A/N: I’m giving you the terminology at the beginning.
Dry Snitch: Someone who provides information to law enforcement but refuses to testify
Chirujo: slang for faggot.
Flash bangs: M84 stun grenade.
Tits up: Dead
Blow man: Hit man
Hector’s POV—All Conversations in Spanish
So far, Ranger has had excellent timing with these intel trips. This one falls right during a trip to Miami, and I know I’ll need to spend some time in the streets for this.
1. Rumors of my involvement. Check w/ Piman. 2. ice in Tampa? 3. Connection to Char.
Good thing I understand ‘Ranger shorthand’. Hmm…more obscure this time, but workable. Ronaldo will be my first stop.
Sunday Night
RMMiami was caught off guard. Good. I had a chance to assess. Angelita was not assessing because her mind was elsewhere. Mine wasn’t.
They aren’t ready for Angelita‘s review. I’m not entirely clear on everything Angelita looks for, but I know my partner is good. She’s sharp. And if this were the real review, it would not have started well for them.
The floor is sloppy. Men look inattentive, as if they’re sleepy. My presence causes them to sit up and look alert, so Armando isn’t enforcing standards here. I see snacks in the break room that are clearly outside protocol. Since when are papas rellenas appropriate? I pop a few and make a note to do 30 extra minutes on the treadmill.
I don’t see Armando, and he doesn’t show the entire day. Angelita later informs me that she spoke to him and advised him not to come in. Interesting. He should have poked his head in anyway. His boss is here. This would not have been a question if it had been Ranger. I don’t like the blatant disrespect to the position. He better have a good excuse.
I have more important things to do. Ranger needs intel. Time to do some work.
I head back to Amina. My stop there earlier today was a signal to Ronaldo, the maître d’. I don’t stop in unless I need information, and he expects me to return. He put my name out and those with a grudge will be waiting.
I’m in Ranger’s SL-550. Nice car. I’d buy one but Hector Manuel is more important. My Lexus is fine for me. I drive by, then pull up three blocks over and assess. Just as I suspected and hoped. There’s a hit squad waiting for me. Five idiots. They’re mid-levels, but they’ll get me what I need.
I reach into the back seat and pull the flash bangs and zip ties. I call back to Armando and tell him to bring me a van. I need the extra room. I pull the helmet, headphones, and goggles. I exit the car and run around the block. Once I’m in place, I wait for Armando to pull into sight. Once he’s in place, we act.
We unleash a barrage of gunfire into the trees. The gunmen all run for cover, but bunch up together so no one can sneak up on any one person. Perfect. I detonate the flashbangs near them and run in. They’re disoriented and we’re able to zip tie all five in six minutes. Not bad. Once the blindfolds and earplugs are in place, we toss all five into the van and secure them down. I nod at Armando and he takes off for the secure building. Not bad; by the time he’s a few blocks away, I’m back in Ranger’s car, watching the cops arrive to an empty scene. I’m glad MDPD response time was slow tonight.
I return to my apartment. Ranger is waiting. I strip (flashbangs stink. I have to get Ranger’s car detailed), shower and change. Ranger is dressed in Miami club attire. I hate my brother. I’m too skinny to ever get that chest. Oh well. At least I’m cut. What I have looks damn good.
“Five in the holding rooms. Mid-level, so someone will come looking for them. Gotta take the Cayenne. I have to get the Merc detailed.”
Ranger nods and we leave for the club. Once there, we’re nodded in. Our reputations precede us. No one pats us for weapons and there’s silence as we pass. Reyes dip their heads in respect.
Sometimes this amazes me. I divorced and, because of my determination to live, I’m now treated like a Don.
Piman is waiting in the back. He motions for everyone to leave.
“Good to see you.”
They fist bump and Piman and I shake. Ranger and I take seats and decline the weed. Ranger scans for bugs. None.
“Tigresa is here. She leaves Friday.”
I’m glad I have my blank face in place. I’m stunned by this. Ranger told an Inca about Angelita? He informed an Inca about his woman?
Piman nods. “I’ll listen for chatter. Rumble is someone may be talking. Be careful.”
SHIT! I can see the fury stiffen Ranger’s posture just minutely.
“The noise was out there that something was going on and they’re looking for possibles. You haven’t been seen in Jersey and your woman is running your company. Your boys are in Texas. It’s suspicious.” Piman grins. “You’re the front runner. No one can figure out how ICE has managed to put away six feds in four different states.”
Ranger smirks and I calm. Listen. Assess.
Piman grins at me. “Your legend is growing. How did you manage to get your son’s father out of ATL? He went ghost, but the money he was supposedly holding disappeared. Too much paper for anyone to carry and it’s clear Nikki ain’t got it. Assumption is he’s tits up.”
I smirk. Good. Mauricio lived to see another day. Pay that fucking child support, asshole.
Piman turns back to Ranger. “I started the usual noise. You’re overseas. You’re kicking sand. Hope that helps.”
Ranger inclines his head. This must be a standard thing for them.
“Two more,” Ranger says.
Piman exhales loudly. “The boat?”
Ranger smirks and nods.
Piman turns to me. “Word is out that you’re on the streets local. Wear a vest.”
I nod.
Ranger and Piman hug and I shake. We leave the club to silent respect. Once in the Cayenne, Ranger turns to me.
“Piman and I go back to childhood. When Julie was kidnapped, Piman suspended trade and put his soldiers on the hunt. A Reyes who recognized Scrog was my first clue.”
I now have complete respect for Piman. He stayed loyal and he probably lost hundreds of thousands, if not more, suspending trade to search for Julie.
“I offered to pay him back every penny and he declined. He keeps an ear out. I told him months ago that Steph’s running the company. Piman and Armando have beef and Piman’s contact is Pedro. He should call Piman every time Steph lands here.”
Now this all makes sense.
“DEA and ATF keep handing me contracts to bring him in. I never will. He once saved my life and he helped me retrieve my daughter. If they get him, it’ll be through their work, not mine. As long as he protects me and mine, I won’t betray him.”
Understood.
Ranger cuts his eyes at me. “Nikki? Mauricio?” He smirks. “How did that go down?”
I tell him about the Atlanta trip, ending with my appropriation of Mauricio’s long overdue ‘child support’. We share a laugh.
“Hector Manuel is safe?”
“Danny put extra tracking on both of them and convinced Nikki to work out at RangeMan. I get constant pictures of Hector Manuel in RangeMan Atlanta gear.”
Ranger smiles He’s met my son and admires him like another uncle. Danny’s actions have reinforced my assessment of Danny to him.
“I’m taking Steph offline with me,” Ranger says. I stiffen. “It’s been months, Hector. I need my woman.”
“Is she your woman?” I ask. Ranger stiffens. “Because you haven’t called or texted since this started three months ago.”
“I don’t want to put her in danger.”
“A simple ‘Babe’ will not put her in danger.”
I see Ranger consider this. Idiot. Romance your woman!
“I have six trackers on her. I assume you’re taking her to the house?” Ranger nods. “I’ll make a list of the trackers and how to turn off the tracking in her phone, but the moment she hits RMMiami again, you’ve got to reactivate them.”
Ranger laughs. I wait for him to stop laughing to glare at him. “I mean it. My partner. I need to know she’s back. All her tracking devices alert my phone.”
Ranger sobers, with a tiny smile on his face, and nods. We arrive back at RMMiami in silence.
I’ll deal with our friends tomorrow night.
Monday
White kid’s name is Matt. Hired for tech, which means he reports to me, but I had no knowledge of him. See, this is why Armando gets in trouble. He likes to deviate from SOPs on occasion, which leads to confusion in the ranks. I need to start quizzing Angelita on the SOPs. I’ll bet she hasn’t read them, and she’ll need to know them back and front to catch Armando’s stupidity.
I review the résumé. It’s good, really good, and Armando did some very fast talking about hiring the kid and putting him on probation until he met with me. I smile and Armando realizes he’s in serious trouble.
“No one is hired for tech without my approval. We’ll be on the mats at 0700, Armando. Don’t be late.”
I turn to the kid. “You can consider yourself on probation until I assess you. Do you have any access to any of the systems?”
He shakes his head. “No, sir. My first day in tech is technically Wednesday. I’ve been on standard RangeMan probation until now.”
Hmm . . . “Background?”
He swallows hard. “Just finished Florida Atlantic, sir. No military. No kind of record. College, then here.”
Fresh meat and wet behind the ears, but he doesn’t look as young as stated. I’m aging him up. 25? 27? I smell a rat. I nod and turn to Armando.
“Short leash.” I’ll assess him later. I have a trip to make.
Armando nods and I leave.
Now that Angelita‘s offline with Ranger, I have freedom to get out and about. I take the Merc for a detail, then head over to Tampa. I think I’ll see Nacho.
Nacho is another hacker, but he’s also a fed. He did his best to bring me in while he was based in Jersey, so I took down his entire household network, stole his money, and fucked with his credit reports. Interesting pictures on his computer. I copied those a few times and kept them for blackmail.
We have a grudging respect. I returned his money and cleaned his credit. No point going down for theft, wire fraud and embezzlement when I just dodged a murder rap.
I pull up to his house at 6PM. I can see the wife and kids sitting at dinner. Good. He’ll be nervous and anxious to get me off his doorstep.
“Hector.” He’s pale and shaky.
“Lover,” I purr. Inside, I’m dying of laughter. Someday, Nacho, your wife will find out.
“Nathan, is everything OK?” His wife comes to the door. I smile at her.
“Liz, right? Pleasure to meet you. I’m Pedro.” I can see her confusion.
“Pedro and I worked a case in Jersey, baby.” He kisses the wife and ushers her back inside, but she’s undeterred.
“Pedro, please come in. We’re just finishing dinner. Can I offer you something to drink?”
I accept some water and sit in the living room. Nacho is very nervous now.
“What do you want?” he hisses.
“Calm down,” I mutter, amused. “I’m not here to expose your lifestyle. Just need information.”
He calms slightly and nods. “Nothing classified.”
I shrug. “Can’t promise that.”
“I’ll lose my job.”
I put the ‘psycho smile’ face into place. He pales. “Two feds in Charlotte, Mason and Jackson. What’s the deal?”
Nacho relaxes. Good. He’ll talk. “Gossip says they were holding a major gang member, ALKN, in Atlanta, working with him to bring down someone in Miami. He got wind that a hit was placed on him and begged for protective custody, but not before betraying his boys. Mason and Jackson moved him to Charlotte with the intention of cutting him loose until word got out that you might be close by.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“Sounds like they’re targeting another Inca here but they’re keeping it close to the vest. Either case, if they manage this, promotion is guaranteed.”
“No discretion.”
“They’re calling in favors from everywhere to pull this off, but they’re keeping a close eye on their boy. You won’t get close. That’s why the Marshals are involved.”
“Don’t care about him. Just needed info on them.”
I stand and shake his hand. Liz appears.
“Going so soon?”
I smile. “Afraid I must. Thank you for your warm hospitality.”
She beams then turns to Nacho. “I’ll see him to the door. Nathaniel is acting up.”
Nacho shoots me a look then walks off. Liz turns to me, all smiles gone. She looks fierce.
“Are you my husband’s lover?”
I raise an eyebrow and contemplate smiling. She’s suspicious. Good. “No.”
“Have you ever been?”
“No.”
She relaxes. “Is he gay? Down low?” She looks hopeful and I don’t want to burst her bubble.
I look at her calmly for a moment. “Why ask me a question you already know the answer to?”
Tears appear in her eyes and I hand her my handkerchief. She declines and walks me to the door. At the threshold, I turn to her.
“If you want to know the truth, it’s amazing what you can find on the computer and in credit card charges. Just sayin’.” After all, it’s how I figured it out. The man had 5GB of gay porn and pictures on his computer.
She nods. I shake her hand and leave.
Once in the car, I ask, “You get that?”
“I got everything,” Manny replies. My phone was on the entire time. “Intel I have says they’re using an Inca who is a ‘dry snitch’ to set up another Inca who’s at the top of the ranks. Also, Ranger’s a target. Feds are pissed he keeps protecting him instead of taking the contracts to bring him in.”
Only person that fits is Piman. Shit! That’s a problem. If he’s Ranger’s boy, he needs to know. He’s going to have to clean house. And Ranger needs to know he’s a target.
“Bigger problem. I’m hearing the word chirujo kicked around.”
My blood runs cold. That might mean me. No one has ever known me to take a lover, but I know the gossip is out there. It’s a killable offense if you’re still in; I’m not, but still . . . I learned long ago to keep my personal life very quiet.
Three hour trip back to Miami. I hope our friends are feeling rested and ready to talk.
Tuesday Morning
0130. I’m feeling fine. Best part of this op: I get to sleep during the day.
Armando and I are the only ones in this building. It’s a specialized location, just for ‘information extraction’ of the not quite legal variety.
I’m not military. No one can court martial me. If you want to arrest me, catch me first.
Armando is looking squeamish. My knives have already had a workout tonight on Idiots #1 and 2. Idiot #3 is not doing himself any favors.
“Let’s try this again. You’re working with . . .”
“Fuck you.”
OK. Slice. Scream. Wait.
“Your value to me decreases as you hold out. I begin to suspect you know nothing. I begin to consider your death. Shall I make it a painful reality?” Slice. Scream. Slice. Scream. Wait. “Or shall I be merciful and put you out your misery?”
“Fuck you.”
“As you wish.” Quick blow to the temples to put him out. I slump him in the corner. He looks dead and that’s all that’s needed. Armando marches the next man in. He takes a look at his boys and at me and pisses himself.
Sigh. I love my rep, but I wish it didn’t encourage so many to lose control of their bladders. I hate smelling of piss.
“You can join them in the corner or you can talk. Your choice.”
He flows like a fountain. Piman did Rey dirty in a deal and he’s been pissed about it, but instead of ordering a contract, he decided to deal with the feds. Piman is gaining a rep as untouchable and other Incas are nervous and angry. After all, Piman now has all Reyes from Miami to Atlanta. That’s a lot of powerful, profitable territory.
The rumor that a legendary Spec force Reyes is on his side does not help the situation. My rumored moves against Rey also infuriated a lot of Incas. They want that kind of coverage. They intended to kidnap me and ‘convince’ me to turn Ranger to their side, work as an enforcer for the ALKN. After all, I’m legendary and Ranger has his own army of men, ready to move at his command. So I’m betting Mason and Jackson are setting up Piman and Danilo, his don. Whew! Not me, Danilo. He’s so far in the closet I wonder how anyone found out.
I’m furious but amused. After all the shit I went through to get out, you think I’d come back? You really think I’d betray Ranger? I’d slit my own throat first.
Jesús Cristo. This is getting ridiculous.
Idiot #5 refuses to talk. Fine. I have what I need and so does Manny.
Quick blow to the temples and I drop them all in the van. My talker gets dropped on Miami Beach.
The idiots are dropped naked on a highway in the middle of the Glades. If they live and make it back, they can have their lives.
0700 finds me on the mats with Armando. I’m merciful and leave it at 30 minutes.
Mando is out of shape. He can barely hold his own with me.
I nod Matt onto the mats. Step 1 of being hired to work for me: I need to see you on the mats. I start by instilling fear. If you know what will happen, you will strive to never fuck up.
30 minutes later, my assessment is over. Kid’s OK. He’s taken jujitsu and he’s not bad, but I still take him down time after time. He’s bleeding and is fearful. Good.
“Sign up for some refresher courses,” I tell him. He nods. “10 minutes, server room.”
I shower and change. He’s in the server room when I get there. I start a review of his résumé and practical skills. He’s not bad. I could actually use him in Atlanta more, but something’s fishy. His answers are too perfect.
“Why did you apply here?”
“I need a job. Economy sucks and RangeMan is known in Miami for the work atmosphere.”
He’s just fucked up. I knew something was fishy. This kid has no ins in the groups that we traditionally hire from, so how did he really hear about us?
I have him fill out some paperwork and send him on to Silvio. Still on probation, no access to any systems. I call Nate and ask him to start an audit of the system, beginning with Miami. He shouldn’t find anything but better safe than sorry. I place the paperwork in clear protectors and call Mando.
“Kid’s a plant. Has to be. Who knows how to fingerprint around here?”
Tony can fingerprint. I’ll have my answers tomorrow.
Tuesday night
I decide to take a night off and do some ‘unauthorized’ digging. I start first by locating Mauricio. He’s alive and he scooted to Memphis. Fine.
I call Nikki.
“Hey! How’s my son?”
Nikki laughs. “He’s fine. He’s learning to read so I’m sure he’ll want to read to you when you talk to him.”
He can read! I have tears in my eyes.
“Otherwise, we’re good here. I noticed I was being followed at one point, so we camped at RangeMan Atlanta for a few days. Danny was good to me and the guys there are really nice.”
I smile. Danny gave me the heads up. They followed Nikki’s stalkers. They were ALKN, as I suspected. Danny administered a little ‘warning’ on my behalf and he reported that they pretty much left Nikki and Hector Manuel alone after that. He did place a guard on them for a week, just to make sure.
Danny has officially been placed on my incredibly short list of ‘friends’.
“Oh, I meant to tell you, I got a second interview with one of the consulting firms I applied at. I would go in as a programmer, but with my CIS degree, I could interview for a management trainee program to get on the fast track.”
“Great Nikki! Do you need anything to help with that?”
“No. Not so far. I do need to ask you for one thing, Hec.”
“What is it, Nikki?”
“I want to move Manny’s daycare.” Thank god. The place he’s at now is OK, but it’s not the best. Security was shit, which I pointed out to Nikki. “If I move him to the other place we discussed, you know it costs more, but they have better hours and a better program.”
“Move him. You already know how I feel about it. Set up direct withdrawals so the money comes directly out of the account with your child support in it. Just do me two favors.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t ever answer the door without a weapon in hand again. There’s too much shit going on right now for you to walk around defenseless.” My voice is ice cold when I say this and I can hear Nikki swallow.
“Right. I’ll do better, Hector.”
“Please. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.”
“OK. Second favor?”
“Before you fill out the authorizations, talk to Danny. I want Hector Manuel to be able to leave with a RangeMan if it is necessary, and Danny will give you a list of his most trustworthy men.”
“I’m ahead of you. I already talked to Danny about adding him and some of his men to Manny’s current daycare, so I’ll transfer his choices to the new place.”
Great. Another layer of protection on my son. Nikki passes the phone to him and, after we talk about his day, he reads me a Curious George book. I’m beyond proud. I go online and find that the book is rated 3+. I order all the Curious George books I can find on Amazon and all the Dr. Seuss’s.
My son deserves the best.
Wednesday Morning
This morning I get the fingerprints back. Tony took them to a friend at MDPD for analysis.
Matthew Johnson. 22. College kid. One arrest for a drunk and disorderly. Otherwise clean.
I take the info back to my room and start running it.
Matthew McGhee. 27. ICE Agent, first undercover assignment. I assume this is a fake record, in case someone starts poking, so I start a true search.
The intel is amusing. Sorry, Matt. They didn’t cover your tracks well enough. I call Nate; the network is clean. No Trojans, no stealth programs making copies of our system. Good. I tell Nate to watch the traffic; I’m going to check. Two hours later, I’m done. Nothing out there. Good.
I call Ranger, ask how he wants to handle this. Ranger replies, “He’s yours. They hired him for your area.”
I smile and email Matt to meet me on the mats at 1900.
Matt is there at 1900, looking nervous. Silvio, Mando, Thomas, and Shane are also there. Good.
“Monitoring suspended?”
Mando nods.
I wave to Matt. This session will last an hour.
An hour later, I’m getting a second wind and Matt is on the ground, bleeding. I turn to Silvio. “There’s a reason why you don’t hire for tech without informing me.”
I reach into the pocket of my cargoes.
“Matthew Wallace. 28. Graduate of Quantico and GA Tech. Works for DEA, currently on a joint task force with the ATF. This is his third undercover assignment. Last two got him commendations for successfully bringing in drug lords.”
Matt’s pale on the ground. I motion for him to stand up. “I’m allowing you to walk out under your own power. Tell your supers you failed this assignment. There are no drug lords here, just security experts who listen to their instincts. Ranger is already aware of the ‘dissatisfaction’ with his reluctance to take a certain case.”
Matt nods, pained. “Tell your boss he’s under investigation.”
Mando and his group are shocked. I nod. “He already knows. He’ll deliver his own message when he’s stateside again. Just remember: they pay him for his brilliance. They need to quit second guessing it.”
Matt nods and turns to leave. Mando follows him. I look at Silvio and smile. He groans and steps onto the mats.
Shut up fucker. You earned this. This is why I now have your job. He slid by you, not me.
Wednesday night
Yesterday’s ‘unauthorized’ digging turned up something intriguing. A name mentioned by Manny Tuesday night. I decide to go back to Tampa and take a look. This might be the ‘ice’ reference in Ranger’s assignment.
I apply makeup to the teardrop tattoos this time and I’m dressed in my nicest Boss. Just in case I need to mingle. Issey Miyake layered on, gel in the hair, the right accessories to match.
Fresh, clean, ready to smile and flirt.
I pull up in Ybor City and head to Havana, a historic restaurant. I’m dressed like money and I’ve spent enough time around Ranger and Bobby to shave off all the rough edges, so I look like I belong. Time spent with Bobby taught me everything I needed to know to operate at the higher levels of society. No one could guess he came from money. Bobby’s background and pedigree reads like a black Who’s Who.
I’d never heard of Who’s Who before Bobby. That’s what I want for my son. I want him to be able to dress, talk, and behave as a natural at every level of society. I want him to have Bobby’s class, Tank’s loyalty, Lester’s sense of fun, and Ranger’s brilliance. From me, I want him to learn to be a man of his word. If my son manages that, I will have succeeded as a man and as a father.
Subtly placed $50 gets me in without a reservation. I slide up to the bar and flirt with a pretty little thing until I can talk her into sharing a table with me. I allow her to chatter (USF, Art major, trying to model, tan like she spends all day at the beach, blah blah blah) while I nod politely and try to get a bead on my subject. Finally, he shows. William Knox is a high ranking ICE agent. His dinner companions are not. Knox, my subject, is a regular at this place and his cards suggested he would be here tonight.
I turn back to Miss USF (Tiffany? Tania? Tanis? Can’t remember) and smile. If I swung her way, I’d take her home. Unfortunately for her, I like my men to look like her. Tall, willowy, tan, fit, great smile, great eyes, great ass. This is why Angelita will never guess my type. My type is as close to a woman as a man can get without being a cross dresser. It confuses Nikki. Why sleep with men if your men look as effeminate as mine? I can’t answer that. I like what I like. I refuse to do to some woman what Nacho is doing to Liz. That shit’s dishonest. Be honest about who you are.
Nikki is hoping I might be bisexual. I tried it. No thanks. Her chocha is as close to one as I ever want to be again and, even then, my son was fighting his way into the world. That was the only reason I was there.
I motion Tallis (whew! Remembered) onto the dance floor. It’s near my subjects. Thankfully, she knows how to swing those hips. Now, if she could just quit trying to reach my crotch. I try to listen to the conversation.
“Rumors are plaguing ICE. . . no one knows . . . six agents down . . . military says he’s on assignment . . . Pakistan, I hear . . . Have a plant in his organization . . . impossible to break in otherwise . . . only other option is in California . . . no leverage . . . considering actions against the company . . . no chance. They’re clean . . .”
The music switches to a bachata. Positive: It’s slow and I can stay in one place. Negative: Tallis is now officially in my crotch. I hide my face in her neck and grind. Please please give me the info I need before this song ends. This girl’s going to realize something is up when nothing on me comes up.
“Look, James, simple fact is, someone’s running a sting. No one knows who’s behind it. We originally thought Mañoso might be involved, but all info says he’s overseas somewhere. Even his handler is saying he’s on assignment. So we need to look at other possibilities.”
“The info on the ground is different, Will. Info in the streets says he might be involved and he’s pulled in others to help.”
“Well, that tells me that it’s false. Mañoso works alone, notorious for it, unless he’s working with his partners. They’re in Texas and Texas hasn’t lost any agents. So it can’t be Mañoso.”
“Well, if you’re certain it can’t be Mañoso, you don’t have a lot of options left. Maguiles in Cali is the next best option, but he’s involved with ATF out there. Sidwell in GA is next and he’s a possible but he wouldn’t be able to get the kind of intel necessary to get these guys put away this fast. I can search to see if there’s an up and comer trying to make a name for himself. Are you sure you want to take Mañoso off the list officially?”
“Yes. No point in continuing to search.” His phone beeps. “FUCK!”
“What?”
“Our man was uncovered. The man who found him said that Mañoso will deliver his own message when he’s stateside again.” Everyone at the table groans.
I grin mentally. Yes! That was an inspired moment.
“Well, that confirms,” ‘Will’ says. “Mañoso is not in charge of this op, and we can’t chance another plant in his group. Let’s start looking at options.”
Just in time. The song ends and Tallis is looking at me, confused. I smile.
“Dessert?” She nods and we order dessert. I allow her to talk again (blah blah blah) while I assess this trip.
Complete success. I’m partying at the clubs tomorrow. I’ve earned it.
Thursday Night
Ranger and Manny thought my intel was good but they wanted to hear more about my night with Tallis. Nothing to say. I took Tallis home, turned down her offers of a nightcap, sex, and kinky pics. I went back to the apartment, emailed all the info I got and went to sleep. They laughed and complimented me on getting a gorgeous woman all hot and bothered, then leaving her. I shook my head at them.
Bit of inspired hacking gets me the info on the two competitors I heard about. Neither of them is in Ranger’s league, so I can see why Knox was perplexed. I reassess the initial info.
1. Rumors of my involvement. Check w/ Piman. Done. We now know how and why and have been able to help the rumor that Ranger is overseas along.
2. ice in Tampa? Done. Knox is our man but I need more info on him. He’s a nervous guy for someone who is that high up. Plus, he sent a plant to RangeMan. Tried to place him in my area. He’s now a personal enemy for me until I know otherwise.
3. Connection to Char. Done. Got more info on the connection between Piman and Rey than I ever wanted to know.
I dress in my Miami club wear and say a prayer. I hope God is still willing to listen to me. Sixth sense is saying I’ll be shot at tonight. I hope I’m wrong but you never know.
Dios te salve, Maria; Llena eres de gracia. El Señor es contigo.
(Hail Mary, full of Grace. Our Lord is with you).
The Miami guys seem surprised and shocked when I join them on 5 to head to the clubs. My sexuality is an open secret in RangeMan, but their surprise is amusing. I love to dance. It’s one of the best parts of being partnered with my Angelita: built in dance partner. I like hitting the clubs and dancing the night away and so does she. She gets to put some of her Burg training to good use. Sucks I have to be on guard for a blow man tonight.
Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres. Y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre: Jesús.
(Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus).
We travel to Tango! in South Beach. This is usually a difficult club to get into, but two well placed c-notes and we’re in. Lots of beautiful women who know how to dance, so I’m on the dance floor. I’m on my guard, so I can’t drink; I’m downing water as fast as they can bring it. I’m sweating rivers and mopping my brow as quickly as I can.
I give up. I can’t dance comfortably or scan as effectively as I’d like, so I head to our seats. I’ll hold the table.
I spend the rest of the evening sipping Sprite and scanning the dance floor. I don’t see a possible blow man, so it will be a drive-by. My instincts are screaming that I will die tonight, so I text Ranger. He advises me not to leave before the rest of the guys. If I’m the target, being surrounded won’t give them a clear shot. I’ll need to tell Mando about this.
Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores,
(Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners)
I hate that thought. I’m no girl to be covered. Then again, my Angelita needs her partner not to put his pride before her safety. Fine. I’ll walk out in the middle of the group. Mando returns to the table and I quietly tell him the dilemma. He texts everyone that no one leaves separately tonight. I’ll need coverage. I can see confusion on the faces of the men as they return to the table, so I explain that my instincts are screaming that I’ll die tonight. I need my brothers around me. That changes the attitudes of the men. They’re now on the alert for the asshole who intends to take one of us down.
Finally, at 0200 we leave the club. We’re walking nonchalantly but everyone is on the alert for a blow man. I finally figure it out.
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte
(now and at the hour of our death).
“DOWN!”
I say it in just enough time to watch Ranger’s car begin to smoke. Thank god for all the anti-bomb material on the undercarriage. It won’t catch fire or explode. As we hit the ground, the gunshots are fired.