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“Can we talk to her through the watch?”
“Yes, but I didn’t because I’m not sure if she’s able to respond safely. If they hear the notification sound, they’ll know she has a communication device. So, I wouldn’t text her.”
Buck nodded, then raced out of TOC with his heart in his throat. It was clear that Carmen was still alive, her elevated heart rate and other vitals were displayed. He could only pray that Mari was alive, too. He had to face the fact that he wasn’t firing on all cylinders where Mari and Carmen were concerned. They’d been kidnapped by the Sombre Sindicato, but everyone on this operation knew who was behind that gang. It was Nacho, and if they hurt either woman, he was going to kill the fucker if it was the last thing he ever did.
* * *
“Mari,” Carmen said as she came up into a sitting position and pushed up her sleeve to reveal her watch. Mari frowned, confused for just a second…Carmen had a smartwatch!
“I’ve been waiting for us to be alone to use it.”
“Use it now. Text someone…Anna. She always answers her texts quickly.”
Carmen tapped out a message, and they waited. Finally, a message popped up. “It’s Buck,” Carmen whispered with a smile. “They tapped into my location app. They know where we are!” She smiled broadly. “They’re on their way here.”
Relief flooded through Mari. That was such great news. Now, all they had to do was stay alive. “Tell him there are nine men here, and all of them are armed.” Carmen tapped out the second message.
She heard the sound of trucks grinding their gears. She rose and went to the small window. Two of their company trucks pulled into the cleared area in front of the warehouse. She saw Santiago and his goons starting to load up the cocaine-filled bags. She went to the door and found it locked. She looked around the room for something to get it open.
Carmen walked over and pulled a couple of bobby pins out of her messy bun. “Let me do it. I have a lot of practice sneaking back into the house when I’ve forgotten my key.”
Mari smiled and hugged her hard. “You’re the best juvenile delinquent sister ever.”
Carmen giggled, then nudged her sister out of the way. Her pretty face was sweaty and smudged with dirt, but there was a determined glint in her eyes. “I want to get out of here. I have plans, and shoes to buy, and I’m going to college in the fall.”
“Yes, you are.” Carmen turned her attention to the door. She straightened out one of the bobby pins, twisted the other one at a right angle, and slipped it into the bottom of the lock, then turned it slightly as if it was the key. Then she inserted the straight one and moved them around.
While she was doing that, Mari looked around for some type of weapon. There were a couple of empty beer bottles in the corner as if those heinous monsters drank while Mr. Barrantes was being murdered.
She walked over and grabbed them up and walked back to the door just as she heard a distinct click.
She handed one of the bottles to Carmen, then gripped her own. They had to be close to finishing up the loading. When that happened, she and Carmen would be nothing but liabilities.
Mari reached for the lock, and the door opened unexpectedly, shoving her to the side. Dum came through and growled, lunging at her. But he grunted and dropped to the floor as Carmen smashed the bottle against the back of his head.
Mari recovered and said, “Run,” as she grabbed her sister’s hand, and they bolted out the door. Luckily one of the doors was already open, and they made a beeline for it.
“Stop!” Santiago shouted, but this time Mari wasn’t going to stop for anything. She increased her speed, Carmen matching it as they slipped through the door. Gunshots went off, bullets thunking into the doorjamb, but they didn’t stop running, even as they heard footsteps behind them and the sudden rat-a-tat-tat of automatic fire. Buck was here, but she couldn’t stop, or they would be dead before he could reach them.
* * *
D-Day, Blitz, Gator, Bear and Flint crouched on a ridge overlooking the opulent ocean-view house below them. D-Day peered through a set of binoculars. He panned slowly over the compound, noting the helipad and the choppers sitting there, also noting all the armed guards. “Let’s get a better view,” he said, stashing the binoculars and pulling out the handheld controller. He lifted the drone, and pushed a button as it activated, then hovered in the air.
He sent it down toward the house, while watching the feed on the screen on the controller.
“More armed guards,” Blitz said. “What kind of party is going on down there?”
D-Day nodded. He swung the drone around to get a better look at the ocean-view side of the house. On a long balcony, men were lounging around an infinity pool.
“Fuck me,” Gator said. “Is that who I think it is?”
“I think it’s fucking Christmas, boys,” Blitz said.
D-Day gasped and straightened. “Fuck. It’s Nacho.” D-Day activated his comm. “TOC. We have eyes on kingpin.”
“Repeat that, D-Day,” Kat said in a voice that was elevated, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she’d heard.
“We have eyes on kingpin.” He couldn’t keep the excitement or gloating out of his voice. “There are four other viable targets.”
