Chapter 30
30
T o maintain his privacy, Javier Reyes had bought the homes around his and torn down most of them, but one—almost a mile away—turned out to be the perfect location. The two-story property was currently empty except for a few pieces of furniture left behind by the previous occupants. Raheem set up his electronics there, working in near darkness, with his drone as the eye in the sky for their nighttime maneuvers.
Thanks to their virtual recon, the team had a good lay of the land and took off on foot toward the compound. Under cover of darkness, they traveled swiftly in the shadows, dressed in all black and wearing balaclavas. They moved in single file, carrying their weapons as well as bags for retrieving information and electronics from inside Javier’s home.
Nearing the compound, they split up. Mouse raced toward the nearby hillside with her sniper rifle and gear strapped to her back. Hossam, Alissa, Cruz, and Alejandro crouched in the darkness, weapons at the ready, eyes on the huge metal gate and the two men with rifles standing guard on the inside. With the glitter of the Las Vegas Strip far from their location, Javier’s fortress-like mansion was mostly shadows with random pockets of light.
“Are you guys in position?” Raheem’s voice crackled in Alejandro’s earpiece.
“In position,” Cruz confirmed.
“In position,” Mouse said.
“Other than the two at the gate, the drone shows six bodies guarding the perimeter. Looks like they’re heavily armed.”
“I’m locked in on the two guards,” Mouse said. As always, her voice was calm and steady. “Tell me when.”
“Let me work my magic.” Moments later, Raheem’s voice came through the earpiece. “The Wi-Fi signal is jammed and the security cameras are on a loop. You’re all invisible. Do your thing, Mouse.”
Almost immediately, one guard’s head snapped back as he was blown off his feet by a silent shot. His body hit the cobblestone with a faint thud. As soon as the second guard turned to look at him in shock, pink mist burst from his head, and he also fell to the ground.
“Two down, gate is clear,” Mouse said.
Alejandro kissed the cross around his neck and then shot from the darkness with Cruz, heading straight for the giant metal gate, as tall as the one at Buckingham Palace. As they approached, a soft beep indicated Raheem had opened it remotely.
They raced through and approached the double doors leading the way into the mansion, but Alejandro caught movement to his left when two guards exited from a side door. In one synchronized motion, he and Cruz raised their guns and fired at two men before they could lift their weapons. Silencers kept the sound to a minimum.
“Two down at the front,” Alejandro announced.
As an extra precaution, Cruz hurried over and shot each man in the head before joining Alejandro at the front doors. They slipped inside and swept the dimly lit foyer. No movement. No guards.
Breaching the interior of the mansion was a risky proposition because Alejandro suspected Javier would be waiting. Except he expected Alejandro to be alone.
“Clear,” Cruz said.
That was the signal for Alissa and Hossam to leave their hiding place. They slipped inside and closed the door.
Cruz signaled for Alissa and Hossam to begin the search for Camila downstairs. They moved in silence, skirting the two-story walls to eventually disappear like ghosts around a corner.
“One down on the rooftop,” Mouse said.
Alejandro and Cruz headed for the staircase. Alejandro took the lead, creeping up each step with a combination of speed and caution, straining his ears to listen for approaching guards.
Reyes had taunted him and wanted him to come there with the intention of killing both him and Camila, but Alejandro’s most fervent hope was that he hadn’t killed her yet. The thought of losing her… He shook his head. He refused to allow his mind to go in such a disturbing direction.
At the top of the stairs, Cruz went left, and Alejandro went right to begin his search of the rooms. He pushed open the first door and quickly assessed the bedroom was empty, but as he slipped out, he came face to face with one of the guards.
Both men froze. They stared at each other, but Alejandro recovered first and fired point blank range in the man’s face. Blood splattered the wall behind him and made a mess before he crumbled to the floor.
“One down, north hallway.”
Without missing a beat, he dragged him into the empty room and continued the search for Camila.
The team moved stealthily through the house, calling out kills as they went. The tension was thick. With every door Alejandro eased open, hope rose in his chest. Each time he found an empty room, those same hopes were dashed.
“This place is huge,” he muttered.
“It’s a labyrinth,” Alissa agreed.
Hearing voices, Alejandro crept to the end of the hall and peeped around the corner. What he saw gave him hope. Two men were standing guard outside a closed door, dressed in suits and each holding a rifle.
“I might have found where they’re keeping her. Two guards outside a door on the north hallway.”
“I’m nearby. On my way,” Cruz said.
It didn’t take long for Cruz to arrive and they both agreed that now was a good time to use the flash bang device. Alejandro lit the fuse and waited the appropriate amount of time before he tossed the lighter around the corner at the men.
Both he and Cruz turned away and covered their eyes. A loud pop exploded in the hallway accompanied by a burst of light and acrid smoke. With the guards taken by surprise, Alejandro and Cruz surged forward. Alejandro shoved one man against the wall and yanked away his gun. Planting it in his mouth, he pulled the trigger and killed him with one shot. Meanwhile, Cruz snapped the other man’s neck with a sharp twist.
“Two more down in the north hallway,” Cruz said.
Alejandro twisted the doorknob and shoved the door. Locked.
“You come in here, you’re getting shot!” a man yelled from the other side.
He and Cruz looked at each other. Why not fire through the door?
Alejandro received the answer to his silent question when Cruz touched the wood.
“Reinforced steel,” they said at the same time.
At the sound of a click behind them, they dived to opposite sides of the hall. Live rounds pummeled the door from the muzzle of a rifle down the hall. Rolling onto his stomach, Alejandro aimed and fired. He hit the shooter in the leg, and the man collapsed to the floor with a pained groan. When he lifted his weapon to fire again, Alejandro fired first and landed a perfect headshot.
“She’s in there. She has to be,” he said, launching to his feet.
“Then we need to get inside.” Cruz kicked the door. He kept kicking while Alejandro watched for approaching guards.
The structure was no match for the Cuban’s brute strength. Finally, the surrounding wood splintered, and when Cruz kicked again, the door popped open and slammed against the inside wall.
As shots fired from the inside, both men spun away to take cover on either side of the door.
“Come in here, and you’re dead!” the shooter yelled.
“You might as well give up, because we’re coming in.” Alejandro took a quick peek inside, but gunfire forced him to slide to the outside of the door to avoid getting hit. Nonetheless, he caught a good view of the interior.
Javier and a woman who looked suspiciously like Kathleen Shapiro were hiding behind a desk. A guard holding a handgun stood between them and the door. Where the hell was Camila?
Alejandro signaled to Cruz with his fingers and let him know there were three people inside and one with a gun.
“Is that you, Mr. Sanchez? How dare you come into my house!” Javier bellowed, sounding like an angry bull.
“You invited me, remember? I came for my woman. Where is she, Reyes?” Alejandro checked his gun clip and pulled out another flash bang.
Javier laughed. “Did you really think rescuing her would be that easy?”
“You told me she’d be here, I expect her to be here.”
“Well, she’s not here. Now what?”
This man was playing games, and Alejandro was not in the mood for games.
“I’m going to give you until the count of three, and then I’m coming in.” Alejandro made eye contact with Cruz as he lit the second improvised flash bang device.
“Kill him!” Javier commanded his guard.
“One, two, three.” Alejandro counted fast and tossed in the stun grenade.
Another loud pop and disorienting flash of light.
They charged into the room. Cruz grabbed the guard and tossed him to the floor before he put a bullet in his temple. Alejandro hopped over the desk, grabbed Javier by the back of his collar, and shoved him into the middle of the room.
The billionaire stumbled backward and collided with a chair, crashing to the ground when both he and the chair toppled over.
Alejandro touched his cold gun to the woman’s head. “Don’t move.”
Eyes still closed from the effects of the flash bang, she whimpered and slunk down to the floor.
Javier pushed onto all fours. His breathing was ragged as he squinted up at Alejandro.
Alejandro ripped off his balaclava. He wanted Javier to see his face and know for sure Alejandro Sanchez was the one standing before him. “It’s over. Tell me where she is.”