Her Adoring SEAL (Midnight Delta Book 3) (23 page)

“What do you want?  This is my house, get out!”  Lupita’s voice was loud in the small kitchen.

“You are harboring a fugitive.  Hand over the phone.”  The man in the uniform held out his hand.  Senora Lomas was furious.  Jorge peered up at the adults, his eyes huge. 

“You did this, you called them didn’t you?” Senora Lomas raged at her daughter.

“I told you they were criminals.  We shouldn’t be involved.”  Beth winced as they grabbed her upper arm and she was pulled out of the house.  There was a jeep and a flat-bed truck waiting out front.  Joanne, Missy, and Irene were sitting dejectedly in the back of the truck with two men and automatic rifles.  Missy and Irene were crying.

“Get in.” The man pushed her towards the tailgate.  Beth struggled, and he shoved her, once again her face met steel and she saw stars.  The next thing she knew she had her head in Joanne’s lap.

“Your head isn’t that hard, would you quit trying to crack it open, Beth?” she whispered.

“Okay.”  How were Mason and the team going to find them now?

––––––––

“J
ack, you have to get it together,” Aiden said.

“I don’t think I can.”  They were positioned at the far end of the pier.  It was five hours since watching Berto go batshit crazy when the train arrived and the shipping container was empty.

They both watched as the huge crane lowered another container off the ship.  The
Hacha’s
weren’t let on the boat this time, which was another deviation from the norm.  Today was not Berto’s day.  Ruiz was shitting bricks.  So they were all waiting for three red containers, each with a black ‘X’, to come ashore.

“Is that one of them?” Aiden said pointing?

“Yep.”

“Where the fuck is DHS and DEA?  Hell, I’d be happy with the Mexican authorities.”

“I spoke to Lydia an hour ago.  She told me they were coordinating a take down.”

“Ah fuck,” Aiden said.  “When all those agencies get together and
coordinate
, sounds like a cluster fuck waiting to happen.”

Jack didn’t care.  Well he did.  There were humans in the container being lowered.  Of course he cared.  But at this very moment the team should be arriving in Rallos.  He wanted to know Beth was safe.  He prayed he’d get the call soon, before he was called to where the rest of the
Hacha’s
were gathered.

“It’s going to be fine,” Aiden assured him.  “You know Mason and his team are the best out there.”

Jack smiled faintly.  “Apparently Beth is pretty damn good too.”  Lydia explained how Beth escaped with three other girls through a hole in the bottom of the train car.  God, she was fucking amazing.

“JJ, Aiden, come here,” Ruiz yelled out. 

“Aiden, we need you to speak Chinese.  It makes it easier if we have someone who can speak the language.  We usually have to wait ‘til we get to Mexico City, but since you’re here we can start now.  Get into the container and calm their asses down.  Tell them to do what we tell them.  Tell them if they do, they get to come out, use a toilet, and get a warm meal, and if they fuck up we’ll kill them.”

One of the
Hacha’s
used bolt cutters to cut the chain and open the door.  “Just hop on in there.  We’re driving into the city.  We’ll let you all out when we get there.”

The door opened with a loud groan, and a huge waft of hot air and stink hit everyone.  There was silence.

“Hey you in there.  Say something,” Ruiz shouted into the darkness.  There was no reply.

“Hello,” he shouted again.  Still no response.

“Say something in Chinese,” he demanded of Aiden.

Aiden yelled some Chinese into the mouth of the container.  Still no reply.

“Oh fuck,” Ruiz muttered.  “Manuelo, get in there and check on them.”

“I don’t want to,” the man whined.

“Shut up and do it.”  The man hoisted himself up and went in.  He was in for about five minutes and came back out.

“Three of them are dead.  There’s two others who are really sick.”

“Goddamit.  That’s the second time it’s happened. 
El Cuchilla
is not going to be happy.  Aiden, get in there and talk to them.  We’ll see if it’s worth trying to repair them.”

Repair?!
  Where the fuck was the DEA?  The DHS?  If they didn’t get here in the next three minutes, Jack was going to start shooting and asking questions later.  He could see by the look in Aiden’s eye he’d be on board with that plan.

Sirens screamed.

Lights blinded.

“You’re under arrest,” someone yelled over a bullhorn.

“Hands where we can see them.”

Jack dropped his gun and raised his hands.  Aiden did the same thing.

****

“D
ammit.”  The truck came to an abrupt halt.

Beth moaned.  Everything hurt.

“It’s going to be okay, there’s just a fallen tree.  The men are moving it so they can keep driving.”

“That doesn’t sound like everything is okay.”  They’d been driving for over an hour.  The main man who’d arrested her told her there was a reward if she was taken to Veracruz.  Somebody named
El Cuchilla
wanted her.  Beth would bet anything Berto had taken a new name.

“We’re going to be sold,” Missy sobbed.

“At least we’re not going to be killed,” Joanne snapped.

“Death would be better.”

Beth struggled to sit up.

“Stay where you are.” Joanne gently pushed her back into her lap.

“No, I need to get up.  Lying down is making me carsick.”  Joanne let her up.  She felt the first plop of rain hit her head. 

“Oh my God, is it raining?” Missy wailed.

“Would you shut the fuck up?” Joanne yelled.

“Silence,” one of the two guards said.

The other guard must have heard something because he looked over the side of the truck, and then went over head first.  The guard who told them to be quiet went to check what happened, and he too went over the side of the truck. 

Missy cried out when she saw a dirt covered face peer over the side.

“Shut up, Missy!” Beth said in a loud whisper.  “All of you be quiet.  He’s a friend.”

Drake pulled himself over the side. 

“Are you all okay?” Drake asked.

“We’re fine.” Beth assured him.  He looked her over.

“You look like shit, Beth.  But we have to move fast.”  A gunshot rang out.  “Get down, now!”  All four women hit the floor of the truck bed.  Drake rested on top of Beth, his gun in his hand.

“Drake, we’re clear.  How are the women?”  It sounded like Mason talking.

“Beth’s injured, the others look okay.”

“How bad?”  Definitely Clint’s voice.

Drake was pulled off her, and Clint pulled her into his arms.  “Oh baby, look at you.” Tears glistened in his eyes.  “Dare, get over here.  She’s got to be in pain.  You need to look at her.  Her cheek could be broken.”

“I’m fine, Clint.  Don’t worry.”

“I’ll worry all I want.”  Clint’s fingers gently brushed her cheek.

“Where’s Jack?”

“He’s in Veracruz.  He’s been driving himself crazy looking for you.  There are a bunch of women coming in from overseas he’s helping.  If I have to guess, Berto doesn’t have much longer on this Earth.” 

“How did you find us?” Joanne wanted to know.

“A little kid named Jorge told us which way you went.”

“Who are you?” Missy asked.

“I’m going to be her brother-in-law,” Clint answered.  “Darius, what’s keeping you?”  They heard two more gunshots.

“I’ll be right there.  I was busy.”  Beth laughed as she saw Joanne’s eyes widen. 

****

“W
e haven’t found him.” Jack looked at the man in the windbreaker with DHS emblazoned on the back.  “But we’ve got the
Hacha’s
gathered up.”

“Do you have any idea where Guzman might be?  Or Helen Martinez?”

“Nope.”

Jack noted two of the mercs were gone too. 

“If you think of anything, let us know.”

“I will.”  He walked with Aiden towards the truck they’d been using since arriving in Veracruz.

“You know where he is, don’t you?” Aiden asked.

“I have a damn good idea.  Helen let it slip today when he lost his shit at the train station.”

“Well, are you going to tell me or keep me in suspense?” Aiden asked as he got into the passenger seat.

“There’s a small airport about ten miles north of the city.  If the operation turned from sugar to shit it was his escape hatch.  Helen said he had a plane.”

“Let’s get on it.”

“We can take it slow, you know he’s going to make one more pass at Beth,” Jack said grimly.  He threw his cell phone at Aiden.  “Get Lydia on the phone, I want a report.”

Aiden dialed and put Lydia on speaker.

“Did they get her?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Did. They. Get. Her?” Jack demanded.

“I need fifteen more minutes.”

“What the fuck, Lydia. They should have had her an hour ago,” Jack ground out.

“It got complicated.  The police arrested her.  The guys went out after her.  Last I heard they had her in their sights and she was alive and well.  They were just going to recapture her, and needed a half hour.  That was fifteen minutes ago.”

“I’m staying on the line.”

“Gotchya.”

Aiden had his phone out, and they followed the GPS coordinates to the airfield.

After twenty minutes, there was clicking on Jack’s phone.

“Jack?”  It was Beth.

“Beth!  Oh my God, are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” She giggled.

“Baby.  I love you so much.”  It was the thing he most needed to say.

She laughed, such a carefree sound.  “I love you this much.”

“Dude, she has her arms spread really wide, and Darius had to hold her to stop her from falling over.  She’s pumped up with some really good drugs.”

“Drake, why is she pumped up with drugs?”

“She’s really hurting.  It could be her cheekbone is cracked.  Her hand is cut and needs stitches.  She’s got a massive bruise on her hip.”

“I love you, Jack!” He heard her yell.

His breath hitched. 

“I think she loves you,” Aiden chuckled.

“We’re driving to Mexico City.  It’s the safest place for her, and then we’re taking a plane to San Diego,” Mason said.

“Wanna see Jack.”

“We have to get the girls stateside, Beth.”  There was a pause.

“Okay.” 

“Come home, Jack.  I love you bunches.” 

“I have an errand, and then I’ll be home.”

****

T
hey pulled up to the hangar that housed small planes, outside was a Lear jet.  Jack spotted the Range Rover Helen used.  He also recognized the missing mercenaries who were holding AK47’s. 

Aiden and Jack got out of their SUV. 

The blonde haired mercenary tipped his chin.

“You got away.  What about the others?”

“It was a total loss.  We figured we would report.  Is the boss inside?” Jack asked.

“Yeah.  Let me tell him you’re here, JJ.  He doesn’t want any surprises.”

“Makes sense.”

The man went inside.  Aiden and Jack looked at one another.  Aiden got up close to the other man. 

“You got a cigarette?”  The man shoved aside his rifle, and put his hand in the pocket of his vest.  Aiden, slipped out his knife, cut his throat, and eased him to the ground.  Jack looked into the small side window and saw Helen, Berto, and the merc talking to each other with another man standing nearby.  He was unarmed, and Jack assumed he was the pilot.

He held up four fingers.  Aiden nodded.

The blonde mercenary came out, and before he could look around Jack had him by the throat, and broke his neck.  He, too, slipped to the ground. 

Jack and Aiden walked into the hangar.

“JJ!  Aiden!  Tell us everything.”  Helen rushed over to Aiden.

“DHS and DEA shut down your operation.”

“Don’t you mean our operation?” Berto asked.

“Sure, our operation,” Jack corrected.

“Good, I need your help.  The police said they would be here in less than an hour with the shipment we can take with us.”

“You mean the girl you’ve been waiting for all this time, don’t you, Berto?” Helen purred.  She continued to stroke Aiden’s chest despite his obvious distaste.

“She’s one of the four.  The other three will make us a lot of money.  Don’t worry Helen, we’ll make out just fine.  Also, Mr. Liu will still want to do business with us.  Our operation in Cardenas hasn’t been compromised.”

“I disagree, I think she should be part of our merchandise,” Helen said.  She pushed away from Aiden and pulled out a gun.  “You’ve gotten soft, Berto.  This girl has made you crazy.”

Jack looked from one to the other. 
Crazy and evil if you asked him.
  “JJ and Aiden will prefer working for the one who can give them the most profit, and that will be me.  Mr. Liu has been talking to me on the side.  He knows I have what it takes to help his distribution much more than you can.”

Berto looked at Helen like he was seeing her for the first time. 

“Aiden, get Berto’s gun.”

“Allow me,” Jack said, and sauntered over to Berto.  He pulled out his K-Bar, and before Helen or Berto knew what was happening had the satisfaction of stabbing Berto in the heart.  Then he whispered in Berto’s ear.

“That’s for Beth you sick fuck.”  Berto stared at him in horror as his eyes were slowly going blank.

“You just can’t help taking out the trash, can you JJ?” Helen said in admiration.

“I guess not.”

“Still too humanely, if you ask me.  It must be the Eagle Scout shit.”  Aiden took aim and shot Berto in his dick, and the man let out a shrill shriek.  Jack watched in satisfaction as blood poured from both wounds, and Berto breathed his last breath.

Aiden turned back to Helen.  “Come here, beautiful,” he coaxed.

She lowered her gun and went to him.  He yanked her arm up behind her back with bruising force, and she smiled.

“At last, the way I like it.”

“I’m glad you like it.  We’ll see what the DHS has in store for you, you crazy bitch.” 

Jack heard the jet take off.

****