Chapter 9
The sun had already set when the
helicopter hovered over the drop point in the desert next to a Border Patrol
SUV. As the chopper leveled out and
dropped to the open patch of dirt, Nick pulled open the door and handed the
pilot the three communication headsets.
“Thanks, buddy,” Nick said to the
pilot, then hopped onto the moist desert floor.
The rain had subsided, but the ground was still patched up with a few
standing puddles.
Matt and Dane followed Nick as he
reached the two Border Patrol agents and held out his hand to a tall, lean
agent with a thick curly mustache.
“Long time, Hal,” Nick said to the
smiling man.
“Good to see you, Nick,” Hal Dixon
said.
The helicopter’s rotors increased
its velocity and the group turned their back to the chopper as it spit up
pieces of the desert around them.
Once the chopper was airborne, Hal
pointed to his partner and said, “Jessie Martinez.”
They all introduced themselves and
Hal said, “We can take you through a compromised section of the border, but
once you’re inside Mexico, you’re on your own.”
“That’s all we ask,” Nick said as
nightfall closed in around them.
Hal looked up to the sky as if
waiting for another chopper. “Where are
the rest of you?”
“It’s just us,” Nick said.
Hal raised his eyebrows, then
shrugged. “All right then, let’s go.”
They all got in the SUV, Hal driving
and his partner in the driver’s seat.
Nick and Matt sandwiched Dane in the back seat. Hal drove slowly through the desert avoiding
cacti and sagebrush as they headed south.
Hal looked at Nick through the rear
view mirror. “So you think you’ll get to
Reynoso?”
“That’s the plan,” Nick said.
“You know he’s not easily found.”
“It’s okay,” Nick said, looking at
Dane. “He’ll find us.”
Hal nodded. “I see.
You’re bringing bait.”
Dane looked at everyone staring at
him. “What? You told me that you were escorting me to
that bar. Right?”
“We didn’t use the word escort,”
Nick informed him. “We said you would
take us to the bar. Once inside, you’ll
be spotted and Reynoso will be notified.”
“Then what?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“Wait,” Dane said. “You don’t have a plan?”
“Oh, we have a plan. We’re just going to discuss it with you.”
“Why not?” Dane asked with an
innocent tone.
No one answered as the SUV meandered
through the desert, the headlights knifing through the night in front of them. A pair of yellow eyes glowed from behind a
bush.
“W-w-what’s that?” Dane asked.
“Coyote,” Hal said.
Dane swiveled his head to examine
what else might be waiting for him out there.
“Relax,” Hal said. “If you’re going into Reynoso’s bar, coyotes
are the least of your worries.”
“Thanks,” Nick said sarcastically. “He needed a pep talk.”
The SUV rolled over one final lump
of dirt, then came to a stop in the middle of the desert.
Hal pointed out the front
windshield. “That’s our entry point.”
Nick couldn’t see anything but
desert landscape.
Hal pulled a large handheld
spotlight from his console, then left the SUV running and got out of the
car. He walked into the path of his
headlights and Nick and Matt jumped out to follow. Martinez stayed with the vehicle. As they walked along the packed earth, Nick
looked over his shoulder and saw Dane lingering in the back seat. He curled his finger for the kid to follow
them.
Dane stepped out of the SUV like a
sheep in a den of wolves. He took tepid
steps toward the group.
Hal aimed his spotlight at a metal
plate that was painted tan to blend in with the desert floor. He bent over and yanked up on a latch and the
plate hinged up exposing a giant four foot wide opening.
“A tunnel?” Nick asked.
Hal pointed the spotlight down into
the dark aperture. “We just discovered
it last week.”
“Why not fill it in?” Dane asked as
he approached the group.
Nick and Matt stared at the kid who
clearly knew very little about catching criminals. There was so much more to gain from tagging a
smuggler once he’s inside the country, than forcing him to find a new entrance. Informants could be nurtured into offering
much more than a single arrest.
Controlling the border was always big picture.
Hal shined the spotlight on the
interior wall closest to them and exposed the top rung of a metal ladder
leading into the tunnel.
Matt pulled his Glock from his
holster and stepped toward the opening.
“Okay. Let’s go.” He crouched, then stepped down onto the metal
railing, taking slow methodical steps down.
“You have a flashlight?” Hal asked.
“Yes sir,” Matt said.
Nick watched Matt reach the bottom
of the steps under Hal’s spotlight.
That’s when the first gunshot was
fired.
Read the story from the beginning here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4SY-vLe9ggkaXYzME9NSDlNeXM/view?usp=sharing
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