Lissa could feel the plan coming together, the way it had before a raid when she was with the DPD. “Can you get ahold of some?”
Zach nodded. “I’ll take care of it.” He returned his attention to the imaging screen, pointed at a glowing red infrared image moving rhythmically along the inside of the wall, a guard no doubt. The man made several circles, then went into the house through the back door. The parabolic mic picked up a conversation in Spanish with another man, something about a shift change, and the sound of laughter. Their voices were crystal clear.
“Everything’s working,” Zach said. “Let’s cover it up and get out of here.”
They threw a small camouflage net over the camera and another over the mic, disguised them with leaves and sticks, then made their way back to the vehicles. Alex joined them a few minutes later.
“Landing site looks good,” he said. “Airpark where the chopper’s sitting is less than fifteen minutes away. I’ll be on-site and ready for evac by the time you get the boy to the LZ.”
The words filled Lissa with hope and a goodly dose of fear. Time was running out. The cartel segundos would be arriving any day. Once they were there, the task force would be charging in with a massive offensive, a battery of armed men and deadly weapons, storming the place in a barrage of gunfire. Timmy could be killed.
They had to get him out of there. Tomorrow was their best chance. If they failed, all of them could wind up dead.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE MORNING SUN brightened the horizon when Colt awakened next to Lissa. They had returned to the casita late last night and gone straight to bed, both badly needing sleep. Still, when he’d curled her against him spoon fashion, a flash of heat burned through him, and he went hard beneath the sheets.
Lissa’s need must have mirrored his. A soft sound came from her throat and she moved closer, urging him to take her from behind. It was hot, erotic sex, but with Lissa it was always so much more. He couldn’t define it. He just knew he needed it, needed her.
He only hoped Lissa felt at least some of what he felt for her. He sighed into the morning quiet. Even if she did, with both of them living different lives nearly a thousand miles apart, he had no idea what to do about it.
Resigned, he got up to shower and dress and Lissa did the same. By late morning, they were positioned on the hill below the compound, the surveillance equipment turned on and working. They needed to know what was happening inside the house, needed to locate Tim and watch his movements.
Timing was everything and the clock was ticking.
They spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon observing activities around the house, counting the number of guards, memorizing their schedules. Tim’s smaller image had been easy to identify, and they could even hear his voice. He was upstairs in his room at the far end of the house, getting lessons from a teacher he called Señor Garcia.
Outside the compound, exactly every half hour, a guard patrolled a worn path around the perimeter of the property. Fortunately, the rocks gave them cover and they knew what time the man would be passing by. So far they hadn’t had a problem.
They were almost ready. Zach would be working the spy gear and manning the drone while Colt drove the UPS truck, and Alex piloted the chopper. Alex’s cousin had arrived with the delivery truck an hour ago and left it parked down the hill in the same secluded spot they had used last night. Lissa would be riding in the back of the truck, hidden among a stack of fake parcels loaded with an assortment of bricks and papers.
All of them were armed to the teeth, a pair of semiautos, six-inch folding knives, and stun guns, but the goal was to complete the mission without being seen.
The sun still burned brightly when they realized they would need to move their original plan ahead. They had to get to Tim while he was upstairs with his teacher, before he left for another part of the house or went down to supper.
They were geared up and ready to go in when Colt’s cell phone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw it was Alex.
“We got trouble,” Alex said. “Diego just called. A member of the task force spotted us on the hill last night. They were planning to arrest us, but word just reached them that the cartel segundos were on the move, on their way to the meeting with El Puñal. Diego relayed a warning for us to back off and let them do their jobs or suffer the consequences.”
Colt’s glance went from Lissa to Zach. Time had just run out.
“Get ready to move the chopper into position,” he said to Alex. “We’re going in.”
“Copy that. See you at the LZ.” The line went dead.
Colt turned. “Cartel’s on its way. We’re out of time. If we’re going, we need to go now.”
Lissa nodded. Her chin firmed. “Let’s go.”
While Zach remained on the hill, Colt and Lissa made their way back into the trees, then hurried down the hill to the UPS truck. Lissa wore her tactical vest under a camo T-shirt, while Colt’s vest was hidden under the UPS uniform shirt left for him in the truck. He’d been deployed in South America so his Spanish was better than average. Good enough, he hoped, to get him into the compound.
They each checked their primary weapon, dropped the mag and shoved it back in, checked their backup pieces, a couple of Beretta M9s. The AR-15 and extra mags were hidden behind the driver’s seat. Lissa climbed in the back and took her place beneath a big empty cardboard box, and Colt fired up the engine. The truck pulled sluggishly onto the road and began to
