SEAL Under Covers (SEAL Brotherhood Series Book 3) (26 page)

He rubbed the front of his pants under the table. Tito looked at him with a scowl. “Yes I do, Gina.”

“So that’s it? Mia’s missing?”

“And we know where she is. She’s with Carlos. I got little Tito here, one of Carlos’s runners. You remember, the kid who rolled on him?”

Tito frowned and stopped eating. Sam knew he was considering bolting from the booth. Sam put his boot into the kid’s crotch and glared at him. He placed his right hand over his weapon.

Tito was going to stay put, for now.

“So, where is she?”

“She told Tito to get you. She’s in a building down past Seaside. He’s going to take you to her. I think she can convince Carlos to give himself up. You want in on that?”

Gina hesitated. He could tell she knew something. “Sure I do,” she said. “But I thought Carlos was on his boat.”

 “Where did you get that information?”

“I thought that’s where Koz and the team were expecting to make the arrest.”

Sam knew she was lying.

“Well, we got lucky. We have the better intel. Tito lied to the sergeant.”

Tito’s didn’t look at either of them.

“Kozinski doesn’t know about this? Gina asked. “Don’t you think we should call him?”

“You want the whole fucking task force there?”

“If it’s Carlos, we’ll need backup.”

“So listen, I’m going to be your backup. Tito will take you to the location and I’ll follow behind. Don’t want them to see me. But they trust you, so you want this?”

“Why can’t you just give me the address, we can call it in?”

“Because Tito won’t give it to me, and he’s the assurance you’re coming.”

With the trap set, Sam watched as his plan went off without a hitch. He dropped Tito off at Gina’s apartment complex, and watched him stand under a streetlight until she came down. The two of them took off. Sam had stashed a thousand dollars on the kid, and told him there would be another after they got to the duplex, so he was fairly sure the kid would cooperate.

He followed Gina’s car to the building. From the outside, it still looked abandoned, the lot covered in weeds that stood four feet tall. Next door was a brick warehouse that was also abandoned and had all the windows shot out of it. He was thrilled to be able to bring her home at last.

Tito unlocked the door, just as Sam had instructed him, and they both went inside. That was Sam’s cue to go around back to the door bordering the back alleyway. He slipped into the cool cavern and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark. He heard them talking on the other side of the building.

“I dunno. He said to just wait here,” he heard Tito say.

“He? Wasn’t it Mia you talked to?”

“Oh, yes, ma’am. Sorry.”

“How did Mia know to get hold of you?”

“I guess it was through Carlos. Tell you the truth, I’m just the messenger. As soon as this is over, I’m outta here.”

“So I guess Carlos doesn’t know you gave him up?”

“Shhh. Careful about that. Don’t want him finding out before it’s time. I didn’t give him up. I told the cops he was on a cruise, like he told my sister to tell me. I told them he’d be back Monday. He told her that too.”

“So he came back early,” Gina said.

Tito chuckled. “The fucker never left.”

Sam came up behind where Gina stood and with one arm placed a flannel scrap laced with chloroform cocktail across her mouth and nose. At first she stiffened, but then as she inhaled the gas, went slowly limp and stopped struggling.

“Holy shit,” Tito’s hands were splayed out to the sides, waist-high.

“Shut up and help me,” Sam commanded. He could see Tito hesitate. “You do want the other grand, or are you good with just one?”

Tito didn’t say anything, but started to pick up Gina’s feet.

“No, asshole, come over here and get her shoulders. I’ll take her feet.” Sam wanted to make sure a generous portion of Gina’s skin cells and hair landed on Tito’s clothes. Her drool ran down her chin, and over the boy’s wrist. The boy didn’t notice Sam had work gloves on.

He directed them to the bedroom with the black satin comforter. Tito had to kneel on the bed to get her properly laid out on a pillow. Sam took her shoes off and cuffed her ankles to the lower lip of the bedframe. He pushed Tito aside and cuffed her wrists to the headboard.

“Okay, wow. What are you going to do with her, man?”

Sam stood up and arched his back, cracking it. He gave a wink to the kid and got the reaction he expected. “Nothing she doesn’t want done.”

“Is Carlos coming over?”

“Fuck Carlos,” Sam said.

“But I thought you said he had set all this up for you.”

“He did, he did. He just doesn’t know it yet.” Sam was grateful the kid had been an easy target. “Come on,” he said as he tugged on the back of the kid’s head, “let’s get you your money.”

They closed the door, which locked from the outside. Tito didn’t notice. He also didn’t notice Sam had removed his gloves.

“So what are you going to do with your earnings?” Sam was placing the silencer on the barrel of his .38 while he walked behind Tito. The kid didn’t have a clue.

“Shit, I gotta get out of Dodge. Probably Mexico to stay with my cousin.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Sam reached around as if to give the kid a hug, but slammed the barrel of the silencer against his temple and pulled the trigger. Tito’s head exploded all over both of them.

Sam had to wait for all the blood and brains to stop falling around him, and to let the pieces of Tito fall off his clothes. He cleaned his eyes with the back of his forearm, and looked at the detritus that had been the kid.

“You did good, kid. Sorry it turned out this way.” He leaned forward and searched Tito’s shirt, finding the packet of money still in the bank envelope. It mattered little to Sam if it was all there.

Chapter 27

Armando had ground his teeth so hard his jaw hurt.

Showdown at the harbor.

He stopped by Fredo’s apartment picked up Fredo and Rory. They threw their bags in the back, Fredo taking shotgun.

“I did tell Kyle,” Fredo began, “and man, was he pissed.”

“That was dumb, Fredo.”

“He reminded me how dumb you are all the time about Mia. I’m here, my good friend and brother, to watch over you. I’m your guardian angel.”

“Like hell you are. You just complicated things.”

“Oh, like Mr. Armani, Super Stud, things aren’t complicated enough now?” Rory chimed in “You got a thing about this gang? This some form of payback?”

The Scorpions had kidnapped Mia over a year ago and Armando fell into that trap too. Kyle, Cooper, Fredo and Gunny rescued them.

“You going for a repeat, Armani?” Fredo asked.

“I don’t care. Mia’s in trouble, and that’s just what I do.”

Yes there were some similarities, he thought. He’d gotten the call from Caesar the last time. And yes, that one really did take him by surprise, but then, the gang was after guns and the guns they mistakenly thought the SEALs would steal for them. They were really stupid to think such a thing. But they’d used Mia as bait, which was a big mistake on their part.

“This time I’m pretty sure Carlos wants a deal.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because he told me Mia was his insurance policy. He promised he wouldn’t hurt her.”

“Right. And you believed this scumbag? I’m telling you, Armando, you’ve got your head all twisted. That lady friend of Mia’s got you all thinking with your
little
brain.” Fredo shook his head in disgust.

“She has nothing to do with it. Besides, it’s not little.”

“Like hell. It’s just too much of a coincidence,” Fredo added, ignoring Armando’s retort. “I didn’t know better I’d think you went all tofu and shit on me, like Cooper did last year. That stuff will rot your brain.” Fredo turned to Rory in the back seat. “You know what they make tofu out of? Fermented soy beans, man. They can’t even get cattle to eat that shit.”

Rory shared Fredo’s laughter. Then Armando drilled a glare at him from the rear view mirror. Rory got serious in a hurry. “So, what’s the plan, Armani?”

“We go there and I reason with him. I got my Invisio.”

“I feel you. So Rory and I sit in the truck and jack off, right?”

“No, if need be, you save the day. But I think the guy is going to be reasonable. Something just isn’t adding up right. Piece of the puzzle missing, and I’m going to find out about it. If I fail, you guys will be my seconds. And if you don’t want to do it,” he pulled over to the curb abruptly, screeched on the brakes, coming to a complete stop, “you get out right here.”

Fredo and Rory shared a look.

“Fuckin’ nothing better to do on a Saturday night,” Fredo mumbled.

“I had a date,” Rory said cheerfully. Fredo began to swear.

“So which is it?” Armando asked.

“Well, it’s too far to walk back to my truck, so hell, I’m in,” Fredo barked. “You gotta be so cryptic all the time? We’re halfway there and now you tell us what you have in mind?”

“I’m in, too. But I don’t like carrying,” Rory said.

“I’m not thinking you’ll have to use it.”

Rory shrugged and rolled his eyes. “That’s the point. We’re not supposed to.” Armando pulled out into traffic again and sped to the turnoff at the harbor.

“He said it was the Corazon, berth 29.”Fredo scanned the nearly abandoned parking lot. One lone light illuminated the asphalt. Ahead lay a sea of twinkle lights decorating the masts of the yachts in spacious rows. A party boat was in full swing out on the bay, but the music carried for miles.

“These guys use sentries, and they probably already know we’re here.”

Fredo got out the sensitive earphones and the radio kit while Armando inserted his earpiece. “Testing. Testing. Testing,” he whispered. Fredo gave him the thumbs up.

“For the record, we’re not taping, right?” Fredo asked.

“That’s right. The word is Huckleberry.”

Fredo gave another thumbs up.

“Rory, you wait a minute, then drop behind me and find some cover on the ledge of that little shop.”

Armando closed the driver door quietly, and climbed into his wetsuit. His night vision goggles were useless around all these lights, so he shoved them up above his forehead for now. Then he softly jogged down the pier without making a sound, counting down to berth 29 and stopping.

At least four guards with semis were alertly pacing back and forth on deck. The cabin was well lit, and when he squinted he could see Mia’s form sitting on a white leather couch. Good thing he was lurking in the shadows, out of sight of those sentries.

“We got four and packing heavy,” Armando whispered. “She doesn’t look in any distress.” He noticed Carlos had handed her a drink, and his sister actually smiled.

“I’m up at your two o’clock,” Armando heard Rory whisper.

“I’m going for a swim.” Armando slipped off his bag and removed his shoes, then slipped without a sound into the murky waters of the inlet behind the taller vessel where Rory was lookout.

He swam to the rear of the ship where no one was posted, grateful for the moonlight guiding him He mounted the rear stairs and again waited for the roll of the ship to camouflage his movements. “She actually looks good. My little saucy sister is in prime form and dressed to the nines,” he whispered, knowing Fredo would appreciate that comment.

He came upon the galley door behind the living room and turned the handle slowly. It was unlocked.

Stepping inside the dark kitchen, he spotted Carlos and Mia sitting on opposing couches. Armando advanced into the room quickly, unhooking his sidearm and aiming it at Carlos’s forehead. The red laser pointed right between the gangster’s eyes.

“Call them off. I want to hear four splashes, and then I want to see them right here,” he pointed to the floor, “on their bellies.”

Carlos gave a knowing smirk. “Very good, Armani. The element of surprise.”

“Shut the fuck up and tell them.”

Carlos began to move toward Mia.

“Don’t even think about it…unless you can live with a round between your eyebrows.”

“I like your style, Armani.” Carlos whistled and told the men to toss their AK-47s overboard.

Before Armando could demand it, Carlos added, “And the pistolas. Then get your asses here on the floor.”

One by one the four men entered the cabin and lay prone on the floor. Armando dropped some zip ties at Mia’s feet and she quickly secured their wrists. The red bead on Carlos’ forehead was beginning to look like a third eye, Armando thought. “My man,” Carlos said as he slowly walked forward, “so now we talk.”

“I’m not your man, and you know it,” Armando answered. “Stop! Right there.”

Carlos obeyed.

“Okay I understand. We don’t really like each other, but then, I don’t like most the people I work with either.”

“So where are your other minions?”

“Well, that’s partly why I wanted to meet. Are you aware of what’s going on around here this evening?”

Armando wasn’t sure what he was talking about. “Kids are going to football games, getting laid, taking drugs, people are working.”

“That’s good. My upbringing was something a little different than that, but that’s good. Well, some of those people who are working are interfering with
my
work.”

“And that’s news?”

“I mean, as we speak, members of my—you’d call them teammates—are being arrested, based on information a certain little lady friend of yours provided them.”

“She’s a cop, Armando,” Mia blurted out.

“Who?”

“Your little bitch. She’s an undercover cop.”

Armando felt the fire in his belly grow to a roar. He halfway wanted to kill Carlos just because he delivered the message. But he knew that was wrong. Besides, it wasn’t Carlos he was angry at.

So that began to explain things. Slowly it began to take shape.

“Gina is a cop,” he repeated in a monotone.

“Yessir, Mr. Armani. And her lover is one, too. That big Sam fella. They been doing the nasty for mostly a year or more now. They’re quite the team.”

Armando loved his sister, but she was enjoying this way too much. “You knew this?”