Page 70 of Protecting Bree
Their contact drove into an underground parking area beneath a large building, after someone appeared out of nowhere to pull back a metal gate. Smiley had the thought that it was possible he and Kevlar would disappear themselves, become a casualty of the violence the nation was facing, but at that moment, he’d take his chances. He’d risk anything for a chance at finding Bree.
The man got out of the vehicle and led them through a door. The hallway they entered was dark, and Smiley couldn’t help feeling uneasy. But nothing happened, other than their contact opening another door and gesturing for them to enter.
Inside the room was a virtual treasure trove of weapons.
“Choose,” the man told them.
Kevlar and Smiley didn’t waste time. They found serrated knives that they immediately strapped to their thighs by the included holsters. Pistols went in every available pocket, and they slung as many rifles over their shoulders as they could carry. They needed enough weapons for both themselves and the rest of the team, when they arrived. And if the men on the streets were any indication, they’d need all the firepower they could get.
Their escort nodded at their choices, then picked up acrate Smiley had noticed when he’d been inspecting the weapons. It was full of ammunition, which was also vital if they were forced to storm Castillo’s compound.
From what Tex had shown them, Castillo had set up his operation in the Amazon jungle. The closest city was Coca, which had a small airport. If they weren’t able to find Bree in Guayaquil, Tex had already arranged for a flight to the Francisco de Orellana Airport. From there, they’d trek to Castillo’s compound. Smiley wasn’t looking forward to heading into the jungle, but he’d literally go to hell and back if it meant finding Bree.
Once they had as many weapons as they could carry, they were led back to the parking garage toward what looked like a freaking tank. It was an SUV on steroids. The tires were larger than normal, and Smiley realized the outside had been reinforced with steel plates. Someone had outfitted this vehicle to withstand almost anything.
He was impressed.
They swiftly loaded the weapons, their bags, the ammunition, and a large crate of food. Smiley wasn’t sure what their contact thought they’d be doing or how long they’d be gone, but he wasn’t going to complain about the latter. Neither he nor Kevlar had stopped to eat since arriving in Ensenada. They’d been too focused on searching the shipyard, then planning and trying to anticipate where Castillo’s boat would make landfall.
It would be easier—from a human trafficking standpoint—to come into the country at a small city like Manta, travel to Quito, then to Coca from there. But Guayaquil had the benefit of being a city of unrest at the moment. Castillo likely had connections who would look the otherway when an unwilling woman, orwomen, were unloaded from a boat.
For all Smiley and Kevlar knew, Castillo had arranged for a few others to be picked up on their way south. There was no telling how many women he may have kidnapped for his nefarious purposes.
Just as they were done loading the vehicle, the sound of the metal gate opening had both Smiley and Kevlar whipping around, each with a hand on the pistols at their hips. But since their escort didn’t seem surprised at the van arriving, Smiley did his best not to jump to conclusions.
When the doors opened and the rest of his team hopped out, Smiley was incredibly relieved.
Blink made a beeline for them—and shocked the hell out of him by pulling Smiley into a long, tight hug. Then he pulled back, grasped his shoulders, locked eyes with him and said, “We’re going to get her back. She’s ours, and no fucker is going to take what’s ours.”
Some people might’ve questioned Blink’s choice of words, but Smiley was having a hard time keeping control over his emotions. He’d felt the same way about Josie when she’d disappeared. About all his friends’ women. They were as much a part of his family as his team.
“Thanks,” he choked out.
Then the rest of the guys were there. They’d circled around, and all of them had at least one hand on him. His shoulder. His back. His arm. No one said anything, but their support at that moment was what Smiley needed. Together,no onewas better than their team. They’d been through hell and made it through to the other side. They would find Bree and kill that motherfucking Castillo so he couldn’t ruin any other women’s lives.
“Pistols and knives are in the SUV,” Kevlar said after a long moment.
Safe, MacGyver, and Flash nodded at Smiley, then turned their attention to the vehicle. Once everyone was armed, they piled inside.
“Where to first?” Safe asked.
“Motel. Drop off our stuff and tell you what we know. Then the port at sunrise. We’ll go in pairs and get the lay of the land. Tex sent a list of all the speedboats headed toward Guayaquil. We don’t know which one might be our target, but knowing where they’re going to dock will be helpful. As far as he figures, they should be arriving tomorrow or the day after. If they made any stops, it could be as much as three or four days from now. If we don’t find Bree within four days, we’ll head to the Amazon. Go straight to his compound.”
Smiley didn’t want to think about what condition Bree might be in four days from now, and what might happen to her if Castillo got her to his compound. But he forced his mind away from those thoughts. He might not be able to function if he dwelled too long on what she was going through. His Bree was strong, but even the strongest woman could break.
Kevlar got behind the wheel of the SUV and glanced over his shoulder. “See if you can get Smiley to eat something, will you, Flash?”
Annoyed, Smiley glared at the back of his team leader’s head. He didn’t want to eat. In fact, the thought of food made him sick. But Flash wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He dug into the box of food and pulled out a protein shake. Opening it, he held it out to Smiley.
He thought about refusing, but knew his teammateswere just as stubborn as he was. They wouldn’t stop badgering until he’d consumed the damn thing. Snatching it out of his friend’s hand, Smiley brought it to his lips and chugged.
It tasted like shit, but he couldn’t deny that once he had something in his belly, the churning and rolling it had been doing began to wane.
MacGyver grabbed a protein bar and handed it to Kevlar as he pulled out from under the building. The metal gate closed behind them with an audible clank. Taking a deep breath, and hoping they wouldn’t run into any trouble on the way to the motel, Smiley stared out the front windshield and prayed luck would be on their side, and they’d be able to find some sign that would point them to what boat Bree would be on and when she’d arrive.
Two days later, Smiley’s prayers hadn’t been answered. The seven of them had prowled the port, searching for any signs of Bree on any of the speedboats that had come in and generally keeping an eye on things as best they could. Their job was made more difficult by not knowing exactly what they were looking for. But nothing they’d seen so far had given them any indication that a woman was being smuggled onshore.
Three of them were now holed up in what would be considered a one-star motel back in the States. The other four teammates were back at the port, watching and waiting.
