Chapter Two
NASH
Los Angeles’ Chinatown was situated right in the heart of the city, halfway between the L.A. County Sheriff Men’s Central Jail and Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. It was ironic that Pedro Gomez would have chosen this location to hole up—situated between lightness and darkness.
“I need Hampstead, Monroe, and Way. The rest of you hold tight. I’ll be back in fifteen.”
He started to close the door when a long arm stopped it. “You don’t want me, Captain?”
“Not yet, Clifford,” Candy replied. “I already have an idea where you’ll be setting up. Be back soon.”
“Yes, sir.” I watched Marshall Clifford retake his seat, sensing his dejection as Candy slammed the door. The man was never happier than when he was behind the wheel or had a sniper rifle in his hand.
“Let’s go.” We headed toward the building in question, three blocks down.
The pavement was uneven in places, patched on many more.
We jogged over the wide sidewalk, avoiding tripping over tree roots that had pushed up through broken concrete.
The deserted street was dark and the weather cool.
But I was glad my long-sleeved winter tac gear wasn’t overly warm by the time we entered an office building opposite the target four minutes later.
“Tenth floor,” Candy said, pushing through a door at the back of the lobby, heading to the stairwell.
We set off at a jog and when we reached the tenth, Candy led us out to a corridor full of various office doors.
I was irritated to see Carson Turley waiting for us outside an open door.
He was wearing a smug expression as we joined him in front of it.
The sign outside was written in both English and Chinese, and I noted it was some sort of accounting firm.
“Figured you’d want to get a lay of the land from height since your team will be covering the outside of the building…just wanted to make sure you understand how this is gonna go,” he said in that snarling tone I already disliked.
“That’s right,” Candy said, folding his arms over his big chest as he looked down at the shorter man. “But I don’t know why you’re here.”
He threw up both hands and when he chuckled, there was no warmth in it. “Whoa there. No reason to get hostile. I just had an idea.”
“Thanks,” Candy growled. “That was super thoughtful.”
The sarcasm lacing my boss’ voice couldn’t be missed. Neither could the irritation.
“Good. I hope we can work together seamlessly this morning. We need to get this guy,” Turley said, holding out his hand.
Candy took it. “I want that too,” he said before stepping into the office.
We waited for Turley to follow him in, and I shut the door behind me, Rex, and Mickey.
We left the lights off and walked through the reception area to one of the smaller offices.
A picture window looked directly onto the street and the ancient brick building across from us which tallied with the pictures we’d seen the day before.
I counted twelve floors in all with a flat roof above. Candy had obviously chosen this floor because it was level with the building across the street where Gomez and his sicarios, no doubt slept peacefully. I knew he was there. I could almost feel his presence. But where?
There were a fuck ton of windows in the hundred-year-old building…meaning lots of apartments and a lot of innocent civilians. I wondered if they had any clue who the man sleeping among them on the tenth floor really was.
“Please, tell me your plan then,” Turley said.
Candy nodded. “Your guys will go in the front,” he said, pointing down to the entrance at ground level.
“I’ll have one guy in each alley to cover the side doors and two others at the back covering the loading dock and back door.
” He pointed up. “Two guys on the roof. They’ll rappel down and shoot out the windows at the same time you signal you’re about to breach the door from the hallway.
” He turned to us. “You and Way will take up position on the roof. Listen for the order to breach, then go.”
“Got it, Captain,” Mickey said. I nodded.
“Wait for the order,” Candy reiterated. “It’ll take you five seconds to rappel two floors to Gomez’ apartment.
It’s going to be chaos but the distraction of the gunshots, breaking glass, and the breach on the apartment door should confuse the sicarios just long enough to take out anyone armed.
” He looked at Turley. “I have two snipers.” He nodded at Rex.
“Monroe will be in this building so we can get eyeballs on Gomez and count how many guys are in there with him. If he can get Gomez in his sights, he’ll take him out. Does that sound good to you, Monroe?”
Rex grinned. “I reckon so, sir.”
Candy pointed to the street and everyone looked down.
“I’ll also have a sniper on the roof of our BearCat which will be parked directly in front of the building.
He won’t drive up until you guys are already on the tenth floor, ready to breach, just in case someone in the apartment happens to be looking out a window.
We don’t want to alert anyone in the apartment.
If Gomez somehow gets through your guys to come out the front, my sniper will take him out.
No matter what, he won’t get out of that building, and if, for some godforsaken reason, he manages to do it, we’ll take him down outside. The plan addresses all contingencies.”
“What if he somehow makes it to the roof and has his own rappelling gear?”
Candy smirked. “I expect he won’t be able to do that since your guys will make sure the roof door is covered on the inside. Am I wrong?”
“No, but I—”
“But if he does get to the roof, the guys I have in the alleys, will be watching for him.” He pointed at Rex.
“Then there are our snipers. Don’t worry.
We’ll get him. Like I said…if he makes it outside, we’ve got it covered.
You just worry about the inside of the building.
That’s how the DEA planned this, right?”
I wanted to do a fist pump. The captain was awesome, as always.
Turley nodded slowly before turning to him. “That’s a solid plan, Sorensen.”
Candy nodded. “Before I take Monroe to find a sniper nest on this floor, may I say one more thing about the inside of the building?” Turley frowned as Candy went on.
“I want to evacuate civilians, at the very least, the apartments on the tenth floor. Once the shooting starts, people…families are going to panic.”
“The safest thing they can do is to remain in their apartments,” Turley said, shrugging.
“Sure,” I said, “and civilians are mind readers. At the very least, the occupied dwellings on either side of the cartel’s apartment need to be evacuated. Bullets go through walls, you know.”
Turley turned his attention to me and actually bared his teeth. “What’s your name?”
“Twizzlers,” I replied, “but you can call me Twizz.” I smirked at him.
He sniffed then glanced at my boss. “That’s right.
I almost forgot why everyone calls you Captain Candy Sorensen.
All your guys are sweet little saltwater taffy boys.
” I balled my hands into fists. Who the fuck did this guy think he was playing with?
When he didn’t get a rise out of the boss, however, Turley snorted and turned away, staring out the window.
He sighed. “Leave the safety of the civilians to my team, Sorensen. We’re not here for them and provided no one does anything stupid, everyone will be fine. ”
My com came to life. “Boss…we’ve got a bogie driving up the street.”
We all moved closer to the window to look down.
“Roger, Clifford. I see it,” Candy said.
A small, gray vehicle slowly drove up the block. He came to a stop immediately in front of the building, parking at the curb just outside the front door.
“Who the fuck is that?” Turley growled.
“Probably a resident,” Mickey replied softly.
I watched as two men climbed out of the car.
The driver came around and stopped beside the other, seeming to say something to him.
When the passenger started to turn away, the driver grabbed him by the bicep and leaned into him.
More words were exchanged. The passenger pulled out of his grasp, saying something to the driver who grabbed him again, trying to drag him back toward the car.
I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could sure as hell read body language.
The passenger pulled away one final time and darted into Gomez’ building.
The driver stood there for a few seconds, hands on hips, looking at the ground then up and down the street, before reluctantly going in after his friend.
“Just a resident, then,” Turley said, dismissing the whole thing. He turned to Candy. “I’m done here.”
“Let’s go,” Candy said, glancing over at us. The grim expression on his face said everything. “I need to find an office with a window that opens for Monroe to set up.”
“Yes, sir, Captain Sorensen,” Mickey said with as much respect as he could.
Fuck Turley and his fucked-up plan not to allow us to EVAC the building before bullets started flying.
I was right about bullets going through walls.
I’d seen it happen time and time again. Although, how we’d manage to not alert Gomez and company while we were clearing the floor was difficult too.
Still…I was pissed as hell, and I knew Candy was seething as we went about checking for windows that Rex thought would work.
In an office two doors down, he found one he liked.
An import/export business’ conference room had windows facing the street…
windows that actually opened so he wouldn’t have to cut a hole in the glass—always an option when necessary.
Rex could lie face down on the huge table and still have a clear shot at Gomez if he could get him in his sights.
“That’s it. Let’s go back and tell the others where to set up,” Candy said.