18. Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
Mitch hated leaving Molly, but there was a job to be done. He couldn’t get distracted. He had to put what he felt for her out of his mind and concentrate. There would be time for exploring their feelings—he had to believe that.
Mitch returned to the basement. “Okay, team. Are we ready for some action? Let’s get this done. These guys are going down.”
He picked up his duffel bag, packed with his arsenal of choice, then led three armed team members out into the still, crisp night.
The moon was full, which was a good thing.
If it stayed that way, they would get a visual on anyone entering or exiting through the woods.
It was a waiting game. Anything could happen tonight.
Only time would tell. He had two men on patrol around the cabin.
He would be inside with Leah. If anyone happened to get to the front door, it would look like they were a couple enjoying a quiet Thanksgiving in the woods.
Once inside, they opened their duffels and planted a few weapons around the cabin. If anyone got in, they’d have a stash of hidden weapons close by and at the ready.
The next three hours dragged. The team on stakeout duty at the motel updated him every thirty minutes. No one had moved from that location. The phone buzzed in his pocket. Mitch answered, “Larkin.”
“We have visitors. Two men just pulled up in front of the room. One of them looks like Roberto Mendez. I don’t know who the other guy is. If I can get a visual, we can send it to headquarters and maybe get facial recognition on him. They’re entering now. I’ll call if they make a move.”
Another two hours went by. It was midnight when the phone rang again.
“They’re en route. We have three dark SUVs on the move in your direction.
Two men in each car. This is it, friends.
ETA in twenty minutes. We’ll keep eyes on them and keep you posted.
We got back intel on the guy that came in with Mendez.
His name is José Rodriguez—he’s a hired killer.
If we get him, we save a lot of lives. He’s never been in our crosshairs before, so let’s bring him down with the rest of Hernandez’s gang. ”
They hung up. “Leah, get ready. They’re on their way.” Mitch took his walkie-talkie out of his jacket pocket. “Jax, are you there? It’s a go. We have three dark-colored SUVs en route, two men in each.”
“I’m here,” Jax said. “I’ll let you know when they pass me. I’m hidden in the thicket. We’ve got your back. What do you want my team to do?”
“Stay alert and stay put. I wouldn’t put it past them to try to pull one over on us. I want all our bases covered. Let me know when you see them.”
“Will do. I’ll radio my team. Over and out.”
Adrenaline was pumping through Mitch’s veins. He called Dalton up at the compound. “Lock down. We’re about to see some action. If possible, I’ll keep you updated. Be prepared for anything.”
“Should I wake Molly?” Dalton asked.
“If I know her, she’s up worrying anyway. Fill her in and stay alert. Keep her safe.”
“Will do,” said Dalton. “Stay safe out there. Over.”
“What’s the plan, Mitch?” asked Leah.
“If by some chance they get through the door, we’ll be ready for them.
” He said as he handed her a Kimber 10 millimeter and then tucked his Glock into the waistband of his jeans.
He had a knife strapped to his arm and a pistol in his ankle holster.
He grabbed his own weapon, an AK-47, off the table and strolled to the window.
Parting the drapes, he surveyed the area and waited.
Leah stood at the kitchen window and peered into the darkness.
“The yard is bright. That full moon is a good thing for us. I can see pretty far into the woods.”
The seconds ticked by like they were hours.
Finally, Jax called. The hitmen had just passed him on the road.
All three vehicles had driven by the cabin’s driveway and were headed for the fire road one mile up.
Jax would swing around, then he and his team would come from behind and keep eyes on them.
Mitch pulled out his walkie talkie and alerted his team.
“They’re heading toward the fire road. Cameron and Nate, I want you coming in from the east. Cal and Drew, you’ve got the west quadrant and Jax and his team are taking up the rear.
We’ll have them surrounded. There are six of them.
Most likely they think they’re going to come in quiet and take us out. Let’s make this happen.”
He called the rest of his team back at the compound. “We’ve had a visual, it’s going down. Stay in position. Stay alert. This ends here at the cabin.”
The moon shone through the trees, giving Roberto Mendez a good visual as he left his SUV.
His team was ready for this. They had three vehicles, armed with AK-47s.
All they needed to do was walk undetected through the woods and it would all be over.
It would be a bloodbath. This bitch was going down—Roberto’s own life depended on it.
Rodriguez was in charge, and he didn’t accept defeat.
He wanted this done. Roberto knew that Rodriguez preferred to go in quiet.
He wanted to take out everyone in the cabin and be done with it.
His knife skills were exemplary. He could empty that cabin of life in two minutes, tops.
But he was stuck with this entourage, at Hernandez’s orders, and Roberto could feel him judging every step they took.
Rodriguez pushed ahead of the group. Roberto ran up and put a hand on his shoulder. Rodriguez swung around to face him with his knife in his hand.
“Whoa!” Roberto said, stepping back out of Rodriguez’s reach. “Watch it!”
Rodriguez sneered. “I want to go in alone. You guys surround the cabin and be aware. I want to do this quietly. In and out. I’ll kill them in their beds and it’ll be over. You and your men don’t make a sound unless I say so. Do you understand?”
“Okay, understood,” said Roberto. “But no one gets out of that cabin alive. Boss’s orders. No witnesses, no case. You better be as good as they say, or we won’t live to collect.”
“My way or no way,” growled Rodriguez. “I’m in charge of this operation. Tell your buddies to do their jobs and listen to the orders I give or the five of you leave these woods in body bags. Do I make myself clear?”
“Clear,” Roberto said, his jaw tightening.
They walked through the empty forest. The silence was heavy.
Each crunch of their footsteps on the dry leaves rang out in the night.
Rodriguez lifted his hand about a thousand feet away from the cabin.
“Stay back—I’m going in. If you hear or see anything, I want you to stand down till you hear from me and that’s an order.
If I’m not out in five minutes, you come in with all you’ve got.
It means I’m down. Take anyone you see out. ”
Mitch stood behind the thick oak door, listening for the footsteps that would announce the end of the game.
A silent, buzzing tension filled the air.
The earpiece in Mitch’s ear came to life as Cal whispered, “One male. Six foot. About two-fifty. Ten feet from the front steps. Get ready. He has a knife at his side. Five men around the perimeter, thirty feet away from the cabin. We have eyes on all of them. If they make a move, we’re on them. ”
Mitch could hear footsteps on the stairs out front and then saw the doorknob turn.
The door opened slowly. Mitch’s heart raced in his chest. A dark form filled the doorway and before he could turn his head, Mitch was on him.
They flailed across the room. Leah flicked on the lights and pointed her firearm at the suspect.
“Drop the knife,” Leah ordered with a wicked smile. The knife clattered, and Mitch threw the man on the floor. With a knee on the man’s back, he secured handcuffs and rolled him over.
“José Rodriguez, nice to meet you,” Mitch said with a smirk. The man’s face was instantly recognizable from his photographs. The man sneered at him.
And then all hell broke loose outside.
Multiple shots exploded through the night. Seconds seemed like minutes. Soon, the night was full of loud voices.
Was his team all right? He wanted to go out there to help them, but he had to stay with Rodriguez. He knew from reports how cunning the man could be. They just needed to follow the plan. But what if his plan got them all killed?
Mitch focused on Rodriguez, who started to struggle.
Gunfire. Then silence.
Finally, Mitch heard a crackle over his earpiece. “All clear! Sheriff’s on the way to pick up the trash. One suspect down. The other four are in custody.”
Mitch answered back, “Suspect has been detained. All clear inside.”
Mitch walked outside. Five men lay on the ground in front of the porch, all hog-tied, including the one bleeding all over the ground. “Only casualty?” Mitch asked.
“He thought he was a better shot than me,” Cal said with a smirk. “I was faster.”
A siren wailed down the country road toward them. Blue and red lights flashed. Five law enforcement cars careened into the yard. The sheriff stepped out of one. “Mitch, would have been nice for a heads up.”
“Sorry, Sheriff Walton, we’ve been on a black op or I would have.”
“What do we have here?”
“Hired hit man in the cabin. These five goons are henchmen for a Columbian drug lord. They work for Marcus Hernandez. They have a hit out on my lead witness, whose testimony put him away. They want my witness gone. Sheriff, we need a bus for a gunshot wound. Would it be possible to use your facilities to question these assholes?”
“It’s all yours. Always happy to help out the Bureau.”
“Thanks, Sheriff.”
Then Mitch let out his first true exhale in a long, long time.
Isla hadn’t sat down in hours. She’d paced the length of her room, then the upstairs, then—given the all clear—paced the kitchen. How could she go on like this? Loving a man who regularly had to risk his life for her? It was torture, and all she had to do was wait.
Five hours later, Mitch walked into the kitchen at the compound, looking weary. Isla felt her eyes fill and her heart nearly explode in her chest. “Well?”
Mitch gave her that lazy grin. “Mission accomplished. No injuries, except for one of Hernandez’s henchmen.
Just a flesh wound. All is well on the home front.
” Mitch looked around to make sure no one was there—they were all still outside, talking about what had happened.
He walked around the island and met Isla halfway. She threw herself into his arms.
“Does this mean it’s all over?” she asked, as she looked into his face.
Mitch pulled back. “Molly, it won’t be over until the trial is over. And even then—we have to be on our guard.”
“So all this was for nothing?” she asked on the verge of tears.
“It’s not for nothing. The list of charges just got longer. Hernandez’s personal hit man will be charged with attempted murder, as will the other five men we took down last night. Hernandez will be in prison for life if he doesn’t get the death penalty.”
“So, he can still send someone to kill me?”
“He can. But Molly, he won’t succeed. Didn’t last night show you that we have your back? We’re here to keep you safe.”
“Will we have to leave the compound?” she asked.
“Yes, for now. Maybe just for a few days. Consider it a vacation. We just want to make sure that the compound hasn’t been compromised. We don’t believe it has, but we want to be sure. So we’ll go to one of the Bureau’s safe houses for a little while.”
“When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow morning. We’ll leave here at seven and we’ll be at our destination by three.”
“Will the whole team be coming with us?” Isla asked.
“Just the original five. Leaves have been suspended. Lara and Colt will be joining us this evening. Sal and Todd are staying here to keep an eye on things.”
“I like it here, Mitch. I hope we can come back. I feel safe here.”
“I know you do, sweetheart. We’ll be back.” He snuck a kiss onto her lips.
Molly wiped the tears off her cheeks with a dishtowel. “Thank you for keeping me safe. Now go wash up. Breakfast in ten.”
Mitch smiled. “I can’t believe you cooked.”
“What else was I going to do all night, waiting for you all to come back home?” She turned and opened the oven and started pulling dishes out and onto the island.
Biscuits, jam, eggs, sausages. And just like she’d promised, a popover just for Mitch.