when the call requesting his services in sunny Texas had come in.
“What do we do now?” asked Alexa as silence reigned again.
“I have absolutely no idea,” replied Pytor, shaking his head in frustration.
It wasn’t the first time Sean had been tasered but it certainly was the first time he had been tasered in anger. As the volt surge passed, much to the surprise of the border officers, Sean was able to stand up almost immediately, ruining their plans to have him in cuffs before he recovered. Three officers had rushed to back up the female officer. Sean knew he was an imposing figure, tall, wide-chested, muscular and, thanks to six months in the wilds, in great shape. The officers dropped their tasers as he stood up and went for their side-arms.
Sean raised his arms slowly in surrender, hoping their trigger happiness was left for their tasers.
“Whoa guys, I’m on your side,” he said calmly.
“On the ground, hands behind your back!” commanded one of the officers. His name badge said he was 'V. Suarez’.
Sean reluctantly got back down on the ground. Once he was in cuffs, they’d relax and listen to him. The boy was still his priority.
As he got on the ground, the female officer moved quickly and forced her knee with some conviction into his back while securing him in handcuffs.
Whilst the first officer covered him, the other two male officers grabbed an arm each and helped Sean back to his feet.
“A boy has been kidnapped.” Sean nodded his head towards the Mexican side of the river. “Can someone please tell the Mexican authorities?!”
Suarez looked firstly at Sean and then at the female officer. Sean’s revelation of a kidnap was not what he had expected to be his first words.
The female officer stood firm. Sean could see the look of defiance on her face and for the first time, he read her name badge, filing it away for future, 'S. Martinez’. Sean prayed she had some gender issues and would one day go through the surgery to become a man. That day would be the day he could hit the stupid bitch for what she had done. Sean’s mother had raised him well. He just couldn’t lift a finger to hurt a woman, unless of course she was a terrorist but then as far as Sean were concerned, terrorists weren’t human, let alone female.
“It’s bullshit! He just wanted to get through the barrier and as I explained, this is for commercial vehicles only,” explained Martinez with conviction and some swagger.
Sean thanked God he was cuffed. His mother’s memory was close to being disrespected as Martinez pushed him to the edge.
Suarez looked with some disdain at his female colleague before turning back to Sean. “What vehicle were they in?” he asked.
“A white E series, license number…”
“Uncuff him,” ordered Suarez, interrupting Sean.
“But the license? You’ll need it to alert the Mexicans,” argued Sean as his hands were released.
“You’re not from around here, Mr…?”
“Fox, Sean Fox,” replied Sean automatically. “ But what’s that got to do with a kidnapped child, what if it were your child?”
Suarez waved his colleagues away and taking Sean by the arm, led him back to his car. Directing him to take a seat behind the wheel.
“It has everything to do with that kidnapped child. That van you were following is a Los Zetas van.”
The blank expression on Sean’s face told Suarez he really wasn’t from the area, or anywhere near at all.
“All we can do for that boy is pray that the Zetas get whatever it is they want!”
Sean was incensed. The guy was a law enforcement officer and he had just told Sean he was going to do nothing about a kidnapped American boy. He tried to exit the car.
Suarez pushed back against Sean’s door and placed his other hand on his pistol. The message was clear. The conversation was over. Sean had outstayed his welcome. Sean looked into Suarez’ eyes and, much to his surprise, saw nothing but fear.
“Are you going to lift this barrier?” asked Sean, resigning himself to the fact that nobody was going to help and it was down to him.
“I’m sorry, Sir, you’ll have to turn back. This is for commercial vehicles only,” replied Suarez deadpan.
“You are fucking kidding me?” Sean stared into Suarez’ eyes. Again the look in his eyes was not a man being stubborn about the rules; the guy was genuinely terrified.
“I’m saving both our lives!” replied Suarez sincerely, before walking back to his office.
Sean waited a few seconds to see if they were just playing with him but the barrier stayed down. He was not getting through. He thought about the boy now almost certainly miles from the border, deep in Nuevo Laredo, the Mexican side of Laredo. A metropolitan area that spanned the two countries, Laredo/Nuevo Laredo was home to almost a million people. That was unfortunately the extent of Sean’s knowledge and that had been garnered from the local map left in the rental car. He really wasn’t from around there and had no idea what Los Zetas was. In fact, in the last ten/fifteen years, he wasn’t even really from America; eighty to ninety percent of the time, he had been on other continents.
Shot at, tasered, cuffed and witness to a kidnap. Not even his worst days in Afghanistan had been as dangerous as what had just happened. He wasn’t even taking account of the detention at the airport, DNA test and transcontinental flight. All because he didn’t go to the beach.
He started the car, selected reverse and did what he should have done to begin with, find out what exactly he was up against. Gung ho had failed miserably. First though, he needed to make a call and for that, he needed a phone. A plain simple phone.
Chapter 11
Sean replaced the handset and listened as his dimes fell and echoed inside the empty metal box. Nobody used public phones anymore and it was the only one for miles. He would have been quicker buying a cell but he didn’t know he’d take so long to find a phone, one that worked. The dimes were lost forever, as was the boy as far as the Mexicans were concerned. The operator had half heartedly taken the details but Sean knew it was a waste of time and money. He inserted a few more quarters and dialed the operator again, this time asking for the local FBI office. He had to do something and had a feeling the local police would be as useless as the border officers and Mexicans.
“I’d like to report a kidnapping,” he offered before the FBI agent could offer any preamble.
“Of course, Sir,” came the extremely professional response. At last, he was getting somewhere. “Can you please give me the details.”
Sean spent the next few minutes relaying exactly what had happened. The agent occasionally stopped him to check particular details but otherwise let him flow, right up until the border incident.
“Sorry, Sir, did you say the van with the boy entered Mexico?”
“Yes!” exclaimed Sean. He could sense a change in tone and his anger began to well.
“I’m not…”
“Don’t even consider saying it,” threatened Sean, pre-empting the 'not a lot we can do’ scenario.
The agent sensed the futility in trying to stall Sean. So instead, came from another angle. “Perhaps we should visit the mother, get some more detail?” offered the agent in a conciliatory gesture.
Sean had avoided giving the mother’s address during his description; he didn’t know why. When pushed, he had simply said he didn’t know the address as he was from out of town, but he could take the agent to the location. As the agent offered to visit the mother, Sean hung up; it just felt like the right thing to do. Something was telling him he was the boy’s only hope. That wasn’t exactly true, pretty much everything was telling him he was the boy’s only hope.
Sean lifted the handset again and began to dial Vincent’s number. His final and simple message for Sean had been “If you change your mind, call me.” And it really was that simple. If Sean wanted to get back in, call. If he
