The Shaman

by David Nees

  With nothing to live for, he had formed a plan to exact his own payback and headed back to Brooklyn to carry it out. Using his sniper skills, his revenge on the mob was devastating, taking down the capo responsible for the fire along with most of his crew.

  Jane Tanner had recruited him. Her pitch was that he could channel his skills to go after the enemies of the country, the terrorists along with their helpers and financiers; get to them before they got to us. Jane and her boss, Henry Mason, wanted to go on the offensive against them. It would be a black operation, unknown to only a few in the CIA. With the FBI closing in and no options, Dan took the offer. He didn’t have an exit plan after exacting his revenge and realized that he had no options beyond going to jail or becoming a fugitive for the rest of his life. Jane offered him a lifeline and had shown herself to be honest and committed. In addition he had found himself attracted to her but wondered if that wasn’t just a side effect of her ability to rescue him from the trap that was closing in on him.

  In any case, he felt this was something Rita might have approved of, at least for a while. She would eventually want him to enjoy being a husband and father. Maybe someday, he thought. But not now.

  The miserable life he led while attacking the mob had been of no concern at the time. Dan had been focused on his revenge he lived an existence solely devoted to that course of action. He had no life other than his mission. Now things were going to be different. He would have to find a way to live a somewhat normal life in between assignments…or he wouldn’t survive long. There had to be relief from what he expected would be a series of brutal mission experiences. This realization made him less content with his surroundings. I’m going to be immersed in what snipers are always involved in: the waiting, the discomfort, the stealth. That all goes with these clandestine operations. But I’ll have to create something else along with the way. Something that maybe even Jane would not know about.

  The time passed slowly as Dan ruminated on his new life and the moral balance he was trying to maintain. He recognized people’s ability to rationalize any behavior, but he detested hypocrites, especially the ones who weren’t even aware of how hypocritical they were. A kill always affects more than the victim. He is someone’s father, husband, son, brother, or cousin. But does that mean I don’t act? People make their choices and must reap what comes from them. There is always collateral damage. His thoughts didn’t bring any satisfaction. The question of balance remained open.

  In between these thoughts he kept checking the hacienda. The sun was getting dangerously low in the sky. It hung over his shoulder so that wasn’t a concern. Dusk and dark concerned Dan. He had his night vision goggles with the monocular intake. He could use them with his scope but that wasn’t going to be as accurate as a dedicated night scope. This is too long a shot to be off, even by a small amount.

  Suddenly the drivers and guards came around the house and headed to the vehicles. Dan dropped the binoculars and grabbed his rifle. He nestled the weapon into position as the door opened. A bodyguard stepped out first followed by another who held the door. The sun was at the rim of the desert; still enough light. Then Mendoza stepped out with another cartel leader next to him. The four others followed in a group. They stood around in a group. Almost surrounding Mendoza, talking, shaking hands, and clapping each other on the back.

  There were no kids. Dan noted that fact and then pushed it aside. He slowed his breathing and heart rate. His scope steadied on Mendoza even when he was covered by others. The world shrunk to a narrow corridor between Dan’s rifle and Mendoza. Nothing else registered. As the other men stepped towards their waiting vehicles Mendoza was left alone. Dan exhaled part way and he squeezed the trigger. The rifle made a small squishy whomp sound and kicked back into his shoulder. Less than a second later Mendoza’s head exploded and his body collapsed. Everyone looked around in shock as the crack of the sonic boom hit their ears. Then they saw Mendoza fall to the ground. It only took a second for the group to start charging to their cars. The bodyguards pulled out their handguns and raised their machine guns but there was nothing to see or shoot at and the sound didn’t give away the direction of the shot.

  The cartel bosses and lieutenants started towards their waiting vehicles but Dan had already shifted his aim. He swung his rifle to another target just beginning to bolt and sent a bullet through his chest. The guards started shooting in Dan’s general direction but there was nothing to see. Dan swiftly moved from target to target; each shot striking another fleeing figure. One drug boss was almost in the open door of his SUV when Dan’s bullet slammed into his back shoving him inside, most likely dead. The others had reached the partial safety of their vehicles. Dan was able to drop one driver who was trying to get into his car. One of the SUVs sped away spewing dirt behind it. Dan quickly sent four rounds into the back of the machine and it veered off the road and jammed into a ditch with the engine running. Dan struck another guard as he tried to get into an SUV; he couldn’t tell whether or not there was a boss inside. Another SUV took off and Dan sent his remaining rounds into the back.

  He ejected the empty magazine and slapped a fresh one home. He sent round after round downrange to the target area, dropping men with almost every shot. He could cycle the bolt action quickly enough to engage multiple targets but the action was slower compared to a semi-automatic. The shot up SUV continued off to the east followed by the armored sedan after another driver had jumped into it. The remaining SUV had headed around to the side of the hacienda. Dan sent some rounds after the sedan and then stopped. His training was not to fire indiscriminately but at defined targets. The field of fire in the front of the hacienda was now empty except for the dead bodies and vehicles. The remaining targets had driven off or were back in the cover of the hacienda.

  As Dan surveyed the scene in the lengthening shadows he saw four figures running out back. He swung the rifle to the rear of the house. It was the wife and the kids along with the pilot. Dan hesitated. Wife and kids are non-combatants. But what about the pilot?

  He waited. They scrambled up the steps and closed the door. The blades started to turn. Hot start up, no pre-check. He must have had the chopper ready just in case. The machine rose from the ground. Still Dan held off. The .338 Lapua rounds could bring the chopper to a stop, especially when near the ground. But the kids inside? It climbed into the sky. Don’t come this way. I can’t let you come towards me, even with the kids. Turn away. Dan stared at the chopper through his scope, willing the pilot to go the other way. At less than fifty feet off the deck, the chopper swung off to the south, tilted forward, and shot away from the mesa rim. Only then did Dan realize he had been holding his breath. Good choice. They would live.

  Chapter 10

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  H e surveyed the scene out in front of the hacienda. Mendoza was dead. Scattered around him in the area were eight more bodies. There were two shot up vehicles possibly with bodies in them. Inside the hacienda were an unknown number of drivers, guards, and cartel leaders along with a terrified staff. He could spend time taking shots at them if any were stupid enough to venture outside. It didn’t seem like a good idea.

  It was time to go. He had accomplished his main task and added a few more bodies to the count, which included some cartel leaders. There was no question his actions this day would be a major disruption to the drug smuggling operations in Mexico. Maybe someone in the Mexican government might take advantage of this to go after the cartels while they were off balance. Good thought, but somehow Dan didn’t think they would.

  He dismantled the MRAD and began gathering and packing up his gear. Why’d I take all those shots? He had been pretty far through his second magazine when he had stopped shooting; sixteen rounds in total. Training, Dan thought; training and opportunity. All the bad guys were here. This was a meeting of all the cartel leaders, their lieutenants and some low level bodyguards. The hacienda was a target rich environment. None of those present had clean hands except fo
r the servants…and the kids. Get the most bang for the CIA’s buck. Why just take out one leader when for the same price I can take out multiple bosses? Not sure what Jane will think about this, but I was hired to be able to improvise, act on my own. Dan shrugged. The fallout didn’t much matter to him at this point. It was time to rendezvous with his ride and get out of the country. He laced his boots tight and crept back from the rim. When he was clear, he turned his back to the killing field and started hiking north.

  The helicopter sped south away from the killing field that had been the front yard of the hacienda. The two children were crying, huddled against their mother. She maneuvered one arm free and pulled her cell phone out. At first she was unsure of who to call; her mother, the family attorney or Jorge’s lieutenant, Hector.

  It was the first day in the warehouse. Hector had gotten everyone settled in. He was anxious to know about Jorge’s meeting with the other leaders. Twice he had called his friend and boss who told him things were going well and to not bother him after lunch as he would be in the middle of his presentation and negotiations. Now it was late in the day; surely the meeting would be over by now.

  As Hector was reaching for his phone, it rang. Odd, it was from Jorge’s wife, María.

  “Hector!” María shouted as he answered the call. “They’ve shot Jorge and the others. It’s so bloody, bodies everywhere.”

  “What’s going on?” Hector shouted back at her. He could hardly hear what she was saying over the noise. Where was she? “What did you say? Jorge’s been shot?”

  “Someone killed him. Right out front. And some of the others. Some got away.”

  “Where are you? I can hardly understand you.”

  “I’m in the helicopter. I have the kids; we’re flying back to Mexico City. Hector, who would do such a thing? What will happen to us? This couldn’t be the policía could it?”

  Hector’s head was spinning. Shot? How, why? “I don’t know who would do this. Get back to the mansion and don’t leave. Don’t let the kids leave. Tell the staff to be on alert. I’ll call for some men to come over and guard you.”

  “Should I call Eduardo?” Eduardo Murillo was the attorney for the Mendoza family and the interface between the personal activities of the Mendoza’s and the cartel business which had its own attorneys.

  “Sí, sí. Call Eduardo. Tell him I’ll call when I can get more information. And remember, don’t go out and don’t let anyone in. We don’t know where this came from and we don’t know how the others will react.”

  There was a pause on the line. “Hector, I’m frightened. What will happen to us? Jorge’s gone. I saw him lying on the ground. It was horrible. He was shot in the head. I went and found the children and the pilot. There was so much shooting. Then it stopped and we ran to the helicopter.” She started to cry.

  “I don’t have answers for you, María. But I will find some. You will be fine. I’ll see to it. For now, just get to a safe place and stay there. I have to go.” He hung up the phone and just stood there looking out into space; thoughts flying in all directions.

  His world was beginning to crumble. Who would try to assassinate Jorge and the others? Was it one of the cartel leaders that had escaped? Hector sucked in his breath. He had to act and act quickly but what to do? He wished he knew what had happened.

  He turned quickly and headed to his car where his bodyguards were waiting. Along the way Tariq intercepted him. “I want to go into the market and try to find some lamb so we can cook food like at home.”

  Tariq. He was a hard man. Tough. A fighter for sure, but Hector had no patience for him, nor for babysitting his band of scrawny stowaways that he was supposed to fatten up for their trip across the border.

  Tariq grabbed Hector’s arm as he was rushing past. Hector turned to him with his eyes blazing. “Do not touch me. You have what you need to eat. It is enough.”

  “We just want to go into the market. We can pay for our own food.”

  “No,” shouted Hector. The ferocity of his reply caused Tariq to step back and eye the man suspiciously. “You do not leave this compound. I will not have you running about the town, drawing attention to yourselves. You are outsiders and this is Chihuahua, a small town that doesn’t see many outsiders. You will bring the Policía Federal here. Then you will have real trouble.” Hector turned to go.

  “What is wrong? I have not offended you. Why do you speak to me this way?”

  “I have no time now to talk. Just make sure you do what I say,” Hector spoke over his shoulder as he exited the warehouse.

  Hector gave orders for his men to spread out around the compound. No one was to leave the warehouse compound, on pain of death. Next he called the hacienda. After a long number of rings, one of the servants answered. She was crying. Hector ordered her to get one of the bodyguards on the phone. He did not want to waste time with her. She located one of the Mendoza bodyguards who had been inside the house when the shooting started.

  “Tell me what happened,” Hector said when the man picked up the phone.

  “Everyone said their goodbyes and went out the front door. There were twenty people altogether. The other bosses were all surrounding Señor Mendoza. They looked happy. I was watching from the doorway. The drivers and bodyguards were heading to the vehicles. We had five men outside along with the other guards. When the bosses turned to go to their cars, one shot rang out. Señor Mendoza was hit in the head. Everyone then started to run and there was more shooting, men dropping. Three vehicles got away. In the end ten men were killed including García and Lopez.”

  Hector shuddered. They were cartel leaders. Counting Jorge, three of the six bosses at the meeting had been killed.

  “Do you have any idea of who did the shooting? No one can get close to the hacienda. I ordered regular patrols around the property to insure that.”

  “Sí. And that is what we did. It is open for miles in all directions.” The guard paused. “There is one thing—”

  “What is that?”

  “Like I said, the land is open for miles in every direction…except to the north. The mesa rim is about a half mile away. The river runs below it. It’s about three hundred meters high and the whole desert from there north is uninhabited.”

  “You think some group snuck up on the rim and attacked from there?”

  “That is the only place where there is any cover.”

  “But it’s so far away.”

  “Sí patrón. But sharpshooters could shoot that far.”

  It was not lost on Hector that the man called him “boss”. He would have to cement that position, for his own security, for the security of the cartel, and for the security of María. Knowing how the attack could have happened still did not make it clear who was responsible. Answering the “why” would yield that knowledge. But who would gain from this? Hector’s first suspicions had to center around the three cartel members who remained alive.

  Manuel “la Roca” Chacón was head of the Juarez cartel. Juan Escobedo ran the Gulf cartel and Hector Beltran-Leyva headed the namesake organization. Hector pondered the relationships for a while. The Gulf and Juarez clans were close together on the U.S. border, they could only feel strong enough to do something like this if they had joined together. Hector had no inkling of such an alliance. The Beltran-Leyva cartel was already aligned with his Sinaloa organization. They had fought over territory over the years but were now working peacefully alongside each other. No answers jumped out at Hector.

  Damage control had to be initiated however, even if he didn’t understand the situation. He picked up his phone again and started calling the cartel leaders who had escaped. He talked with each one. All three bosses were both frightened and furious. They blustered and promised retaliation. When Hector pointed out that Jorge, his friend and boss had been the first killed, and further, seemed to be the only one that was specifically targeted, they quieted down. Hector made sure to leave the impression that he was searching for someone who had something to gain from
killing his boss and the others. Hector Beltran-Leyva seemed to be the least defensive and promised to work closely with him.

  After the calls, Hector felt only slightly better. He contacted the other lieutenants and told them to get men out on the streets to look for answers. Next he ordered some small planes into the air to search the mesa to the north of the hacienda. They were told to take thermal imaging goggles with them and fly day and night. If any group were out there, he would find them.

  Chapter 11

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  D an hiked through the evening and into the night. When he had started north, he placed a call on the sat phone to Jane.

  “The package was successfully delivered earlier this evening.”

  “Are you headed back now?” Jane asked.

  “Yes. I’ll call the other number when I’m ready to be picked up.”

  “Good. That’s the only call you’ll need to make.”

  “There is one thing…you got a bonus on this delivery, some extras for the price of one.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ll tell you later, but expect a larger result.” That would give her something to think about and when the news broke, she would not be so surprised. He started to shut the call off.

  “Wait,” Jane said.

  “What is it?” Dan asked.

  There was silence for a moment. “Just…just be careful…and get back here safely.”

  “Is that your professional advice?”