Gabriela didn’t have to ask which bastard Gordito meant. “Thank you, Gordito.”
Gabriela climbed the stairs and crossed the space to fill bowls for herself and the others, Gordito staying by the top of the stairs.
“Why the fuck are you here and not down with the gringos?” Pitón was drunk again, the tension between him and Gordito sharp.
But Gordito didn’t seem to be afraid of Pitón. “I’m here to make sure no one touches her.”
“Who would want to touch her?” Pitón laughed. “I bet a nun’s pussy dries up. Is that what happens,puta? Does it dry up?”
Gabriela ignored him, filled three bowls with rice and beans, and tucked three bottles of water under her arm.
Pitón stepped into her path. “Or maybe it fills up with cobwebs and rats.”
That brought snickers.
“Let her pass, Pitón, youmalparido.”
Pitón glowered at Gabriela but stepped back. “When we release the other hostages, I’ll be free to do whatever I want with you.”
Gabriela ignored him, made her way downstairs once more, Gordito and Pitón arguing, their shouts following her to the basement. Alone for just a moment, she tried to buoy their spirits. “The photos they took of you two today—that was proof of life. They said the US government demanded proof that you were alive before they would transfer your ransom money.”
Gabriela knew that no ransom was on its way. This was just a stalling tactic, a way of buying time for the spec ops team. But she couldn’t risk people’s lives by telling Dianne and Tim that a rescue was imminent. They’d all seen the soccer ball hit the window this afternoon, but only Gabriela had recognized the man who’d retrieved it. She’d known it meant the operators were looking for weaknesses, searching for the best routes in and out of the warehouse.
“Do you really think they’ll let us go?” Dianne asked.
“Yes. Do not despair.” Gabriela took Dianne’s hand, squeezed it. “Soon, you will be safely home again.”
It was just a matter of days.
6
Dylan sat with Jones and Segal around the laptop for a briefing on the rescue plan with Tower, Shields, and Andris. But first, Tower shared some good news.
“The body they moved didnotbelong to the hostages. You’ve seen Sister María yourself, and the Pentagon received proof of life for the journalists today. They killed one of their own.”
“Better that than a hostage.”
“Save us effort.”
But now it was time to get down to business.
Shields led off. “You’re in a densely populated and mountainous area, so infil is going to be tricky. We’ll do a HAHO insertion over theZona Militar. Satellite images show no movement there for weeks now except at the small base on its northwest boundary. Under cover of darkness, it’s unlikely anyone will spot our guys. But if people in surrounding towns see men in parachutes coming down, hopefully they’ll assume it’s Venezuelan forces.”
Okay, Dylan was on board with that. High-altitude, high-open jumps—HAHO jumps—were intended for areas like this one, where the sound of a parachute opening might alert an enemy on the ground.
Tower took over. “The drop zone will be a narrow band of forest about three klicks east of your position. Team Two will pack their chutes and meet you at these coordinates. You’ll be waiting there with the truck at oh-two-hundred hours. This time you’ll be smuggling us.”
Then it hit Dylan. “You’re coming, too, boss?”
“Corbray and I will both be there. He’s meeting us at the airport in Miami.”
Dylan exchanged glances with Jones and Segal. This must be one hell of an important mission if they were both coming. It had been a long time since both Corbray and Tower had deployed with the team. The risk was obvious. They were the company’s owners. If something went wrong and they were killed…
Andris went over the rescue. “Tower and Corbray will take positions at the window of your apartment where they can get a clear shot at the men on the rooftop. The rest of us will use the truck for cover or position ourselves around the corner. We’ll be using night vision and suppressors.”
Suppressors couldn’t make a rifle silent, but people inside the warehouse shouldn’t be able to hear the shots.
“It is paramount that all eight targets are neutralized at the same time so that no one raises the alarm,” Tower said. “We don’t want to give these bastards time to kill the hostages. You’ll sight your targets and drop them on command.”