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The man next to him didn’t move, just staring at the two men as they argued. Sutton loosened his grip on the bat, letting it stand beside him. He was leaning on it, almost as if he needed the support, and East filed that in his head. Perhaps he did need the support.
“Where was he?”
“Obviously, near the tunnel,” said East. “I was at the hardware store and followed him to the location. I waited for him, but as he was coming out, the tunnel exploded. I chased him two blocks, but that’s when you called.”
“What were you doing at a hardware store on my time?” yelled Sutton.
“Are you really that dense?” said East, taking a step toward the man. “A hardware store has everything you need to blow shit up. Fertilizer, wire, everything. That’s what I’ve been doing. Visiting hardware stores and asking questions. If you’d leave me the fuck alone, I could do my job.”
“I didn’t realize,” said Sutton quietly. The man beside East was shocked that Sutton was giving a half-apology.
“You didn’t realize because you’re too consumed with your own anger. What did you think? Did you think that there’d be a sign somewhere that said, ‘Ted’s Bomb Making Shop’?”
“You’ve made your point,” growled Sutton. “Fine. Get back out there and find him. When can I expect that Fuentes will be dead?”
“When you stop fucking interrupting my work,” said East, walking away. He needed to get Fuentes to disappear. He’d fake his death, have something put out on the news, and at least Sutton would be happy with that.
In thirty-six hours, Rivera would be arriving, and they would need to have a plan in place to assure his safety. But there was a lot to get done before then. They needed to get the kids out of the tunnel and to safety, but he also wanted to help Sutton’s men and get their families back as well.
Feeling confident that no one had followed him, he entered the back door of Fuentes’ apartment building and took the stairs up to the fourth floor. Outside his apartment, he gave two sharp knocks and waited.
“Come in,” said Fuentes, opening the door. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in months, his eyes rimmed in puffy red circles.
“Are you alright?” asked East.
“No. I’m not,” he said. “My wife is hundreds of miles away, and she’s sick. Not critically ill, but nevertheless, my daughter is taking care of her mother. Not me.”
“It’s a rough life, Fuentes. You know that and so do I. This will be done soon. Let me fake your death, take a few pictures, and you disappear. Brooke can finish this out with our help. Use this time to heal with your family.”
“Are you sure?” asked Fuentes.
“Positive. We’ll leak the story to the press that you’ve been murdered, sending the photos. No one at the agency will be the wiser. They’ll just think you’re dead. When this is done, you can come back out and claim it was all part of the plan with Brooke.”
Fuentes stared at East, shaking his head.
“You know, I still have no idea who you really are. I get a strange call in the middle of the night saying that the Defense Secretary needs a favor. A personal favor. Then you show up in my office bigger than life and sweep in, getting more out of Sutton than anyone has been able to.”
“Just know that I’m on your side,” said East.
“Alright. How do we make me dead?” he grinned.
East pulled out a small pouch with makeup, wire, and other strange things. As he got busy on Fuentes, the man couldn’t believe what he was doing. When he was finished, he posed him on the floor of his apartment, the wire wrapped around his neck, blood everywhere, and a very convincing bullet hole in his forehead.
East snapped a few photos, admiring his work. He turned the phone toward Fuentes, smiling down at him.
“There. Dead.”
“Damn, that’s scary,” he frowned. “It looks real.”
“That’s what it’s supposed to look like. I’m going to send this to Sutton. Then we’ll leak the photos to the press. The mysterious missing body won’t be found.” East looked outside, the sun setting over the mountains. “It’s a good time to leave, brother. It’s dark, and no one will see you. Get cleaned up, and I’ll be your cover until the coast is clear.”
“Thank you, East. Seriously. I don’t know what I would have done without you here. Promise me you’ll take care of Brooke.”
“On that, you can count on for sure,” grinned East. “This isn’t the end, Fuentes. When Sutton is done, you can come back.”
“Maybe,” he said, frowning as he wiped away the blood on his neck. “Or maybe it’s time for me to retire. I’ve been doing this for almost twenty years, East. I’ve missed every major thing my kid was in, every anniversary and birthday. I can’t believe that my wife is still willing to put up with my ass.”
“They’re amazing creatures, aren’t they? You know, I’m a triplet,” smirked East as he stared at Fuentes, shock on his face. “That’s right. Two more that look just like me. My father and grandfather are both incredible men. Elite Green Berets. My maternal grandfather a former Ranger.”
