Page 82 of Protecting Bree
Making a split-second decision, Mateo leaned forward and tapped on the glass separating him from his driver. The soundproof window rolled down, allowing Mateo to talk with the man. “Turn around.”
“Yes, sir.” The limo immediately pulled to the side of the road as the driver prepared to make a wide U-turn.
This was the kind of obedience Mateo insisted upon. How he trained both the men who worked for him and the women he owned to act.
“Back to Guayaquil. I have unfinished business I need to attend to.”
“Yes, sir,” the driver said again, with no emotion whatsoever.
Mateo rolled the window back up as the vehicle headed toward the city. He’d left the retrieval of his property to others, and they’d fucked it up time and time again. This was one job he obviously needed to continue to do himself. He’d let his men find her, then he’d personally escort her to his compound. The long trip—in the trunk of his car, naked except for a ball gag and cuffs—should make her a little more compliant.
Then he’d introduce his most loyal employees at the compound to their new toy.
Within a week, the bitch would be calling him Sir and doing as he ordered with no disobedience whatsoever. Then he could turn his attention to fulfilling the orders of customers around the globe that he’d been putting off for far too long.
Bree Haynes had taken up way too much of his time, but that was about to change. Once she learned her place,things could go on as always. He’d continue bribing government officials to look the other way, paying off the locals around the compound, and living his best life.
Reaching into his pocket for a cigar, Mateo lit the end and took a deep puff. Yes, things were about to go back to normal, which meant pussy whenever he wanted it, however he wanted it, and money rolling into his bank accounts. Life was good…and was about to get much better.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“This is bullshit!” Safe swore. “I can’t believe Tex can’t track him.”
Kevlar was just as frustrated as the rest of his team. When he and Blink had lost track of Smiley at the port, they’d contacted the others, but even with their help searching, it seemed as if their teammate had disappeared into thin air.
The only good thing about the situation was that they were pretty sure Smiley had found Bree, and the two were together.
They’d seen the “Missing Person” signs around the port, and deduced that Smiley must have come across Bree at one of the docks, and wasn’t able to contact Kevlar or Blink before being forced to disappear for their own safety.
Kevlar had thought it would be a simple matter of getting with Tex and having him direct them to where the two had holed up. But there was something wrong with the tracker Smiley had on him. It wasn’t transmitting.
The swear words that had come out of Tex’s mouth had been impressive. He was apparently done with external trackers, threatening to have every SEAL and Delta operative injected with tiny microchips that wouldn’t malfunction just when he needed them to work the most. But that wouldn’t help them at the moment.
And now, the violence in the country had ramped up a thousandfold. Stepping outside the motel put all their lives at risk, especially since they were obviously foreigners and didn’t belong in the neighborhood. That didn’t keep any of the SEALs from doing what they could to search for their teammate, but it definitely made it more challenging.
And to top it off, Smiley had no equipment with him. Clearly no comms to talk to the rest of them, no extra ammunition, no food or water. As far as Kevlar knew, Smiley and Bree were literally on some of the most dangerous streets the team had seen in quite a while, with only a knife, a pistol, and years of experience.
It would have to be enough.
“Itisbullshit,” Kevlar agreed. “But we all know Smiley is the toughest son-of-a-bitch on the team. If anyone can navigate this FUBAR’d situation, it’s him.”
“But we have no idea what condition Bree is in,” MacGyver countered. “Of course Smiley can handle himself, but having Bree with him is a liability.”
“That’s fucked up,” Preacher said in a pissed-off tone.
“I don’t mean it in a disrespectful way. But think about Julie and Fiona, what Kevlar said they were wearing when they found them. They didn’t have any fuckingshoeson. And if Smileydidfind Bree, she’d been captive on a fucking boat for days. We have no idea what her mental state is, never mind her physical one. And we all knowSmiley will do whatever he has to in order to make sure she’s safe.Thatmakes her a liability.”
MacGyver was right. And that sucked. Kevlar sighed. “We need to go out again. See if we can cover more ground. Start south of the port and work our way outward.”
“It’s gotten worse out there just since this morning,” Flash stated unnecessarily.
“The government has declared a state of emergency,” Blink added.
“Iknow!” Kevlar snapped. “You think I don’t? We don’t have a choice. We’re flying blind but I’m not leaving Smiley out there to find his way back on his own. We didn’t get a chance to go over maps of the area and we all know he has the worst sense of direction. For all we know, he’s halfway to fucking Quito by now.”
Not surprisingly, all the men in the room chuckled. Kevlar wasn’t saying anything the rest of them didn’t know. Smiley was a mean asshole, and he was an amazing shot. He had more bravery in his little finger than most men did in their entire bodies.
But he had zero sense of direction.
