Ready to Kill (21 page)

“So where does this leave us?”

“We need to talk about that. We can’t exactly march Raven down to the nearest NNP station and say, ‘Here he is.’ And we obviously can’t leave him in the care of anyone in Santavilla.”

“Cantrell?”

“No way. She’d never agree to it, and I’d never ask.”

“Then what?”

“Hell, I don’t know. I really don’t feel confident about him being convicted for murder here. Unless there’s indisputable proof he killed Estefan’s father and the others—and even if there is—he might very likely walk.”

“That sucks.”

“On the other hand, if we nail him in a fair fight, I’m okay with it too.”

“I hate to say this, but any other outcome is going to cause considerable problems. If we have Raven in custody and Estefan’s hell-bent on killing him, what do we do?”

“We walk,” Nathan said. “I’m not going to disarm or fight Estefan over it. We’ll do our best to dissuade him from killing Raven in cold blood, but if he ignores us, we’re outta here without looking back. I’m really hoping he won’t do that. I think I know Estefan. I’m fairly certain he won’t execute a helpless prisoner, even if it’s Raven.”

“He seems pretty pissed about his wife and torched house.”

“He won’t pull the trigger on a helpless man.”

“Let’s hope you’re right.”

Nathan didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “There’s one other scenario we need to reinforce.”

“Yeah?”

“We can’t let Estefan be taken prisoner.”

“Are we prepared to kill Raven and his men to prevent it?”

“Yes.”

“I’m okay with that. If Estefan falls into Macanas’s hands, he’ll die badly and probably give us up. We could end up looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives.”

“More than we already do?” Nathan said dryly.

“You know what I mean.”

“Sorry, Harv. I didn’t mean to sound flippant.”

“We’re good, partner. Estefan isn’t the only one stressing tonight.”

“Amen to that.”

“I guess we should’ve had this discussion with Estefan when we first decided to help him.”

“Things happened quickly. Let’s not worry too much about Estefan. He’s a pro. Instinctively, he knows everything we just talked about. There’s only one eventual outcome: Raven or us.”

“Yep.” Harv nodded. “And I choose Raven.”

CHAPTER 24

“You okay, Nate?”

Harv’s tone brought Nathan back to full alertness. Even after stretching and taking a break from scope duty, he was finding it hard to focus on his surveillance for extended periods. A sign of fatigue setting in, and it would only get worse. Not a good thing. He rubbed his chin, feeling the stubble that marked their time in-country.

“If you were Raven, would you want Estefan alive?”

Harv thought for a moment. “It’s hard to say. I’m not sure he’d believe Estefan’s motivation is anything other than to avenge his father’s death. I mean, why think otherwise? We talked about this. I don’t see any value in taking Estefan alive other than to find out who, if anyone, he’s talked to.”

“Us.”

“Afraid so.”

“Then let’s proceed on the assumption that his men will have orders to capture Estefan alive if possible.”

“Meaning . . .”

“Unless something changes, we shoot to kill.”

“Copy that,” Harv said.

“Picture Estefan strapped to a chair while Raven tortures the shit out of him. We’ll never let that happen.”

“Agreed.”

“What’s the fastest Raven can get up here if he flies?”

“I’m not sure
. . .
He’d have to round up some men, drive to the airport, preflight the ship, and take off. It’s an hour of flying time, so I’d conservatively say
. . .
at least ninety minutes at a minimum. It might take longer if he keeps it in a hangar—he’d have to tractor it out to the flight line.”

Nathan was silent for a moment. “Maybe I should be the one at risk down there.”

“No way. We need you up here behind that M40.”

As much as Nathan wanted to disagree, he couldn’t.

“I’m through,”
said Estefan.
“I put the screen back and left the window open. If anyone looks inside, they won’t be able to see the bed. The narrow hall leading to the bathroom blocks its line of sight. Where’s the girl?”

“She’s still behind the gas pumps,” Nathan said. “The general store is screening you from her view right now. Stay put and be ready to relocate to the north wall of the store. We still think she’s going to report your room number to Raven. Can you see her house from there?”

Partially, the Conex boxes are blocking my view.

“If we see any of Raven’s men emerge from the lumber mill or the ore-processing plant, we’ll move you over to the boxes. You’ll have better cover and a clear line of sight from there. You copy?”

“Affirm.”

Nathan kept his scope on the area surrounding the gas pumps. “After Antonia makes the call, things might happen fast. Everything hinges on Raven’s men believing you’re in the motel room. They’ll either try to ambush you and kill you outright or take you prisoner.”

“Not a nice thought.”

“Don’t worry. We won’t let you get taken prisoner.”

“Well, that’s comforting. I suppose you’d be doing me a favor.”

“We would.”

“Let’s ah
. . .
make that a last resort.”

Nathan spoke slowly. He didn’t want Estefan to feel any doubt about his resolve. “Estefan, if things get heavy, you will be in a shoot-to-kill situation. Center mass or head shots. I doubt they’ll be wearing armor. Anyone who approaches your motel room is fair game, whether you see a weapon or not. Clear?”

“Clear. Shooting to kill.”

“What’s the distance from the gas pumps over to the motel?”

“
Around twenty-five yards.
”

“What’s your laser’s zero?”

“Fifteen yards.”

“That works. You doing okay down there?”

“I’m still worried about Martina, but it won’t be a problem. I’m okay. My head’s in the game. If you’re thinking about that truck wreck I caused, I know I acted stupidly. It won’t happen again.”

“Already forgotten. We’re going to end this tonight. You’ll be visiting Martina later this morning.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”

“Antonia’s on the move. You should see her walk past the south wall of the motel any second.”

“I’ve got her.”

“Hold position
. . .
Something’s wrong. She’s not walking toward the phone.”

“I can relocate to the store’s southeast corner without her seeing me. She might want a look around before making the call.”

“It’s possible, but it’s really dark down there. Without NV, she’d never see you.”

“She got the upper hand on me down at the river.”

“We all underestimated her.”

“I don’t like the feel of this,” Harv said.

“Me either. She should be updating Raven. Could someone else have eyes on Estefan?”

“It’s possible, but we haven’t seen anyone.”

“I’m still on the lumber mill, Nate. What’s she doing?”

“She’s walking south toward the church.”

“You want me to keep her in sight?”

“Negative, Estefan. We’ve got eyes on her. Is there another pay phone in town? At the post office or Laundromat?”

“I don’t know.”

“Stand by.” Nathan’s mind raced with alternate plans. Everything hinged on Antonia making the second call to Raven. Where the hell could she be going? He supposed she could still be planning to call him, but when? And why the delay? “Harv, switch to the thermal imager, and sweep the entire area surrounding the lumber mill.”

“You got it.”

“To be on the safe side, I’m putting more distance between Estefan and the lumber mill.” He radioed to Estefan, “Divert east past the Conex boxes to the small road behind Mateo’s house and turn south. Head over to the rear yard of the church. The small houses on the south side of the vacant lot should screen you. There are some abandoned cars over there. Use them for cover.” His radio clicked. “Harv?”

“Hang on, I’m just powering it on
. . .
I’ve got nothing. No warm bodies.”

“Check the river.”

“I’m not seeing anyone.”

“Verify if it sees the girl.”

“Affirm. The TI shows her as a bright object.”

“Okay, stay on the TI and keep eyes on the lumber mill. I don’t know what Antonia’s up to, but we’re staying on the offensive. We’re not going to fight Raven’s men on their terms.”

“She didn’t make the second call. How do we get them where we want them?”

“We’ll make the call for her. Loudly.” He pressed the transmit button. “Estefan, change in plans. Double-time it across the vacant lot, and prepare to fire a shot in front of Antonia.”

“Copy. How close do you want it?”

Nathan liked how Estefan didn’t second-guess his orders, a trait of a good combat soldier.

“I’ll let you know. You’ll need to be mindful of bullet skip.”

Nathan refocused on the street and felt a chill.

Antonia was gone.

CHAPTER 25

“Estefan, take a knee and hold position. We lost eyes on Antonia.” Nathan remained focused on the area immediately surrounding Estefan in the event Antonia planned to ambush him. “Harv, I need eyes on the street.”

“I’ve got her,” Harv said. “She’s running south, along the west side of the road. She just passed the post office.”

Nathan focused where Harv indicated and reacquired her. “We’ve got her, Estefan. She’s in a dead run heading south between the post office and Laundromat.”

Nathan watched Antonia take a sharp right and disappear behind the Laundromat—the southernmost commercial building on the west side of the road. “She could be executing a surveillance detection route,” he told Estefan. “Hold position until we determine that’s what she’s doing. If we’re correct, she’ll work her way north along the dirt track behind the buildings and head back toward the pay phone, but we’re done waiting for her. We’re going on the offensive.” His radio clicked.

“It seems Raven’s a good teacher,” Harv said.

“It’s a smart move doing a SDR. I might’ve done the same thing had our situations been reversed.”

“It’s interesting she doesn’t assume Estefan’s still in the motel room.”

Nathan said, “Either that or she suspects he isn’t alone down there.”

“She’s had no reason to think that. She hasn’t seen or heard Estefan on the radio. Raven probably told her to make sure she wasn’t seen using the phone.”

Nathan expected to see Antonia appear again within the next few seconds. He wasn’t disappointed. “Okay,” he radioed Estefan, “she’s on the move in the alley parallel to the main road. She’s heading north, back toward the post office. Sighting from your position, there’s nothing but open field behind the tavern. When I give the word, advance toward the street and be ready to fire a shot in the dirt in front of her. Use your NV in tandem with your laser. I’m hoping to flush Raven’s men out of the lumber mill and spook Antonia into going home. One shot only. Clear?”

“She deserves a bullet,”
Estefan said.

“Are we clear?”

“Clear.”

“You’ll be able to see her when she runs between the post office and the tavern.”

“I’m on it.”

“Harv, I need your eyes back on the lumber mill.”

Estefan moved laterally about a yard to take advantage of a small clump of weeds and focused between the post office and the tavern. He gauged the distance to where the young woman would appear at just over thirty yards, took a deep breath, and tried to relax. The more he thought about it, the more he knew Nathan was right. They needed to avoid killing or injuring an innocent person—apparently that sentiment included Antonia. Although he wasn’t overly concerned about a stray shot from his pistol hurting someone, Raven’s thugs would likely have machine guns, and they wouldn’t be concerned about collateral damage at all.

Estefan hated to admit it, but he was rusty. The last combat he’d seen was over twenty years ago. He’d soon be mired in a game of cat and mouse where a mistake could prove fatal. Even though his trust in Nathan’s shooting skill was absolute, he had no desire to test his faith. The closest hospital in Jinotega was several hours away, and limping in there with a gunshot wound wasn’t a viable option. Secondly, he wanted to keep Nathan’s rifle silent. As long as Raven believed he was facing a single combatant, he’d feel confident that he and his men could eliminate the threat and get on with business as usual. Conversely, if Raven discovered a second sniper in the area, he’d be ten times harder to kill—if not impossible. As Estefan had learned long ago—from Harvey and Nate, in fact—short of facing an insurmountable number of enemy soldiers, a sniper’s worst enemy was another sniper.

Nathan was about to scan the lumber mill area when Antonia dashed from the northwest corner of the post office toward the tavern. “Estefan, she’s on the move. Put a bullet in front of her. Shoot now!”

Nathan saw Estefan’s gun flash.

A full second later, the sound reached his position, crackling off the valley’s walls like a small thunderclap.

The girl froze, then crouched. She reversed course and ran back to the post office, where Nathan lost sight of her.

“That ought to wake up the neighborhood,” Harv said.

“I’m not seeing any lights come on.”

“Based on Tobias’s letters, it’s not surprising. Here we go. We’ve got movement at the lumber mill,” Harv said.

Nathan swung his scope to the lumber mill and saw three men emerge from the building with the lit windows, presumably its office.

“Estefan, you’re on. Three gunmen are headed in your direction from the mill. Looks like they’ve got assault rifles. You’re out in the open. Make an all-out sprint for the abandoned cars behind the church. The gunmen are too far away to see you.” He released the transmit button. “Harv, I’m still zeroed on the church. Give me a wind correction.”

“No change. Hold left two inches.”

“Copy. Hold two left.”

“Do you think Raven alerted his men after Estefan interrupted her call? That was well over ten minutes ago.”

“Either that or someone from the motel called over there. I doubt they were dressed for combat at one o’clock in the morning. It took them a few minutes to get ready.”

“Hang on, Harv. Estefan, it looks like one of the gunmen is heading for the motel. The other two are running directly toward you. Sprint for the rock wall behind the church. Drop down on the other side and speed crawl over to the abandoned cars. The wall will screen you from their line of sight.”

“Am I cleared to engage?”

“Negative.” Nathan saw Estefan hustle south toward the church and knew it would be close. The gunmen were fast runners. “We want to avoid a firefight in the middle of town. Those houses have paper-thin walls.”

“Antonia might see me running over here.”

“Your shot spooked her. She’s hiding somewhere on the west side of the post office, probably scared shitless. When you reach the cars, stay low and hold your position. Don’t worry. I’ll drop every one of them if they make a move to capture you. Fall back on your training and become part of the landscape. They’ll never see you.”

“Let’s hope they don’t have flashlights or NV.”

“Stand by.” Nathan saw lights come on inside Mateo’s house. A few seconds later, Mateo stepped out to his porch and looked around. When the pair of gunmen reached Mateo’s house, they stopped. One of them said something to Mateo, who held his hands out innocently before retreating back inside his house.

“Estefan, you’re in good shape. Mateo just bought you a few extra seconds. You’ll reach the cover of the abandoned cars well before they get there.”

“Where are they?”

“They just passed Mateo’s house. Maintain radio silence until you hear from me. It looks like they’re going to pass very close to you. They’ll be there in thirty seconds.”

Harv spoke up. “One of those gunmen could be Raven. We shouldn’t assume he’s in Managua. Can you see a scope on any of their rifles?”

Nathan refocused on the gunmen, but they were carrying their weapons one-handed while running, which created too much motion for him to see any detail. “I can’t tell, but I understand your point. If one of those guys is Raven, Estefan could be in trouble.”

Still using his NV, Estefan lifted his head just high enough to peer over the hoods of the wrecked cars. From this distance, he couldn’t see much detail, but whoever these guys were, they were hauling ass directly toward him. Wearing woodland combat uniforms, the two men hopped the waist-high rock wall and resumed their sprint.

Estefan didn’t get a clear look at their assault rifles, but he was certain they weren’t AKs or M-4s. Those rifles had distinctive shapes.

He ducked lower, pulled his Sig, and held it close to his chest.

The thuds of their boots changed to crunches as they reached the expanse of gravel. Nathan had called it pretty damned close. These guys were going to pass within two or three yards of his hiding place between the cars.

In slow motion, Estefan lowered himself to a prone position and pivoted onto his right hip. Ignoring the rocks grinding into his flesh, he aimed his gun through the gap between the cars and held perfectly still.

He could hear their breathing.

If either of them glanced in his direction as they sprinted past, things would turn ugly.

Time seemed to slow as the moment of truth arrived.

He exhaled when two dark blurs rushed past the crevice between the cars.

As quickly as it had come, the crunching from their boots receded. It would’ve been easy to pop up and nail both of them, but Nathan had made it clear he didn’t want a firefight in the middle of town, and the third gunman was still out there somewhere. Estefan felt relief when Nathan’s voice came through his ear speaker.

“Good job. I want those men out of breath from their sprint before I send you out to the river.”

“Where’s Antonia?”

“Still behind the post office. I want you to start a low crawl directly toward the river. That will keep the abandoned cars between you and the church. When you reach the rock wall, hold your position until I tell you to scramble over it.”

“Do you guys have eyes on the third gunman?”

Harv said,
“I lost sight of him when he initially crossed the street near the motel. I think he’s watching your room. Don’t worry. There’s no way he can advance toward your position without me seeing him.”

“Copy. Starting my crawl now.”

Nathan kept alternating his surveillance between the motel and the church. The third gunman’s diversion to the gas station to watch the motel was an intriguing development. Since Antonia hadn’t been able to make a second call to Franco, she couldn’t have been the source of the information. For now, Nathan had to assume the info had come from whomever checked Estefan in to the motel. A second snitch on Macanas’s payroll was hardly surprising. In all likelihood, that person reported all comings and goings in Santavilla to Macanas’s local headquarters. Or perhaps Estefan’s garb or manner had triggered suspicion. Either way, a gunman now watched Estefan’s lighted motel room, wondering whether Estefan remained inside. As long as the watcher stayed in place, it worked to their advantage. Nathan’s primary concern was the two men approaching the church.