a minimum the originating country of the call and some other important details. It might be able to pull information from one of the cell towers along the route. She was hoping it came from Mexico, from the source. It was too big of a discovery for El Toro not to.
Once word got to El Toro that his wife had come in for a very soar throat, joined by her daughter who was looked at for a sore knee from playing soccer, he would feel the opportunity in front of him. Finding them would be like finding a needle in a haystack. And finding them would bring the same kind of joy.
Donna was thrilled when Cain explained how his friend, Sean, had a copy of surveillance footage of Maria and her daughter Rosa from just a few weeks earlier. Her excitement quickly turned to anger when Cain admitted that the same friend helped him elude her in the elevator at La Casa del Camino before their first meeting. She almost lost it when Cain added that they then went to her car to see what information they might uncover. And then how easily he slid right back into the rooftop bar and shared the afternoon with her.
At first she was mad that he had done such a thing. Then she was mad because he hadn’t told her. And then that anger turned inward. She was angry at herself for being so vulnerable. She was too relaxed and it could have come back to bite her. Luckily Cain was playing on the same team as she was. He just needed to verify she was a clean as he was. He wasn’t taking any chances.
And as calculated as he was, he had allowed himself to let go last night. It was Cain who had suggested they disclose everything last night. No more secrets. No more hidden information. He told her he trusted her completely. She already trusted him.
And by putting everything out in the open, in front of each other, together they were able to construct their plan. The best plan.
They had registered a website simply to serve as a mailing address. They used a registrar that blocked the registrant’s information, which added to the mystery. The website name was vague enough to arouse curiosity, but just specific enough to deduce that it was more than likely a security service firm. Luckily they found an aged domain that sounded just right. If it were discovered that they had registered the domain one day prior, their cover would have been easily blown, the doctor likely paying the ultimate price for their amateur mistake. A mistake they wouldn’t make.
Later that afternoon they would forward the doctor a grainy copy of a still image pulled from security camera surveillance footage. It would be black and white, and not perfect, but there would be no doubt who the faces belonged to. And even better they’d word the email so it was clear that they were responding to his inquiry from that morning. An inquiry that had been given by the man on the phone with the Spanish-speaking friend.
The timestamps would match. The photos would match. All that would be left would be to match El Toro to the route they expected he’d take. One that they couldn’t believe they’d overlooked. One that was so effective simply because it defied logic.
He hid in plain sight. And his arrogance was only overshadowed by his bravery, by his audacity. And that’s what made it work so perfectly. And that’s why the only one who would have known about it was Miguel.
CHAPTER 58
Donna walked down the sidewalk calm as a cucumber. Even with a city that loved art and fashion, it was a bit unusual to see a woman with a cape and a scarf. It just didn’t fit a Southern California afternoon.
But it did do two things. First, it concealed the bulletproof vest and helmet Donna was wearing. There would be no chances taken in setting a trap for the world’s most wanted man. Cain was positioned up high in an apartment they had found on Airbnb. It was the perfect sniper’s nest. He was observing and providing firepower if necessary.
Second it matched the type of outfit El Toro’s wife loved most, a Penelope Cruz and Mexico fusion of simple and elegant, but beautiful and unique at the same time.
Donna already enjoyed wearing it. She felt special wearing something so unique, and powerful knowing what she had underneath and what the reason was for its necessity.
She entered the doctor’s office as instructed. Sean O’Sullivan would serve as a fake patient in the waiting room. He was armed to the gills and ready to die for this mission. He had an equal amount of reasons for wanting to get El Toro. He had served as the technical point man on the mission in Mexico and had long been O’Connor’s closest buddy. Off-duty they were nearly inseparable. Floating at sea, flying internationally, or fighting domestically or abroad … whenever possible, they did it together.
Exactly twenty minutes and twenty seconds after she walked in the front door she walked out.
“Nothing,” O’Connor said into her micro ear bud. There was no sign of anyone who was even remotely suspicious.
It wasn’t that they expected a kidnapping in broad daylight, but they had to be prepared for it. Maybe El Toro, or the team he put together, pulled back because there was no sight of his daughter. Regardless, Donna continued forward with the plan.
She left the office and entered a car they had rented at the airport. It was reserved under El Toro’s wife’s name and picked up at the time of day when inbound fights were at their peak. Her fake ID was barely glanced over, and even if it had been scrutinized it wouldn’t have mattered. Sean knew Photoshop and lamination procedures like the back of his hand. It was a dead ringer for an original.
She drove to the other house they had rented along the coast. The cost was a lot more than they would have liked, but they needed something exclusive. Something fit for a drug lord’s wife who had withdrawn very large sums of money upon her landing in Chicago. That and they needed something private and out of the way of possible innocent bystanders should the op take a turn for the worst.
She pulled up to the gate, and waited for it to open. She saw someone run quickly behind her in black and reached for her service weapon in the center console. As the gate closed she realized it was just a surfer jogging to the beach in his wetsuit, trying to get in a quick afternoon surf session. ‘Only in California,’ she thought to herself.
She made her way inside and bunkered down. It was the quiet before the storm. She knew somewhere, someone was watching. It was just a matter of time before they made their move.
She entered the walk-in closet they’d been able to set up as a makeshift surveillance office. They were able to camouflage a few cameras on the perimeter of the property that morning when they picked up the keys.
After Donna had left the doctor�
�s office Sean had counted off three minutes before he made his way out and in an opposite direction. Two blocks later he had switched to riding gear and was on a Ducati Hypermotard. An absolutely stunning Italian motorcycle that looked as much elegant as it did a street fighter when expertly navigating urban driving conditions. A bike was sure to attract attention, but not nearly as much in such an affluent city as Laguna Beach. A city that saw a lot of motorcyclists pass through as they cruised Pacific Coast Highway. He was so often in combat zones that he rarely had time to spend money on anything. After returning stateside he treated himself, knowing that spending time on the back of the bike was a lot less dangerous than spending time in the places he’d just been.
O’Connor and O’Sullivan got into position, each about a hundred yards away in separate houses. They were the only two other rentals they could find on short notice which offered a view of the interior of the house, while also provided crossing lines of fire should it come to that.
O’Connor, O’Sullivan, and Davis stayed off the communication channels as they dug in for the inevitable ‘hurry up and wait.’ They knew they weren’t the only ones who knew about IMSI catchers and other forms of electronic surveillance. They weren’t going to get caught up in something so basic at the eleventh hour.
As O’Connor sat and waited he realized just what his pursuit of justice had come to. And more importantly who was along for the ride. His best friend, sure, he had expected him. They were equally out for revenge. That was a given.
But it was Donna that really sent chills up his spine. She had put herself in harm’s way today. She was the decoy. As much as he didn’t like it, he admired it. He knew she was hardheaded and wanted to bring this guy down as bad as he did. After a couple minutes of trying to talk her into other plans, he gave up. He knew she’d do it by herself if she had to. And that’s one of the many things he admired about her. She’d make things right at any cost.
They were on the same page, and in more ways than one. Their bodies fused together as perfectly in the bedroom as their minds in the boardroom. They may not have been corporate executives, but they planned and executed at or above the same level. And the stakes weren’t money and shareholders, it was the people of America and their very own lives.
And as he thought about how many lives this op could change, his thoughts quickly drifted back to his own life. No matter the conclusion, what would happen when this op was over? Would Donna get her closure allowing her to ride off into the sunset? Would she want to put the past, including him, behind her? He caught himself, and shook off those thoughts. It was in his nature of preparedness that he would examine all possibilities, but he knew this time he didn’t have to. He didn’t doubt himself and didn’t doubt her either. He knew he wanted to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him.
And that was one of the reasons he let her in. And why she let him in. They were equals. They were meant for each other. And just as clear as the Pacific Ocean is deep, he realized he loved her. Yes, he truly loved her. He wanted her. He needed her. And tonight, he was going to do everything to protect her. To keep her safe. To ensure their future.
“Were are you, El Toro?” O’Connor asked under his breath as his watch showed midnight. “Come out, come out wherever you are.” He scanned the fence line and then the front yard of the property. “And when you do, you’re mine.”
CHAPTER 59
O’Connor looked down at his watch. Two in the morning. According to circadian rhythm it’s the time that the human body goes into its deepest sleep. After his last shot of espresso he was anything but. He was ready for go time. And the time was now.
Two slim men in all black quickly approached the perimeter fence of the property. O’Connor aligned his sights along the wall. The men removed a small rope with an attached grappling hook. Less than ten seconds later they were both over the wall, definitely not the first time attempting such a maneuver. These were professionals.
“Southwest perimeter. Two tangos over the wall. Coming at you fast,” O’Connor said into his comms.
“Roger that,” Donna replied.
“Two more on the Northeast side,” O’Sullivan added.
“One more due East. I’m coming in.” O’Connor added.
“Joining you,” O’Sullivan added.
O’Connor and O’Sullivan exited their posts and made a beeline for the wall. They each had rope and grappling hooks of their own, and they needed to be quick. Three tangos were already working to get inside the house.
The first tango jimmied the downstairs living room window and was up and over the sill quickly. He made his way through the living room keeping his hands locked on his pistol. His pistol following his line of sight as he scanned the room.
As he turned the corner into the hallway he passed a large potted plant. He felt a crunch under his boot and looked down. Dried leaves had fallen from the plant onto the hallway floor.
The stun of the Taser hit him before he even got his head lifted back up. The last thing he saw was his shoe, before he quickly joined it on the floor. Donna moved in quickly. She dragged him into the nearby bathroom and cuffed him and gagged him. She patted him down and removed two knives and a second pistol before placing him in the bathtub and locking him inside.
Donna had been fast and as quiet as possible, but not totally quiet. The other two tangos heard the movement and moved in for a closer look. As Donna turned the lock to the bathroom she felt a piece of the doorjamb splinter and shatter behind her. The M4 carbine, a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2 used throughout the military for years, was the perfect choice for close quarters combat.
But the tangos didn’t want combat. Hitting the bosses wife or daughter would have resulted in sure death for the shooter with lousy aim. This was strictly a grab and go mission, but all that had changed when they heard the thud in their comms as their accomplice hit the deck. They knew they weren’t the only ones inside with specialized skills. The sound of his body being dragged across the floor and him being gagged assured them of that.
Donna ran through the hall toward the other end of the house. As she entered the opening into the billiards room she quickly saw two men coming her way. She dropped into a baseball slide and hit one man low, dropping him on top of her. He rolled to get in position on top of her as she reached for her pepper spray.
“It’s not her!” he yelled in Spanish just before taking a shot of pepper spray to the face from less than three inches away. Donna had taken a breath of air just before deploying the spray and closed her eyes. She felt his weight roll off of her to her left side as he rolled around the floor in pain. She rolled right underneath the cover of the pool table just in time to see her prior position lit up with rounds.
She slid back as the pool table splintered from the rounds. She lifted a hand above the table and fired her pistol at the tango. She heard his body drop and moved back in to check his vitals. He was dazed, and quickly coming too. She slid on the plastic cuffs before he could orient himself. The bullet had hit two inches off dead center in his chest, but he was wearing a ballistic vest.
These guys came prepared for a war, Donna thought to herself. And we’re gonna give it to 'em.
“Abort, abort, abort,” the man’s screams filled the room in Spanish. “It’s a trap,” he added before Donna slid from behind and put him in a chokehold. He’d be out in ten seconds.
“Nice of you to join,” Donna said as O’Connor and O’Sullivan entered the room.
“House is clear. Where are the other two tangos?” O’Connor asked.
“Don’t know,” Donna said.
“They’re going to run. Let’s go.”
O’Sullivan bolted for the door followed by O’Connor and Donna.
“Guess we’re not going to get the deposit back,” O’Connor said as they approached the fence.
“Unless you’re good with woodworking,” Donna shot back.
O’Connor smiled as he threw the grappling hook over, helping Donn
a up the rope after he felt it catch.
“Tracks. This way.” O’Sullivan said as they got over the fence.
“Same entry and exit points. Predictable.”
The team took off in a dead sprint down the street. At the end of the block they looked left, straight, and then right.
“There!” O’Connor said. “They’re going for the water.”
“Diver’s Cove,” Donna said.
They pursued the tangos down Cliff Drive, following them down the steps which provided beach access to the cove. The area was way too residential to take a shot. The fact that there could be divers out looking for lobster that night multiplied the problem. Plus, it wasn’t these guys they were after. They wanted El Toro. It was the reason Donna had chosen pepper spray earlier. These tangos might be able to get them one step closer to the man they were ultimately after.
SEAL's Secret: A Navy SEAL Romantic Suspense Novel (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 24) Page 16
