by Bella Juarez
“Anna!” Jack called out, irritated.
“I’m in here,” Anna called.
“What the hell, Anna? Can we go now? The only thing I didn’t put in the truck is the damn furniture!” Jack complained as he stalked into his study. “For the love of Chri…”
Jack froze when he looked at the wall and his jaw dropped slightly. It was the painting he’d fallen in love with at a gallery in Old Town Alexandria when he and Anna had walked through the Torpedo Factory Art Center. It was hanging on the wall in his study. How the…
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t wait until Christmas and it’s your birthday on Sunday,” Anna said.
“Anna…” Jack whispered.
“Did I get the right one?” Anna asked, worried.
Jack stood squarely in front of the painting and looked at the brush strokes and mixture of colors as well as the symbolism he remembered from the original. He looked at Anna and back at the painting. Jack was overcome, and he wasn’t sure what to do. No one in his entire life had ever taken this kind of consideration when giving him a gift. In his memory he couldn’t remember receiving something that touched him so deeply. Anna walked to Jack and put her arms around him.
“Anna, baby, you shouldn’t have…” Jack kissed her.
“You deserve more than this,” Anna said with a tender smile.
“It’s perfect. Thank you,” Jack whispered.
* * * *
Anna was happy as they started on the road to Kingsville. The look on Jack’s face when he saw his painting was worth every last penny she’d spent on it. It was a gift she knew had been instantly appreciated. She had another surprise for him on Sunday. She’d bought him a wedding band. They had recently had a major fight over the fact that she didn’t wear her wedding ring to work. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to wear it. It was because food got into the little openings in the design. He finally relented and brought home a simple wedding band the next day.
“The only thing I’ll ever require of you is to wear my ring,” Jack said.
“If you’re such a freak about rings, Jack, why don’t you wear one?” Anna shot back.
“I went out and bought that ring for you to wear to work and the one I gave you the day we got married. If you want me to wear a ring, go get me one and I’ll never take it off,” Jack said.
Anna was about to test his statement.
Jack was quiet for the first hour they were on the road. She could tell he was thinking. She decided he’d been quiet long enough.
“Is everything okay? Do you want more coffee?” Anna asked.
Jack smiled as he watched the road. “More coffee would be great,” he said.
Anna refreshed Jack’s mug with the coffee in the Thermos she’d brought filled for the trip. He took a drink, focused on the road.
“I wish I could take you with me as an op. This is the best road trip I’ve ever been on,” Jack said.
“What do you mean?”
“Catered meals and snacks, fresh coffee…You’re spoiling me. I won’t be any good the next time I have to go out,” Jack teased.
“Really? I didn’t think you had to go out anymore,” Anna said.
“I don’t know if I can with all the weight I’ve gained.”
“Say what? There’s not an ounce of fat on that body. I know. I check it out on a regular basis.”
“Me and Shaq are will be on the fat-boy program before too long,” Jack said with a smile.
Anna remained expressionless. “Why would you have to go on the fat-boy program?”
“Because of the chefs in our lives. They feed us way too good.”
“Jack, what are you talking about?” Anna asked, not looking at him.
“You don’t know?” Jack asked.
Anna looked at Jack.
“Shaq and Justin are a couple,” Jack said as if he were talking about Mac and Liz or one of his other men. It didn’t seem to faze him that Shaq was gay.
“Did Shaq tell you that?”
“Anna, are you telling me you haven’t seen Shaq at the restaurant?”
“No. But that doesn’t mean that he and Justin are a couple. That’s an awfully big assumption to make about someone,” Anna snapped.
“Anna, baby, I know he’s gay.”
“How do you know? Did Shaq tell you that?”
“Yes, he did.”
“When?” Anna shot back.
“When he first got there. I ask all my men if there is something I need to know that can bite me or them in the ass later. They always tell me because I can’t protect them otherwise,” Jack said.
Anna sat back and relaxed for a moment. She’d promised Justin and Shaq they were safe with her. She was wondering if Jack was playing some kind of game with her. He must’ve read her thoughts.
“Anna, Shaq is a good officer and his men respect him. He’s proven himself as a SEAL. With a little more experience and time, Shaq will be a great SEAL and a brilliant strategist. I’m not ruining anyone’s career unless it gets in the way of the job I expect them to do. And I’ll protect them if I have to. That’s why I ask them that question,” Jack said.
Anna felt a little protective of Shaq. Every time Jack had to travel while she was in the hospital, Shaq had stayed with her. Whenever she needed something when Jack was away, Shaq would take care of it. The young SEAL had always been good to Anna.
“Is that why you always sent Shaq to stay with me when you were gone?” Anna asked.
“It sure is. I trusted him alone with you.”
“Because he was gay.”
“I’ve got eight others in the group that are gay. All of them volunteered. Shaq was the one who stepped up. He really likes you, Anna.” Jack said.
“Will you ever hurt him with that information?” Anna asked.
“Anna, baby, I’ve got guys in some questionable relationships. When they get behind closed doors, I don’t care if someone puts a saddle on them and plays My Little Pony with them all night long. All I ask is that when they report to duty they’re focused, honest, and do their job. When they keep secrets from me that’s when they can get in trouble. As long as I know what the secret is, I can deal with it if I have to. It’s no one else’s business.”
Anna realized how little she understood Jack at times. Her husband was a generous man, to a fault. But she also understood he knew good people when he saw them. Shaq was a good man with a kind heart. She grasped with this conversation how much Jack treasured the people in his life and how far he would go to protect them. Anna suddenly appreciated just how safe and protected she was as long as Jack was by her side. He also had a very romantic and sensitive side to him as well because he truly wanted to see his men happy.
Anna giggled.
“What’s so funny?” Jack asked.
“You really do love a good romance, don’t you?”
Chapter 47
El Agua Dulce Ranch
Kingsville, Texas
December 5, 2008/ 0218 Zulu
Jack and Anna were sitting across the table from one another. He watched her concentrate. He already knew any number of plays he would make as soon as the others laid down their hands. He knew Gavino Espinoza was a more risky player, but Maria was more cautious and defensive. Anna could go either way. For Jack it was all about tactics. Gavino made his play and it was a surprisingly conservative move. Jack looked at Gavino and a smile wrinkled the old man’s face.
“You don’t know everything, weddo,” Gavino taunted.
Jack grinned at the nickname Gavino had given him the first day here. Anna had been horrified, but Jack loved it. In his mind it signaled his acceptance by two people Anna cherished.
“He just thinks he does.” Anna smiled.
“Déjalo!” Maria snapped, smiling at Jack. “Pobre mijo. You two keep picking on him,” Anna’s grandmother said.
Jack decided he would help Maria win this round.
“Boy, Welita, has he got you fooled,” Anna said.
“Hey! Give
a brother a break here, huh?” Jack said.
Anna’s grandparents had accepted Jack without question, and it had been an easy time at the large ranch that Anna’s grandfather owned. Jack had helped Gavino mend a few fences this morning and plow a field this afternoon. Tomorrow Gavino was taking him around to the fifteen hundred head of cattle he ran on this land. Jack was amazed at the size of the place and the age of the people who owned it. He only hoped he would be as spry as Gavino and his wife when he got to be their age.
Jack made a play and Anna groaned. He looked at her and winked. He’d cut her off. Gavino, however, took care of his little princesa. He understood very quickly who was to blame for spoiling Anna. Maria moved, and Jack was about to move when— Bang! All the occupants suddenly looked up at each other.
All hell broke loose. Bang! Someone was trying to kick down the front door. Bang! Jack didn’t think or hesitate. He let his battle-honed instincts take over and reacted swiftly. He grabbed Anna and Maria and pushed them toward the hallway of the small house where there were no windows. Bang!
Gavino, in the meantime, was turning off all the lights in the house, not giving the intruders any advantage. He raced toward the gun cabinet and met Jack there. Without a word they both started pulling out weapons. He grabbed the .30-06 and a box of ammunition that went along with it. He also grabbed the .45 six-shot pistol. It wasn’t much, but it would inflict damage if necessary. The door finally gave way. Time was up.
Jack went into his zone. Without a sound, he reached the first man and sent him down with a hard punch to the face. There was a loud crunch as his fist broke his nose and eye socket. The man screamed in agony as he stumbled backward and over a chair at the unexpected blow. He turned as the second assailant came for him. Jack reached up and grabbed Gavino’s prized bowie knife and sunk it into the man’s ribs with a sickening crunch.
The gasp of the man was agonizing as his lung collapsed. The assailant fell to his knees and stumbled to his feet as he backed out the door. A third man was heading toward the hallway as Jack raced across the small living room and stopped him by sweeping his feet from underneath him. As he fell, he grabbed Jack and started to fight. The attacker was stunned. Jack was faster and more deadly than he’d anticipated. Jack shot him with deadly accuracy at close range. The man fell to the floor without a sound. Jack turned to Gavino, who was watching him with concern and a trace of fear.
“Take the women and get them to safety. Don’t hide in the barn. Hide outside, where they won’t see you and you can run. If you have to, shoot to kill anybody you don’t know,” Jack ordered.
Gavino nodded and turned toward Anna and Maria.
“Vamos!” Gavino ordered.
They made their way out the door that was barely hanging by the hinges. The injured man had retreated. Being injured, he wasn’t very fast. Jack saw the man ahead of him. He was close enough to use the pistol, but he didn’t want to warn his buddies, if there were any. Jack stalked him like a tiger stalking prey. He circled him and finally pounced. He managed to get ahead of him and took him down, silently snapping his neck. He looked up and noticed lights in the distance. They have buddies.
Jack checked his weapons as he reached the summit of the slope. He saw them gathered where a dirt road went through two big rocks. This was a setup. These assholes are up to something. He waited and listened. They were an easy target, but they were also in the best strategic position to react. He was out numbered ten to one, and those were the men he could see. That wouldn’t have mattered if he’d been prepared, but the weapons he could muster were less than ideal.
Jack looked down at the .30-06. He’d taken the box of extra cartridges. He’d also taken the bowie knife that Gavino kept on the mantle even though he really didn’t want to get that up close and personal with any of these guys. He could hear one of the men speak. Jack narrowed his eyes and took a closer look. The man was using a military-grade satellite phone.
“Sí, señor. I will try to take her alive,” he said in Spanish.
Jack’s blood ran cold. Anna! Shit! His intel had been right. Thank goodness he’d been preparing for this for some time. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He typed in a brief text in code and sent it to Cobra and Mac. He had to stall these men for a couple of hours so his SEALs could get into place.
They were looking for Anna. He hoped that Gavino, Maria, and Anna had all done as he’d ordered. Anna was smart. She would do what she had to do. He redirected his focus as he looked around. He couldn’t see any more vehicles and couldn’t assume these guys were stupid. They could have surrounded the place by now. Somewhere in the distance he heard Chula’s angry bark. He prayed that the dog hadn’t followed Anna and her grandparents to their hiding place.
Jack made up his mind. He could only deal with what he knew about and once he started firing, there would be no secret about his location. He knew he had to keep moving. He observed the terrain and quickly mapped out his tactics. He opened the box of cartridges he’d taken and emptied it into his two jacket pockets. He crouched and took aim. They were all in topless Jeeps. He decided to decommission the drivers and the vehicles and prayed that would delay the process for a while longer.
A few quick shots and the drivers were dead before anyone could react. Jack moved quickly to a nearby sendero and crouched down. He took two more men out before he moved behind them, a little more exposed than he cared to be. They started to empty shots into the rocks in front of them.
To Jack’s surprise, no one left the vehicles to investigate. Thank God. They were amateurs. The fog of battle was kicking in for them. They were confused and he took full advantage as he continued to fire and move. By the time they started shooting in the direction of the sendero Jack was long gone. He’d almost gone full circle around the kill zone.
Jack continued to move with deadly precision. He was back behind the rocks again. He had a second to reengage. There were three men left and he quickly took two down. There was one man left standing, the leader. He was frantically trying to reload and Jack heard the man swear loudly because his weapon was jammed.
In the distance Jack heard screams in Spanish and heard more shots being fired. Jack could hear panting and realized there were more men so he waited for them to gather around the leader. He’d managed to flush them into his kill zone. They must’ve been looking for Anna. Jack took three men down before the leader could react. Two more men were quickly dumping bodies from the Jeeps.
“¡Ayúdeme!” the leader directed as they climbed into one Jeep.
These men were not expecting this much of a fight. The Jeep wouldn’t start, Jack noted with satisfaction. They ran to another vehicle with the same results. They’d have to flee on foot. Satisfied that the odds were now in his favor, he started to fire and move again. The men were still frantically trying to start a decommissioned vehicle. The strategic advantage they had was diminished and soon they’d be in real trouble.
Jack took down the final two and decided to show himself. He needed information. The leader knew he was in deep shit now because there were no more reinforcements. The man picked up a weapon and started spraying bullets everywhere. Jack waited for the man to make another panicked mistake. He could almost smell the man’s fear as he fired a single shot and the man dropped to his knees.
The leader howled and screamed hysterically. Jack surveyed the carnage before him. Son of a bitch. How would he explain this one? Jack was soaked in sweat and felt adrenaline coursing through his body. He had to breathe and control his heartbeat.
Jack cautiously walked to the man on his knees beside the Jeep who was whining desperately. What he needed was information. Who the hell sent him and his band of merry men?
“¿Quién te ha enviado?” Jack asked.
“¡Ayúdeme!” the man whimpered.
“Who sent you?” Jack repeated in English. “I’ll help you when you tell me what I want to know. Who sent you?”
“I can’t tell you,” the man
said in broken English.
Jack cocked the pistol he was carrying and pointed the weapon right between the eyes of the man.
“Don’t fuck with me! I’m not a cop so I don’t play by the same rules. Tell me what I want to know or I’ll let the real fucking coyotes eat you alive,” Jack snarled
“Por favor! ¡Ayúdeme!” the man screamed.
Jack heard a voice and looked up to see where it was coming from. It sounded like the dropped satellite radio. He walked to the vehicle and retrieved the device.
“Jack, drop your weapon,” the voice on the radio said.
Jack’s blood seemed to drain from his body.
“Please, Jack, drop your weapon,” Anna said again.
Jack turned slowly around and looked into the darkness. He could see a shadow approach. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he was able to make out the shape of a few shadows. Jack’s eyes widened as the shadows took form.
“You heard your wife. Drop it, Rock,” Rafe said.
Chapter 48
Unknown Location
December 6, 2008/0418 Zulu
Jack closed his eyes and let the rest of his senses do the work. His shoulder that had been bounced around on the hour drive was aching. He was covered with a hood so there was no way to see anyway. He felt the cuffs that had him restrained at his wrists. They were standard law-enforcement issue. He could manage those off with a little time. His ankles weren’t restrained with metal. It was more subtle, some kind of rope. The chair he was confined to was metal. He inhaled. It was an industrial complex or in an industrial area because he could smell diesel fuel and hear large engines running. He could also smell oil and chemicals.
Jack could hear someone approach and relaxed somewhat as he listened. He heard a click and felt someone brush past. The click he heard wasn’t a weapon. It was a more subtle click. He opened his eyes and saw bright light filter through the material of the black hood. He closed his eyes again. His hood was about to come off and he would be blinded by the sudden bright light if he kept his eyes open.
