Chapter 6
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A CHILL COURSED THROUGH Harrison late that afternoon as he reviewed the documents he’d discovered.
Luciana’s family ties had been difficult to dig into.
Surprisingly so. He’d previously gotten the names and background information on most of her relatives, but there’d been little about her father, Juan Rodriguez, or how he’d amassed his vast fortune.
Harrison had found it somewhat surprising that a woman in Luciana’s position would be cast out on her own as a teenager.
The wealthy family was clearly protective of their secrets, but they weren’t hidden away, living as recluses.
They were established in the community, and Luciana’s absence had been explained away as her wanting nothing to do with them.
Had she defied her family in some way? Left of her own free will or been forced out because of some disagreement?
He didn’t have answers to any of those questions, but he could ascertain from what little he knew that Luciana was being treated differently than the other women held captive by the Gulf Clan.
Very differently.
She hadn’t been immediately sold like Avery or the other women who’d been kidnapped.
Luciana was still directly in the cartel’s clutches.
The fact that she’d been sighted in public at all was somewhat of a shock.
Normally, the women who’d been trafficked by the Gulf Clan were quickly sold and sent away.
Permanently. The mystery about her father’s fortune had made Harrison question if her treatment was somehow tied to him.
And after hours of digging...jackpot.
Clicking on the dossier he’d compiled on Juan Rodriguez, Harrison scanned over the contents.
The man had a large family compound in Colombia, with a number of household staff and workers that lived on the property.
Although everything appeared to be on the up-and-up, Harrison had discovered that Juan was involved in the real estate business, buying properties under a shadow company that he’d carefully hidden his ties to.
The purchase and subsequent sale of properties throughout Central and South America was excessive.
He’d covered his tracks well, carefully hiding his involvement.
No one made that much money from real estate, however, without ties to one of the cartels in the area.
Juan Rodriguez had likely remained in his family compound without drawing too much attention to himself by using hush money or some other dirty deal he’d made with the cartel leaders. The real estate business Juan was involved in went deeper than mere property transactions. Harrison was sure of it.
The fact that he’d uncovered the shadow company at all felt like a damn miracle.
Harrison was scouring sources himself, not relying on a roomful of analysts.
There was no doubt more to uncover, and he was out of time.
Luciana was likely being held for a reason—either to draw her father out into the open, get him to pay off the Gulf Cartel, or for some purpose Harrison had yet to discover.
Juan Rodriguez might very well have something the cartel wanted—and they had his only daughter.
Harrison opened the encrypted message from Jack, reviewing the addresses he’d sent over.
He could’ve found the locations using other means, but Harrison was thankful his old friend happened to be in the right place at the right time.
He typed in the first address, and satellite imagery and maps appeared on his screen.
Not surprisingly, the home was secluded and on an expansive property, fenced in, and likely guarded.
There were two more addresses as well, both known by the locals to be owned by Santiago Garcia, head of the Gulf Clan.
If Harrison could narrow down where specifically Luciana was being held, it would save a hell of a lot of time.
Searching multiple properties would slow down the SEAL team, and if they were discovered on one of the properties and the cartel sounded the alarm, Luciana could be moved or killed before they got to her.
He pulled up the other addresses, then accessed a database to review the most recent satellite imagery. Any changes in the number of vehicles on the property, patterns, or other movement could give him the sway he needed to head to one location over the other.
“Where are you, Luciana?” he murmured.
One home seemed to be frequented more than the rest, judging by the vehicles coming and going. That didn’t specifically mean Santiago Garcia was there, however, or Luciana. If his men needed to search every property, then that’s damn well what they’d do.
Grumbling under his breath, he shot off a quick text to Wyatt.
Harrison: I have three addresses of where the package is likely being held. Possible deployment in the morning. Waiting on authorization from Command.
Wyatt: Roger that, sir.
Agitated, Harrison rose from his desk and paced his office.
Waiting around didn’t suit a man like him.
If push came to shove, he knew he’d be on plane himself.
He had weapons. Access to his teams’ body armor and gear.
Going AWOL might damn well be career-ending, but deep in his gut, Harrison knew he needed to get to Luciana.
He stilled, his mind a torrent of thoughts.
There’d been another woman, long ago. In another life, there’d been someone that he couldn’t save.
Harrison’s career as a Navy SEAL had made him the man and commander he was today.
He’d had successes right alongside failures.
Yet he’d never forgotten the young woman who’d been left behind when his SEAL team took out a terror cell during his early years in the service.
Multiple hostages had been rescued, countless lives saved because of the evil men killed, and he’d seen the young woman, screaming for help.
There’d been so much confusion and chaos. So much blood and gore. He’d looked over, ready to go to her, when she was kidnapped right in front of them by a group of retreating insurgents. One vehicle was blown up by his teammates, but the second escaped.
He’d found her broken body the next day in a field, inadvertently discovering her during their final sweep of the town, and remorse shot through him like a bullet.
Painful. Piercing.
The horrors of war would never be something he could fully comprehend. Even living it, breathing it, the rationalization of the evil of mankind was still impossible.
Harrison hadn’t saved that woman an entire lifetime ago, but he’d damn well save this one.
His phone buzzed with an incoming message, and Harrison crossed to his desk, grabbing his cell. The silent notification had pinged on his laptop as well. Harrison cursed, seeing the newest message from the admiral. He quickly scanned it over, reading the last snippet as he filled with anger.
Upon review of the latest SITREP, DOD requires additional intelligence gathering and further analysis of the situation unfolding in Panama City. Your team is not authorized to move in.
“God damn it!” he seethed, pounding his fist on the desk.
Time was something they didn’t have. He had the men, the knowledge, and the capability to move in and exfiltrate Luciana, but he couldn’t send the team in and risk their careers. Harrison looked at the open folder on his desk, his eyes landing on Luciana’s picture. “I’m coming for you,” he swore.
Thumbing a message on his cell phone, he sent another text to Wyatt.
Harrison: Stand down. I’m retrieving the package alone.