Saturday, early morning
November 20 – 1:05 a.m. PST (November 20 – 3:05 a.m. CST)
Pelican Bay, Crescent City, CA
Trece woke with a start. He knew that sound – the march of boots, the jingle of keys, and the toneless whistle of the head guard as he moved down the hallway.
Someone was leaving Pelican Bay by armed guard.
Trece sat up and looked out his cell at White Boy. His best friend’s attention was focused on something coming down the hallway.
He felt like he was in a pocket of still safety. The sound passed the first cell. The sound passed the second cell. Trece’s heart began to beat overtime. He heard the guy in the cell next to him get up and go his door. Trece watched White Boy.
The sound passed the third and the fourth cell. They were either taking the guy next door or him.
“What’s going on?” White Boy asked.
“Paperwork came through,” the other guard said. “They’re moving him to Florence. They intercepted plans to escape in a tunnel or some other bullshit.”
Trece felt the prisoners around him react. Florence, Colorado was the location of the Federal Supermax Prison. By reputation, life in Florence was only slightly worse than Pelican Bay SHU. Trece licked his lips, but didn’t get up from his spot on the bunk.
He still had no idea who was being moved.
“Hey,” the prisoner in cell one yelled out his door. “You better get my lawyer.”
The tension on the pod increased a notch. White Boy glanced at Trece.
“Nobody wants to talk to you, asshole,” the prisoner in cell four said.
“Shut up,” a guard’s voice came from down the hallway.
“I’m s’pposed to get you,” the guard outside his cell said to White Boy.
Trece breathed a sigh of relief. The guard only wanted White Boy’s help to move another prisoner. The guard leaned in to say something to White Boy. From his vantage point in the dark looking out into the lit hallway, Trece could see White Boy’s jaw muscles tense. His right forearm tensed and relaxed.
And Trece knew.
He was the prisoner being moved.
This was like something that would happen to Alex. He was being taken to his death. His heart beat so fast he thought it was going to come out of his chest. He glanced around the room to see if there was a place to hide.
When the guards came in, he put up a hell of a fight. The more he fought, the more guards came into the room. White Boy kept yelling to him to knock it off, but he was too amped up, too frightened to hear him.
Finally, they knocked him to the ground where they put a restraining belt on him. They flipped him over to clip in the chain from the ankle shackles. They cuffed his wrists and clipped them to the belt before tightening down the shackles. With the help of White Boy, the guards got him up and pushed him out of the cell.
Terrified, the other prisoners on his pod turned away from their doors. The guards pushed and prodded Trece with their stun batons. They marched out of the pod and down a long hallway. Ahead, Trece made out two guards standing in the dim light at the end of the hallway.
Trece swallowed hard. From this distance, he could tell that they were tall, and looked mean. He glanced over his left shoulder to make sure White Boy was with him. When they got to the end of the hall, the federal prison guards nodded to the Pelican Bay guards.
They turned right and walked down another hallway. At the outside door, the Florence guards made the Pelican Bay guards sign the forms to release him into their custody. In desperation, Trece stared at White Boy. The guards grabbed Trece’s arms and started toward a transport helicopter. They went a few feet, and the guard on Trece’s right turned back to look at White Boy.
“What are you doing?” the guard yelled.
Surprised, White Boy pointed to himself.
“The paperwork says you’re coming, too,” the guard said.
White Boy ran to catch up.
“I don’t know how you got so lucky as to escort this jerk to Colorado,” the federal guard said.
“Bad karma,” White Boy said.
White Boy got in the helicopter first and helped the guards drag Trece inside. The guards bounced Trece into a seat and sat across from him. The helicopter took off.
“This is your Captain checking in. We’re going to have a balmy flight with low turbulence.”
Trece looked up at the intercom speaker.
“We have some lovely snacks of low-fat turkey jerky, or what we call shoe leather. Our beverage today is low-fat water, since we’ve noticed you’ve gotten a little chubby in prison.”
“Zack?” Trece asked.
“That’s the Jakker to you, asshole,” Zack said.
“But I thought you only flew Alex,” Trece said.
“They went another way,” Zack said. “You still have to go to Florence. Sorry, man. We wanted you to hear a friendly voice and know we cared. Can’t you hear the compassion in my voice?”
“No.”
“Suck it, Ramirez,” Zack laughed.
Laughing, Trece looked at White Boy and the guards.
“You wear F’s?” Trece asked.
“Nah, we’re friends of Freddy’s,” the guard across from him said.
“And big fans of turkey jerky,” the other guard laughed.
“Well, thanks for coming,” Trece said.
“We won’t put you in a cell, but you’ll have to stay restrained,” the guard across from Trece said. “That’s the best we can do.”
“It’s really . . . ,” Trece nodded to keep from crying.
The men smiled.
“Get some rest,” White Boy said. “We never know what’s going to happen next.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Trece said.
FFFFFF
Saturday, early morning
November 20 – 5:05 a.m. AST (1:05 a.m. PST)
Rincón municipality, Puerto Rico
“You know, there is one thing we could do with the gold bars,” Jesse said.
Looking out the window at Rincón municipality flying by, Alex raised her eyebrows. She was sitting next to Raz in the back of an armored SUV cruising along Puerto Rico Highway 115. Matthew, Vince, and Leena sat in the middle seat. The rest of the team followed in two armored SUVs.
“We could buy one of the big houses on the water,” Jesse said. “How many bars could that be?”
Alex counted. With her hand against her thigh, she gestured four.
“What are you doing?” Raz whispered.
“Trying to figure out how many bars it would take to buy one of these gorgeous homes,” Alex whispered back.
“Five,” Raz said. “Maybe six.”
“I figured four,” Alex said.
Raz tapped Matthew’s shoulder. He turned around to look at Raz.
“Ask our Coast Guard friend how much the big houses on the water cost,” Raz said.
Matthew leaned forward to the front seat where their two US Coast Guard MP guards sat.
“Couple million,” the driver said. “Why?”
“Trying to figure out how to spend some gold,” Raz said.
Alex laughed.
“When we finish here, I’ll show you my favorite spot, Uncle Agent Rasmussen,” the driver said. “You can buy me a house while you’re spending your gold bars.”
Alex chuckled and looked back at the window. She saw Jesse in the reflection.
“Who would miss it?” Jesse asked. “We could come here for holidays. The kids would play on the beach . . . It would be fabulous.”
Matthew turned around to Alex.
“Why is Jesse giving a Puerto Rico travelogue?” Matthew asked in a low tone.
“Bored, I think,” Alex smiled.
“You guys are bored?” the US Coast Guard MP from the passenger seat said. “This is the biggest action this island has seen in . . . years.”
“We’ve been on the road a while,” Alex said.
The team laughed. The MP stopped at the police barricade and began a quick conversation in Spanish with the Policia de Puerto Rico. The neighborhood was secure. The residents would remain in their homes. The residences on either side were clear, and the beach was secure. The house was isolated and secure. The Puerto Rico police were ready to provide back up and move in when necessary. The Coast Guard SUV moved toward a Spanish-style mansion on the water. The MP pulled to a stop behind a house a block away from their target. The cars behind pulled in next to them.
Alex and the team got out of the SUVs and went around to the back. They picked up US Coast Guard–issued handguns and M240 machine guns. Even though they each wore their dragon skin body armor, Alex agreed to wear an additional Coast Guard-issue body armor vest for this mission. She wished everyone good luck when she gave them their earbud communicators.
When they were armed and ready, they split into teams. Vince led Leena and MJ to the west entrance of the building. Joseph took Colin and Royce to the east entrance. Matthew, Margaret, and Cliff ran ahead to come at the building from the beach side.
Alex and Raz ran to the garage. Alex glanced up to check on the Policia de Puerto Rico snipers. She pointed to a police team and waved them to follow her.
The neighborhood was dark and silent. A warm saltwater breeze blew off the Bahia de Aguadilla. The teams reached the house at the same time.
Alex looked up at the Policia de Puerto Rico sergeant in charge of the scene. He nodded.
“Go,” she said.
Vince dropped down to pick the lock on the side door. Joseph cut the power. Their intel told them that Angel Ramirez, Trece’s cousin was asleep in the bedroom above the garage.
“We have two guards on the patio,” Matthew said. “Smoking.”
“Go,” Joseph said.
Pop. Pop. The guards were down.
“Stay down,” Margaret said. “We only want him.”
“Secured,” Matthew said.
Alex waited while Vince, Leena, and MJ moved from the west door and Joseph, Colin, and Royce moved from the east. Over her earbud communicator, the grunting and punching of their fighting sounded almost erotic. She glanced at Raz, and he winked.
She bit her lip. As a team, they’d never completed this type of action without Trece and White Boy. Tonight, the team was on fire. They were finally going to bring justice to the cousin who had destroyed Trece’s childhood, haunted his adult life, and now sent him to prison.
Personally and professionally, there was a lot at stake for them.
Alex closed her eyes and listened.
They performed like professionals. They gave each bodyguard the option to walk away; most did. Step by silent step, they secured the building. Every bit of training, worrying, haranguing, and harassing came through in the team’s professional demeanor.
They kicked ass.
“Fey, you are a go,” Joseph said when he was standing outside Angel’s door.
The garage door opened a foot, and Raz rolled under it. Alex followed him. They slipped past the expensive cars to where Cliff waited.
“He’s not alone,” Cliff said.
Alex gave him a curt nod. Raz held his machine gun. Alex slung the machine gun over her shoulder and pulled her Glock 9 mm from her sacrum holster. With Raz in the lead, they crept through the house. She was halfway up the stairwell when she said, “Go.”
Vince kicked down Angel’s bedroom door. Three scantily clad women slipped down the stairwell from the bedroom. At the top of the stairs, they turned right, and Alex followed Raz into Angel’s bedroom. Colin and Joseph had handcuffed Trece’s cousin’s hands and feet to the bedposts. Naked, he lay spread eagle on the bed.
“Angel!” Alex exclaimed. “Long time no see. How’ve you been, man?”
Snarling, Angel strained against the handcuffs.
“You look a little tied up,” Alex holstered her weapon and sat down on the bed.
“You look like the same stupid GI,” Angel said. “How come you never grew any tits?”
Colin moved to punch Angel, but Alex shook her head.
“You know, you were right to worry that cousin Andy might take over your business,” Alex said. “He has a sharp mind.”
Angel spat in her direction. The spittle landed on his naked chest.
“You’re dehydrated, Angel,” Alex nodded to Vince. “Anybody have some water for Angel?”
Angel screamed when Vince poured his cold water bottle over Angel’s chest.
“You know, Trece was in the SHU for less than four days before he figured out your entire bioweapons operation,” Alex said. “It took us . . . uh . . .”
She looked at Joseph. He said, “Three days.”
“Three days to track down every guard, buyer, and your entire transport chain,” Alex said. “We even got the bank accounts. They’re ready to roll on every member of that supply chain in . . .”
Alex looked at her watch, and then back at Angel.
“Thirty-four minutes,” Alex said. “You must be proud. At least that’s what we plan to tell people.”
“What are you saying, bitch?” Angel jeered.
“We’re going to let it slip that you planned your escape by trading in your cousin,” Alex said. “Somehow, you forgot he was a black ops intelligence officer. He was able to figure out and take down your entire chain while you were lying on the beach. You’re proud of his ingenuity.”
“You can’t do that.” His voice was arrogant, but his eyes flicked back and forth with fear.
“Sure I can. If I don’t call in . . . ,” Alex looked at Matthew and then back at Angel, “I was at a wedding last night, so I’m not clear on the tiny details.”
“Two minutes after they roll,” Matthew said.
“Thank you,” Alex nodded to Matthew. “We have people in place in the SHU. The moment DHS rolls, they’ll tell everyone that you swapped places with Andy so that your friends would get caught.”
“You can’t do that,” Angel said. “They’ll kill me.”
“We’re taking you to Florence,” Alex said. “They’ll do worse to you than that.”
She looked at Raz.
“What did they do to the last guy?” Alex squinted as if she didn’t remember.
“Cut out his intestines and strung them around the cell,” Raz said. “He died about a half hour later.”
Alex nodded. Angel gave her a long calculating look. He glanced from one team member to the next.
“There’s a way out,” Alex said.
“I’m listening,” Angel said.
“You confess to killing the cop,” Alex said. “The whole thing, including framing Andy. Go to trial. Take the punishment, which honestly won’t be any different than what you have now.”
“Why would I do that?” Angel asked.
“So we don’t tell everyone how you screwed them,” Alex said. “This way, you get to say you escaped Pelican Bay and return to the Supermax a hero. Or a selfish, untrustworthy loser who won’t last a day.”
“What do you get?” Angel asked.
“I get to clear my friend’s name,” Alex said. “I allow his mother to breathe a sigh of relief after living in fear all these years. And I don’t have to look that moronic teardrop on my friend’s face. It’s worth it to me.”
Angel closed his eyes and didn’t respond. Alex shrugged.
“Tick-tock,” Colin said.
The rest of the team took up the call, but Angel didn’t respond. Alex held up her hand and they fell silent.
“This is your last ride,” Alex said.
Angel shook his head.
“Fine with me,” Alex pointed to Matthew. “Make the call.”
“He won’t deal,” Matthew said in to his cell phone. “Yes, that’s correct.”
“Get him dressed,” Alex said.
“Hey,” Angel said. “You can’t do that. I know my rights.”
“Do we look like we care?” Vince asked.
Once dressed, they escorted the prisoner out of the house. They turned him over to the Policia de Puerto Rico police. The team made their way back to their Coast Guard escorts.
“How long do you think he’ll make it?” Leena asked.
“I doubt he’ll last the day,” Alex said.
“Why would he do that?” Matthew asked. “We weren’t even asking that much from him.”
“No idea,” Alex said.
“Maybe he just can’t deal with going back,” Margaret said as she walked by. “I couldn’t do it.”
“Maybe,” Alex said. “Either way, it doesn’t matter. Trece and his mom are free, finally.”
“Let’s go get him,” Matthew said.
The team cheered. They got into the SUVs and made their way back to base. It was just getting dark when they landed at Petersen Air Force base where Zack had waited for them. Cliff joined Zack in the cockpit, and they flew the few miles to Florence, Colorado. Zack flew over the prison and landed in the parking lot.
Alex, Joseph, and Matthew went into the prison to collect Trece. After filling out a stack of forms, their friend Freddy brought Trece and White Boy from the prison. Alex had the pleasure of unlocking his handcuffs. She let Joseph unlock his shackles, and White Boy unlocked the restraining belt. They walked to the helicopter where the team greeted Trece with champagne and hugs. When they were in the air again, Alex nodded to Joseph.
“Fey Team?” Joseph asked. “You are dismissed for the Thanksgiving holiday.”
The team cheered.
“Report for duty on Monday, November 29,” Matthew said.
“What about the mind controls and everything else?” Vince asked.
“My father’s team is going to follow up,” Alex said. “But for now, we believe they have completed that plan. We need to be ready and able to pursue our next objective, whatever that might be.”
“We’d like you to relax and enjoy your families,” Joseph said.
“We don’t know what the rest of the holiday season will bring,” Matthew said.
“But we’re still having Christmas at Alex’s house, right?” Trece asked.
“We are,” Alex smiled.
“So how was it?” MJ asked Trece.
“I . . . um . . . ,” Trece shook his head.
“Let’s give him a day or so to get his story straight,” Alex said.
They laughed. Alex settled back into her seat. Raz put his arm around her.
“Are you all right?” Raz asked in her ear.
“Tired,” Alex smiled.
“Did you hear Steve’s coming home?” Raz asked.
“Dad told me, but I wasn’t sure what that meant,” Alex said.
“He’s medically stable,” Raz said. “He needs to heal up before he has more surgery. You know the drill.”
“Surgery, heal, surgery, heal, surgery, PT, surgery,” Alex said. “Yes, I’ve done that.”
“Me too.”
“Fong is back in China, right?”
“She had to go back to work,” Raz said. “She’ll be here at Christmas. The hope, I think, is that she’ll do half-time here, half there, until she retires.”
“I can’t believe Steve’s not retiring,” Alex said.
“He doesn’t feel like it’s necessary,” Raz said. “I think he wants to see this whole action through.”
“This whole action?”
“With you,” Raz said.
“Oh,” Alex said. “We think this will be over?”
Raz chuckled, and Alex smiled.
“Where’s Steve going?” Alex asked.
“Know any place with easy access to doctors, good medical care, few stairs, social environment, workout, healthy food, and spa equipment? Oh, and is familiar to Steve?”
“He’s coming to our house?” Alex turned to look at Raz. She shook her head in disbelief.
“Something the General and Ben set up,” Raz said. “The General’s house has too many levels, and Steve’s never stayed there. So he’s coming home to our house.”
“I wonder why John didn’t tell me,” Alex said.
“I think he didn’t want to bug you,” Raz said. “No one’s wanted to put more pressure on you since . . . you know.”
Alex nodded.
“How are you with Steve coming to our house?” Raz asked.
“Fine,” Alex shrugged. “I love the man. He was really great when I was injured.”
“You’re planning on getting retribution for his painful recovery workouts?” Raz smiled.
“Oh, of course,” Alex laughed. “I bet Max and Colin will want in on that action.”
“Brutal?”
“Done with love,” Alex smiled.
“Of course,” Raz laughed.
“Mostly, I’m glad to have some time off. Are you staying around this week?”
“Sami is hosting Thanksgiving,” Raz said.
“Our family Thanksgiving?” Alex asked.
Raz nodded.
“When did that happen?” Alex asked.
“When you were working overtime to take care of . . . ,” Raz nodded in Trece’s direction. “I was supposed to tell you, but since Y, I . . .”
His grey eyes filled with sorrow, and she squeezed his hand.
“We’ll have fun,” Alex said.
“You’re bringing the pie,” Raz said.
“Cian makes great pie,” Alex said.
“Cian’s going with Margaret to the reservation,” Raz said. “You’re going to have to bake the pie.”
Alex pointed to herself and shook her head. He laughed.
“It will be fun,” Alex smiled. “No injury. No drama. Just good food, nice family. I can’t wait.”
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Raz said.
“Ain’t that the truth?”
“Lieutenant Colonel?” Cliff cut in over her headset.
“Go,” Alex said.
“We have confirmation,” Cliff said.
The laughing and talking came to a halt. Every ear focused on Cliff’s report.
“How?” Alex asked.
“Ambush,” Cliff said. “They were transporting him from lock up to the airport to fly him back to the states. The Policia believe it was MS-13.”
“Collateral damage?” Alex said.
“No sir,” Cliff said. “Motorcycle pulled up to the vehicle and took out the target. Shooter was wearing black with a full helmet. They’re looking for the bike, but it didn’t have a license plate.”
“Thank you, Sergeant,” Alex said.
Trece looked at Alex, and she nodded.
“It’s over,” Alex said. “You’re finally free.”
Overcome, Trece folded forward and cried into his hands. The team cheered and the celebration increased a notch. Raz leaned over to speak in Alex’s ear.
“Did you release the information about his cousin?” Raz asked.
Alex shook her head.
“I didn’t either,” Raz said. “Mattie?”
They looked across at Matthew. He was joking with Troy about Thanksgiving. Alex shook his head.
“Then why?”
Alex shrugged.
“Do we look a gift horse in the mouth?” Raz asked.
Alex nodded.
“I thought so,” Raz said.
F