He had been using the box to track the burner phones that had called the clearinghouse. The GPS scanner could provide real time locations of those phones to within twenty-five feet, regardless of whether the devices were turned on or not.
“Come on you Mickey Mouse piece of shit!” He slapped the box again and groaned when the unit went dark. “Great.”
He pulled his cell phone from his jacket and unlocked it. He stared at the signal meter, and for a moment, considered driving out of the wooded forest to find a signal. It was when he realized that even the satellite functions of the phone were down that he didn’t just enter a dead zone.
Somebody was using a jammer.
Matt sat back and stared through the windshield of the Jeep. There were carved wooden signs scattered about the narrow paved road that pointed toward the different areas of the park. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the last known position on the screen before it went black.
He imagined the device in his hands and the light blue dots in relation to where he was currently idling in the Jeep Wrangler. He opened his eyes and looked ahead and to his left.
He removed his foot from the brake and slowly drove through the wooded park. As he rounded a gentle curve he saw a sign with an arrow that read, “CAMPING/CABINS.”
Matt smiled to himself.
“I will assume that they’re not in tents at this time of year…” He turned the Jeep again toward the next sign that read “CABINS.”
He slowed the Jeep as the first rustic looking cabin came into view. He rolled the window down and peered through the woods. There were no vehicles parked nearby. The leaves and litter around the front entrance suggested that the place was empty. He continued driving and slowed again as he came around the next bend. He saw a black Mercedes parked on the side of the road and his gaze narrowed.
“Curious.”
He stared out of the open window at the next cabin and noted the same state as the last one. The pine needles and brown oak leaves scattered near the entrance suggested that nobody was occupying the place.
He stared ahead and spotted the roof of a black SUV parked in front of a cabin close to the road just around the next bend. He released the brake and slowly rolled forward. “Bridger, that had better be you.”
12
Southeastern Oklahoma
Bridger double checked the magazine in his Sig 552 then gently pulled the curtain back on the rear window. “Have you mapped your path?”
DJ nodded, shaking his arms and hands while high stepping in place. “I’ve got a pretty good idea.” He continued to loosen up then gave Bridger a crooked grin. “I run away from the bullets.”
Bridger clapped his shoulder. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
He braced himself near the rear exit and gripped the door knob. “I’m only giving you a two count before I step out and start shooting. That should give them a chance to recover from the initial shock of a runner and time to react. There’s liable to be a lot of hot lead in the air before I can get a bead on their locations.”
DJ nodded, his face a stone mask as he huffed air, loading his body on the much needed oxygen for the sprint. “Just do your best.”
Gregg appeared on the opposite side of the door. “Remember, if you find yourself running toward the shooters, angle off so we don’t accidentally shoot you in the back.”
“You’re still not funny, Slippy.” DJ shook his head slightly, trying to get back into the zone. The air in the room thickened as he mentally prepared.
He stared at the door, his mind seeing past it and to the position of possible cover that he’d memorized. He had a half dozen large tree trunks that could be used for cover before he’d come to the communal fire pit, ringed with large native stone. From the angle he had at the kitchen sink, the fire pit should be deep enough for him to lay flat and be safe. Of course, if Bridger and Slippy didn’t do their jobs, he’d be just as pinned down as the rest of the team.
Except he’d be in the open. And in the cold.
He sniffed hard and blew his breath out of his mouth in quick pants. With a quick nod of his head he announced, “Do it.”
DJ started his sprint towards the door before Bridger got it opened. The timing was nearly perfect as the door squeaked open just as his nimble form shot from the cabin and began to dart between trees.
Luis motioned to Fernando and shook his head. “Somebody approaches.”
The trio sat silently as the bright blue Jeep Wrangler slowly cruised through the paved park roads. They watched the bright colored Jeep pause at the first cabin then lost it in the trees, flashes of color showing that the driver was taking his time. They saw the vehicle slow and stop at the next cabin then pull away once more.
“They are looking for something,” Luis whispered. He reached out slowly and squeezed Fernando’s arm. “We do nothing to announce ourselves.” His stern stare told the other man that it was el jefe’s order.
They watched as the driver slowed near their rental car, then continued. Luis could see the driver’s head through the windshield and he seemed very interested in the black SUV parked in front of the cabin they stalked.
“Damn it,” Luis swore then pulled away from Fernando. He turned quickly and pointed at him. “Do nothing!”
He scrambled through the brush until he made eye contact with Hector. With a quick bird whistle he got his attention then shook his head. The message was clear. “Stand down.”
The trio watched as the bright blue Jeep slowed then pulled off of the road near the short driveway of the old cabin. A man stepped out of the Jeep and
