Carlos nodded, looking Derek right in the eyes. When Derek was satisfied, he dropped his hand and motioned us forward. We had a mile trek to the house where we couldn’t be spotted. We stayed low and took our time getting there, careful not to draw any attention to ourselves.
We stopped at the perimeter, waiting for the lights to go out. It took about fifteen uncomfortable minutes for the lights to go out. We were in a foreign country where we didn’t know the landscape and no solid exit strategy. If we were caught, we would be in a world of shit.
“Alright, Hunter and Carlos, you’re up. Lola and I will watch the perimeter.” We all moved out, Derek moving to the east side and me to the west. Hunter and Carlos moved around to the back of the house where there were luckily no guards. Hunter and Carlos snuck up to the window, peering into the darkness. After a moment, Hunter tapped on the glass and moved aside for Carlos to speak with his sister. When she opened the window, there was a moment of whispering in which I was fucking antsy for them to just move. We were still good. No guards were coming this way, but that wouldn’t last forever.
“Guards are starting rotation,” Derek whispered. “Get the fuck out of there.”
“I need two minutes,” Hunter hissed.
“You have thirty seconds and then we’re going to war.”
“I need a distraction to get away from the house. The guards are gonna see us if we move,” Hunter said.
“I can give you one,” I said, looking over at the propane tank for the house. “But it’s going to blow this place sky high.”
“Lola, we’re trying not to be seen,” Derek said urgently.
“We won’t be if I do this right. But make sure your ass is nowhere near the house. On my mark, you fucking run.”
“Copy that,” Derek and Hunter confirmed. I moved around the side of the house and across the lawn where I couldn’t be seen. From my position, I could make out Hunter, Carlos, and the woman.
“Move, Lola. We’re out of time.”
“On it.” I pulled the grenade and the flash bang from the pack, pulling the pin and tossing it. “Run!” After the grenade landed, I tossed the flash bang. Seconds after the grenade exploded, the flash bang ignited the propane that was spilling out onto the ground. The flames engulfed the house, lighting the sky like the fourth of July. “Damn, I love my work.”
“Move, Lola,” Derek’s voice came over coms. “No time to sit around and watch the show.”
Sighing, I threw on my pack and double timed it in the direction the guys had run. They were waiting for me a half mile from the house in the trees. Looking back, I could see that what few guards had survived the explosion were running around the house.
“So much for not making a scene.”
“There was no gunfire. I’d say it’s a good day,” I shrugged, walking off toward the mountains where we would be hiking to get across the border. We were at the base of the mountain when Derek finally called Cap and explained the predicament we had gotten ourselves into. We were going to call and check in when we made it across the border. The fact that I could hear Cap yelling through the phone made me think that Derek had the right idea in waiting.
✯✯✯✯✯
“Damn, I count at least thirty.” I was looking through my binoculars at the group of men at the bottom of the mountain. We had made it a whole day with no issues, but now that we were so close to the border, that was all changing. I handed my binoculars to Carlos, who immediately took them and shook his head.
“That’s the Juárez Cartel. They won’t be moving out anytime soon. This is their territory.”
“Derek, what do you have?” I said into my mic.
“The three of us could make it. There’s no way Carlos and Maria could make it. It’d be suicide.”
I could tell by Derek’s breathing that he was making his way back to us. I was near the pass we were taking with Carlos and Maria while Derek and Hunter looked for a way around.
“I’m heading back to you,” Hunter said over coms. “There’s no good pass up here. Looks like we only have one option.”
“Copy that.” While we waited for Derek and Hunter to return, I turned to check on Maria. She looked terrified, but hopeful at the same time.
“Are you doing okay?” She nodded, but didn’t say anything else. Carlos went over and started talking to her in Spanish. I could understand what he was saying and since it was just reassurances, I went back to studying the camp.
“What are you thinking?” Hunter asked as he got into position next to me.
“I’m thinking we have three against thirty or so.” I shrugged. “Sounds like a fair fight.”
“Yeah, but we also have two with us that we have to protect. That makes this dangerous.”
“Right, because it wasn’t dangerous when we were outnumbered three to one,” Derek said as he approached.
“If two of us slip down there and take out as many as possible quietly, then the third person can be up here with the rifle taking out any strays,” I said as I studied their movements.
“And just who were you thinking was going to stay up here?” Hunter asked.
“You or Derek,” I said quickly. I wanted in on the action and I wasn’t about to stay up here and miss out watching over our clients.
“You’re the best sniper,” Derek pointed out.
“I’m not a sniper,” I said indignantly.
“No, but you’re the closest we have. We need you up here, covering our asses.”
“But-”
“Lola.” Derek gave me the look that told me not to argue with him.
“Fine,” I grumbled.
“Wait,” Carlos interrupted. “You’re going down there?”
“Well, if we’re going to get out of this, we’ve got to take them out,” Hunter replied.
“But…” Carlos looked at me and then the guys. “You’re just going to leave us up here? With her?”
“I think I’m a little insulted by that,” I said.
“You were just alone with her when we went to check other routes. What’s the difference now?” Derek asked.
“Well, they’re going to catch on that men are dying. Then they’ll come for us,” Carlos stammered.
“That’s why Lola’s here. She’s going to be watching our backs and yours.” Derek stared Carlos down, not wavering.
“But…she’s a girl,” he whispered, like I couldn’t hear him.
Hunter barked out a laugh and Derek shook his head. “See you on the other side,” he said as he walked away. I raised an eyebrow in challenge at Carlos, who visibly shrank back.
“You two go hide over in that cluster of trees. Don’t come out unless I tell you to.” I turned and started setting up my rifle and pulling out my extra ammunition. I watched through my scope as Hunter and Derek made their way down the mountain to the camp. They moved swiftly, never being seen by anyone. They took out at least ten guys before anyone started to notice that something was wrong. When one man snuck up behind Hunter while he was in hand to hand combat with another man, I took that as my cue to start firing. I pulled the trigger, taking him out just before he could thrust his knife into Hunter’s back.
“Guess that we can use our guns now that Lola’s firing,” Hunter breathed heavily as he slid his knife into one man’s gut.
“Leave it to Lola to sound the alarm,” Derek said as he pulled out his gun and shot another man in the head.
I lined up another shot and took it. “I suppose I could have let you get that knife in the back, Hunter.”
“I would have gotten him,” Hunter said as he ducked behind a wall when shots pinged by.
“Lola, they’ve seen you. They’re heading your way,” Derek informed me.
“Copy that,” I said, but I couldn’t see anyone through the scope heading my way. Besides, there were too many men converging on Hunter and Derek and if I took my eyes off the enemy, one of them would end up dead. Derek was hiding behind a vehicle and Hunter was pinned down behind the wal
l. Neither of them could move because of where the other men were located. Scanning the area, I mapped out a path for firing in my head and started with the first target, shooting him in the chest. I quickly moved on to the next target, but this shot was only debilitating. I wasn’t the best long distance shot and I was trying to move quickly.
The next bullet hit on target, but the next one went wide, missing by just a hair. It was enough for the man to have time to move out of the way. I heard the crunch of feet. I knew they were almost here, but Derek still had two men closing in on him. I took the shot, but I wasn’t fast enough for the second when I heard the click of the hammer. I slowly pulled my hands back, showing that I didn’t have my hands on the trigger anymore.
“Get up,” the man shouted at me in Spanish. I slowly got to my feet, keeping my hands at chest level. The man stepped up behind me, gun pointed at my head. I could feel the muzzle just centimeters from my temple. He started shouting at me in Spanish, but I was too focused on the knife that was hidden in my tactical vest. He was standing just slightly to my right, giving me a good view of his leg. I looked back up one more time to see Carlos and Maria peering out from the trees that I had told them to hide in. I could tell they were scared, but for the first time in a long time, I felt a wave of calm wash over me. There were no insecurities or flashbacks, only peace in knowing that I could do this.
I pulled the knife from my vest and lowered my arm slowly, peering back at the man’s leg. If I didn’t do this right, I would get myself killed. In one swift move, I slashed the knife through the man’s inner thigh, slicing his femoral artery. I spun around and saw the shock in his eyes just a second before he passed out on the ground. He would be dead in minutes. The blood spurting from his leg showed that I had hit my mark well.
I laid back down by my rifle and got back to work. Derek and Hunter had managed to take most of the rest of them out, but there were still a few left for me.
When the guys came back up the mountain, they looked exhausted, but we didn’t have time to sit around. We couldn’t risk taking a break when more of them could be on their way. We quickly gathered up our weapons and headed toward the border that would hopefully be a clear shot from here.
We hiked for another day, just reaching the border at night fall. Carlos was practically pulling Maria along behind him, but she was holding it together. It had been a difficult hike, but we were finally within reach.
Scoping out the area, we didn’t see any patrols or any drones, which was why we had come this way. The terrain was rougher and it was less likely for people to cross this way. We made it as far as a few hundred feet across the border when guns were pointed in our faces and we were being shoved to the ground. All of us were placed in handcuffs and our weapons were all taken away. I looked over at Hunter and Derek, who looked equally pissed, but there was nothing we could do about it at the moment. We just had to pray that we could get ahold of Sebastian and have him get us out of this mess.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Ryan
SEBASTIAN HAD BEEN pacing around the bar for the last fifteen minutes, staring at his phone repeatedly. Twice, he slipped outside and made a phone call. I figured he was worried about Maggie. He always was lately, so I made my way over to him and sat down at the bar where he was staring at his phone.
“What’s up, man? Everything alright with Maggie?”
“What?” he asked distractedly. “Oh, yeah. Everything’s fine.”
“What’s got you so distracted?”
He sighed and ran a hand down his face. “One of my teams was supposed to check in this morning. We’ve been waiting all day for an update and I haven’t heard anything yet.”
“So, why don’t you head out? It’s obviously got you worried.”
“I’m going over there now, but Cazzo’s handling it. I mean, where they were located, there’s not anything I can do without more intel. I have Becky and Rob working on it, so until I hear from them, I can’t really do anything.”
“Which team was it?” He didn’t look at me and he didn’t answer. My stomach sank and I looked down at the bar. Shaking my head, I took a sip of my beer. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. Not when we were just getting started. Why did this shit always have to happen to me?
“Where is she?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Bullshit,” I glared at him. “You need to tell me right the fuck now.”
“Why? It’s not going to help anything. It’s not like you can run off to save her.”
“Then why the hell aren’t you?” I asked.
“Because, if I take off down there and they’re trying to stay low, I could get them killed. That’s why I said I needed intel first.”
I pushed back from the bar and walked to the door. I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do, but I couldn’t just sit here and wait to hear if Lola was dead or alive.
“Ryan! Wait.”
I spun around and got in his face. “Why? Why did you fucking do this to me?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You sent her away. Why would you do that? If you knew it was that dangerous, why did you have to send her?” I shouted.
“This wasn’t supposed to be dangerous,” he shouted back. “And I don’t choose teams based on the danger level. All of my teams are highly trained to handle any situation.”
“But it was Lola. Why? Why did you have to send her?” I shouted. “I can’t lose another person. Not like this.”
He rested his hand on my shoulder and I dropped my head to keep from crying like a fucking baby. Which I would if I kept looking at his sorry expression.
“I have to go pick up James from his friend’s house. Call me when you know something.”
He nodded and I headed for my truck. I wished that I could get tanked right now. More than anything, I wanted to lose myself in a bottle until this was all over. Damn her for going off and doing something like this. James was really starting to connect to her. I wasn’t sure that either of us could handle losing her right now.
When I texted James and told him I was picking him up, he started texting me immediately, asking why he had to leave early. I didn’t know what the hell to tell him. I didn’t want to make him worry, but I didn’t know if I could hide it from him either. When he got in the truck, he slammed the door and glared at me. I didn’t care. I took off for home and ignored his eyes boring into me the whole way.
When we walked in the house, James spun around and confronted me. “Why the hell did I have to leave early? I was supposed to be able to stay for three more hours.”
“Plans change,” I said, walking into the kitchen and pulling out a beer.
“Why does your pissy mood always have to affect my plans? Mom’s gone. You have to get past that and stop taking out your anger on me.”
“I don’t-”
“Yes, you do! Every time you start feeling like shit, you get in a pissy mood and ship me off to Grandma and Grandpa’s, or you send me to one of your friend’s houses. Like the day we were driving and you forced me to pull over. You think I didn’t realize that you didn’t want me around because I’m a reminder of Mom?”
I stared at him in shock. I hadn’t realized that he had known I was doing that and it obviously had hurt him a lot. What kind of fucking parent was I? “I’m sorry, James. I didn’t…I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just didn’t know how to handle shit and I thought if I could pull myself together, you wouldn’t have to see me at my worst.”
“What about me? What about when I needed someone? Do you know what it was like for me to see you break down by the truck that day? And then you didn’t even talk to me after it happened. I was sent off to Reed Security and then to Logan’s house for the night. I’m fucking fifteen years old. I was there when Mom died. I don’t need you to protect me from what you’re feeling or thinking. I need you to fucking include me so I don’t feel like I’m all alone,” he shouted.
I sank down on the bar stool
and shoved my hands through my hair. I had completely fucked up. And it wasn’t just once or twice. It was every single fucking weekend for the past five years. All those times that I needed space, I had been pushing him away. My own kid knew what I was thinking and he just took it instead of calling me on my bullshit.
“I picked you up early because Lola’s team has gone missing,” I said quietly. “I didn’t know what to do and I wanted to start drinking, so I decided to pick you up instead. But I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to freak out like I am.”
James pulled a beer out of the fridge and sat down beside me. He normally only got to drink on the anniversary of his mom’s death, but I’d allow it tonight. “Do they know for sure that something’s wrong?”
“No. They’re trying to gain intel now.”
“Then, we just have to wait. Lola’s an awesome fighter. I’m sure she’s fine.”
God, I hoped he was right. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if she wasn’t. “Yeah,” I said quietly as I continued to drink my beer.
James and I waited up for hours for anything from Sebastian to indicate what was going on with Lola. By midnight, there was still no word and I had practically worn a hole in the floor from pacing back and forth. I pulled out my phone and dialed Sebastian’s number.
“Sebastian, please tell me you have something.”
“I’m sorry, but we haven’t been able to locate them yet. But Ryan, you have to remember that they’re all trained and there could be a number of reasons they aren’t checking in.”
“Name a few,” I snapped.
“First, they could have had to change routes and don’t have a signal. Second, they may have turned off their phones so they couldn’t be tracked. Third-”
Lola: A Reed Security Romance (Reed Security Series Book 8) Page 17
