“And when she finally passed, you came for your revenge. Killed Rob and sent people after the rest of us.”
He turned and stared at her, confusion on his face. He swiped at the dirt-stained tears and shook his head. “No. I didn’t kill Wolcott. He wasn’t part of that operation.”
Lisa’s face twisted. “The fuck you didn’t. He was the first one you killed!”
Mario dragged himself from the floor and came to his feet. “No, I didn’t. I sent assassins after the rest of Bravo team. Wolcott was flying sorties out of Bolivia for that entire month. YOU…you and Bravo…you were the ones who blew up the bridge.”
Lisa’s face fell. “Wait, so…you really didn’t kill Rob?”
“Why should I?” He stared at her in confusion. “I didn’t even know Rob was dead.”
“How did you track us down?”
He chuckled. “Your state department is so easily bought. It only cost a few hundred thousand dollars to get your locations.” He shrugged. “White, he was difficult to track down, but…”
“Wait…I’m confused.”
“No.” Mario waved his hand at her. “Enough talk.” He panned the torch around the floor of the cavern, searching for his AK47. “It is time to end this.” He spun a slow circle, looking for the golden reflection. “First you, then the others.”
Lisa felt panic rise in her chest. “I thought I was bait to bring the others in?”
Mario huffed. “Trust me, once I kill you, they’ll come looking for me. I’ll kill them then.” He stiffened then turned and gave her a brilliant smile. “Found it.”
She watched him move a few rocks away and pick up the gold plated rifle. “Time to make peace with whatever god you pray to.”
43
Near Quitman, TX
“Who the fuck are you?” Bridger barked, staring at the uniformed man.
“Commander Dillis.” He held his hand out and Bobby ignored it.
“Please, tell me his name is Dick,” Gregg giggled. “Tell me his name is Dick.”
Bridger gave him a stern look and he walked off, still giggling. “And what are you doing here?”
Dillis turned away, breaking eye contact. “We weren’t supposed to make contact.” He raised a brow. “But we removed the cartel members that were stationed…above ground.”
“Tell me you have a medic.”
Dillis turned and waved his men forward. “How are your people doing after this?”
“I’m down one.” Bridger waved him forward and into the house. He marched through the house and into the tunnel access in the rear bedroom. “A female operator is with Mario Gomez, the head of the Murillo cartel.”
Commander Dillis gave him a confused stare. “The Murillo cartel? The head of the Murillo cartel is here? Personally? On United States soil?”
Bridger stopped and raised a brow at him. “Did I stutter?”
“No, I’m just shocked that ‘El Fantasma’ would dare crawl out of his hole, much less leave the safety of Mexico.”
“Well he did and he’s here.” Bobby pointed to the map on the wall. “They’re in this area. Cut off from us by a cave-in.”
Dillis glanced at the solid sandstone walls. “Cave-in?”
Bobby shrugged. “Explosives.” He tapped the map. “I need to get access to this area.” He turned to face Dillis and crossed his arms. “Tell me you have a way to expedite that.”
Dillis whistled low and studied the crude map. “How thick is the ceiling?”
“Minimum four feet.”
Dillis sighed. “Maximum?”
“Seven. It’s hard to tell exactly, with the topography above.”
“I see.” He heaved a sigh and glanced back towards the main house. “My best guess for a rapid descent would be a linear shaped charge. But without knowing exactly where they are inside…”
“Understood.” Bobby turned to Mauk. “Stand by outside the cave-in.”
“What are you going to do?”
Bridger grabbed a handful of magazines and stuffed them back into his vest. “I’m going to war.”
Langley Virginia
“No, no, no, NO!” Jameson slammed his fist down on the desk and stared at the screen. “I specifically instructed them NOT to make contact!”
Robert Ingram pushed open the office door. “Bad time?”
Jameson rolled his eyes and fell back into his chair. “Is there ever a good time with you, Robert?”
“You wound me, William.” He chuckled as he pulled the chair out and sat. “And here I thought we were so close.”
“What do you want, Robert? I’m a bit busy at the moment.”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d check on you. From the sound of things, your blood pressure might be on the rise.”
Jameson held a hand up to stop him. “Cut the bullshit, Robert. What do you want?”
Ingram sat up and tugged at his lapels. “I happen to be walking by the war room and noticed a particular property up on the big screen. I recognized it as Bridger’s old place and…” he trailed off.
“Go on,” Jameson deadpanned.
“Well, I saw the activity and realized, those were tactical teams closing on the property.” He grinned at him. “What a marvelous idea that was to activate them.”
“Quit gloating.”
“Anyway, I remembered what the property looked like when we were finished with it the last time.” He tsk’d at him. “So I knew that if Bridger was actually present, there’d be no way you could cover the presence of a tactical team.”
“What is your point, Robert?” He was clearly losing his patience.
He crossed his legs and shot him a beaming smile. “I have your backstory. A plausible reason for your tactical team to give Bridger that he’d buy.”
He gave him a droll look. “And what would that be?”
Ingram smiled broader. “That will cost you.” He slowly came to his feet and poured a bourbon. “I’m thinking a steak dinner…”
Near Quitman, TX
Bridger attached the line to his harness then nodded to the explosives tech. “Ready.”
“Going live,” he announced. “Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!”
The ground erupted, spraying topsoil, wood
