Sin (Sinclair O'Malley Book 1)

by J. M. LeDuc

  “I’m tired of thinking,” she raged. “The time for thinking is over. It’s time for action.”

  Charlie put his hands up. “I give up,” he said, “but I’m not letting you go alone. I’m coming with you.”

  Sin’s heart rate began to descend as she paced the room. “I need you here, Charlie. If I promise not to go alone, will you help me?”

  “Whose help are you going to get?”

  “The same people who have helped keep me alive since I left the bureau.”

  “Your unit? You think they will?”

  “For Veloz? They’d sell their first born.” Sin thought about what she just said and cringed. “Bad analogy.”

  Charlie held his arms out and Sin hugged him tight.

  “We haven’t screamed at each other like that since you were sixteen,” he said.

  “You always were the only person I could vent on who didn’t hate me afterward,” she sighed.

  “There were others, Sinclair, you just didn’t give them a chance.”

  Maybe that’s one of the reasons fate brought me back here, she thought.

  For a while, they sat with a hot mug of coffee in each other’s company, yet in the depths of solitude.

  Charlie broke the ‘Zen-like’ mood. “We need to talk about you.”

  “What about me?”

  “You know damn well, York will tell the authorities that you were the one who broke in.”

  Sin’s expression turned somber.

  Charlie’s eyebrows rose as if he had just thought of something.

  “What?” Sin said.

  “How the hell did they know you were there, yet they had no idea I was there?”

  “I think that was a run on sentence,” Sin smirked. She then tapped her wrist. “The government mole was able to track my moves. Whoever the mole is, he or she was able to access my microchip.”

  “We need to get you the hell out of dodge and contact Graham and Westcott.”

  Sin sat, motionless, and tapped the ceramic mug with her nails.

  “What are you thinking?” Charlie asked.

  “We can’t contact anyone because we have no idea how deep the subterfuge runs.”

  “Okay, but we still have you to deal with. What—”

  Sin rubbed her wrist over the implant and bit her lip hard as a sly smile came over her.

  “What are you thinking?” Charlie asked.

  “I need to contact Dr. O’Rourke and then I will let you know if my plan has any merit.”

  Charlie pulled a burn phone out of his desk drawer handed it to Sin.

  An hour later, Dr. O’Rourke was sitting at the kitchen table listening to Sin’s story.

  “So let me get this straight. You’re not a Sergeant but an FBI agent who was sent here to investigate the killing of other agents, and a possible sex ring involving girls from the orphanage.” Dr. O’Rourke’s voice rose as she spoke—an auditory cue of disbelief.

  “That’s the gist if it,” Sin said. “I had been out of the country on assignment. When my superiors heard about my father, they knew they had the perfect ploy.”

  “And,” Dr. O’Rourke continued, “they micro-chipped you so you could be followed like some dog?”

  Sin stood and leaned in close to the doc. “I don’t appreciate the dog comment, but yeah, that’s about right.”

  “And you want me to remove it,” Dr. O’Rourke looked around. “here—in a non-sterile environment?”

  Sin took a deep, calming breath and sat back down. “Look, Deborah, I know I’m asking a lot from you, but before we talk about removing the chip, I need to pick your brain.”

  Dr. O’Rourke crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “About?”

  “When I was chipped, I was told to remove it if I ever got in trouble. I was told that if it no longer was in contact with my body, an emergency signal would be activated and reinforcements would be sent.” The doc opened her mouth to speak, but Sin held up her hand to stop her. “I want to know if it can be removed without the signal going off.”

  “I’m a doctor, not an IT specialist, how would I know?”

  Charlie, who had stayed quiet to this point interjected. “If you will let me, I think I might be able to shed some light on the matter.”

  Dr. O’Rourke nodded.

  “The government has been doing some experimenting with micro-chipping their covert ops units. It’s a way of keeping tabs on them when they are deep under cover.”

  Dr. O’Rourke nodded. “Go on.”

  “The chip is temperature controlled. As long as it stays in contact with living tissue or,” he held up a finger for emphasis, “maybe a living lab culture that would also be at body temp, the alarm won’t trigger.”

  Now it was Dr. O’Rourke’s turn to interrupt. “So, if I can remove the chip and transfer it to a tissue culture, it should stay active.”

  “Right,” Charlie smiled.

  “But,” Dr. O’Rourke addressed Sin, “if it tracks your moves, won’t it seem suspicious if it stays in one place?”

  “It won’t stay in one place,” Charlie said.

  “Care to explain?” the doc said.

  “Yeah,” Sin joined in. “I’d like to hear this one, Obi-wan Kenobi.”

  “You remove it, and I will take care of moving it,” Charlie snickered.

  “I’m beginning to think you really are crazy,” Sin said.

  “Crazy as a fox,” Dr. O’Rourke said. “That plan just might work.”

  Dr. O’Rourke felt Sin’s wrist. “There are a lot of nerve endings in this area. It’s going to hurt afterward.”

  Sin rolled her eyes. “Hell, that beats the way the FBI wanted me to extract it.”

  “Which is?” Dr. O’Rourke asked.

  “Bite it out of my own wrist.”

  Dr. O’Rourke looked at Charlie and pointed at Sin, “She’s wrong, she is the crazy one.”

  When Dr. O’Rourke finished the procedure, she wrapped Sin’s sutures with medical tape. “So,” she said, “you never said where you would be while your chip is vacationing in the Florida Keys.”

  “The less you know, the better,” Sin said through gritted teeth.

  “I think we’re past that point, don’t you?”

  Sin took a deep breath, puffed out her cheeks, and exhaled through pursed lips. “I’m going to Central America to cut off the head of a snake.”

  After Dr. O’Rourke left, Sin went outside and made a phone call. Coming back in, she placed her hand on Charlie’s forearm. “I contacted my unit. They are meeting me in Honduras. From there we will plan the attack on Veloz. The way I figure, this should be a three day mission, tops.”

  Sin didn’t like lying to her friend, but she knew he would have never let her go alone.

  Charlie nodded. “I figure I can keep whoever is tracking your chip on the run for four days. After that, they should be able to catch wind of the deception.”

  Sin nodded. “Then let’s not waste any time. Can you fly me over to Honduras?”

  “Yes, but I will need international clearance to land.”

  “Not a problem, you won’t be landing.”

  “So, I’m dropping you off midflight?”

  Sin nodded and handed him a list of names. “When you get back from our flight, I want you to gather these people and tell them what’s going on.” Sin pointed to the bottom of the page. “In case something goes wrong, call this number.”

  “Whose number is it?” Charlie asked.

  “Someone I hope you never have to meet.”

  CHAPTER 28

  Just before they reached the terminal point of the flight, Sin checked her gear one more time.

  Charlie yelled her name over the engine noise and pointed to the controls. “Time to go.”

  Sin pulled her
goggles down over her eyes and gave thumbs up sign. She turned to get ready to jump when Charlie grabbed her by her jumpsuit. “If I don’t hear from you in four days, I’m coming back.”

  Sin leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you, too.”

  She opened the side door of the plane and felt the hot, humid air hit her like a wet blanket. Her sweat mixed with her anticipation and fear resulted in a near orgasmic adrenaline rush. A sly grin caressed her face as she jumped into the night sky. Sin drew both of her arms into her body to streamline her shape, tucked her chin into her chest, and shot through the blackened night like a missile. At an altitude of one thousand feet, she flared out her arms and legs, arched her back, and pulled the ripcord. It felt as if she had pulled the emergency brake at one hundred miles an hour. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn she stalled in midair. With the comforting sound of the chute opening, Sin grabbed hold of the toggle lines and steered free of any obstacles. At one hundred feet, she pulled straight down on the toggle handles and readied herself for an easy landing.

  Once on the ground, Sin didn’t have to look long to know exactly where she was. Charlie had timed the drop zone perfectly for her to land on the outskirts of Choluteca, Honduras. The town, once rich from gold and other metals, was now just a poor, old, mining town known more as stopover in southern Honduras for people looking to cross over into Nicaragua.

  Sin asked to be dropped in Choluteca because she had an old contact there.

  Although she had lied to Charlie about contacting her mercenary unit, she hadn’t lied completely. She had contacted Manuel Juarez, a man with connections—legal and otherwise.

  She reached Manuel’s place and saw a lone light bulb flickering on the porch. The light was her sign that she was clear to approach. With a final look both ways, Sin pulled her semiautomatic out of her holster and knocked on the door.

  She heard squealing and a child’s footsteps just before the door opened wide. Sin quickly hid the gun as a fifteen-year-old, brown-eyed beauty leaped into her arms.

  “Serena, don’t hurt our angel before she even has a chance to say hello.”

  Sin knew the deep baritone voice belonged to Serena’s father, Manuel.

  “Si, Papa,” Serena said.

  She begrudgingly stopped hugging Sin, but held tight to her hand as she led her into their small home.

  The home, though tiny by U.S. standards, was warm and had a peace about it. A peace that didn’t exist a few years earlier.

  During Sin’s last mission in Nicaragua, the mission in which she captured Veloz, she had rescued Serena from the skin smugglers and returned her to her distraught father. Manuel had lost his wife to dysentery and Serena was his entire life. He tried to give Sin money, the little he had, but she refused. He swore his life to her and promised to be there for her if she ever needed anything.

  It was time to pay the debt.

  Manuel explained that Serena had been up all night waiting for her ‘angel.’ Sin spent the next two hours talking to the young girl about all the things young girls don’t feel comfortable talking to their fathers about. By the time Serena was talked out, she was exhausted, and fell asleep in Sin’s arms. Once she was tucked in, Sin made her way to the small kitchen. The smell of coffee and tobacco helped energize her. Two cups of dark, muddy coffee and three hand-rolled Honduran cigarettes later, Sin was ready to run laps.

  “So tell me, Angel,” Manuel said, “what can I do for you?”

  “Did you get what I asked for?”

  “Si, a motorcycle. It isn’t much, but it is the best I could do.”

  He led her out back and pulled a tarp off of an old Honda 250 Enduro Dirt Bike—built for rough terrain—perfect for where Sin needed to go.

  Sin squatted beside it and began to check out the bike.

  “I know it doesn’t look like much, but I assure you it is in good running condition and will get you to Puerto Cabezas without any problems.”

  Sin nodded and stood up.

  “Now, Angel, you will come back inside and have something to eat before you leave, and maybe,” Manuel stared at Sin with penetrating black eyes, “you will tell me why you have come.”

  Sin ate some homemade bread and fresh eggs from Manuel’s chickens and told him that Veloz was free and living in Puerto Cabezas.

  He was stunned.

  “Angel, you must be mistaken. We were told that he was put to death for his crimes. You, yourself, captured the devil.”

  “I know, it came to a shock to me also, but it is true. The devil lives.”

  Manuel shook with nerves. His shirt began to show patches of sweat.

  “Manuel, look at me,” Sin whispered.

  He continued to stare off in the direction of his daughter’s room.

  “Manuel.”

  His eyes cut to Sin.

  “I promise you that he will never know who helped me.”

  Manuel nodded, but he didn’t seem any more reassured than a moment ago.

  “And I promise you, he will never harm you or Serena ever again.”

  Manuel left the room and came back with an engraved box. “I made this for you after you left. I promised that if I ever saw you again I would give it to you.” He held the box at arms’ length.

  Sin took it and sat down. She ran her hands over the intricate engraving of an angel surrounded by little girls. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed. “Thank you.”

  “Open it,” Manuel gestured.

  Sin opened the hinged lid and removed a piece of white cloth. What was inside took her breath away. She reached in and removed a pearl handled Balisong or butterfly knife. She held it by the safe handle and flipped open the blade. With her free hand, she ran her fingers over the side edge of the blade. It was so sharp, Sin knew it would cut through whatever she needed with ease. She put her free hand down and with a series of wrist flips, Sin put the Balisong through its paces. She flipped it open and closed, spun it, and changed it from one hand to another with blinding speed and dexterity.

  With a final flick of her wrist, she closed it and gripped it in her fist. “It’s beautiful, but I can’t accept it. It must have cost you a fortune.”

  Manuel closed his hand over hers. “You gave me back my daughter. There is no price I can ever put on that.” Sin swallowed hard, holding back her emotions. “Promise me one thing,” Manuel said through clenched teeth, tears running down his cheeks. “Promise me you will use it to end Veloz’s reign of terror.”

  Sin placed the Balisong in the back pocket of her black jeans. “You have my word, Manuel. He will never hurt anyone again.”

  By daybreak, Sin had made it across the border into Nicaragua. By her estimation, she still had another six hours to ride before she reached the Condominio Elegante in the port town of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. The key was to stay unnoticed until she wanted to be noticed.

  Sin stayed to rutted, dirt roads and kept her speed down as she passed through the towns and villages in southern Nicaragua.

  By the time she stopped for dinner in a small cantina on the outskirts of the city known to be loyal to Veloz, it was raining. Nothing unusual for this part of the world. In a local café, she enjoyed a bowl of Gallo Pinto—a Nicaraguan staple made from a mixture of fried rice, onion, sweet pepper, red beans, and garlic; all mixed and fried together. She noticed a young boy who kept staring at her while she ate. The boy seemed tentative—bordering on scared.

  She knew she had made her presence known.

  Sin sat back and drank her coffee, purposely let her jacket fall to the side allowing the boy the chance to get a peek at her pearl-handled semiautomatic. She burned a stare through the boy as his eyes and mouth opened wide. He gathered her plate with trembling hands and skittered his way towards the kitchen, practically tripping over his own feet.

  Sin relaxed, rolled a cigarette, and li
t it. Inhaling, she thought, the boy will get word to Veloz that I’m here. Instead of getting nervous, Sin smiled. Game’s on. Let’s see who chokes first.

  CHAPTER 29

  Sin crouched low in an alley in front of the Condominio Elegante. From this vantage point, she was able to see Veloz’s security force—three guards by the front doors, one on each side of the condo, and two undercover. She could tell that only the two undercover were true guerrillas. The others were hired locals. Sin watched the activity of the two ‘soldiers.’ One was a cigar roller who had his stand across the street from the port and the other was a cab driver standing outside of his cab. Their footwear and posture gave them away. Most people here were dressed in a Caribbean style complete with flip-flops and their stance was relaxed, bordering on lazy; they were wearing combat boots, their shoulders were square, and their heads were held high.

  From her peripheral vision, she saw the young boy from the cantina run towards the front door of the hotel yelling, “La Perla Angel de la Muerte está aquí!”

  The Pearl Angel of Death is here!

  The Pearl Angel of Death was the moniker Sin had acquired as a mercenary due to her affinity towards pearl-handled weapons.

  Twenty minutes later, the front doors of the hotel opened. The boy was escorted out by one of Veloz’s men.

  It would only be a matter of minutes before Veloz’s guerillas began to search the area.

  Due to the destruction of Hurricane Felix back in 2007, the Condominio Elegante was considered unstable and was targeted to be knocked down in order for a new condominium to be built. Sin was going to use that to her advantage. It allowed for a lot of hiding spots. It was close to seven p.m. and the streets were fairly busy. Because of the rain, most people were under cover of an umbrella.

  Sin entered a small shop and bought the largest umbrella she could find. Once again outside, she opened it and kept it low to her head. Although she wanted Veloz to know she was near, concealment was everything.