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The Mendoza meeting was scheduled for noon on the west end of Bourbon Street, which always seemed to be dark and dank—even on the brightest of days. You could buy anything from drugs to dark magic on this end of the street. Mendoza was waiting for Reese at the back of a strip club. The patrons frequenting this club were lost souls—the strippers included. One of them came up to Reese and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Hey there handsome. With a face like that you can have whatever you want.”
“That’s a very generous offer, but I’m not sure my wife would approve.”
“I won’t tell if you won’t,” she said with a dangerous grin.
“Look he said he wasn’t interested okay. Get lost,” Jake said, playing the role of body guard perfectly. He took her arm and put some distance between her and Reese. Mendoza stood up and told his own guards to clear the club.
“Reese, so good to see you again. I’m glad that we had a chance to do this.”
“What can I do for you?” Reese asked. Mendoza sat back down and gestured for them to do the same.
“I have a need for some automatic rifles, and I’ve heard that you have a few that you’d like to get off your hands. We’ll start there.”
“How many are we talking?”
“One hundred cases of ten. Clips and ammo too.”
“What’s your price? If we can come to reasonable terms, then I have some other products that you might be interested in.” Mendoza grinned and gave him a low-ball, one-time fee. Reese agreed without much negotiation and they worked out a pick up location out in the swamps. New Orleans was still a smugglers paradise. Not much had changed since Jean Laffite’s day. In fact, the compound they were currently using as headquarters was probably his lair.
“The exchange will take place in two days’ time,” Reese told Ryan once they were back at the compound. It was going to be a busy two days as the team prepared to put yet another dent in the pirate’s network. The gang excelled when preparing for a mission. This is truly what they lived for. The adrenaline coursed through their veins, causing them to feel alive and needed by the country that had given them so much.
Just then, news from command came in that there was an attack suspected to take place on an incoming cargo ship. They were close enough that they may actually be able to intercept the attack. They located a cove where they could see the cargo ship come in without being detected. They also had a clear view of any other incoming ships. They had been in place for only an hour when the cargo ship came into view. The pirates’ ship was right on its heels, ready to attack. The team was dressed in black and ready to board the cargo ship. They worked together, as one unit, and opened fire. The team was able to apprehend the pirates that had already boarded the cargo ship. They killed eight and injured five. They left the dead and brought the injured pirates back to their boat. The prisoners were blindfolded as the team made their way back to the compound. Once they reached port, the captured were taken down to the holding cells.
Later that evening, over a light dinner, the group joked about how this would probably be the last easy mission they would see. If the pirates were smart, they would begin taking more precautions. It didn’t matter though; this team was ready for anything.
As they were finishing up their meal, Simon suddenly came running into the room.
“She’s awake! She’s awake!” The team jumped up immediately, nearly over turning the table, and ran for the elevators. She was in fact awake, but you could see the confusion etched in her face. Jake approached her slowly so that he wouldn’t frighten her.
“Where am I?” She asked, her voice gravely. “Where’s Jessica? Is she alright?”
“Yes, she’s okay. Thanks to you. You are both safe now,” Jake assured her.
“How long have I been in here?”
“About two weeks.”
“Your voice sounds so familiar.”
“Yes, I spent a lot of time sitting with you and talking to you while you were in the coma. We all did,” he said gesturing to the rest of the group. “Do you feel up to talking about what happened? We already know that you were under cover for a long time.” Just then, the doctor entered and told them that she truly needed to rest and get her bearings before questioning began. They left her and returned to their rooms. Jake showered and returned to the ward to find Kat napping. He sat down in the chair next to her bed and just watched her sleep. She had the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen. He hoped that his draw to her would lessen now that she was awake, but something told him that it wasn’t going to.
Kat awoke again. This time, the dark haired woman with the English accent was sitting where the man named Jake had been. Her mind felt so jumbled by all of the thoughts that were trying to be processed in her mind. She could almost swear that she remembered this woman. She was the one who had helped Jessica. Suddenly, Kat had mental flashes of being beaten, then everything just went black. She thought she heard people talking while she was stuck under the darkness, but if there was one voice she was sure she recognized, it was Jake’s.
“Hi Kat. Do you remember me? My name is Sarah,” the British woman said. Kat tried to speak, but her throat was still so sore that it made her voice a raspy whisper. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. You need your rest. There is plenty of time to talk once you have your strength back,” Sarah said, offering her a gentle smile. A nurse came in to check Kat’s vitals and administered her scheduled dose of pain medication. It didn’t take long for the meds to knock her right back out.
Reese came in and found Sarah still sitting with Kat as she slept. He was pleased to hear from Sarah that Kat seemed to be improving.
“Come on kid. Let’s join the others for breakfast,” Reese told her, extending his hand.
“Shouldn’t someone stay with her?” She asked before taking his hand and allowing him to help her up.
“She’ll be fine. She will be under the influence of all those pain meds for quite a few hours yet. You on the other hand, need to eat.” Sarah smiled at the care in his voice.
When they arrived in the dining hall, Ryan and the rest of the team were just sitting down. Sarah filled them all in on what the nurse had told her about Kat’s condition.
“If she is able to regain her full memory, she will be able to give us intimate details on these bastards,” Ryan said.
“She might not want to join us. Did you think about that? Not after all she has been through,” said Jake.
“That may be so, and that would be her choice. We won’t force her into anything she isn’t ready or willing for.”