Chapter Seven
Seb
In the dim light of early evening, Seb, Clara, Logan, and Carter were huddled in a van parked discreetly in a covert location across the street from one of Ortega’s premises.
The van’s interior was a makeshift command center, cluttered with monitors and surveillance equipment.
Outside, the city hummed quietly, oblivious to the high-stakes operation that was unfolding within.
Seb, seated in front of a bank of screens, adjusted the dials, fine-tuning the images from various surveillance cameras they had set up.
The operation to flush out the mole had been meticulously planned, and now it all came down to execution.
Beside him, Clara was cross-referencing information on her laptop, her face illuminated by the screen’s glow.
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, a subtle display of the emotions that had to be swirling inside her.
Carter leaned back in his chair, eying the monitors. “Everything’s set up on our end, and Max just confirmed that Team Two is in position and ready to rock at the other location.” His voice was calm, but an undercurrent of tension ran through it.
Seb checked his watch for the umpteenth time, each glance fueling his growing anticipation.
This operation wasn’t just crucial for their mission—it was deeply personal.
Not only for Clara and Seb and the chance of a happy future together, but for her father’s safety too.
Clara had already lost one parent. Seb wasn’t going to let her lose another one, not if he had anything to do with it.
Logan looked up from his task of checking the communication lines.
“We’re all set,” he said. “If anything goes down at either location, we’ll know instantly who our guy is.”
Clara glanced up from her laptop, her expression serious. “I hate the idea that someone we thought we could trust is feeding information to a scumbag criminal like Ortega.”
Seb looked at Clara, admiration mixing with concern. Her eyes burned with a fierce intensity. Her resilience in the face of danger was remarkable. “We’ve got this. We’ll catch the mole, and we’ll keep your dad safe. That’s a promise.”
Seb only hoped it was a promise he was able to keep.
The van was filled with the soft hum of electronics and the occasional whispered conversation. Each team member was acutely aware of what was at stake.
Seb’s thoughts turned to the plan. They had told both Miller and Lopez that CN-6 was to carry out a raid on one of Ortega’s properties imminently, but each man had been given a different location. If Ortega’s men showed up at either site, it would reveal which CIA officer was the mole.
Carter broke the silence. “You think they’ll take the bait?”
“Let’s hope so,” Seb replied. “Because if he has information about a raid, I’m pretty sure that Ortega will act on it, just like he did at the warehouse.”
“If he has anything at the location worth taking,” Clara added thoughtfully.
The team remained vigilant, watching the screens for any sign of movement, any indication that their plan had worked. The night air outside grew colder, but inside the van, the warmth of their shared purpose kept the chill at bay.
All too soon, hours had ticked by—each minute seeming to have stretched out endlessly. Seb’s eyes seldom strayed from the monitors, and he maintained a constant communication with the other team.
“Anything happening on your end?” he asked periodically.
“Quiet as a graveyard here,” came Max’s voice from the other location. “You guys seeing anything?”
“Nothing yet,” Seb responded, his gaze fixed on the screens showing live feeds of the empty street outside the building. If he was being honest, he was beginning to lose hope that their plan had worked.
Beside him, Clara shifted in her seat, the tension evident in her posture. Logan and Carter exchanged glances, the strain of the waiting game evident on their faces. But they were all used to this, having been on countless surveillance stakeouts during their time in the CIA.
Seb checked his watch again, then, without warning, the stillness of the night was shattered. Headlights pierced the darkness as a vehicle approached their location, the one tied to the information they had fed to Lopez. Seb’s heart leaped into his throat.
“Heads up, we’ve got something,” he announced, his voice tense with anticipation.
The four of them leaned closer to the monitors to watch, collectively holding their breath.
The vehicle—a nondescript black sedan, pulled up near the building.
Two men emerged. Their movements were quick, and they kept looking over their shoulders with hasty, worried glances as they hurried into the building.
“I know them,” Clara hissed. “They work for Ortega.”
“This has to be it,” Seb murmured. “It’s what we’ve been waiting for.”
“Looks like Lopez took the bait,” Logan said, his eyes not leaving the screen.
Carter reached for his cellphone and quickly dialed before lifting the cell to his ear. “Team Two, be on standby. We’ve got activity at our location.”
Seb watched intently as the men disappeared inside the building.
His mind raced—this was the confirmation they needed.
Lopez was the mole. A flood of emotions washed over him, relief and anger mingling in equal measure.
Relief that they were close to unmasking the traitor, and anger at the betrayal.
The van was suddenly a hive of activity.
Seb and his team began preparing to intercept the men, ready to capture them and secure any evidence they might be carrying away from the building.
If Ortega had indeed tasked the men with removing items that could be used in evidence against him, they needed to get their hands on it.
The operation had shifted from surveillance to action, and every second counted.
As they geared up, Seb couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction. They were one step closer to bringing down Ortega and protecting Clara and her father. Lopez’s days of betrayal were numbered.
As Seb watched the men re-emerge from the building, clutching what appeared to be a huge pile of documents, his instincts kicked in. “They’re coming out. Let’s move,” he whispered sharply.
Seb, Logan, Carter, and Clara swiftly exited the van, moving with practiced stealth. They split up, approaching the building from different angles to corner Ortega’s men.
The night air was crisp, carrying the distant sounds of the city, but Seb tuned everything out. His senses were heightened and focused on the task ahead. The adrenaline pumping through his veins sharpened his focus.
As they neared the men, Seb signaled to his team. Logan approached from the left, while Carter circled to the right. Clara stayed back, ready to provide cover if needed.
The men, seemingly unaware of the impending threat, continued their hurried pace. But as Logan stepped out, blocking their path, they froze, the documents held tightly in their arms.
“CIA. Drop what you’re carrying and put your hands where I can see them,” Logan commanded, his voice authoritative and calm.
The men hesitated, a look of panic crossing their faces and they looked over their shoulder for an escape route. Seb quickly moved in, coming up behind them.
“Don’t even think about it,” he added, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Carter, now in position, helped to secure the area, ensuring no one else was nearby.
Faced with no escape, Ortega’s men complied, dropping the documents to the ground and raising their hands in surrender.
“We’ve got them,” Carter said into his cellphone, alerting the other team.
Seb bent down to pick up the documents, his eyes scanning the contents quickly. They appeared to be financial records, and there were names, dates and locations on there too. At first glance it looked enough to make an arrest, but for the evidence to really hold up in court, they needed signatures.
“Good work, everyone,” Seb said, relief evident in his voice. “These look good, but let’s get everything back to the van and see if what we’ve got will hold up in court.”
As they escorted Ortega’s men to the van, Seb couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. They had taken a significant step towards achieving their goal, and though the night was far from over, this victory bolstered their resolve.
Clara walked at his side, her eyes meeting his. “We did it,” she said, a small smile breaking through the tension. “We uncovered the mole, and, hopefully, we got enough evidence to arrest Ortega.”
Seb nodded, a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose uniting them. It made him feel even closer to his mate. “We sure did. We’re one step closer to ending this,” he said, feeling more determined than ever.
Clara breathed a happy sigh of relief.
Back inside the van, the men had been secured with their hands tied behind their backs, and the team huddled around the documents they had just secured.
The interior light cast a stark glow over the pages as Seb and his teammates poured over the contents.
The papers rustled under their fingers, the inked numbers and names revealing a web of financial transactions and shady dealings, all leading back to Ortega.
Several of the pages contained his signature.
“This is it,” Clara said, her voice tinged with disbelief. “These papers… they have enough evidence to put Ortega away for good.”
Seb felt a rush of triumph as he scanned the documents again.
The evidence was undeniable, detailing years of illegal activities and the names of people he had both bought and sold arms to, including several countries who would have used them against the US.
The scent of victory was almost palpable in the confined space of the van.
Relief washed over the team, wide, genuine smiles lighting up their faces.
“Looks like we get to go home soon,” Carter said.
“Missing your mate?” Seb asked.
His friend nodded. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”
Seb shot a glance at Clara. “Oh, I think I have an idea of how that would feel.” Now that he’d met Clara, Seb couldn’t image being separated from her for any length of time.
With the job that he had, it was inevitable that they’d be separated at some point in the future, but he was sure he would hate every minute of it, just like Carter did.
But right now, she was by his side, and safe, and Ortega was never going to be her problem again.
“We did it,” he exclaimed, feeling a surge of pride and satisfaction.
The team’s celebratory mood was infectious, and even Clara, who had been carrying the burden of her father’s safety, allowed herself a moment of respite, her eyes shining with triumph.
Clara’s phone rang, cutting through the celebratory atmosphere. Seb’s stomach lurched as he took in the look on her face as she glanced at the screen.
“Ortega,” she mouthed, her voice barely audible as she picked up the call. “Hello?”
Seb leaned in, listening to Ortega talk on the other end of the line. There was a chilling calm in his tone.
“Hello Miss Young, how are you today?”
“I’m great, actually. We intercepted your men and we’ve got your documents,” she told him happily. “It looks as if we finally have enough to arrest you.”
“Let’s not be rash,” Ortega said calmly.
Too calm, Seb thought glumly, and his bear echoed his sentiment.
“I have a proposition for you, Miss Young. I have your father and I really don’t want to hurt him, but I will, naturally, if I have to. Why don’t we make a trade? My documents and my men, for his life.”
The smile slid from Clara’s face and the triumph in the van evaporated instantly, replaced by a cold, sinking dread.
Seb’s stomach churned as he processed Ortega’s words.
They had underestimated the man. They had thought themselves to be in the driving seat, but he had been one step ahead of them all along.
“Where do you want to make the trade?” Clara asked.
“Be at my house at nine sharp. Don’t be late.”
Clara ended the call, her hand trembling slightly. She turned to Seb, her eyes filled with fear and unshed tears.
“He has my dad,” she said, her voice cracking.
Seb nodded, reaching out to take her hand. The sense of victory had vanished, replaced by a new somber mood. They had the evidence to take down Ortega, but now Clara’s father’s life hung in the balance. He checked his watch. They had three hours before Ortega wanted to make the trade.
“We’ll get him back,” Seb said, his voice firm despite the uncertainty he felt. “We’re not going to let Ortega win. He won’t hurt your father—these documents are too important to him. As long as we have them, we have the upper hand.”
“Why do you think he wanted to wait to make the trade?” Clara asked.
Seb frowned. “He’s probably giving himself time to ensure all his guards are in place. He might even call in reinforcements. We have to be prepared to face anything.”
The team rallied, Carter already on a call to their friends in the other van, informing them of what was happening.
Seb had taken part in several other rescue missions in the past, but this one was personal.
This one involved his mate and her family so the stakes were raised.
It was vital that they tread carefully. They were playing a game of life and death, and every decision they made from here on out could have dire consequences.