Page 68 of Protecting Bree
“Did anyone look for you?” Cookie asked gently.
“Yeah, but we just kept slithering under different cars. They were parked so close together, it wasn’t hard to stay ahead of them. And it was dark, so that helped big time. They got impatient, and I think they were scared of something happening and Bree getting away again, even though the one guy had her over his shoulder, and it seemed as if she was unconscious. Eventually, they gave up and headed for the dock. I don’t think they looked for more than maybe thirty minutes or so. They got onto a boat and left.”
“What kind of boat?” Tex asked, speaking up for the first time. “What did it look like? What color? Did you see any kind of name on it?”
“Um…it wasn’t huge,” Fiona said uncertainly.
“But it wasn’t small either,” Julie argued.
“True. It was pointy. The front.”
“And dark. Maybe a navy blue? Or black?”
“I thought it was green,” Fiona said, with a shake of her head.
“I didn’t see any kind of name, sorry,” Julie said.
Smiley’s hopes fell. How could they track a boat if they didn’t know anything about it?
“It’s okay,” Tex said. He’d been typing nonstop since the women started talking.
“How is thisokay?” he blurted. “We don’t know where she is. Which boat to track. How can we get to her if wehave no idea which boat she’s on out of the thousands that are probably on the water?”
“Because we know where she’s going,” Tex said calmly, pausing to look up at Smiley. “I know you want to swoop in and rescue her while she’s on that boat, but you’re right. We have no idea which one she’s on. But since we know where Castillo is taking her, we can go there and intercept them.”
Fuck. Smiley should’ve thought of that. His only consolation for the lack of foresight was that this mission was personal. He couldn’t think objectively. He could barelythink, period. All he could picture was an unconscious Bree slung over some asshole’s shoulder.
He turned to Cookie. “You need to take Fiona and Julie home.”
It was easy to see how torn Cookie was. “Call your team. Get them to join you,” he said. “It’ll take a while for that boat to reach Ecuador, even if it’s a speedboat—and it sounds like it is—it won’t be a one-day journey. Three at a minimum.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“I’ve already started that in motion,” Tex said. “Been texting with your commander, he was already on standby. Your team can go wheels up by two p.m. They’ll meet you there.”
“We need you too, Tex,” Smiley argued.
The older man shook his head. “I’m too old for this crap anymore. I’m heading back with Cookie, Fiona, and Julie. I’ll head to base and work with your commander, Ryleigh, and Beth. With your team as boots on the ground, and my eyes from the air and on Castillo’s digital footprint, we’ll get her back and shut down that entirefucking operation. Oh, and I’ve made contact with someone who you’re going to want to talk to as well.”
“Who?” Kevlar asked.
“His name is Rex. He’s with the Mountain Mercenaries.”
“That guy whose wife was taken by del Rio?” Cookie asked.
“One and the same. He’s not happy Castillo has taken up basically where his nemesis left off. He thought that organization was done, once and for all. But hearing Castillo basically took over that operation, and moved it from Peru to Ecuador, has him seriously riled up. He’ll be calling to give you as much intel as he can when you get to Ecuador and set up an HQ.”
Smiley would be happy to talk to the man. It was unfathomable that Rex had found his wife alive after a decade, but it gave Smiley hope. Bree was stronger than she knew; if anyone could survive a similar ordeal, it was his woman.
“I’ve got tickets for the two of you for seven o’clock this evening. That’ll give you time to plan and rest,” Tex told them. “Our flight for Southern California leaves around the same time.”
“I’m assuming the fact that we weren’t kidnapped with our passports isn’t an issue?” Fiona asked with a small smile.
“Of course not,” Tex told her calmly.
“I remember thinking that same thing…before,” Fiona said.
“It wasn’t an issue then and it’s not an issue now. Speaking of which, Bree’s passport will be waiting for you at the airport,” Tex told Smiley. “I have a guy waiting forus. He’ll take the Jeep, the weapons, and trade us for the IDs. When you get to Ecuador, I’ll have another contact waiting for you outside customs. He’ll have a sign with Mr. Hill written on it. Go with him, and he’ll give you everything you need while you’re there.”
