He barely had time to tighten his grip on the rope clamp before his feet hit the floor of the tunnel below and he rolled, snatching his carbine and making a sweep of the area.
In the periphery of his vision he saw Lisa pinned beneath rocks, her hand blocking her face from the blast and the debris. He sidestepped and panned his rifle in the other direction.
Mario lay on the ground, a gold plated AK47 beside him. “Clear!” he shouted above. He stepped forward and kicked the golden rifle away, his barrel still covering the man on the ground. “Sitrep!” he shouted.
“I’m okay, I think,” Lisa coughed as she spoke. “My legs are pinned.”
Bridger saw shadows from above and stepped aside, allowing the members of Dillis’ team to rappel into the hole. “She needs a medic.”
One of the men approached her and the other slid in next to Bridger. He grabbed Mario’s hands and cuffed them behind his back. “Is he alive?”
Bridger shrugged. “I didn’t kill him.” He relaxed his stance and turned to Lisa. “What happened?”
She squinted in the daylight shining through and tried to look him in the eye. “I’m not sure.” The man assisting her tugged at her leg and she winced once it was free. “He kept saying that it was time for me to die. That Bravo would come after him once I was dead…”
“And?”
“Then the ceiling exploded and you dropped in like an avenging angel.” She tugged her other leg free and slowly came to her feet, her stance wobbly.
“He was alive before that?”
She nodded. “He kept talking in circles, saying how it was time. He was ready to meet her again. He was ready to kill us all. He was…” She looked at him and sighed. “I think he was losing it.”
“He must have lost his damned mind if he thought he could take us on and survive.”
She hobbled toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s just it. I don’t think he wanted to survive.” She glanced at Mario’s still form then back to Bridger. “He was…”
“What?” Bridger lowered his rifle.
She wiped a tear from her cheek. “He loved her.”
Bridger gave her a confused look. “I don’t understand.”
She gave him a sad smile. “I don’t think any of us truly do.”
The uniformed man strapped a harness to her then gave the men above a thumbs-up. She began to rise into the air, and Bridger watched her disappear into the light.
Quitman, TX
“So, officially, you were tracking the Murillo cartel movements and that brought you here?” Bridger asked, unsure that he believed the story.
Commander Dillis nodded. “There was a dust up in Mexico the other day. Apparently somebody commandeered a tactical drone and attacked the Murillo compound outside of Chapala.” He shifted in his seat and gave Bridger a knowing look. “We tracked a small aircraft to Houston and from there to Dallas.” He crossed his arms and locked eyes with Bobby. “And from Dallas…to your house. Then to here. I don’t suppose you could tell me why that is?”
Bobby pursed his lips and shook his head. “I already told you my ties to Gomez.”
“Right.” Dillis leaned forward and flipped through his notes. “He was part of a clandestine group that infiltrated the Murillo cartel back in the 90s”
Bobby nodded. “The fella with the hole in his leg and the crushed chest can tell you all about it once he gets out of surgery.” He raised a brow at him. “Are we done now?”
Dillis nodded slowly. “Don’t leave the country. And if we call, make sure you actually pick up the phone.”
Bridger nodded slightly and came to his feet. “I’d say that it’s been a pleasure, but…”
“Bobby Bridger.”
He turned and saw Scott Evans entering the room. “Scott.” Bobby held his hand out to greet the man and Sheriff Evans slapped a handcuff on his wrist.
“Don’t resist, Bobby.” Scott gave him a look that he couldn’t read. He pulled his arm behind his back and gripped his other wrist, snapping the other cuff into place. “You know the drill.” He turned him towards the door. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law.”
Dillis couldn’t hide the smile as Sheriff Evans walked him out of the office and to his patrol car. He stood at the window and muttered, “Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you that the law wants to talk to you.” He snapped his fingers. “Damn my memory.”
44
Wood County Sheriff’s Office
“Have a seat.” Sheriff Scott Evans pointed to the chair and set his coffee cup down on the table. Bobby pulled the metal chair out and sat in it slowly, rubbing his wrists where the handcuffs had rubbed his flesh raw. He took in the video camera mounted near the ceiling.
“You acknowledge that you’re here of your own volition, correct?”
“Is this really necessary Scott? You know—”
“That was a yes or no question.” Scott slapped the folder on the table and stared at Bobby stoically.
I could have sworn you dragged me here in handcuffs, Scott, but what the hell? I’ll play along. He thought to himself.
Bridger inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. “Yes, I acknowledge that I came in of my own volition.” He returned the stare and watched as Scott sat down across from him. He noted that he didn’t leave his sidearm outside of the interrogation room and wasn’t sure how to read that fact. Was Scott comfortable enough with him that he knew he could skip protocol or did he honestly feel that he was a threat and that he might need the weapon?
Bobby decided not to test him to find out.
Scott went through the documents in the folder and slowly shook his head. “You left a heap
