“I know you won’t. You’re Allie’s sister.”
THE FLIGHT TO CARTAGENA took approximately six hours. As soon as they reached Colombian airspace, they were directed to a place to land. Once the planes were on the ground, Drew and Callie disembarked to greet a large number of men who were there to unload the weapons for delivery to Fuentes.
Drew took his leave and made his way toward the city. Callie and Jammer got into the waiting black SUV and were soon at Fuentes’s compound.
The house was beautiful, with white stucco walls and numerous plants and trees giving it a lush, tropical look. They were ushered up the stairs and into the residence.
Fuentes was there to meet them at the door. He shook hands with Jammer, then ogled Callie.
First his eyes narrowed and he took his time with her face, his eyes touching on her hair, then traveling down her body. They lingered on her breasts before he finished his slow exploration.
Callie did not like the look in his eyes and wanted to do the man bodily harm.
Jammer didn’t move, in fact he didn’t seem to pay her any attention. It surprised her, because he’d been so protective of her until now. Then it dawned on her. He didn’t want Fuentes to know that he cared.
“A very beautiful woman. Perhaps we can do some deals of our own,” he said suggestively.
Jammer walked into the house while Fuentes crowded her. She forced a smile. “As long as your money is green,
Very deftly she sidestepped him and his outstretched hand, and he returned to business, addressing both of them as he followed Jammer inside.
“First, I must insist that all weapons be turned over to my guards. Your room has been readied. Please enjoy some refreshments. Since you are a day early, we will have some time to get acquainted,” Fuentes said, his eyes on Callie. “I took the liberty of providing some garments for you both, as I understood you had to travel light. Please make yourselves at home. I must leave you now to take care of some pressing business. Jammer, please accompany me.”
As they left the room, a woman approached her. When Callie looked up, she met the eyes of Leila Mendez, a Watchdog operative. She was dressed as a maid and offered Callie food from a tray.
“What can I get you to drink?” she asked in accented English.
Callie shook her head and acknowledged Leila with a nod.
Leila suddenly dropped the tray, and while the guards in the room were distracted, slipped Callie a note. In Spanish, she apologized profusely, and after cleaning up the mess, she left.
“I think I’ll retire now,” Callie told the guards. “Please lead the way to my accommodations.”
One guard escorted her down a hall and opened one of the doors. Callie went inside the room and closed it behind her. She sat down on the bed and opened the note.
“Meet me on the balcony.”
As she watched, the ink disappeared from the paper. Callie discarded it in a wastebasket.
She went to the French doors and opened them, stepping out. Leila rapelled down from an upstairs balcony, landing silently.
“Gillian sends her congratulations for a job well done. That plane heist went off without a hitch.” Callie nodded.
“The buy goes down tomorrow. The DEA and government forces are amassing a few miles from town. These are the coordinates in case you need to get out of here in a hurry, and here is a gun. I’m sure the guards took yours. Once the buy is done, the undercover agent will reveal himself and that will spring the trap. So keep your head down and your eyes on the Ghost. If I know that guy, he will have a contingency plan.”
“Agreed,” Callie said, realizing that this would be her last night with Jammer.
“THAT IS A SPECIAL WOMAN,” Fuentes said as the door closed behind them. He moved behind a large desk. He opened an intricately scrolled box and took out a cigar, neatly clipped the end and lit it. Taking a puff, he grinned.
Jammer wished he could wipe the smirk off Fuentes’s face with his fist. It took all his willpower not to react. “She’s quite a spitfire and keeps me on my toes. But we don’t need to talk about her. We have more pressing matters to discuss.”
“Indeed, we do. The Ghost will be here when?”
“Tomorrow, exactly as I promised. Is everything set?”
“Yes, yes. Everything is ready at my end. It is fortuitous that you were able to secure my shipment. The consequences of your failure would have been severe. I’m afraid that your boss, the Ghost, would have lost his right-hand man.”
“Then it’s a good thing that I’m resourceful.”
“Yes, it is. I have heard quite a bit about your friend Gina Callahan. She has quite a reputation. Is all of it true?”
“All that and more.”
“That is good. It is satisfying to spar with a woman with spunk, makes the taming of her all the better. Don’t you agree?”
Jammer clenched his fist behind his back, tamping down his need to protect Callie. Fuentes would learn soon enough what it meant to fuck with the United States in general and the DEA in particular.
He used the memory of his dead colleagues to keep himself in check. This wasn’t about him or Callie. It was about them, and he would see that justice was served. He would put Fuentes behind bars and make sure it was his testimony that kept him there.
Fuentes indicated that Jammer should sit down. From a crystal decanter, he poured out a snifter of brandy for each of them.
Jammer forced himself to move, shoving the tension out of his body. He reached for the glass and settled into the chair.
“I haven’t made any progress in finding that bitch of a DEA agent and her bodyguard. She had the gall to spy on my compound and the nerve to escape me before I was finished with her. Damn DEA, they will never learn. I kill their agents as fast as they send them.”
“So she’s the one that got away, eh?”
“Yes, she made a mockery of me and that I cannot tolerate. After this deal is complete, I want you to find them for me. When you do, I want them eliminated and I want them to suffer. You will do this for me?”
“Eduardo, the Ghost keeps me busy with other jobs.”
“But murder is something you’ve done in the past. You surely do as the Ghost tells you.”
“I am at his service.”
“I will speak with him tomorrow. If he orders you to, then will you kill them?”
“I will complete whatever task the Ghost puts in front of me, Eduardo.”
The man nodded and slammed away from his desk. “I can’t believe that little bitch got away from me twice. In the meantime, I’ve had to keep my guard up. A smashed phone was found near where she was held captive. I fear that there may be a traitor in my compound.”
“We’ll have to ferret him out,” Jammer said with a slight smile, thinking that the phone he’d left had effectively made Eduardo paranoid. Taken the focus off Rio and Max.
“Yes, and when we do, I’ll cut his heart out.”
“Sounds like a fitting end for a traitor.”
“It is.”
“I will say
Jammer rose and set the snifter of brandy on the edge of the desk, then walked to the door. He reached for the handle just as Eduardo said, “I will have your woman.”
12
