First, though, they had to meet up with their counterparts on the mission. They were staying at a hotel near the shopping district. Stryker took up post outside the hotel to watch those coming and going. Santo held a position in the lobby of the hotel, and Phantom waited in the room they had chosen on the ground floor, keeping his eye trained outside the window to watch for the people they were to connect with.
They had been told that each person would wear a simple lapel pin with the Mexican flag, something for them to distinguish them by. They had been waiting for nearly an hour when Stryker spoke over the coms. “Three friendlies approaching. One woman and two men.”
“Copy,” Santo said. “They’re headed your way, Phantom.”
Phantom knew that Stryker and Santo would be slowly following the trio, ready to take them down at the first sign of trouble. Even though they wore the lapel pins, that didn’t guarantee they were the right people. The meet could have been compromised at any point, and they couldn’t take any chances.
There were two light knocks, three heavy, then two more light knocks on the door. It was the signal they had established through Haslett. “Who is it?” Phantom asked, standing to the side of the door, his rifle aimed at it.
“Housekeeping.” A heavily accented voice came through the door.
“I have everything I need.”
“We brought fresh towels directly from the laundry.” The code was correct. So far, everything appeared to be in order.
Slowly, Phantom stepped forward and opened the door, his gun still raised. The three people lifted their hands to show they didn’t carry any weapons, and he gestured for them to enter. Santo and Stryker slipped in quickly behind them, patting them down for wires or guns.
Not surprisingly, each one of them had concealed handguns. “What can I say, my friends?” One of the men wearing a baseball cap spoke. “Reynosa isn’t the safest place to be these days.”
Phantom’s eyes narrowed. The voice was familiar. He pulled the baseball cap off and was momentarily caught by surprise, then laughed. “Javier! I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Javier Ortes, a high-level leader in the Mexican navy, smiled. “Nor was I expecting to see any of you.” He quickly shook hands with Phantom, Santo, and Stryker. “This is Clara,” he nodded toward the stout, petite woman with them. “She is an integral part of the Mexican federal government’s operations to stop human trafficking. She’s been trying to bring down this ring for nearly a year now. The ring’s last shipment into the United States was nearly stopped by her agents, but there was a leak. Three of her men were killed, and two more crippled. That’s when this special task force was created.”
“How did you come to be involved?” Stryker asked Javier.
“I’ve been working with Clara for over six months now on special assignment. My skills have been helpful to her team.”
“He’s being modest,” Clara said, her voice carrying a firm, authoritative ring. “He’s been integral to stopping the actions of several traffickers. This ring, though…” She shook her head. “It’s very different from what we’ve been up against so far.”
She turned to face the other man in the room. He was average height, muscular, and dark-skinned. “This is Arturo. He also has military training, but works for us full-time now.”
They shook hands in greeting. “We’ve all been given the file on this mission. Our target is within the shopping center near the border, correct?” Phantom asked, jumping into the details of their mission.
“Yes. We’ve had eyes on the location for the past few days and have confirmed all five of the traffickers are staying in that location. We also have infrared set up on the building, and it shows a large concentrated heat mass. We believe that is the hostages,” Clara said.
“Have you seen new hostages being brought in to the area?” Phantom asked.
Javier sighed and shook his head. “All has been quiet since we set up on Saturday. That was when we first received confirmation of their location. Through the infrared we’ve been able to track the movements of the traffickers inside the building, but nothing further than that. We believe they intend to move the hostages within the next couple of days. More than likely they will transport them by box trailers to San Antonio.”
“How are they going to be able to get through Border Patrol like that?” Santo asked.
“There are holes in our system, and we’re well aware of them,” Arturo said solemnly. “We believe that, whoever the leader of this ring is, he’s made arrangements with Border Patrol to get them to look the other way when the time comes. He must be a very wealthy and influential man.”
“We’ll set up a stakeout tonight. We’ll keep watch of the facility to confirm all five of the traffickers are there when we finally strike,” Phantom said, and everyone in the room nodded.
“We already have three men set up on the rooftop across the street from the shopping center,” Clara said. “Taking them down at night will keep civilian interference to a minimum.”
“Once we confirm the traffickers’ locations within the building, as well as any security they may have with them, we’ll move in.” Stryker stared out the window as he spoke, still keeping an eye out for any enemies.
Phantom nodded. “Let’s pack up and get ready. Tonight is going to be here before we know it.”
Chapter 19
Phantom sheathed his KA-BAR knife at his ankle, then did a final check of his equipment to make sure nothing was loose, that nothing would make a sound. Stealth was their ultimate weapon. And he was ready to get the mission over with and get back home to Elena.
Just the thought of her brought a sense of peace about him. She loved him. He had never been loved by a woman before, and the feeling stole any words he could think of to describe it. His last night with her had been incredible. They had only gotten a few hours of sleep, but he had never felt more refreshed.
He hated having to hide his true purpose from her. He wondered how she was going to respond when he broke the news to her when he returned home. She valued trust deeply. Would she feel he had betrayed her?
“We’ve got movement.” Javier’s whispered comment jerked Phantom’s mind back into the mission, and he focused on the infrared scanner. One of the traffickers had gone to the front door of the place and stepped outside. A flash of light and then a glow near his face let them know he had lit a cigarette.
“We make our move once he goes back inside,” Phantom said, making eye contact with his team. They were all heavily armed and prepared to go up against the five traffickers and the three other tangos they had picked up coming and going throughout the day.
Phantom had to admit, using the empty retail shop had been a great plan by the traffickers’ leader. No one questioned the covered windows, since a sign advertised that a new shop would be opening soon and the site was under renovation. The location also got them close to the major highway that would take them through Border Patrol and into Hidalgo, making transportation easy.
The team was focused and ready. They hovered on the rooftop across the street, watching the infrared sensor and keeping an eye on things through their night-vision optics. The man took one final drag on his cigarette before heading back into the building. It was go time.
Phantom’s team moved within the shadows across the street, using everything large on the ground for cover as they crept along. They arrived at the doors and Santo quickly applied ECT, explosive cutting tape, to the hinges. After everyone stepped back several feet, Phantom nodded to him. The explosive went off and they moved into the room rapidly. They knew from the infrared where each trafficker and guard stood or sat, and moved rapidly to take them down.
The silence that filled the room after the gunfire told Phantom something had gone horribly wrong. A low humming sound filled the air, and he turned in the direction where they thought all the hostages were being kept. Inst
ead, there were several heaters set up in a way that would read as a large heat signature to them.
“What the fuck?” Santo growled.
“They knew we were coming. Not only that, they knew we were watching,” Stryker said, his voice tense.
Phantom turned to Javier. “How did you find out about this place? Who gave you the info?”
Javier shook his head. “Clara handled all the intel. She brought it to me.”
“Base, do you copy?” Phantom spoke into his com.
“Copy,” Buzz’s voice came through. “Alpha Team Two, what is your status?”
“Still on the rooftop.” Clara’s voice greeted them. “My informant claimed to have escaped this place and gave me the details on the men. When we checked it out and everything seemed to add up, we contacted Admiral Haslett to put a team in place.”
Phantom turned from the group and studied the location. Something about the room didn’t feel right. It hadn’t felt right from the moment they breached the door. There were five dead traffickers on the ground—the shots had been clean. Clear evidence showed that, at some point recently, a large group of people had been there, based on the markings on the dust-covered floor and the overwhelming aroma of body odor.
No, something about the space just didn’t feel right. He had studied the schematics and layout of the facility in great detail, and the room seemed far smaller than it should have been. He paced out the space, and a warning slithered down his spine.
He held his fist up sharply, and all talking in the room immediately ceased. All of the men trained their weapons beyond Phantom’s position and began to advance slowly, ready to provide cover fire. Phantom stopped, holding his fist up again, and the men stopped behind him. It seemed as if the wall in front of him was…breathing. It rippled and moved, shifted and shivered.
Phantom drew his KA-BAR from its ankle sheath, stepped to the wall, then sliced downward rapidly. The fabric that had been designed to look like the rear of the building rent and tore beneath his sharp blade. Two sharp pops followed instantly on the heels of his movement—one from Stryker’s gun and the other from Santo’s. Two men hiding on the other side of the fabric fell lifelessly to the floor.
“What the hell…?” Javier whispered as they stepped through the fabric and stopped to look at what had been hidden behind it.
Phantom sighed heavily.
“They built a motherfuckin’ tunnel.”
They were too late.
* * *
Elena pulled a bandanna from her back pocket and wiped the sweat from her face and neck. The temperatures were creeping into the nineties already. By all signs, they faced the probability of an incredibly long, hot summer. The only thing that brought her a little hope of relief hovered far off on the horizon in the form of dark storm clouds. A good, heavy rain would weaken the oppressive humidity that lay upon them like a wet blanket and help them heading into the harsher days of summer.
She shifted slightly in the saddle, and the horse beneath her responded to the cues of her body, quickly switching its lead leg as it loped through a figure-eight pattern. She kept herself light in the saddle, pressing her feet down in the stirrups, preparing for the next cue.
She worked the horse through the steps three more times, working a different, more difficult pattern each time. By the time she decided to call it a day, the sweat on Sherman looked almost like white lather, and the sun beat down on them mercilessly.
An American Quarter Horse Association competition in a few weeks in Brenham, a city roughly five hours away, presented the perfect opportunity to show off Sherman’s talent. Jonas would be thrilled to see his horse take the top prize. Jonas loved winning, as evidenced by the shrine he had built for all the ribbons and trophies. He had delighted in placing the newest winnings from the Edinburg show in the case.
Just remembering that show brought a smile to Elena’s face. It had been the first quarter horse show Phantom ever experienced, and it had been successful enough for her to win him back as a client. Much to her surprise, she’d ended up winning the man as well.
She hosed down the horse, then bent over and let the water run over her head and down her back, shuddering slightly as some of the water slid down the front of her shirt and sluiced over her breasts. She ached in a way that only Phantom could satisfy, and she wished he could be with her at that very moment, his quiet strength comforting and arousing her at the same time.
Shaking her hair out, she unclipped the tired gelding and led him to his stall, giving him an extra serving of oats for all his exertion. Thoughts of Phantom ran through Elena’s mind as she carried the saddle and bridle into the tack room. Then she stopped, frowning. She had ordered two new saddles for Jonas nearly a month ago, long enough for them to have been delivered already, yet they were nowhere to be seen.
She went through the tack room once more, until she was certain the saddles weren’t there. She gnawed on her inner cheek as she debated what to do. She wanted to avoid Jonas at whatever the cost. Her last encounter with him had left her more shaken than usual. For him to design his newest barn and training facility with her in mind took his level of interest in her from uncomfortable to creepy. His knowledge about her passion for puzzles continued to disturb her, and she couldn’t imagine how he’d used puzzles to enhance the design.
If she didn’t ask Jonas directly about the saddles, though, she would have to go into the small barn office by herself and log on to his computer to find the invoice. Even though he had shown her the log-on, it felt like snooping into the man’s personal affairs. She didn’t know how much digging around she would have to do to find the invoice.
Weighing the good with the bad, Elena decided she would prefer the office. The door creaked as she shouldered it open, and she reminded herself to grab the WD-40 out of her truck to smooth the hinges before she left for the day.
She sat at the desk and powered on the docked laptop. As she waited for it to boot up, she gazed around the small office, noticing several photos of Jonas with the Hebbronville sheriff. She shook her head. Of course Jonas was friends with the sheriff. Jonas probably owned half of Hebbronville.
Within several seconds the log-on screen appeared, and she frowned in confusion. The puzzle had changed. Her eyes scanned the miscellaneous words and pictures that made up the logic puzzle until she knew the answer, and she typed it in quickly. She wondered if he had changed it because she had been able to figure out the answer to the last puzzle so quickly.
The home screen opened up, and she began to move the mouse around to scroll over the different folders when, unexpectedly, another window opened. A streaming video filled the screen. Uneasy seeing whatever he had been watching, she moved to close the window. Her hand froze with the mouse hovering over the X on the screen.
“All are accounted for,” a man’s voice said as the camera panned over two box trailers. Her stomach churned violently. The trailers were packed full of women, children, and men who were filthy and in various state of undress. “We made it through the tunnels without a problem. We’re on the road now and will arrive soon. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.”
Surely this couldn’t be real. Surely this had to be some attempt at a prank. She clicked the box closed with a trembling hand, and her eyes were drawn to a folder labeled “work.” Maybe she could find the invoice in there and be through with the nightmare.
The file was full of photos. Staring back at her were the haunted eyes of young men and boys, bound and gagged, stuffed into storage containers or animal cages. Then there were the images of the girls and the women, most of them nude. But they didn’t stare back at her. No, their eyes were covered with blindfolds, and they too were bound and gagged.
Another set of pictures almost made her gag and choke right there. The images showed bodies this time, dead and mutilated.
In one of the photos, Jonas smiled into the camera,
his semiautomatic weapon pointed at a crowd of terrified men.
There were documents in the folder as well. Surely they would prove that it was all a joke. She clicked open the documents and fought the tremors that consumed her as she read the papers. They provided detailed plans of how the traffickers were going to bring in the next shipment of slaves through a tunnel system near Reynosa. The document even outlined a slave auction to be held in San Antonio the upcoming weekend.
Sex slaves. The prisoners in the photos were going to be auctioned off as sex slaves.
Elena couldn’t breathe. Bile burned at the back of her throat. Jonas was a smuggler, the worst kind possible. He traded human bodies for cash. Her stomach twisted so hard that she looked around frantically for a trash can to catch her vomit.
“Elena?”
Jonas’s voice sounded in the distance, and panic raced through her veins. Swallowing her bile, she quickly closed the folder that held the damning evidence and frantically searched for the invoice. A folder labeled expenses looked to be the most promising, and she clicked it open. The PDF file of the invoice was the first document, and she clicked it open.
“Elena? Where are you, my dear?”
She swallowed hard as she heard his footsteps drawing closer to the office. She had nowhere to hide. She picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear.
“Yes, I’m looking at the invoice right now. I placed this order nearly five weeks ago, and we still haven’t received the saddles.” She paused, standing and placing one hand on her hip as she stared down at the phone, handset pressed to her ear, the dial tone making a low hum. “Yes, yes, I understand there was heavy silverwork trim, but you’ve never taken this long before.” Again she paused, then jerked her head up in feigned surprise when she heard a noise at the office door. Jonas stood there, his arms folded over his chest, a pleased smile on his thin lips.
A SEAL Always Wins Page 20
