Sara in Montana - A Christmas Wish (8 page)

“So, David purchased the company you worked for without even seeing it?”  Trent knew he was pumping her for information, but she didn’t seem hesitant to provide it, and his friends at the FBI could use all the intel he could come up with.

Sara shook her head, “No, everything was done via telecom and courier service.”

“But you met his assistant?”

“Yes, several times. His name was Jacob Heath.” Sara tried to keep the sadness from creeping into her voice as memories of Jacob filtered through her mind.

“Was?” Trent asked.

Sara nodded slowly. “He was killed in a mugging several weeks after David returned from his overseas trip. I remember David was very upset. I think he and Jacob had been fairly close and Jacob handled everything here in the states for David when he was abroad.”

Trent thought about this information for a few minutes before asking, “Who took over Jacob’s place in the company after his death?” He was afraid he already knew the answer, but wondered if she had put things together yet.
 

“Several of us pitched in to help right after
Jacob’s death.”

Trent nodded, “That makes sense. But who did David put in his position permanently?”

Sara looked at Trent trying to discover why he was going down this particular line of thought. “About a month after Jacob’s death, David promoted me to that position.”

“Were you the most qualified person for the job at the time?”

“Not really. There were several other people who had worked with David and Jacob for longer, but David was insistent that I had what he was looking for and could help him take his company to the next level.”

“So there was a big learning curve?”

“No, David helped me establish connections with each of his contacts. He even taught me how to accept shipments in the warehouse, but I don’t handle the warehouse stuff anymore.”

Trent nodded. He remembered her telling him she had been moved to the front office and wasn’t in direct contact with the warehouse merchandise any longer. Deciding she probably didn’t know anything else about David Patterson, he was quiet as he watched her stare into the fireplace.

Turning around suddenly, she looked at Trent and he could see the wariness as it consumed her face. “What about Trevor Ward?” Sara asked.

“Well, that’s where things start to get interesting. Trevor Ward is a known contract hit man for a drug cartel that operates out of Columbia.” He waited for Sara to catch up as she processed what he was telling her.

“It seems that Mr. Ward is one of the DEA’s most wanted individuals and he’s been operating under the radar for several years now. They know he’s guilty, but haven’t been able to prove anything.” Trent watched Sara for her reaction to this information. She appeared scared and wrapped her arms around herself in a self-protective posture.

“Hit man? You mean, like on television where people pay him money to kill other people?” Sara couldn’t believe what she was hearing, though she had no doubt in her mind that Trevor Ward was capable of killing another human being and walking away without a second glance. The man had always given her the creeps.

Sara walked back to the couch and gingerly sat down. The ache in her ribs was not as persistent, but certain movements definitely let her know that not everything was fine. Adjusting her position so that breathing was easier, she finally relaxed back into the cushions and took some slow breaths while she waited for the pain to subside.

Trent watched Sara as she settled back into the seat. He saw her wince several times as she adjusted her position and glanced at his watch. There were still several hours to go before she could take another pain pill. He didn’t like seeing her in pain and decided to finish this conversation up quickly. He had promised her a phone call to her sister, and immediately after fulfilling that promise, Little Miss Sara was headed back to bed. He’d wait until he had her settled again before he made contact again with his FBI buddies.

“Are you familiar with a man by the name of Enrico Gonzales?”

Sara had finally gotten comfortable, but upon hearing Trent’s question, sat up and nodded her head, “Yes. Enrico came to work for David almost two years ago, not long after I took over Jacob’s position. He’s part of Trevor’s security team.”

“Enrico Gonzales is an agent with the DEA. He’s been working deep-cover for the last several years. He’s been tracking the shipments of cocaine and heroin coming in from Columbia for the last 8 months.”

“Coming in? Through David’s business?”

“Yeah. Any significant change in the business around that time?”

Sara slowly nodded her head. A little over 8 months ago, David had returned from a South America buying trip with a contract in hand with a large exporter in Columbia. Most importers stayed away from doing business with companies in Columbia because of the danger from the drug cartels.

“Sara? What are you thinking?” Trent watched the thoughts cross her face and wondered what conclusion she had just drawn.

“David went on a buying trip just under a year ago.”

“To where?”

“South America,” Sara looked up at Trent and could see he still had questions. “He came back with a large contract with a company in Columbia.”

“You sound like that’s not a normal occurrence.”

“It’s not,” Sara said, shaking her head no. “Most companies aren’t willing to risk their merchandise or their cash in an area controlled by the drug cartels. It’s too risky.”

“But David came back with a contract from there?”

“Yes. When I questioned him about it, he told me he had everything under control and I shouldn’t worry about it.”

“So how have things been with that particular contract?”

“Really good. In fact, we’ve had fewer problems getting merchandise in from Columbia than places like Canada.” Sara thought for a moment and then said, “In fact, I can’t remember any shipments from Columbia that haven’t arrived on time and with everything accounted for.”

“Is that unusual?” Trent asked.

Sara nodded her head. “Very. Shipping companies are routinely late and usually the shipping manifests will have something wrong with them. The Columbia company never makes a mistake and their courier service is excellent. No shipment is ever late with them.”

Trent waited to see if she would start to put the pieces together before he asked, “You didn’t think that was odd? Even a little bit?”

“Well…I did. But every time I would bring it up to David, he would tell me not to borrow trouble and worry about the suppliers who didn’t have such good shipment choices or warehouse personnel. There were always problems and spot fires to be put out elsewhere, so that’s what I did.”

“It sounds like you took your job seriously and were an asset to David’s company.”

“I’m just very organized.” Sara paused and then asked, “What about Enrico. Is he in danger from David and Trevor?”

“He contacted his superior two days ago and told them what had happened with you.”

“Enrico was one of the men helping to load the yacht with the packages,” Sara said, remembering.

“Anyway, he told his superior that Trevor was demanding David find you before their entire operation was blown to pieces. Trevor seems to think you have it all figured out ... the drugs coming in – the cash going out.”

Sara shook her head, “But I don’t. I mean, I didn’t. I didn’t have any idea this was going on.”

“Enrico assured the DEA that you were completely innocent and didn’t have a clue as to what David was into. They were very relieved to hear that I have you and you’re no longer out on the streets.”

“Why would that concern them?”

“It seems that Trevor convinced David to put a price on your head. There’s a bounty of $50K for the person who locates you and tells him your whereabouts.”

“Fifty thousand dollars?” Sara said, sitting upright. “But I don’t know anything!” Sara couldn’t believe her boss, the man she had thought she was in love with, would do such a thing.

“It gets better. You ready?” Trent waited for her to nod her head.

“Enrico said there’s a huge delivery of cocaine coming in to San Diego in three days time. If I did my math right, that would have been about the time you and your hubby were supposed to have met up with your sister in San Diego, is that right?”

“First off, he’s not my hubby. Secondly, that’s exactly right. I can’t believe he was going to conduct a huge drug deal on our honeymoon.” Sara could no longer sit still and got up to pace around the room again.

Trent watched her for a second before he continued, “Enrico told his superiors where the delivery is going to take place, when, and how many security personnel will be there. They’re working hand-in-hand with the FBI and local authorities to set up a sting operation. If everything goes right, they’re going to take them all down in one fell swoop.”

“If they’ve known what’s been going on, why haven’t they done something before now?”

“They’ve been playing a waiting game.”
 

“Waiting for what?”

“For the
Quintana brothers to leave Columbia and show themselves. They run the cartel and rarely leave Columbia. It seems that one of them is ill and needs medical treatment not currently available in their country. They are traveling to San Diego so that he can receive this medical procedure. This may be the DEA’s only chance to catch these guys and put them away.”

Sara didn’t say anything as she processed this new information. Finally, she turned to Trent and asked, “So, I get to stay here for a few more days?”

Trent smiled and nodded. “I have been ordered by the DEA and FBI to keep you out of trouble and under my watchful eye. I told them that they didn’t know what they were asking and that, even though it would be a sacrifice on my part, I would do my best.”

This time his humor didn’t even faze her and she replied, “Well, I’ll do my best to lower my escape attempts to only a dozen or so a day. I wouldn’t want to tire you out.”

Trent chuckled and loved the fact that she could not only take his jesting, but then turn it back around on him. She simply made him laugh.

Standing up, he headed toward the hallway and asked, “Are you ready to go make that phone call now?”

Sara hurried to his side. “Are you sure the weather isn’t too bad? But, yes, I’d love to go call my sister. I can’t wait to hear her voice.”

“Let me grab you a coat and we’ll head out. The safe house is only about 10 minutes from here, and if we go now, we should have no trouble getting back before the roads get really bad.” Trent headed towards the back of the house as Sara followed.

“Great,” Sara said, putting the borrowed jacket on and zipping it up as she followed Trent towards the garage.

Reaching up on a shelf, he handed her a pair of Jane’s snow boots and urged her to put them on. “Your tennis shoes are not going to cut it in this weather. Tomorrow, providing the roads get plowed and the stores open, I’ll take you into town and we can get you outfitted for a Montana winter properly. At a minimum you need boots, a coat, and some gloves.”

Sara grinned as she stuffed her feet into the boots. The boots were several sizes too big for her small feet, but would keep them warm and dry.

Before opening the door, Trent turned back to face Sara, putting him within inches of their bodies touching as Sara straightened up. Placing his hand upon her cheek, he turned her head up so he could look into her eyes. “Sara, I don’t want you to worry about the things I’ve told you. My friends at the FBI are going to get David and Trevor.”

Sara placed her hand over Trent’s where it lay on her cheek. “I know. I’m kind of worried about my sister and her daughter. What if David tries to hurt them to get to me?”