Shadow of Death (14 page)

CHAPTER 44

Langley

“What the hell’s going on down there?” snapped Darren, his eyes glued to a satellite monitor on the wall.

Dex was punching computer keys and trying to get better images of the compound. Kim was on the phone with General Ortega, trying to calm down an impossible situation. She was mostly just listening to screaming, while trying to get a word in.

“Get him on speaker phone!” shouted Darren. As soon as the general’s screaming went audible for the room, Darren tried to interrupt. It was useless.

“. . . verified! You understand? Verified! Your men murdered Colonel Rafael Lozano and several of my officers! You’ve killed Mexican Marines! Call your men and tell them to put down their weapons!”

“General! This is Chief Davis! My men were attacked by your Marines and that colonel of yours was on the take from El Gato! Tell your men to cease fire!”

“Colonel Lozano is my best officer! You tell your men to put down their weapons or I’ll have my entire Marine force assault that house! This is Mexico, not Afghanistan! You can’t just come into my country and start killing my men! You tell your men to surrender before they end up dead!”

“Negative! With all due respect, General, my men are taking El Gato back to the United States as agreed upon by your president. Now I suggest that you get on the phone with your president and straighten this mess out. There’s still a container down there we need to find and we need your help finding it! You’re either going to help my men, or you’re going to get more of your own people hurt!” Darren hit the mute button and screamed over at Kim. “Get the president on the horn. We’re going to need this sorted out from the very top.”

Kim grabbed another phone and dialed. When the inside line was picked up, she spoke quickly to the executive secretary. “This is a code red message from the office of Darren Davis. I need the president immediately.”

CHAPTER 45

SERE School Revisited

Apo and El Gato made it to the vault door, which was closed but still unlocked. They waited a moment and caught their breath, both of them leaning against the stone wall, heads back as they tried to breathe.

El Gato stared at his captor for a moment, his dark brown eyes filling with rage. “You just let me go through that door. That simple. Then you go find your friends and go home. Otherwise, you’re a dead man. You think that piece of shit colonel is the only one I own? I own them
all
. Generals, judges, entire police departments. You won’t get one kilometer. Cut me loose and I’ll let you and your friends live.”

Apo smiled. “Where’s the package from Syria?”

El Gato’s facial expression gave him away.

“Yeah. You know where it is. You think anyone really cares about you and your drugs? You made a deal with the devil, you dumbass. And now you’ve brought the weight of the entire United States armed forces down on your little kingdom. Where is it?”

El Gato’s mind was racing. Maybe there was still a deal to be made. “I don’t know what was in it.”

“I didn’t ask you that. Where is it?”

El Gato licked his lips. “I tell you where it went—you let me go.”

Apo smiled, but not the kind of smile that would make anyone feel cheerful. El Gato’s skin crawled. Apo reached over and pinched El Gato at the end of his triceps muscle in such a way that pain shot from his shoulder to his elbow in mind-numbing agony. “Let’s understand each other real clear. There is zero negotiation. There’s just you telling me where that package is the easy way or the hard way, and the hard way is going to make you pray for death.” He twisted the bottom of the muscle harder and snapped his fingers as he released, and El Gato cried out in pain.

The snap of Apo’s knife blade locking made El Gato’s eyes open again, and Apo held the blade under the man’s nose. “It’ll be real easy to breathe with just one hole in your face. Noses are overrated, and yours is ugly as fuck anyway. Where’s the package?”

The edge of the blade touched El Gato’s nostrils and the pressure made the man move to his toes to get taller. “Okay . . . wait.”

Apo lowered the knife.

“It was a deal with those Arabs. The heroin supply was being interrupted. We gave them cash and ammunition, they gave us the horse and a package to deliver.”

“Right—now where’s the package?”

“We made a deal with the Mazatlecos and the Sinaloa. Paid them to allow the shipment to Arista. That’s it. It wasn’t my problem after that.”

“Who delivered the package? How big was it?”

“Four Arabs came with a truck. They drove it to Arista. Supposed to put it on a boat.”

“And?”

“And that’s all I know. Except the Sinaloas double-crossed us because of Lozano. That colonel’s been on my payroll since he was a lieutenant. I
told
you—I own Mexico.”

“Yeah—how’s that working out for you?”

The sound of boots on stone approaching made Apo push El Gato to the floor and shoulder his weapon.

“
Friendlies
!” came a familiar voice from the long hallway, and Apo breathed a long sigh of relief.

“Down here!” yelled Apo. He looked at El Gato and leaned closer. “You own Mexico, huh? We’ll see who owns what real soon.”

A few minutes later, the entire team had reassembled at the vault door. McCoy wrapped Ripper’s upper arm, which had taken a ricochet off his bicep muscle, but with all the adrenaline, he hadn’t even noticed. Most of the men were bleeding from multiple small scrapes and were covered in bruises, but somehow had managed to escape serious injury. Moose unceremoniously used his KA-Bar knife to pull a slug out of his Kevlar vest. The vest had most certainly saved his life.

He dropped the slug on the stone floor and looked at his men. “We all good to go?”

“Aye, aye, Skipper,” came the response in unison.

“We’re going back to SERE school, boys. Survive, evade, resist, and escape,” said Moose. He pulled the hose from his Monkey Pak and drank. “Hydrate.”

Apo spoke up. “El Gato says the package went south to Arista. Sinaloas double-crossed him, but that’s where the package was headed.”

“What’s in it?” asked Moose.

El Gato shrugged. “Not my business. Just helping make a delivery.”

Moose leaned in close. “Well if it’s a weapon to be used against the United States, it’s
my
business. And that just made it your business.”

“You won’t get one kilometer,” sneered El Gato.

Moose took a deep breath. “You’re a lucky man, El Gato. You just saved another one of your lives. A few years ago, I wasn’t as calm as I am now, and I would have beaten the living shit out of you. But you’re cuffed and it wouldn’t be very fair, would it?”

“Uncuff me,” he said, and spit at Moose, catching the front of his Kevlar.

Moose open-hand ear-smacked El Gato so hard the man dropped to his knees with his head ringing. He was temporarily deaf in his left ear, which was excruciatingly painful. Moose pulled him back up and shoved him against the wall.

“Okay, people. We need to keep this piece of shit alive. Ripper and Jon on point. Stay frosty. I don’t think we have any friends in this whole damn country. We need to get to Arista, due south, straight through two cartels, the Mexican Marines, and whatever the hell else comes up. Until we hear otherwise, we’re on our own.”

“I think Cancun is only like a couple of hours away. Beach sounds pretty nice right now,” said Jon quietly as he pushed a shotgun pellet grenade into his M203. He looked at Moose. “Getting low on buckshot rounds.”

“Then don’t miss. What’s on the other side of this door, Gato?” asked Moose.

“Thousands of Las Zetas who are going to skin you alive.”

“Before this is all over, you and me and are gonna go round and round. All right—move out.”

Ripper and Jon readied their weapons and McCoy slowly pulled open the huge vault door. They expected to see the outside, but it was just more tunnel, descending even further. With Jon and Ripper on point, the team slowly began moving along the tunnel. Moose pulled out a bandana, tied a knot in the center of it, and gagged El Gato with it to keep him quiet as they moved. Low-voltage bulbs hung from a primitive wire, and the team cast menacing shadows in the yellowish-orange light.

Ray pulled a claymore out of his pack and pointed to the vault door. “What do you think, Moose?”

“Outstanding. Close the door and make sure if anyone follows us they get a proper greeting.”

Ray quickly rigged the door, then caught up to the team as they moved cautiously down the tunnel to escape the ruined hilltop mansion.

CHAPTER 46

Unlikely Heroes

The team eventually came to another door, this one rusty and unimpressive. It was hard to push open, as the outside was overgrown with vines and thorny plants. When they managed to get the door open, vines and leaves came down on them, and hot, humid air filtered into the cool tunnel.

The men took a knee and scanned the area, allowing their eyes to adjust to the bright sunshine. They were all sweating in seconds in heat that was already over eighty degrees and so humid it looked hazy outside.

Ripper pushed through the thick vegetation and stopped where the overgrowth ended and cleared farmland began. He pulled binoculars and scanned in all directions, then pushed back to the group at the tunnel entrance.

“Mostly open farmland. A few farm houses maybe half a klick ahead. Looks like maybe a vehicle. Not much cover other than the hedgerows along the fields.”

Moose pondered it a moment. They’d be spotted, if there were Zetas looking for them out that way. Or Marines. Or who knows who else.

Apo spoke up. “Let’s see if we can get a signal.”

He pulled out the sat-phone and opened the small umbrella-shaped antenna. “Ghost to base, you copy?”

Dex answered instantly. “Good copy. Sit-rep?”

“Package secure and we’re on the move. Need extraction for the package. Current position is wide open. Any chance of air extraction?”

“Negative at this time. Highest levels are arguing over your current situation. If push comes to shove, we may violate their airspace and come in, but POTUS is seeking a diplomatic solution. The firefight with the Marines has totally complicated the whole situation. Your men okay? Any injuries?”

“We’re good to go, but ammo will become an issue. The package is in Arista. We can go after it, but getting there is going to be tough overland. Any other assets you can use?”

“Negative. You’re it. We’re working as fast as we can. I know it’s a clusterfuck. Did you confirm the contents of the package?”

“Negative. Cat Face says he doesn’t know what was in it. He was just supposed to get it to Arista to be placed on a boat. Now the Sinaloa have the package and it looks like the colonel was working some deal with all sides.”

“Understood. General Ortega still doesn’t believe his best man was dirty. We’re trying to find proof for him, but he’s demanding your surrender, which of course, we will not agree to.”

“So how about sending in a few Warthogs and taking this whole area apart so we can get our asses home in one piece?”

Dex actually cracked a smile. “World War III in Mexico wasn’t on the president’s agenda today. For now, keep moving towards Arista. We can supply drone surveillance to assist and I’m trying to work out some support on the west coast when you get to Arista. Our foreign intel still insists the package is an EMP from Iran. You can’t allow that thing to get anywhere close to the US coastline.”

“Boss, if you’ve got intel that it’s an EMP, and you know it’s in Arista, why the fuck doesn’t the president just drop in a few thousand airborne and secure the whole area? At least send in a naval blockade to the area. What am I missing?”

“Election season, my friend. The US sending in an invasion force to a friendly neighbor against the wishes of that government is not going to play well with the Latino voters. Not to mention that the peace deal with Iran is still being worked out, and if that package is in fact one of theirs, that’s a whole other can of worms. By the way, the Iranians just test-fired three missiles this morning in violation of the treaty proposals. Isn’t this fun?”

Apo’s face was turning red. “Your feeble attempt at humor is a little flat this morning. I might just be cranky from being shot at and ignored by my boss.”

“Not your boss. Your boss’s boss’s boss. Listen—one thing at a time. Get safely to Arista. Find the package. Avoid the Mexican Marines and police, but the Sinaloa and Mazatlecos are fair game. You keep your people safe, you keep El Gato alive, and you find that package. You get the package and prove its source, then you get to say ‘I told you so’ to the CIC. I’m going to start working with anyone we have in your AO who might be friendly. Tough place to find reliable assets. Watch your six. I’m sorry I can’t offer you more help right now. Check in in two hours and I’ll see what we have for you. Out.”

Apo put away the phone and antenna and faced his men. “Here’s the deal. We’re going to Arista to find the package. The Company’s source still insists it’s an EMP, which the CIC refuses to believe because it’s going to wreck his nuke deal. We need to verify the origin of that weapon. We also need to get there fast before it disappears onto some ship somewhere and heads to the US coast.”

Eric was looking through his powerful spotting scope toward a small farmhouse less than a kilometer from where they were currently hiding. “Moose, I see one little old lady and a couple of kids down at that house. Everyone else must be out working, but I can’t see anyone else in any direction. Don’t see power lines, so unless she’s packing a cell phone, we can get there, grab whatever transportation they have, and try to unass this drug lord Hilton.”

Moose moved up to Eric and took a peek. There was a very old pickup truck, a few tractors, and several very skinny horses. “Not sure what has a better chance of travelling more than a mile, those half-dead horses or that truck.”

“I’m thinking the grandma can probably carry us faster than the horses. She looks tough.”

Moose wiped the sweat off his face and scanned the area. “All right, Frogmen. We have very few options, which all suck. Any minute, the rest of the Mexican Marines are going to come hauling ass through here and we’re not supposed to engage with them unless we have to. Poor fuckers have no clue whose side they’re on at the moment. We’re going to have to get across this field following that hedgerow and see if we can steal a truck until we get a better option.”

Ryan looked around at his friends, made a quick cross over his chest, and quickly paraphrased. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

“And I got your six, brother,” said Ray. “
And
we’re the meanest motherfuckers in the valley. Now let’s unass and steal us a taxi.”

Ripper took point and moved quickly and silently through the brush, working his way to the left flank where the old farmer’s tree line and hedgerow would offer some concealment along the farm field. El Gato slowed them down a little, but they took turns holding him under his armpits, half dragging and lifting him as they raced toward the farmhouse.

When they made it across the field, they stopped at the tree line to observe the small homestead. It was obviously the farmhouse of the family who worked the area, and the house looked to be at least a hundred years old, although in truth it was probably no more than twenty or thirty years old with multiple additions and “improvements” added over the years. What was probably a one-room home had expanded into several extra “wings” for extra bedrooms as the family grew over the years. The home was mostly wood, with some corrugated metal and even a few tree limbs.

Jon closed his eyes and inhaled slowly and deeply. “Damn, that smells good,” he said to himself. The other men could feel their own stomachs grumble. Whatever was cooking inside the house was permeating out through the chimney in a white smoke, and it was heavenly.

The sounds of children’s laughter made the team go prone into the grass and weeds. Two tiny boys and a girl, maybe between five and eight years old, ran out of the front door, chased by a small dog. They were laughing and playing as they headed over to the pump, where they helped each other fill two large pails with water.

The dog sniffed the air and began barking, then began walking toward the team.

“Shit. He’s downwind,” said Moose.

Apo grabbed Moose’s arm. “Let me give this a try. I’m in street clothes. You guys will scare the shit out of these people. Just babysit the asshole.”

Apo stood up and very slowly walked out of the woods, his hands up, with a big smile on his face. “
Hola!
” he said cheerfully to the children, who froze and stared at the stranger. Their expression was more curiosity than fear. The man wasn’t local. In a farm community of a few hundred people who were all dirt poor, a stranger in nice slacks and a new T-shirt was fairly big news. The little girl ran back to the house, and the two boys just stood and smiled as the man approached them.

Apo was almost to the boys when the front door opened and an ancient woman walked out. She was one of the few people on the planet shorter than Apo, and her brown skin was lined from decades of sun, impossibly hard work, and countless warm, grandmotherly smiles.

Apo greeted her in perfect Spanish, but the Spanish of a highly educated man, not some local thug. “I’m sorry if I frightened you. Please excuse the intrusion. I mean you no harm, but I have a problem.”

The woman cocked her head and looked at him. Her light brown eyes were still crystal clear, beneath drooping lids. “If your problem is breakfast, I have the solution,” she said with a smile. “Fresh tortillas.”

Apo closed his eyes and inhaled. “You must be the most popular woman in Mexico,” he said. He extended his hand. “Alejandro.”

“Maria,” she replied, shaking his hand with a grip that surprised him, but shouldn’t have. A life of hard work had forged the small woman into a piece of iron.

Apo eyed her and chose his words carefully. “Señora Maria, do you know who lives up on that hill?”

Her face darkened, and her cheerful expression disappeared in an instant. “We all know who lives there,” she replied coldly.

“He’s not a friend of yours, I assume.”

She stared through him, her face now hard. “What do you want?”

“I want to talk to you with one hundred percent honesty. I want to talk to a woman that wants a better country for her grandchildren. I need to talk to the brave woman I see in front of me, but it’s dangerous.”

“I think you should go,” she said softly. “If you’re hungry, I’ll give you food to take with you.”

“Maria, I am with some men. Good men. From America. We’re here for that man on the hill. We’re going to take him away from here and put him in jail forever.”

“You’ll never get him. Go now before you get yourself killed.”

Apo smiled. “We already have him. But there’s a little problem of transportation. I can pay you a lot of money, but I need your truck.”

She stared at him with disbelief. “You
have
him? You have
El Gato
?” Saying the words gave her goose bumps and she rubbed her arms, now chilled in the extreme heat.

“We do. And we’re going to take him away from here. But I need your help. Please. Let your grandchildren grow up without all this violence.”

“
You have El Gato
,” she repeated in a whisper, this time to herself without even realizing it. “Those children, my grandchildren . . .” her voice broke, and tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “Their father was a police officer in Puerto Ceiba. He was a good man. A
good
man! He went to work there because it paid better than farming here. And Las Zetas killed everyone. They massacred my son. Made my grandchildren fatherless.
You have El Gato?
”

“We do. And I want him in jail for the rest of his life. But I need your help.”

She nodded and called loudly to her grandchildren, who all came running, followed by their skinny puppy. She leaned down and spoke calmly to the children, who could see the seriousness in their grandma’s eyes. “You boys fill the truck with gasoline from the barn. Use all of it. Be very careful not to spill it. Lola, finish the tortillas.”

She stared hard at Apo. “I want to see him.”

Apo pulled his throat mic up from under his shirt and slipped it around his ear. “We’re good. Bring up the team. Friendlies.”

Maria watched in shock as seven American commandos emerged from the woods in full battle gear, dragging along one of the most feared men in Mexico. The men moved across the yard quickly to the porch of the house where she stood with Apo. El Gato did his best to stare the woman down and intimidate her with his cold eyes. The woman walked closer to him, stared back just as hard, and then smacked his face so hard his skin turned pink. She cursed him to eternity in hell and walked into the house.

Jon, who was holding El Gato by one arm, whispered, “You got beat up by a girl. And if I untie you and let you fight her, she’ll fucking
kill
you, dude.”