JET - Sanctuary (27 page)

“There are a number of important decisions he’ll need to make pretty soon. Do you think he’ll be up for it?” Alejandro asked.

“You’ll have to be the judge of that. I just stop the bleeding.” He took another drag on his cigarette and blew smoke at the overcast night sky. “Seriously, though, he might be a little out of it from the anesthesia and the morphine, but there was nothing wrong with his cognitive function I could see. He was swearing like a sailor when they brought him in and had a few well-chosen words for me. Something about cutting my manhood off and forcing me to eat it if I didn’t do a good job.” The doctor shrugged. “That’s one way to discourage malpractice. Very effective.”

“My father can be quite the kidder, as you know,” Alejandro said.

“Yes, he’s a regular comedian,” the doctor acceded, suddenly less interested in the discussion.

Jet and Alejandro moved away, leaving Hector and the doctor to discuss the price of morphine in China. Alejandro seemed concerned, but Jet had no words of comfort to offer him. His father would either make it or not.

“Sounds like you’re going to be running things for a while,” she said.

“I don’t have a problem with that. I’m going to call a summit of all the lieutenants tomorrow and map out a response to the Verdugos. Obviously this is full-scale war, and I see no reason to pull any punches. I didn’t ask for it, but I’ll sure as hell finish it.”

“And your brother?”

“That’s one of the calls my father will have to make. I want no part of it. But I do think he needs to be given a chance to explain.”

“Like you were given in the mine?”

“We don’t know he isn’t one of the captives. It’s entirely possible he is.”

“Sure it is. But how did the shooters know we were at the mine?”

“Maybe a tracking device in his clothes or his wallet? I don’t know. I just know I’m not going to have him…dealt with…without a chance to clear himself. But in the end, it will be my father, not me. He built this business from the ground up.”

Jet frowned. “Not exactly something fun to wake up to, is it?”

“Not a lot about this business is fun.”

She decided to change the subject. “Any luck on the list?”

Alejandro nodded. “We’re getting it all. Hector has sent for the two men he feels are best equipped for this. Both were in the Chilean army’s Lautaro Special Operations Brigade before joining our organization, so they’ve received the best training available. He has complete confidence in them.”

“Do you know them personally?”

“I’ve met them. They look like what you’d expect. Seasoned. No-nonsense.”

“Good. Will they have any problem taking direction from a woman?”

“That won’t be an issue.”

Thirty minutes later Alejandro entered the guesthouse and, after spending ten minutes with his father, emerged and waved Jet down. “He wants to see you.”

“Me? What for?”

“Let’s find out.”

Jet accompanied him to the elder Soto’s bedside. Gaspar looked pale but alert.

“My son told me about all you’ve done. It appears we owe you a considerable debt.”

Jet didn’t say anything.

Gaspar studied her, his gaze lingering on her bottle-green eyes. “He also tells me that you’re not done yet.”

“They’ve got my daughter. She’s two and a half years old. What would you do?”

Gaspar nodded. “I’d scorch the earth to get her back and crush whoever had taken her.”

“That’s a good description of my plan.”

“Alejandro insists on going with you.”

“It’s his choice. I’d just as soon he didn’t. Maybe you can talk him out of it.”

Alejandro rolled his eyes.

Gaspar shook his head. “He feels that going is important. I don’t have the strength to argue with him.” Gaspar coughed and flinched, his color graying. “He also tells me you met Rodrigo.”

“Yes.”

“Give me your impression.”

“I wasn’t around him much.”

“You feel that he is behind the attack on the mine?”

“It’s the only logical explanation. He was at all three attack points and refused to join us inside the mine for no reason. There was nowhere to hide outside.” Jet shrugged. “But there are ways to know for sure.”

“Such as?”

“Whenever you find him, check his cell phone for calls. I’d bet money you’ll find some to the Verdugos.”

“And if there are none?”

“Then I’m overly suspicious. Just one of my many character defects.”

Gaspar grimaced and looked to Alejandro. “Put out the word that whenever Rodrigo surfaces, I’m to be contacted immediately. No action is to be taken. I’ll deal with it.”

Alejandro nodded.

“And now, if you don’t mind, this old man needs his rest. Good luck with your daughter. My experience has been that coming between a mama bear and her cub is a risky proposition. Based on your performance tonight, I almost feel a little sorry for the men who took her.”

Jet’s expression was blank, but her jade eyes flashed dangerously.

“I don’t.”

Chapter 36

San Felipe, Chile

The fog that hung over the Santiago valley dissipated as Jet, Alejandro, and the two Soto gunmen drove into the foothills from San Felipe. Xavier and Simon were around Jet’s age and not particularly gregarious, preferring to sit in silence on the trip north. They were both dressed head to toe in black, as was Alejandro. He’d done his best for Jet and gotten her a black long-sleeved shirt and combat jacket, which would easily fit over the ceramic-plated bulletproof vests that lay in the back of the SUV next to the cache of weapons.

Jet had explained the approach they’d take as the driver, who they’d agreed would remain with the vehicle, concentrated on the road. When she finished, she passed Alejandro’s tablet to the men so they could study the terrain. Both had substantial climbing experience as part of their training, and as they asked short, on-point questions, her confidence in their chances improved.

The Soto watcher Alejandro had arranged for, who was monitoring the access road, had called earlier to alert them that the soldiers seemed to have largely vacated the base. Alejandro had placed a flurry of calls to his army contacts and gotten word back that no prisoners were being transported back to Valparaíso, so it was likely that the offensive on the mine was deemed over and the personnel were being redeployed, except for a guard contingent at the base, which the watcher said was still well lit and obviously occupied.

“This Colonel Campos caved to the pressure my contacts brought and pulled most of his men out. Hopefully that will mean far fewer soldiers and improve our odds,” he’d said.

Jet hadn’t been as sure, but didn’t voice her reservations. They wouldn’t know how stiff the resistance they’d be facing would be until they were in the heat of it, but she wasn’t inclined to assume anything but the worst – which so far had been the appropriate philosophy since hitting the Chilean border.

They made good time, and it wasn’t quite four a.m. when they rolled onto the gravel track that led into the hills, terminating near the trail that meandered to the base of the slope. Jet rolled down the window and let the mountain breeze caress her face, carrying with it the smell of grass and moist dirt, a welcome break after Santiago’s exhaust and asphalt. The driver ran out of road several minutes later and shut off the engine, and they piled out of the vehicle and moved to the rear to get their gear. Each would carry an American-manufactured M4 carbine with M68 CCO laser scope, which was designed to work with night vision goggles like those Alejandro had sourced. He handed out six thirty-round box magazines to each of them, which they fitted into their jackets and pants, and the now-familiar FN-750 pistols with three extra magazines of 9mm ammo. Four fragmentation grenades apiece, one RPG each for Xavier and Simon, and a satchel of smoke grenades completed their equipment, along with four bundles of climbing gear.

Jet gave them a hushed last-minute summary, reiterated that her orders were to be followed to the letter, and then moved out, her stride fluid as she led them along the game trail, night vision goggles illuminating the dark with a neon glow.

~ ~ ~

Drago climbed the final fifteen meters to the top of the peak adjacent to the outpost and stared down at it. He was surprised to see no military vehicles – only five SUVs arranged in a semicircle in front of the main building, which was lit up like a Christmas tree. He gazed down the twist of road and spotted the guards halfway to the bottom, no larger than ants from his vantage point, and then shifted his attention back to the center structure. A group of men in civilian clothes loitered around the front entrance, smoking and talking, their weapons hanging from shoulder straps or leaning against walls.

He didn’t spend time dwelling on why there were no soldiers. It was immaterial to him. Perhaps the Chilean intelligence service had taken over the duty. What mattered was that his target was somewhere inside.

He glanced around at the hillside, which was mostly rock with occasional scrub that had managed a toehold on the inhospitable slope. Perfect for his purposes. He’d been unsure that his plan would work until he’d arrived and seen the terrain, but it more than surpassed his expectations. There were plentiful boulders and evidence of prior rockslides. With a little help from his explosive friends, he could arrange for half the mountain to tumble down onto the camp, and in the ensuing chaos pick off any of the defenders who weren’t crushed in the avalanche.

Drago slipped the backpack off his shoulders and went to work, carefully placing the explosives into three piles as he surveyed the rocks for the most likely candidates to start the landslide. It took him ten minutes to get all the charges situated, and he was catching his breath and calculating how to move to a safe position on the hill from where he could be in the camp moments after the rocks hit when the door of the main building flew open, and four men carrying assault rifles burst through the entry and made for the cliff on the far side of the camp.

He wasn’t sure what was happening, but whatever it was wouldn’t alter his strategy. What was important to his plan was that the camp’s occupants had no idea he was there, enabling him to find a safe spot and then rain destruction down upon them like the wrath of a Biblical God.

~ ~ ~

Leonid stiffened at the sound of a low beep from one of the motion alarms he’d set up – six different receivers for the six different zones of the cliff slope. It was the far one, which corresponded to the detector on the steepest section. His men were already on their feet gathering their weapons as he stood and moved to the little box. He shut it off, its purpose served, and waited several moments to confirm that none of the others had been tripped. When he was satisfied that it was only the far sector he needed to be concerned with, he turned to his men. “You know what to do. She’s going to try to scale the cliff. Smart. It’s the least appealing, so likely to be unguarded.”

“We’ll wait until she’s halfway up and pick her off. Almost too easy.”

“Don’t underestimate her. Nothing is likely to be easy.” He nodded and adjusted the holstered pistol on his belt. “All right. Let’s go. Absolute silence from here on. Watch for my hand signals.”

Leonid led them out the door. Bastian’s idiots were gathered in plain view, making enough noise to wake the dead. Leonid trotted past them, and when Bastian approached him, Leonid shook his head. Bastian nodded – it was going to be showtime soon, and he was to stay out of it, as agreed. Fine by him. Let the Russians take all the risk. They seemed adamant about doing so, and after all, the customer was always right…

~ ~ ~

At the bottom of the wash, Jet paused and looked up the slope. The satellite imagery had been deceptive – this section was steeper than it had looked, whereas the area to their left was easily scalable, probably with a minimum of trouble. She turned to Alejandro, who was behind her, and pointed forty meters away at where the cliff became a series of rises strewn with boulders and trees for cover.

“The terrain’s different than I thought,” she said in a low voice. “But that area seems like a better bet. I didn’t see anyone guarding the perimeter, so there’s no reason to take the hard route unless you want to practice your climbing skills.”

“I’d say I’ve had enough adventure over the last day to last me a lifetime. How do you want to do this?”

“You and the boys follow me. Once we’re on that section, let’s spread out so if anyone spots us, we’re not easy targets.” She waved Xavier and Simon over. “Alejandro and I will go up the middle. You flank us. We’re going to go up that part instead.” She nodded toward the series of tiers on the slope.

They moved left, skirting the base of the hill, picking their way through the rocks and trees as silently as the goats that called the inhospitable mountains home.

~ ~ ~

A second motion detector alarm sounded inside the outpost’s main building, beeping softly at the uncaring walls, but there was nobody left inside to hear. Leonid and his men had departed, and Bastian stood out front smoking with his men.

~ ~ ~

Jet was halfway up the slope, taking a break behind a rock outcropping, when she heard something above her position. She glanced over at Alejandro, five meters away, and held her finger to her lips. The others were too far from her to warn – she could see Xavier on her right scrambling higher and Simon a little further down on her left.

She peered up at the top of the ridge and froze when she saw the outline of two men silhouetted against the cloudy night sky, weapons pointed down the cliff that she’d originally planned as their ascension point. They hadn’t spotted her, but with Xavier moving, it was just a matter of time.

Another man appeared next to the two she’d seen. She motioned to Alejandro and then brought her M4 rifle around and sighted on the closer of the two. The distinctive shape of a night vision scope had decided her next move – if they were equipped with NV gear, she was at a serious disadvantage, being fired upon from an elevated position. One of the first rules of engagement was, whenever possible, to use the terrain to your advantage, and taking higher ground was rudimentary.