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RIDGE
Upon our arrival at the port, it didn’t appear much was happening outside what would normally take place at a terminal as busy as Port Felixstowe. However, behind the scenes of the mission, as Ares referred to it, there was a flurry of choreographed activity.
While the members of Los Caballeros may have seen ourselves as would-be secret agents, what I witnessed proved what we did was so far beneath what occurred in real life. I was almost embarrassed.
“We help in whatever way we can,” said Press when I shared my perception. “Without us, Addison Reagan would still be sitting in a jail cell, waiting to go on trial for murder.”
He made a good point, but I wished he hadn’t said it in front of Seraphina. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her; it just seemed a little too “in her face.” Especially when she appeared to wince.
“Sorry,” I said to her.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry for, and what Press said is true. We in the justice system don’t always get it right. And when we do, it isn’t always timely. On the other hand, while Los Caballeros may consider themselves good guys, not every band of vigilantes is. Enforcers in organized crime, for example. To them, they may be protecting their own, but at what cost to everyday citizens, who look to law enforcement to keep them safe?”
Was it my imagination, or was the tone of her voice the same it had been the morning we’d met for the breakfast we never ordered? I tried to focus on the “good guy” comment rather than the organized crime enforcers protecting their own. As hard as I tried not to bristle, I couldn’t help it. Based on Press’ expression, he had the same reaction.
“Ridge, a word?” he asked.
Seraphina stalked off in Merrigan’s direction without saying anything else.
“What in the bloody hell was that about?” he asked when we were far enough away that she couldn’t hear us.
“I was hoping I was overreacting.”
“We ‘may consider ourselves good guys’?”
“Try to be cognizant of her frame of mind presently.”
“Did you or did you not say you were hoping you were overreacting?”
“Compared to you…”
“Sod off. You better hope she isn’t compiling evidence to use against us. I’d hate to be the generation responsible for the demise of an organization that’s been in existence for four hundred years.”
“Again, as long as we’re not overreacting.”
Beau approached at the same time I finished my sentence. “What are the two of you talking about? You look like you’re about to come to blows.”
“Nothing like that. We’re all a little tightly wound right now,” I said before I walked away, repeating what Cayman had said about Ares earlier.
There was no way in hell Seraphina was doing what Press was suggesting after we’d helped save her sister’s life. No way. Deep inside, though, maybe I was also questioning whether she would.
Since the warehousewhere the triage area was set up also served as the command center, it was where the majority of meetings took place between the entities carrying out the mission as well as terminal, cargo, and berth operations.
Gunner, Razor, and Kodiak, along with the team from customs, were meeting with the terminal operations manager. When I walked away from Press, they motioned for me to join them.
The current discussion was in regard to the order the containers believed to be holding human trafficking victims would be opened. What I’d envisioned as a one-by-one process was, in actuality, a plan to access as many as five at a time.
“Why not all of them?” asked Gunner, pointing to a schematic of how the ship was loaded. “This ship isn’t full. Not even close.”
The terminal guy shook his head. “Logistically, it isn’t feasible.”
“Let me ask you this. If these containers were leaking dangerous or flammable chemicals, how many could you get to at once?”
The man sat back in his chair and rubbed his balding head with one hand. “We’ll see what we can do.”
Gunner leaned forward and leveled a steely glare at the man. “Tell ya what. If there is a single loss of life, I’ll see what I can do to not hold you responsible.”
“This is why I love you, Gunner,” said Razor when the terminal guy got up and walked away. “Don’t like the answer someone gives you? Make it so they give you one you like better.”
