Antonio and Tomas were nervous. It was nearing five o’clock, and Roberto should’ve called by now to confirm he’d captured Logan West. Antonio was accustomed to operational uncertainty after his time in Iraq and Somalia, but if he didn’t hear from Roberto in another fifteen minutes, he’d have no choice but to try and reach him.
If that fails, I may have to call Mr. Black. He shuddered at the thought.
Tomas had searched the entire house for the flag. After the first search turned up nothing, Antonio ordered him to do it a second time, with the same result. It wasn’t in the house.
Antonio knew that was why they needed the woman alive—to apply leverage on her husband. He’d either give them what they wanted or watch his beautiful brown-haired wife die. It was his choice.
Tomas hadn’t disturbed Cesar’s and Angel’s corpses. He left them where they fell, after confirming that neither one had any type of identification. Antonio planned to take the bodies when they left, but if something else went wrong, he was prepared to leave them behind. It was the team’s standard operating procedure, but these kinds of missions often went sideways.
No shit. Cesar and Angel are dead. This job’s definitely gone sideways.
Sarah West had posed no problem since she’d regained consciousness and found herself duct-taped to a kitchen chair, her hands zip-tied behind her.
Her initial reaction had been as he expected. She’d cried briefly when she saw the pool of blood on the kitchen floor where her dog had died. She knew he was dead, but they’d removed his body to try and lessen the trauma.
Tomas had carried the dog’s corpse out the sliding glass door into the backyard, where he’d placed the dog in a shadow near the side of the house.
Antonio hadn’t expected her second reaction. Instead of screaming or begging for them to release her, she’d only said in a low, defiant voice, “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but if this has anything to do with my husband and he finds you, God help you both. He’s going to kill you.”
Antonio was amused by her display of bravery but only shook his head as he said, “Mrs. West, your husband is likely already in our custody. And as for God, I’ve been doing this long enough to know that there is no God.”
Sarah didn’t respond. She didn’t want to give him the least amount of satisfaction.
“You’re right on one count though. You do have no idea what this is all about, and unfortunately, I’m not about to tell you. Hopefully, this will end well for all of us. It all depends on your husband.”
The calmness in his voice was unsettling. Sarah replied, “Go fuck yourself.” She then closed her eyes and lowered her chin to her chest as all three of them continued to wait, the West woman for her husband, and Antonio and Tomas for Roberto.
The next hour proved uneventful, the only excitement occurring when the backyard flood lights turned on unexpectedly as darkness engulfed the gigantic expanse behind the West house.
Sarah told them they came on every night and remained on a timer until eleven o’clock. She said the lights helped keep the abundant wildlife at bay, especially the curious raccoons known to chew through trash can lids or screen doors in hopes of finding a treasure trove of garbage.
Tomas approached the large bay window every few minutes and gazed into the backyard, as if he expected a wild animal to emerge from the darkness and charge the glass.
Antonio glanced at his watch again. A few more minutes and he’d try Mr. Black. Neither he nor Roberto was answering the phone, which distressed him.
He looked up and saw the West woman staring intently at him, as if she knew something he didn’t. Her stare made him uncomfortable. He looked away and continued to wait.