Taking Aim (15 page)

Richard nodded to Humberto. “Handle that. I need to duck up to the lodge for a moment.”

Humberto retrieved the necessary items, securing the scabbards and saddlebags to the back of Richard’s and Zach’s horses.

Zach ran out to his truck, gathered the canvas bag, web belt, his rifle and the SIG Sauer Hank had loaned him. He met Richard on the way back to the barn.

The man carried an M110 sniper rifle and had another slung over his shoulder. “Thought we could use some more firepower.” His pockets were loaded with boxes of shells and he had two ammo belts looped over his other shoulder. He shrugged. “Our guests like to fire different types of weapons.”

Zach smiled grimly. “Glad you cater to them. These will come in handy.”

They loaded the magazines, fit the extras into the web belts and tested the weapons. All their preparations took less than fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes Zach felt they couldn’t spare but had to in order to go into cartel-held territory. As the sun sank toward the horizon, the three men mounted and aimed their horses south, setting off at a trot to spare the horses.

Zach prayed they were headed in the right direction and that they wouldn’t be too late.

Chapter Fifteen

“Wake up,” a man’s voice yelled in Jacie’s ear.

She wavered in and out of consciousness.

A hard slap to the face jerked Jacie out of the black abyss. She blinked open her eyes. The room around her was dark with one light shining overhead and dust moats floating in and out of its beam.

“Wake up,” the deep, intense voice repeated.

Jacie turned to face her nemesis. “What do you want from me?”

“Nothing. It’s what I want from her.” He pointed to the woman sitting in the shadows, her wrists and feet bound to a chair, her hair drooping in her face.

As the dust moats cleared and Jacie’s gaze came into focus, she gasped. “Tracie?”

“Oh, Jacie, I’m so sorry.” Her sister’s voice cracked. Her face was bruised, her lips split and one eye was swollen shut.

Jacie lunged toward her sister, realizing too late that her own hands and feet were bound with duct tape to the chair in which she sat. The seat toppled and she landed on her side, her head bouncing off a dirty, splintered wooden floor. It was then she noted the windows had been painted black. Even then, no light shone through or around. It could be dark outside for all she knew. How long had she been out? And what had happened to Zach?

Her heart clenched. God, she prayed the men who’d taken her hadn’t shot Zach and left him to die as they had Enrique.

“Don’t hurt her,” Tracie cried. “She doesn’t know anything.”

“With her here, maybe you’ll start talking.” He spoke perfect English with no hint of an accent.

Jacie stared at the man with the voice. He wore a black mask over his eyes, and a black bandana covered his hair like an evil Zorro. “Why are we here? What do you want with us?”

“I want your sister to tell me why she came to Wild Horse Canyon. Who sent her?”

“I told you.” Tracie shook her head, wincing as if the effort was painful. “No one sent me. I came on my own.”

“Why?”

“To visit my sister.”

“Lies!” The man pulled Jacie back up, chair and all, and slapped her face hard.

The blow was hard enough that her teeth rattled and her head swam.

“No, don’t!” Tracie cried. “She’s just a trail guide. Nothing more.”

The man stepped away from Jacie and ran a finger along Tracie’s face, brushing across her swollen eyes and lips. “But then you aren’t, are you? Who in the FBI sent you down here?”

“No one.” She heaved a tired sigh. “It’s the truth.”

“Then why did you come here?” He moved back to stand beside Jacie, his hand rising. “Tell me now or your sister suffers for you.”

“Don’t!” Tracie strained against her bonds.

“Your memory returns?” the man asked.

“I came because I read a text on my boyfriend’s cell phone. One that asked a man to assist the Big Elk transfer.”

“You didn’t get orders from your supervisor?”

“No. I was concerned because it was the Big Elk. I wanted to know what it was about since my sister works at the Big Elk Ranch.”

“Who did you notify of your search?” he demanded.

“No one.”

The hand descended, lashing across Jacie’s face with sufficient force to create a resounding echo in the empty room.

Jacie rocked sideways in her chair, her head reeling. “Leave her alone. She came to see me.”

“No, Jacie, I came to find out what Bruce was up to.” She stared across at Jacie and sighed. “I had a friend trace the text and it went to Humberto Hernandez.”

“The Big Elk’s guide?” Jacie closed her eyes and opened them, hoping to regain focus. “How does he know Bruce?”

“I don’t know. But I couldn’t let it go. I had to know what was going on and what danger you might be in on the Big Elk.”

“All very touching. Who else knows of Masterson’s contact?”

“No one but you, Bruce and Humberto, as far as I know,” Tracie answered.

The man raised his hand to hit Jacie again.

She couldn’t help it. Jacie flinched back in her chair.

“Then why did you contact Hank Derringer for assistance?” the man demanded, his hand poised to strike.

Tracie leaned forward, constrained by the bindings. “I wasn’t sure what I was up against and when it would go down, so I asked him to help me. Only he didn’t have anyone available right away. I didn’t tell him why I’d come, just that I might need his help.”

“So you came to prove your boyfriend was a traitor?”

“I didn’t want to believe it, but I had to know.” She slumped in her chair, tears trickling down her cheeks.

Jacie’s heart bled for her sister. She looked so tired, dirty and defeated. “Let her go. She’s telling you the truth.”

“Shut up.”

Jacie’s anger simmered along with her frustration. If only she could get loose.

Then what? The man had the advantage. He was stronger and probably had weapons at his disposal. Jacie might get free, but she wouldn’t leave without her sister.

The man waved a finger toward the shadows. “Bring him in.”

Jacie’s breath lodged in her throat and she braced herself. Who was the masked man referring to? Had they captured Zach? Was he still alive?

Two hulking Hispanics with dragon tattoos on their arms dragged a man into the light.

He slumped between the two men, moaning, his dark hair hanging over his forehead, the shadows cast by the overhead light blocking his features.

Then the henchmen let go.

Their captive slumped to the floor and rolled onto his back. Both eyes were swollen and a large bruise had formed on his jaw. His clothes were torn as if he’d been whipped.

Tracie’s eyes widened. “Bruce?”

The figure on the floor moaned, “Tracie.”

“Your boyfriend was more forthcoming. It seems he’s been busy cutting deals with both the Los Lobos and La Familia.” The masked man waved a hand at the men standing nearby. “This makes
mi familia
angry.”

The man closest to Bruce kicked him in the side.

Bruce groaned and tried to crawl away from him.

“What are you going to do with us?” Jacie asked, dreading the answer.

“La Familia suffers no traitors.” The man stood and walked toward the door. “They’re yours. Dispose of them.”

* * *

I
T
TOOK
THEM
longer to get to the abandoned house than they’d anticipated because of the ominous overcast sky stealing the light of the stars and moon. Riding through the night without light proved to be more difficult than originally expected. Thunder rumbled, teasing them with the possibility of a raging storm at any moment. But the rain didn’t come, which let them progress through the darkness.

They would have missed the perimeter guard altogether had Zach not slipped on the night-vision goggles when he did. Thankfully the wind had picked up. That and the thunder covered the sound of their horses and the creaking of saddle leather as they dismounted.

“You two stay here until I take care of the outlying guards.”

“We can help.” Richard pulled a knife from his belt. “I was in the infantry back in the day.”

“I appreciate that, but I’m the only one with night-vision goggles and we can’t afford to alert the rest of the camp. Once I take this man out, Richard, you move forward to where he was. I’ll be circling to the right. Give me five minutes and then Humberto can take up a position a hundred yards to Richard’s right. Make sure you have clearance to fire into the compound.”

“But we can’t see anything,” Humberto pointed out.

“Once I have the guards taken care of, I’ll start the fireworks. You’ll be able to see into the compound and they won’t be able to see out. Only fire if you’re certain of what you’re shooting at. My first order of business is to find the women. When I do, I’m going to create a diversion. Be ready.” Zack filled a clip with rounds.

“What kind of diversion?” Richard asked.

“Something with a lot of fire and noise.” Zach pressed a hand to the incendiary grenade.

When he found the women, he’d have to distract the guards long enough to free Tracie and Jacie and hopefully get them out.

“Hank’s sending out his men and will be notifying the FBI and DEA about now. If they send out their helicopter, we’ll have additional firepower should we run into trouble. The main thing is to get the women to safety first.”

Richard nodded. “We’ll cover you.”

Humberto’s head hung low. “I’m sorry I got Jacie involved in this.”

Zach held up his hand. “Now’s not the time for regrets. It’s time for action.”

“Sí.”
Humberto squared his shoulders, his lips firming into a straight line. “We’re behind you.”

Zach checked his web belt one last time, memorizing the location of each item of equipment. With his rifle in hand, he slipped into the night, his night-vision goggles in place.

He made straight for the man on the northern edge of the compound perimeter. As he grew close, he slipped the goggles up on his head and circled around behind the man, dispatching him with a swift, clean stroke with his knife.

One down, still more to go before he could enter the grounds and check for the women.

Zach circled the compound, moving as quickly as he could without making noise. At the western edge of the perimeter, he found one of the compound’s sentries fast asleep. The man never knew what happened. He died where he lay.

Another man on the south side was easily taken care of. At least one other remained on the eastern perimeter. The green glow of his body heat registered in Zach’s night-vision goggles.

As he eased toward the man, his gaze fixed on his target, Zach didn’t see the rock until he kicked it with his toe.

The sound of the stone skittering across the dry soil might as well have been the blaring of a horn.

“Que hay de nuevo?”
The man lifted his weapon, aiming toward Zach.

“Es mi,”
Zach replied with his best Spanish accent; then he slipped around to the side of the man holding the weapon aimed at the spot where Zach had kicked the rock.

“El que?”
The man’s voice rose.

When Zach was behind the man, he rushed forward and grabbed him from behind.

The guard struggled, his hands still on his rifle. A shot rang out.

Damn. The entire camp would be on alert now.

Zach used his knife to dispatch the man and ran back to the south side of the compound, away from where he’d dropped the last guard and where the others would be headed to discover the source and reason for the gunfire.

With the first shot having been fired, Zach’s plan would have to move a little quicker than anticipated.

With only three buildings on the old ranch, Zach snuck up to the back of an old, dilapidated barn that leaned precariously, slats missing from the walls. No light streamed from inside, and a quick scan with the night-vision goggles concluded it was empty. He pushed the goggles up on his forehead. This was the spot, and it was now or never.

Footsteps pounded against the dirt, and a shout rose, followed by more and the clinking of metal against metal as men grabbed weapons and headed toward the perimeter to investigate the shots fired.

Zach pulled the incendiary grenade from the loop holding it on his web harness and yanked the pin. Then he tossed it into the old barn and slipped away in the shadows toward the next building. He threw himself to the ground, covering his ears.

Let’s get this party started.

* * *

T
HE
GOONS
LEFT
to “dispose” of Bruce, Tracie and Jacie chuckled as they hiked their rifles up and prepared to follow orders. They spoke to each other in Spanish, pointing first at Tracie, then Jacie and finally Bruce.

Jacie held her breath. With her hands duct-taped behind her, she was helpless to stop what was about to happen. She twisted her wrists, hoping to stretch the tape and allow enough room to pull her hands free. But they’d bound her so tightly, her hands had gone numb. She stared across the room at her sister, praying for a miracle.

The La Familia gang members raised their rifles, aimed and—

Jacie braced herself for the carnage, her gaze inexplicably drawn to one man’s trigger finger as his finger tightened.

An explosion ripped through the air, shaking the ground beneath Jacie’s feet.

The gunman jerked as he pulled the trigger, hitting the other gang member in the knee. The wounded man dropped to the floor, clutching his knee and screaming Spanish obscenities.

The man who’d shot him bent to him, speaking fast, then he ran to the front door and flung it open.

With her back to the door, Jacie craned her neck to see what was happening. A glow filled the night sky, reflected off the low-slung clouds.

The man on the floor struggled to his feet, using his rifle as a makeshift crutch. He hobbled to the door and out onto the porch with the other man.

“Jacie,” Tracie called out. “Can you make your way over here?”

“I don’t know.” Jacie gathered her strength and performed a kind of sitting hop, moving herself a mere inch toward her sister.

“Again.” Tracie did the same. With their legs bound to the chair legs, they couldn’t get much traction, but with both of them moving forward, the distance shortened.

Her heart pounding in her ears, Jacie hurried until they were almost knee-to-knee. “Pass me on your right.”

Tracie hopped past Jacie.

Once behind her, Jacie scooted her chair to the side. “Can you move your fingers at all? They used duct tape on me.”

“You might have a better shot at untying me than I would at tearing the tape.”

Jacie strained to reach her sister’s bindings, leaning forward to tip her chair backward enough to raise her hands.

The men left to kill them were shouting at people running by.

“Wh-what’s happening?” Bruce lifted his head and peered through swollen eyes at the room around him.

“We don’t know, but help us,” Jacie whispered, loud enough for Bruce to hear.

Bruce pushed up to his hands and knees, then collapsed again, facedown on the floor.

The men in the doorway stopped yelling and turned back to the house, guns raised.