His gut clenched and he had difficulty going back to sleep. He knew that Alexa had some trouble in her past. There were certain things that Monte and BJ had hinted at about Susanna. They also knew that Alexa and Sally were on the run, and Susanna had helped them escape when Susanna was abducted. Chad couldn’t even imagine how he would feel if something like that happened to Alexa. She was already so timid and shy. She was young, too, only twenty-three years old, from what Susanna had told him. She needed men that could keep her safe and make her happy. After last night, he was determined to get her to confide in him and Michael so they could help her heal.
He gently moved the hair from her shoulder and looked at her skin. It was smooth and firm, and she had all the right curves in all the right places. They totally hit the jackpot with her. He smiled at the thought.
Son of a bitch! I’m in love with her.
* * * *
Michael stood in front of the computers while he spoke to their commander on the secure line.
“What intel are you talking about? Mason didn’t go out. His job was cancelled.”
“And lucky for him or there would be two agents missing,” Commander Franks replied.
“What’s going on?”
“Michael, we’ve received some intel information that just about proves Nate isn’t coming back.”
“What? What kind of information? How can you be sure?” Michael asked. He felt his gut clench. His heart was pounding inside of his chest. This was part of the job. He and his brother, Chad, knew that it was a risk, but they were working for the government and making great money. They both accepted that, but lately, they weren’t so into the missions anymore.
“There was information sent through one of the secure lines about an unidentified male being taken from Motel Velez outside of Santa Catalina. He was described as being six feet, muscular, blond hair, an American who had been staying in the motel for four days. One of our people checked this out, and it was confirmed that Nate was staying at the hotel in that room for approximately three days and is now missing.”
“Fuck.”
“It gets worse. Through witness accounts, as if the individuals who did this wanted it to be seen, we are being told that they covered his head with a sack, beat him then threw him into the back of a black, sedan with tinted windows. As much as I pray that he is still alive, we know how these men operate.”
“He was halfway through his time there. Just four more days and he would have been relieved by another agent. At least that was my understanding. So what the fuck happened that Santos’s men were able to identify him?”
“Not sure really. Within hours, Santos’s men annexed the motel. Everyone was questioned, and there was some chatter about a package.”
“So maybe Nate did find out some information and he was able to send it out to the agency?”
“We have not received anything yet. He knew to be careful even in an intense situation. He wouldn’t just send it directly to the agency.”
Michael thought about that a moment. A few of the men, the ones in this special unit, set up a post office box in Dallas. It was under a false name, but still, it was a means to send something secure from a foreign country, no matter what was going on.
“We’ll have to keep a look out for it.”
“Well I can tell you this much, we have law enforcement in all different agencies trying to crack down on Santos’s operation. In a matter of hours, you’re going to hear about a situation in the United States where cocaine from Santos’s operation in Columbia was being shipped through the United States Postal Service.”
“Damn. How the hell was he doing that?”
“There are about five carriers who are going to be busted within the next few hours. Basically the drugs were shipped to certain homes on these carriers’ routes. The carriers interceded the deliveries, collected the boxes, and then delivered them to the appropriate locations. It’s believed that at minimum each individual was delivering over eighteen kilograms of cocaine to dealers. This is an incredible bust and has a lot to do with this unit’s investigative work in Columbia and Panama. We have to ensure our agent’s protection, and we have to bring down Santos.”
“I agree, but there’s also the possibility that Santos is handing over his operation to another person. I know both Chad and I touched on this with you a few days ago, but it’s a possibility.”
“That’s right, you mentioned a man named Solandro Cruz, but there aren’t any photos of him. That was going to be part of Mason’s mission but we called it off. It’s not safe to go back there right now. Plus if our intel is correct, someone of great importance from the Santos operation will be visiting the United States shortly.”
“Really? That’s not something Santos has ever done. He has people who handle the drugs and the dealings here. Why would he risk being captured?”
“Your theory might be correct. Maybe this Cruz character is taking over and he wants to see all that belongs to him. It’s something we hope will come true. By next week, before his supposed arrival, I’m sending in a group of twenty-five agents to hit one of Santos’s larger production sites right off the border of Mexico on US land. The higher-ups want to hit one of the main distribution centers so it sends a message that we’re onto him and we mean business. They want to tighten the reins. This fucking guy is out of control.”
“I understand. Keep us posted and let us know if you need our assistance.”
“I thought you and Chad and some of the others wanted to cool it down for a bit? You still thinking about getting out?”
“Eventually, but if he killed one of ours, if Nate is dead, then we need to take care of our own.”
“I understand. I’ll be in touch.”