CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Hiding as best they could with more than a hundred men, the SW team waited to see what their sleeping bandits would do. As the sun disappeared behind the mountains and the area seemed cloaked in black but for a few scattered lights, they watched as the men approached the fence.
One of them passed something to the armed guard and he opened the gate, allowing him to enter. The dogs sat obediently off to the side. A few minutes later, he reappeared with the second guard and Margarita.
“What the fuck?” muttered Ham.
They carefully followed the three-some as they walked down the narrow lane, turning left, then right, then left again. Closer to the center of town now, there were more people to avoid but Rita held her head high, nodding to a few people as she passed as if nothing was wrong.
At the end of the road was another large home, not as grand, but guarded by ten times as many men. This was where they would find Bora.
“Get everyone in,” said Ham to Cowboy. “We need to get in there before he kills her.”
The team was already mobilized and ready to roll. With an efficiency only they could provide, they handily brought down the outer guards and then moved closer to the home.
It made them sad to see they were fighting former American soldiers, airmen, and Marines. These had once been good men, good service members. Something changed for them. Someone changed them.
Through the massive French doors leading to the back lanai, they could see Bora pacing back and forth, screaming and yelling at the woman as she calmly sat in a large leather arm chair.
Several times she tried to calm him, lifting her hands defensively. When the last of the outer guards was eliminated, a team moved through the front doors and a team through the glass at the back.
Bora showed his true colors, standing behind the leather chair with Rita, his gun resting at the top of the back of the chair.
“Don’t be stupid,” he smirked. He looked at the faces recognizing many of them. “Hello, Jordan. And Jordan. And oh, I see another Jordan.”
“Shut the fuck up, Bora,” said Brooks.
“You guys just can’t stay out of other people’s business, can you? I had a good thing happening down here. You didn’t need to butt your nose into it.”
“You killed a service member. At least one. That makes us put our nose into your business,” said Ham.
“Hamish. Damn. Long time, no see. You guys really got the best of the best.” He glanced quickly left and right. “Like seriously, you got them all didn’t you?”
“The problem in your business is that your men will sooner or later want to taste the merchandise,” said Brooks. “Half of them were hooked on the drugs.”
“They were just having fun,” smiled Bora.
“Tell me, Bora,” said Cowboy. “Why would a man like you want to run a South American country? Why would you put up a fight for this? For all the headaches, problems and challenges?”
Rita tried to stand but Bora shoved her shoulder, forcing her to sit. But what suddenly stuck out for all the men, was Rita’s dogs. They were lying at her feet, not barking, and not bothered by the presence of Bora.
“Sit down boys, we might be here a while.”
“Where are they?” asked Lennon running into the cafeteria. “Where are they?”
“Whoa, whoa, honey. Take it easy. They’re in the middle of the mission. We can’t just interrupt them,” said Angel.
“Interrupt them! Interrupt them now!” she demanded.
“Lennon, calm down honey. What’s wrong?” asked Ramey.
“Look. Look what I’ve found.”
“You’re right,” said Bora. “This country is a disaster, like most of them in this region. They’ve all got their issues and they just need good leadership. Good leadership, a good military, and a good revenue source.
“Now, the revenue source is natural. We’ve got that flowing, right Rita?” he smirked. She said nothing just staring at the men. “But they need the rest of it and I’m the man that can give it to them.”
“Are you the man?” asked Rush stepping forward. He signed to the others behind his back and they all stilled, waiting for him.
“Step back, big man. I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
“You’d be dead before you fired,” said Rush calmly. “It seems you and Rita here had a little scheme going, didn’t you?”
Both just stared at Rush, not saying a word.
“It was difficult. You two did a great job of covering it up but we found it. Rita, Margarite Ruvienne, is actually your step-sister. Best buddies since you were four and five. Nothing weird happening, we made sure of that. You just never know.”
“You’re sick,” said Bora.
“Maybe,” nodded Rush. “Life will make you that way sometimes.
You two somehow got invited to that state dinner.
You, as her big brother, made sure she was introduced to the future president.
The writing was on the wall. You knew the political climate here was shifting and Ruvienne would be the next president.
“But you were smart. You knew you couldn’t kill him and expect to take over. Instead, you placed your sister in front of him, helped him get elected and waited. Waited patiently for his paranoia to take hold and destroy him all the while embezzling millions from the country.”
“He was weak,” growled Bora. “He was weak and pathetic. Bolivia needs a strong leader. Rita will make the perfect emotional vote. Poor, sweet, lost widow taking up her husband’s cause.
Of course, before you assholes came down here she was going to be able to manipulate the cartels.
Now, I have to start that process over again. ”
“That process is done,” said Brooks.
Bora stared at them slowing putting the pieces together. He did this. He destroyed his plans.
“You bastard,” he muttered.
“What I haven’t heard,” said Brooks, “is how Rita, or should I say, Renee feels about all of this. What’s your role?”
She stood slowly, Bora now allowing her to do so. She stood to the side of the chair, her fingers digging into the leather. Turning to face her brother, she mouthed something, then looked back at the men.
“I knew nothing of this.”
Pushing herself aside, she waited, knowing what Bora would do. He lifted the weapon to shoot her first but before his finger could squeeze the trigger, a dozen weapons fired.
Rita, or Renee, hit the floor, covering her head as pieces of wood and leather flew through the air. Spatters of blood touched her skin and she screamed. When the noise stopped, Cowboy helped her to her feet.
“You must believe me,” she said. “I knew nothing of my step-brother’s plan.”
From the corner of the room a massive anaconda slithered across the floor, stopping at her feet. She froze, staring at the men.
“H-help me,” she whispered. Trak knelt beside the scaly beast and nodded.
“She is lying.”
“I-I’m not lying!”
“You turned to your brother and mouthed ‘forgive me’,” said Trak.
“I-I was just asking for his forgiveness for many things. It had nothing to do with this.”
“Lady, I don’t believe a fucking word you’re saying but we’ll let the Bolivian authorities take it from here,” said Brooks.
It would be days of explanations, twisted stories, and finally a phone call from the POTUS to the interim head of the government, to ensure the men could travel safely home.
All the work, all the time in the jungle, all the attempts to help Bolivia find peace and prosperity, were wasted.
Before they even touched down, the Bolivian media was praising Margarita Ruvienne, the still-grieving widow, for calling in help to bring down the cartels and rid the country of the true American invader, Bora.
“Un-fucking-believable,” said Brooks staring at the screen in the auditorium.
“Listen, we killed Bora, got rid of a huge chunk of the cartels and slowed the drugs and human trafficking, if only for a little while,” said Gator. “We should be proud of ourselves.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Luke and the other seniors in the room. “You guys did a helluva job down there.”
“Hey,” said Hiro. “Rita, or whoever the fuck she is, is on the line.”
Her face appeared on the screen in full hair and make-up, wearing a dark-blue suit. She smiled at the men as they stared back at her.
“You are very difficult to reach,” she grinned.
“We like it that way,” said Ham.
“I didn’t get the chance to thank you,” she said.
“For what?” asked Brooks.
“Much of what you said was the truth. My brother and I planned to place me in front of Ruvienne. Unfortunately, he turned out to be weak, in both mind and body. We knew that Bolivia needed something better.”
“And that was your brother?” asked Ham.
“No. Me.”
“You? It was you to be president all along?” asked Brooks.
“Well, that was my plan. See, my step-brother and all of you have something in common. A sense of superiority. He believed he was the logical person to run this country. What he forgot was that I’d been living with these people for twenty years. I know them. I see them. I hear them.
“He believed that keeping the cartels was a good plan for the economy. I did not believe that.”
“Wait. So, you planned this. You wanted us to come down there and rid you of the cartels?” asked Mitchell.
“I knew you wouldn’t let me hire you for everything I needed.
I am surprised it took so long to discover that we were related.
He was a good brother but his time had come.
” There was commotion behind her and someone calling her name.
“I’m afraid I have to go now. My first public appearance as president of Bolivia.
I hope I can count on you gentlemen should I need you in the future. ”
The screen went dark and they all just stared at one another, shaking their heads.
“Unbelievable,” frowned Mitchell. “Just when I’m questioning the integrity of all women, God puts that one in front of me.”
“You know she’s not the norm,” said Brooks.
“Isn’t she?” he said standing, leaving the room. His father looked at him and Brooks just shook his head.
“Listen, you all did a great job down there,” said Ham.
“We will not be making ourselves available to her anytime in the future. She’s on her own and either she’ll turn out to be a helluva president for her country, or she’ll be a fucking train wreck.
Either way, we’ll make the popcorn and watch from a distance. ”