Fourteen #3
“You be careful in Mexico,” he said as she started out the door. “What you do is no picnic.”
“You know, I think you burn out on undercover work. There’s so much stress involved. I don’t sleep half the time. I’m always
nervous about being discovered or messing up by leaving something where I shouldn’t.”
“All of us in law enforcement do that,” he said. “When I was a very young man, I was a policeman in Dade County, Florida.
It was great for a young man. Beautiful girls, beautiful scenery. The salary didn’t really matter. I loved the job.”
“You never get rich in this business,” she laughed.
“I don’t care about money. I care about helping people.
I’m not into the avenging business, but I do want the people who killed that mother and her two children in Dallas brought to justice, and I hope they put him in front of a judge who will not turn him loose the same day to go back and do it over again. ”
“Don’t get me started,” Marlowe replied, and his face hardened. “Liberal judges have brought this country to its knees. No
accountability, no responsibility, everybody just does what they please. It will end badly.”
“Probably so,” she replied. She smiled sadly. “I just hope mine doesn’t end badly. Mumble a prayer for me if you don’t mind.
This is a really big deal. They’re moving a huge shipment. I’ve been told that they might mix something new into it, something
horrible and potent.” She sighed. “You know, I have a theory about addicts—alcohol, drugs, whatever. I think there are people
who are emotionally fragile. They aren’t equipped to deal with life on a daily basis, so they escape, but the escape becomes
a permanent escape eventually. It never ends well.”
“Write a book,” he said. “I’ll buy it.”
“Maybe I’ll do that. Well, I’ll be on my way. My ride is waiting outside.”
“Use that burner phone if you get the chance,” he said, “when you find out any new details, but don’t take chances. You won’t
get a second chance, and you will get killed.”
“This isn’t my first time on the merry-go-round,” she replied. “I’m not the best, but I’m good and I don’t take any risks
that I don’t have to. I’ve seen gunshot wounds. I don’t want one.”
He laughed. “I know what you mean. Every time it rains, my shoulder goes out. Shrapnel,” he added. “Souvenir of a faraway
place.”
She almost added that he probably had souvenirs in his brain that were ten times worse than the shrapnel.
“Take care,” she said. “I’ll be in touch.” Hopefully, she added silently.
He nodded.
She climbed into the car with Raines. “Sorry it took so long,” she said quickly, noting his pent-up nervousness. “He asked
a lot of questions.”
“Okay,” he said. “But we have to get to the airport in a hurry. He doesn’t suspect anything?” he added.
“Him? Of course not,” she scoffed.
“Heard any more about the boss’s young bulls?” he asked, trying not to sound concerned.
“Oh, they’re better,” she said easily. “They’ll be ready to be transported soon to Mr. Duarte’s ranch.”
He relaxed. He wondered why she knew the boss as Duarte instead of Velesquez, but it didn’t really matter. She couldn’t contact
Velasquez, who knew nothing of tonight’s unexpected trip to Mexico. It was Jorge Vega who was calling the shots now. He’d
have Josie here to take the fall if anything went wrong, and since she didn’t know who Velasquez even was, it simplified matters.
He’d make money transporting the shipment of fentanyl for Vega, then he’d have another payday when he went to deliver the
young bulls to Velasquez—of course, he’d remove his stolen drugs along the way, and the bulls would have died in a terrible
accident with the truck. He’d make it look like an accident.
He even smiled. “Okay! That’s great! I already hired the cattle truck. I’ll drive them down myself when Mr. Velasquez calls
me and tells me they’re ready to transport. We’ll have the main shipment of drugs across the border in the meantime!”
“The bulls are just having some tummy issues, so the vet’s treating them for scours,” she lied to put him at ease. He seemed to relax at once. “They’re also very secure,” she added. “So they’ll let Mr. Duarte know when they’re ready.” She frowned. “Does he work for Mr. Velasquez?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said smoothly. “He’s his second in command. But you don’t know that, see?” he added as if a veiled threat
was being made.
“Oh, okay,” she said. It was sad that her friend from the bar was so high up in the drug lord’s operation. But then, people
made bad choices and had to live with them. She’d be sorry to arrest Duarte, but she’d do it regardless of her friendly feelings
toward him.
Raines seemed to be relieved, if that smirk could be called happiness. “Which airline are we flying?” she asked.
“Oh, we’re not taking an airline,” he said. “We’re going in a personal jet.” She should have been shocked, but she wasn’t.
She knew drug dealers made plenty of money, especially people who were big in the industry. She hated the thought of how many
people had been addicted to the illegal drugs that were smuggled into the country. None of her coworkers had any sympathy
for these people. They wanted a quick buck and they didn’t care how they got it or how many people got hurt. And the saddest
part was that most of the people involved in the drug trade in this country were legitimate business people and no one would
ever have suspected them of being involved. They went to church, paid their taxes, paid their bills; they were pillars of
the community. They were also rich and nobody knew how they got that way. It was a sad thing.
Her mind went back to the time just after Raines had called. JJ had awakened. When he heard her moving around in her bedroom,
he came out into the hall in his pajamas and he looked frightened when he saw the suitcase that she was pulling after her.
“You . . . you’re not leaving, are you?” he said worriedly.
She felt bad about lying to him; she felt bad about lying to everybody, but she had to do it. So she told him that they had a buyer for the big property and they were meeting him, so she had to go with Raines.
She had to call Heather so that she’d know why Josie wasn’t there to watch over JJ. Mercedes was going to take good care of
him, she promised, but Heather barely listened. Something had happened with Odalie. Her phone call to Heather was brief.
Like Josie, Heather had this very odd connection to people; sometimes to random people. She had one to Josie. “Listen to me,”
Heather said suddenly after Josie had told her why she had to leave so quickly. “Don’t go off with that man. I don’t care
how good the property is. I don’t care how much they’ll pay you. Come back and stay with us. Don’t do anything that you shouldn’t.
I couldn’t bear watching you go to prison. It would tear my heart.”
Josie had felt tears running down her pale cheeks. Heather was so much like her mother except that Heather was loving and
kind and sweet and she cared about her family more than about anybody else. It was the first time in her life that Josie had
ever been around people like that and it grieved her to have to lie to her.
“It’s not just me,” she’d told Heather. “This is very important. I can’t tell you anything beyond that.”
“But you won’t be in danger?” Heather asked.
Josie had hesitated only for a fraction of a second, but Heather came back on fast. “Don’t do it,” she told Josie. “Please
don’t do it. I have a terrible feeling about this.”
So did Josie, but she’d smoothed it over. “Thank you for caring so much,” Josie had said quietly. “A lot of people are counting
on me. I’m paying a debt. I must do it. Mercedes will be here with JJ. I’ll come to see you when you get home and when I get
back home.” She’d swallowed hard. “I’ll come to see you the minute I get back.”
“Promise me,” Heather insisted.
Josie had closed her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks. “I will,” she’d said, her voice laced with pain. And she’d hoped
it was the truth.
“Okay. You promise,” Heather said in a gentler tone.
Josie took a minute to wipe the tears away. “Yes, I do,” she replied. “Take care of John,” she added unexpectedly. “If something
happens,” she said nebulously, “don’t let him do anything crazy . . .”
“Okay, now you’re scaring me,” Heather had said.
“It’s all right,” Josie promised. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be back before you know it, in time for Christmas if I’m invited.”
“Of course you’re invited,” Heather said. “You’re family.”
More tears and now her throat hurt. “Thank you,” she managed. “I’ll be in touch.” She hung up before her voice gave way to
all the pain and misery and loneliness that that sweet woman had somehow assuaged in the time she’d known her. What lucky
kids to have a mother like that. Her mother had never touched her, not even when she was small. She was like a stranger. She
never seemed to understand the strange child who lived with her. But Josie had loved her and when she became a teenager, they
grew close. She’d still gone to the ranch in Wyoming on holidays until her mother’s death. She didn’t have many of those.
But it was nice to catch up with her mother on all the things that she’d been doing, although she never talked about her job
to her mother. For all the older woman knew, Josie sat at a desk all day. That was just as well. Her mother had grown fond
of her after she was older. It would have devastated her to know what Josie’s job actually was. Even her father didn’t know.
She was good at keeping secrets. Maybe too good.
Raines had been outside blowing the horn regardless of the hour after she got off the phone with Marlowe and then Heather. Now, as they continued toward the airport, she focused on her conversation with Raines and getting information.
“I still don’t know where we’re going,” she said.
“I told you,” he said curtly, “Mexico.”
“It’s a big country,” she replied.
“Yep,” he said, “and I’m following orders.” He glanced at her. “The big guy doesn’t trust you. I do, but he doesn’t. So you
do exactly as I tell you when we get there. Got that?”
She drew in a quick breath. “Yeah,” she said. “I got that.”
“And you better be packing,” he added. “You may need that gun.”
Her heart raced. “I didn’t think,” she said. “How am I going to get it past customs? Should I pack it in my suitcase?”
He laughed. “The plane we’re going in has AKs, Uzis, rocket launchers and suitcases full of big bills. No customs. Private
airplane.”
“Wow,” she said. “But don’t we have to go through customs in Mexico? Will I need my driver’s license or my passport?” She
asked. She’d needed the passport last time and she was glad she kept it on her.
Raines really laughed now. “What do you think the suitcase full of money is for?” he asked in an exasperated tone. “Money
opens doors anywhere. Any doors.”
“I get it,” she said.
“But we won’t need that,” he added. “I have forged documents for both of us. We won’t have trouble going across or coming
back across the border. And I have a unique way to get our packages back to the States. Don’t ask,” he added, glancing at
her with a smirk. “I’m going to prove to the boss that I can handle big assignments.” It was really true. Because he planned
to sell out Velasquez to the enemy, Vega. He’d been offered a fortune. He wasn’t about to turn that down. So certainly he
would prove his worth to Vega.
Meanwhile, he worried about his calves. He’d stuffed the little animals full of drugs in condoms, but Raines didn’t care about the bulls.
But there was no way that Velasquez would tumble to it in time.
Get the bulls as soon as they were out of quarantine before Velasquez took possession by saying he’d bring them to the ranch.
Then he’d cut them open on the way and get his products out.
No fuss, no bother, and Velasquez wouldn’t ever know it.
He’d wreck the truck in some godforsaken desert area where they might never be found, and Velasquez would be none the wiser.
By then, Raines would be in Vega’s back pocket.
And they didn’t say anything else until they got to the airport and were boarding the plane.
It was a big plane, sleek and fast with plenty of room inside. And like Raines said it was filled to the brim with everything
a mercenary might need to overthrow a government. She looked up at him. “Are we going to war?” she asked.
“Every day’s a war in this business,” he replied. “Let’s go.”
Hours later, after many delays that pricked Raines’s temper and worried Josie—one at the border patrol station they had to
cross, although their forged documents were accepted and Josie managed it beautifully—they drove down back roads in the borrowed
SUV that had been waiting at the makeshift landing for the airplane, near the border crossing and on the way past the rural
countryside. They drove through some of the most beautiful territory she’d ever seen. She knew they were in Mexico, but not
where. If she had to get in touch with someone in the States to try to save her if she got in trouble, it would be almost
impossible for them to trace her, even with the burner phone. That was when panic almost set in. She had to grit her teeth
and get a grip.
Use the fear, she told herself, use the fear.
She’d read a book, written by a military man, who explained how to do that.
She hoped it was going to work. She loved her job but as she got older the risks multiplied because she only did undercover work.
She had actually thought about changing professions so that she could sleep nights and stop the headaches and the stomachaches and the worry.
One supervisor had told her that she really wasn’t cut out for that kind of work. He said there were many jobs in the court
system that she could do quite easily that would have less risk and pay better. On this trip she was really considering that.
She hoped she would live to tell the tale.