The hardest part in this whole affair was telling Chris, but he had to be made aware of the danger. He would miss Jerry and Miguel by dinner time and Gary couldn't keep it secret much longer. The boy was smart and they would need his eyes and ears. Gary didn't know if the bad guys had any plans for them, but he was pretty sure Jerry had just been caught up in Miguel's kidnapping.
He went down to the boat, hoping to have a little time to think. Max would have the word out within minutes after hanging up. Charter a jet, Gary had told him, a commercial flight would be impossible. Tomorrow morning he would have to rent a van and several other vehicles, minor details.
Gary slid down the companionway ladder and stopped in the kitchen. He ran his fingers along the underside of the cabinet over the stove and felt for the light fixture. After unscrewing the bulb, he reached up inside the fixture and pressed the hidden button, hearing an audible spring-loaded click.
He grasped the hood over the stove and pulled gently until it slid off in his hands. The opening grew larger as Gary took it away. The hood was a fake, they never did any huge fry ups in the kitchen, and besides it was all propane. The gaping hole revealed the long metal box inside and he slid it out, setting it down gently on the floor.
Tommy would come, no doubt. He would bring at least five others and their golf clubs. Their weapons would be dismantled and stashed in special golf bags Tommy had made. Customs agents had searched their belongings time and again only to find nothing. This particular box had traveled the world with him for years...just in case.
Gary undid the snaps, and felt the resistance of the waterproof seal. He opened the lid and looked down at the row of weapons. Two M-16 assault rifles and an Uzi machine gun lay in the top of the box, along with two Taurus 24/7 SOCOM .45 auto pistols, the choice of American Special Forces around the world.
He moved the Uzi aside and grasped a small plastic box. Inside it was a modified Glock 9mm, loaded and threaded to take the silencer stored in the small compartment beside it. Gary didn't even open the box…it was a familiar weapon. He set it on the table and hoped it wouldn't be needed. He had the firepower, now he needed the troops.
Gary knew he couldn't trust Eduardo's phones, not even in his office, they could all be tapped by now. They had been foolish to say as much as they had, but that was water over the dam. He closed the box up and slid it back in place, replacing the hood. Ammunition was stored in the bilge sump under a few inches of water, the safest place on the boat...and it looked like nothing but part of the ballast weight.
Eduardo would get a visit tonight, late tonight. Gary needed to know where Ignacio lived, worked, loved...everything about him. He would not be foolish enough to hide the boys in his own house, but he might if he was arrogant enough. They could take a few prisoners to find out that detail.
Tommy had the means of persuading anyone to talk, and the balls to pull it off. The guys jokingly referred to him as 'Mr. Nice Guy,' he was anything but. He had been Gary's number two in and out of uniform for eight years...involved in deep dark ops for what felt like a lifetime. When Gary left the unit Tommy had just been training the new man, then Gary hired him away.
Tommy said he knew Gary was gay the moment they met...but it never came between them. He was quiet and unassuming, deadly traits they were all to learn when he was under pressure. Tommy was black as coal and passed for African around the world even though he grew up in the swamps of Florida.
Gary was a southern man and that made Tommy cautious at first, but most gays find prejudice an absurd notion. They became close through training and missions...black and white, straight and gay, nothing mattered...they were brothers under the skin. Now he was needed more than ever and he would come...he always came.
Gary walked back up to the hotel and noticed a couple of men in uniform standing out front. Ricardo's security personnel and they weren't even armed. He knocked on the door before entering the room and saw they were watching Rambo again.
Ricardo gave him a fake smile and shook his head, Chris still knew nothing.
"Rambo is so cool," Chris said. "I could watch this movie a dozen times."
"Stallone? He's an actor, soldiers don't really fight like that...but it's a good adventure film," Gary said.
Ricardo excused himself and Chris waved good-bye, engrossed in the movie. Gary placed the plastic box on the table and went to sit on the bed beside the boy, running his fingers through that beautiful hair. He really hated to do this, but Chris needed to know. Rambo killed the bad guys, shot up half the town and blew up a bridge before the film ended.
"Chris, come sit over here with me, I have something to tell you," Gary finally said. He sat in one of the chairs beside the windows and Chris joined him, looking at the box.
"Jerry and Miguel have been kidnapped," Gary began. Chris' face fell and his eyes filled with tears but he didn't lose control. No, instead he boy got angry as he was told what happened.
"Fuckers...God damn fuckers...what can we do about it?" He asked.
Gary smiled. "There are a few things I haven't told you about my time in the Navy. I was in the Seals, the toughest bunch around. My friends and I…well, we make Rambo look like a pussy."
Chris' mouth dropped open. "You...you did what?"
"Navy Seals, that's all I can tell you," Gary said, and then grinned. "I might have to shoot you if I said anything more."
Chris was off the chair in a flash and in his arms. It was good to feel the affection, good to have this love to wash away the grief. Rambo be damned, Gary knew he was a hero to the boy and he hadn't even met Tommy yet.
He told Chris that he had friends coming tomorrow, people who could take care of business. Tonight he would go pay a surprise visit to the mayor and have a little chat with Eduardo about all of this. It would be dangerous, he knew the house was being watched, it had to be. The man wouldn't be able to trust his bodyguards any more or even a police guard.
Chris listened and Gary saw him shudder. Fear had entered the boy's mind as it bound to do sooner or later.
"I don't want you to get caught," Chris said. "What if they shoot you?"
"Now that's a serious problem, I'm not bulletproof. But you have to see something to shoot at it, and I'm gonna be invisible."
"How can you do that?"
"Remember that pool in his yard, the one that goes into his house? I will swim right on in to see him after it gets really late. Hmm, wonder if he'll mind that I'm naked? Don't want to get my clothes wet now do I?"
"You'll scare his wife to death," Chris grinned.
"Nope, they don't even sleep in the same room...imagine that," Gary said.
"So, Miguel's dad isn't getting any, huh...no wonder he's so crabby."
But the mention of the boy's name made Chris somber once again. Gary hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Now go sit back in that chair," And the boy obeyed.
"We'll get them back, sweetie...yes we will," Gary said. He picked up the box and opened it, taking out the Glock and the silencer. Chris' eyes were as big as saucers by then, he was in that guns are cool crowd Gary detested. Pistols were for killing, end of subject.
Gary wouldn't let him touch it, but he sure looked closely. "Guns are bad business," He said. "Now you know more about me than anyone else, even Max doesn't know the whole truth."
"Not even Max....? Did you kill people...like an assassin?"
"No, I was not an assassin. It was always a team effort...and that team will be here tomorrow. I am going to leave you here at the hotel for a day or two...or would you rather be on the boat? I can't take you with me, it's too dangerous. Maybe I could send you back to Max on a plane..."
"No...I stay," Chris almost yelled. "They're my family too...I have to be here when they get back." His eyes were brimming over with the tears coursing down his cheeks...and this time Gary went to him.
He knelt in front of Chris and the boy leaned into his chest, sobbing like crazy.
"You're right…you need to be here for Jerry and Miguel," Gary said.
"And you, Gary....especially you. I can't lose you now."
He sobbed and Gary rubbed his back. The underlying emotion was a fear of losing the man he loved. The boy was still insecure, between Gary's world and the mother's. Love was a fragile state of mind for him.
"I will come back for you, Chris...nothing can keep me away."
Words...only words and they couldn't stop the fear. Gary had opened a door in his heart and knew the boy had completely taken control of his life. But he had created the fear, and thus the pain overwhelmed him. Gary pulled Chris up from the chair and laid him gently on the bed, stretching out beside him. His crying had abated but he seemed to be in a mild state of shock as well. Too many thoughts and not enough time to absorb them.
Gary had to say something as he stroked the boy's hair. "One of these days you're gonna be my son," He began. "And then I am going to teach you everything I know. The good thing about combat is that a good soldier doesn't have time to be afraid, that's where training kicks in. Fear is something you experience before shit hits the fan and you can use it to focus on the mission ahead.
"Nothing we do the next few days will happen without extreme planning...and I want you to know all the details. My men and I will meet and talk and make those plans...I want you to be there."
Gary felt Chris stir, his head came up, his eyes were red and swollen, but his mind was now alert.
"You want...you want my help?" He asked.
"Yes, you know things about Jerry and Miguel I don't. I want you to explain to my guys what they think, and how they think. Success is in the details and the more they know the better they can do their jobs."
"Really? Will it help save them?"
"Absolutely, no lie. What will they do if we burst through the door, will they run away and hide or will they help us take out the bad guys? Is Miguel gonna protect Jerry or will Jerry be the one to jump in front of Miguel when there is danger?"
"Um...I don't know. Can I think about it?" Chris asked.
"Yes, we'll all be doing a lot of thinking before anything happens and we have the time to plan this out."
"Where are they, do we even know?"
"Tommy will find out for us, he's very good at that...you'll like Tommy," Gary said. He had no idea what Chris would think when Tommy came through the door. But the man must love kids because he had six of his own.
"I am gonna be your son someday. Will you really teach me everything?" Chris asked.
Gary kissed his cheek and brushed the hair back from his eyes. Yes, he would be a worthy son, a boy to cherish his whole life. Gary could teach Chris skills that would amaze other men, but he would not teach him how to kill.
"It will take a considerable amount of time, you know. I learned an awful lot of stuff. But I suppose we can skip the part about eating snakes and bugs, you prefer hamburgers anyway."
And Gary got back a smile, one that made the world seem whole and wonderful. Chris could join the team so he didn't feel left out. Nothing could take away the fear Gary had seen in those eyes. And for causing that pain he would crush Ignacio's balls before slitting his throat.
"No bugs, okay?" Chris said, snapping Gary back from the thoughts of revenge.
"Yeah, no bugs...but rattlesnake tastes a bit like chicken."
"Eww, forget it," Chris said. "I love you, Gary...you rock my world."
"You play the music and I'll dance with you," Gary replied.
Gary had some dinner sent up, but Chris didn't eat much...that was understandable. They showered and made as if this was going to be an early night, but they both knew it would be a long one. And then just before nine o'clock the phone rang, it was Ricardo.
"Gary...I am suspicious," He said. "There is this strong looking black man standing at the desk and he wants to speak to you...is this good?"
Gary smiled. "Put him on, please...he's my brother."
"Oh...?" But Tommy came on the phone.
"Help is here, me at least...the team arrives tomorrow at ten," Tommy said.
"Room three-oh-six," Gary said, and the line went dead.
"Who was that...your brother?" Chris asked.
"Tommy is here already, I hoped he would come fast. And yes, if I ever had a brother I would want it to be him," Gary said.
Three minutes later there was a knock. Four taps...a pause, then two more. Old ways were hard to change. Gary opened the door and Tommy blew right in, dropping his bag by the door.
"Gary," He said.
"Tommy," And they hugged.
Tommy turned to Chris, now clad in shorts after that warning from the front desk.
"And who's this?" Tommy asked.
"Chris Owens...Intel...team ops," Gary said.
He had just named Chris their intelligence officer and Tommy accepted that without batting an eyelash.
"Tommy Brixton," He said holding out a hand.
Chris was still dumbfounded, Gary had not said Tommy was huge and black...didn't think it necessary. Chris shook the hand with awe on his face.
Tommy would not ask. Besides, he already knew about Chris, all about Chris. He had been the one investigating Chris' mother.
He spied the Glock on the table. "Wet work?" Tommy asked.
"Hope not. Intel mostly, I have to covertly visit the mayor tonight," Gary said.
"You find 'em and I'll ask 'em," Tommy said. His polite way of saying interrogation. Then he looked at the empty plates on the table.
"You hungry? I bet you didn't eat on the plane," Gary asked.
"Nope, think the kitchen is open?"
"If not it will be shortly, I have to get you a room too," Gary said. He went to the phone and asked for Ricardo who was on in less than a minute. "I need a room for my brother, but he can use three-oh-seven tonight. I also need some food, Ricardo. Two big steaks medium rare and all the vegetables you have in the kitchen...oh, and tea...lots of sweet tea."
Gary saw Tommy smile and heard Ricardo say it would all be up shortly.
"You like whipping the staff up, don't you?" Tommy laughed.
"The owner actually, he's a friend and scared shitless," Gary replied.
Chris had stood there the whole time, watching, trying to grasp the chemistry going on between these two men. And now Tommy went and sat down, turning towards the boy and motioning him over. Chris cautiously approached but Tommy took his hand and pulled the boy down on his lap.
"See that man over there," Tommy said, pointing. "I need to tell you something about that man. Gary is the smartest, bravest man I ever met, Mister Christopher Owens. He is worth ten of me when shit hits the fan, you can take that to the bank and cash it."
Chris nodded. "He's going to adopt me…be my father."
Gary was floored by the honesty. But Tommy nodded...he knew.
"Yes he is, and he is gonna be the best daddy in the whole world. We both love that man, don't you agree?"
Chris nodded and smiled. "You love him too?"
Tommy laughed...a joyous sound from deep inside. "Oh yes, I have loved him a long time. I've held him when he cried and wiped his bottom when he shit his self. I know what love means, and I see it in your eyes, little man. You love the best among us and that makes you a very lucky boy."
And then Chris threw his arms around Tommy's neck and hugged him. It was the right thing to do and Tommy beamed with joy. Then they started talking about what Gary had to do this evening while Chris sat and listened.
"So who'd you tap for this one," Gary asked, wanting to know who would be there tomorrow.
Tommy grinned. "I broadcast the alert and every guy in the company wanted in. I chose Nate, Mark, Jackson, Bobby and Oliver...seven ought to be enough. Except Oliver has a broken wing, his arm is in a cast. He's toting my golf clubs."
Gary laughed. "Jeez, Tommy...you think customs is gonna believe a one armed golfer?"
"They better or he'll rip the cast off and drive a ball two hundred yards just to prove it."
Yeah, Oliver was tough. "He can't run ops with us like that," Gary said.
"Nope, figured he could lay back and Intel with Chris here. He's bringing some communications gear along for that, some of those expensive toys he makes," Tommy said, he gave Gary a wink behind Chris' back.
Damn, he even had the babysitter covered...and Gary had thought to worry about that all night. The food arrived and Chris moved so Tommy could eat. He wasn't a fast eater, just continuous and the two steaks disappeared in a timely fashion.
Tommy yawned and said he needed a walk, read that as scoping out the territory before he retired. In every place they'd been Tommy always took that walk before he could sleep. He was the most prepared guy Gary knew. Tommy stood up and stretched, looking out the window at the ocean.
"That your boat down there?" He asked.
"Yeah, we sorta got stuck here because of that hurricane. I seem to have forgotten all about that storm."
"Killing Cuba as we speak then heading north. Maybe we can run communications off the boat, more secluded than these rooms," Tommy suggested, and he was right. "I'm off, see you at seven."
"That door adjoins your room...it belonged to the boys before...." Gary said.
"Yeah, got it," Tommy replied and he left, taking his bag along.
Chris smiled. "Wow, he's so cool. I'll sleep better knowing he's next door."
Gary laughed...it was the greatest compliment the boy knew. All right, he would leave at eleven, two hours to scope out the house and then penetrate. Maybe Eduardo would be awake, probably was if he was worried.
Chris settled down on the bed and Gary hoped the boy would be asleep before he left. Eduardo might not know where the boys were being held, but he could probably tell them everything else about Ignacio. Somehow Gary knew they had been acquainted for a while. Maybe Eduardo had been in on the rackets from the beginning and had soured on the deal. Too many variables at this moment in time.
The point was to get the boys back safe and sound, Eduardo was a secondary issue. If anything, Gary hoped these guys had the boys locked up tight. A foolish escape attempt might get them both killed…he'd seen it happen before.
Chris relaxed in his arms, sliding into a troubled sleep. Gary rolled him on his side and cuddled up close, enough to give him comfort until he was in deep sleep. The rain resumed outside, a weather front had lashed the hotel all day as the storm moved north. Good, it would keep the enemy's head down.
Seal training had taught him to use bad weather as a cover for covert operations. Guards didn't patrol as frequently in the rain and sounds didn't carry as far. Rain gear was bulky and made it difficult to bear arms in a proper manner. A Seal had no such issues, they lived in water.
Gary would bring Eduardo one of the satellite phones to use for contact. It would allow them to keep track of him as well through the GPS feature. His son had been taken, but that didn't mean trust was implicit. The man could just as well switch sides in the middle of all this and leave Gary holding the bag.
By eleven Chris was out for the count as Gary slid out of bed and dressed. The Glock had a shoulder rig, but that was too cumbersome. He put the assembled gun in a sling bag, added the cell phones and his wallet. He gave Chris one last look as he slipped out the door.
Two blocks from the hotel Gary caught a cab. Acting like a confused tourist, he gave the man vague directions in halting Spanish. As they drove off the cabbie asked for an address which Gary pretended not to know. He kept saying it was a big house, and named a few streets in Eduardo's neighborhood. The guy must have thought he was one dumb Americano to be out getting soaked in all this rain, but at least they were heading the right way.
Gary allowed the cab to drive past the mayor's home and continue on. Once they were a mile clear of the area Gary asked him to stop at a church on the corner. He paid the driver and got out, watching the cab turn around and head back downtown.
He had seen no cars out front of Eduardo's residence, but he had no doubt someone would be watching from somewhere. The rain was pretty heavy which would obscure his approach on the street, and that helped…he saw the watcher first.
A small black car sat across from the gates and right in under the trees where it was virtually invisible. But the glow of a cigarette gave the watcher away, a foolish move on his part. Gary skirted the gates behind a row of bushes and followed the wall towards the trees. The watcher couldn't see him there so he looked for a limb overhanging the wall.
Guards were probably patrolling the grounds, unlikely to be alert in this weather, but possible. Leaving the man at the gate behind, Gary scaled a tree and dropped over the wall. Like so many homes, Eduardo's had extensive landscaping which was bad for security. He worked his way through the shrubs towards the back of the house and the pool.
The immediate area around the house was lit, but the dark waters of the outdoor pool only reflected the light back at anyone who might be on guard. Gary sat on the ground beside a bush and waited...it was too soon to move in.
There were lights on in the upstairs of the house and one in the detached garage. The garage door was open and that would be the place a guard might choose to ride out the storm. It gave a view of the back of the house all the way to the corner, yeah, that's where he was.
Gary saw one of the bedroom lights go out, the wife's maybe? He had only glanced through the door of Eduardo's bedroom and study as they toured the house before the party. The curtains had been open then, giving him a view of a stone railing and a balcony. He could see that part of the house now and it confirmed that Eduardo's light was still burning.
The guards must have a means of communication so eliminating one of them would break the chain and cause an alarm. No, it was best to let them think they were doing a good job and skirt the problem. Gary stripped off his clothing and wrapped the bag around his waist. It was waterproof to fifty feet below sea level, courtesy of the Navy. He crawled out of the shadows and slipped into the pool without making a ripple.
The pool was twenty feet wide, but nearly a hundred feet long. Gary could hear the pump motors for the fountain that cascaded water somewhere in the middle of the pool. The only problem was that the damn thing was only two feet deep. He rolled on his back and kept his face out of the water behind the coping tiles that edged the pool. The heavy rainfall would help immensely in hiding his movements.
Long slow strokes carried him down the pool, under the spray of the fountain and towards the house. The pool backed right up against the walls of the house where there was a huge glass partition. Gary slid under the glass and was inside the indoor part of the pool. It was quiet in here...too quiet. He stopped stroking and glided to a halt near a cluster of potted plants.
There was a mumble of voices echoing off the tile walls, at least two that he could discern. More guards, probably Eduardo's personal staff. The man out front in the car was sent to spy, these guys were here to protect. Still, Gary didn't want to give himself away to any of them.
Gary slid out of the pool and into the cover behind the plants. Standing slowly he moved over towards the artificial grass that covered the pool deck. He looked up the metal staircase that led to the second floor and the open doorway at the top. Eduardo's bedroom adjoined the balcony which ran along this upstairs wall, his private access to the pool area.
He started to climb, listening to the voices for any change in tone. Once at the top he looked back across the pool where he could see two men sitting at a table in the office playing cards. Gary's instinct said that they would patrol the house infrequently, but they would look around when they did so he kept moving.
The door at the top led into the upstairs hallway. Gary stuck his head into the hall and heard soft music coming from somewhere. There was a bathroom on the left and he looked inside...empty. There was a nice large towel on the rack and he snatched it up to wrap around his waist. No sense in distracting Eduardo with his nudity as they talked.
The bedroom was on the right and the source of the music, but otherwise everything seemed quiet. Gary turned the knob and the door silently opened. The bedroom was empty, but the doorway to the study was open so he walked over quietly and looked inside.
Eduardo was sitting at a computer terminal, looking at words on a page. Gary stood still for a moment and watched him reach for a glass of wine on his desk.
"May I have one of those too, Eduardo?" He asked.
Eduardo started, almost dropping the glass as he turned. A smile crossed his face.
"You move like a ghost...no one saw you?"
Gary shook his head. "I only came to see you."
Eduardo reached for another glass and poured some of the wine, appraising the towel around Gary's waist. "You've been swimming?"
"A little chink in your armor, I'm afraid. I'll go back out the same way." Gary nodded at the monitor screen. "Been busy?"
"I have been researching for you," Eduardo said, holding up a computer disk. "This is everything I have found on the cartels and Ignacio. They are happy I have accepted their offer, but they make no promises about Miguel or your son."
"They won't, the boys are an insurance policy...they're not planning to give them back," Gary said.
"But they said..."
"Yes, and they lied...they always lie. The boys have seen their faces and unless they are completely isolated they've heard too much already. You see, without a ransom demand they have no real need to give them back. I will have to go get them," Gary said.
"We don't know where they are...I can't even begin to guess...."
"I know it might not be easy to find out where they are, but it will be isolated, hidden and probably way out in the jungle. They will have supplies for an indefinite amount of time, long enough to make sure you are keeping the bargain and then..." Gary shook his head. "We will not discuss their final plans for our boys. I'm here to change all that."
Gary sipped the wine, noting the high quality of the vintage. His words were sinking in and Eduardo was about to lose control so it was time to snap him back.
"You know Ignacio very well, don't you?" Gary said. It wasn't a question. "At some point you were close...business partners maybe, but then you separated. He's double-crossed you, and this wasn't supposed to happen...was it?"
Eduardo lowered his head and shook it. "No...it was not. He was my friend, and then he changed the rules of the game." He sighed and looked back up. "We were going to do all this legally, at least the gambling part. I was going to influence friends in the national government to change our laws, at least in this region.
"But Ignacio's family had other ideas...the drugs and prostitution makes them too much money, they bought his loyalty away from me. I should never have trusted him. I was the fool. But I cannot accept the cartel, they would destroy this state if they gained power...but I have lost, they will now win...and I will lose my son."
He sobbed, bringing his hands to his face to hide the tears. Gary had the answer he wanted. The information they needed was probably all there on that disk...but he also wanted something else.
"If I wanted to find Ignacio, go face to face with him...how would I do that?"
"No one sees him, he always found me," Eduardo said, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "Killing him will not get my son back."
"Yes, I know that," Gary said, but two could play at this game and he had no intention of losing. "What does he value most...what can I take from him that he will trade for our boys?"
Eduardo looked up with alarm at the sudden change in Gary's tone of voice. "He...he has a woman, a very pretty young woman...a girl. She is everything to him, but she is well guarded. The family has a compound near Playa del Carmen. This family owns much of the land in this area. It is well guarded and they have dozens of armed men...it is too dangerous."
"If I cannot find our boys then I will find Ignacio. How does he travel to see her, by car?"
"No, the compound looks out on the sea across from Cozumel, do you know this island?
"I've been there…they have the nature preserve and dozens of hotels and restaurants for the tourists. You mean he travels by boat?" Gary asked.
"Yes, he has a yacht. Very heavily armed...it is docked not far from Ricardo's hotel."
"This seaside compound, how far from Playa del Carmen?"
"It is right there on the southern side of the town," Eduardo said. "There is an old Spanish church on the grounds and you can see the spires from the sea. But Gary, you will never get even close, they have a guard day and night."
"And so do you, including that guy across from your gate sitting in a car under the trees. Probably one of Ignacio's men, no doubt."
"Yes, I am sure. And what will you do...how will you find them?"
Gary smiled. "I'll just have to ask, and keep on asking until Ignacio runs out of soldiers in his little army, someone will talk. He won't want to meet me directly because the next thing he's going to see after my face is the devil himself."
Eduardo gave a small smile. "You are not afraid of him?"
"He's just a man, Eduardo...he doesn't have my talents and that will cost him his life. Now I better go before your guards decide to check in on you."
Gary handed Eduardo one of the phones and explained its operation. "That battery lasts for seven days so leave it on all the time, I might need to call you. Use the word 'magnificent' if it is not safe to talk, but then you must call me back when you can."
He got up to leave and dropped the towel across the back of the chair. "Sorry, I don't want to steal your towel. There won't be any warning before we move on Ignacio, it will happen swiftly, that's just how we work."
"You have help here now?" Eduardo asked.
"Yes, some friends...as I said before, dangerous friends. If you don't trust the police, who will we call to clean up the mess when I am done?" Gary asked.
"I have contacts, the military...my brother," Eduardo said.
"Good...and what about your deputy, do you want him eliminated?"
"No...I shall take care of that myself. Will you call me when the boys are safe?"
"Certainly, I will bring Miguel home personally," Gary said.
"If there is anything...anything I can do..."
"You might visit Chris at the hotel, take him to lunch. He's going to miss me for a while," Gary said.
"Assuredly I will, and thank you...I cannot bear to think of what would have happened if you were not here."
"I will call you when I know something," Gary said. He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Eduardo with a half empty bottle.
Gary and his team didn't like barging into a situation without good intelligence. Unfortunately, there had been too many missions in the past which were just like that. Faulty Intel was worse than none at all, and that's what this felt like.
If Ignacio and his thugs were hold up in a compound they would need to get a look at it first, but there wasn't much time. Once Eduardo walked out of the mayor's office things would happen rapidly. The man was a loose end, and despite the danger to the boys, Eduardo was also a likely target for assassination…but Gary couldn't focus on that now.