GOTU - A Robin Marlette Novel (22 page)

Robin steadied himself on Burke's truck. He held back the tears of immense relief. “I wish I could get word to Karen.”

“Chris took care of that.”

“Save it,” Robin replied. “We have to get to our campsite. We'll sort all this out then. Drivers, come over to Ernie's Bronco.” Robin pulled out a map and showed them a campsite he had chosen. “Start looking to your left when you get about two miles from the border. It will be the largest stand of trees in the area. We will go first and set up a CHEMLITE. Space yourselves out from here. Try to keep the dust down. Any questions?” Nobody spoke up. “All right, mount up, we're burning daylight.”

As everyone headed for their respective vehicles, Emmett cracked, “Hey, Sarge, do you know you say that whether it's day
or
night?”

“Glad you're paying attention, Emmett.”

Robin and Ernie drove for another twenty-two miles before they arrived at the campsite as darkness was closing in. They stretched out two large camouflage tarps over the campsite, hooking them to the trees with bungee cords. Robin hung the CHEMLITE just inside the trees. Only someone looking for it would spot it.

Eventually, the rest of the team vehicles came in, one by one. After everyone arrived, other tarps were added to form a loose enclosure around the cold, dry camp. No fire. No water nearby; this was strictly business. The men busied themselves laying gear out and checking weapons. Some ate MRE's, beef jerky, or other snacks. They only used CHEMLITEs or small flashlights with red lenses.

Rick took Robin aside. “Rob, Chris wanted me to relay a message from Karen.” Robin stiffened. “Karen says, and I quote, ‘I love you. Bring our daughter home.’”

Robin deflated.
God, I love that woman!

“Thanks, Rick. I appreciate that.”

A little later, Robin noticed Carlos off by himself, really not busy with anything. Robin retrieved his MP5 from its case along with five loaded magazines and pulled out an old tactical vest. He walked over to Carlos and handed him the gear. Rick came up and handed Carlos a duty rig with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. “We can't have you just sitting around. We don't believe in free rides. You'll have to earn this E-ticket.”

Carlos showed a relieved smile. “Thank you, Robin.” Robin nodded.

After the men started to settle down, Robin stood before them for the mission brief. Emmett brought an easel with a diagram of the ranch and the immediate area Carlos had drawn.

“Gentlemen,” Robin announced, “we need to be relatively quiet now. The smugglers will start coming across soon. Keep your voices down to a whisper and the lights to a minimum. I want to first say you're all nuts. You're not only risking your lives; you're also throwing your careers down the drain. Make no mistake about it, when we get back, we'll all be arrested because we're about to commit a multitude of federal and international crimes. I won't have any hard feelings if any or all of you just pack up and go home. In fact, I wish that's what you would do.”

“Is he always this full of shit?” a loud whisper came out of the group.

“Well, he's a lawyer, whaddya expect?” Burke whispered back.

Gary Perkins, the oldest man in the group with twenty-five years on Phoenix PD, had asked the question.

“Why are
you
here, Gary?” Robin asked. “I know we've worked together for about five years now and we're friends, but you have your own family. Why are you willing to chuck your career and possible prison for me?”

Gary thought for a minute. He looked over at Jamie Slater and Willy Young, the rest of Ernie's team. “Well, Sarge, I guess because I wasn't doing very well before Ernie, Rocky, and Marv showed up. In fact, I fucked up enough to be close to getting fired. I had a real bad attitude. They kind a perked me up. Perked us all up,” he said, waving to Jamie and Willy. “Then you guys came along and we all started working together, I really started feeling like a good cop again. Hell, I would've retired at twenty, if I hadn't been doing this. I figure if you guys are gonna go, I'm going too. At least I'll be going out in style!” Gary looked around at everyone. “The other thing, Sarge, is that deep inside of me I know this is the right thing to do. I like doing the right thing.” A murmur of approval went through the group.

“And payback for Andy,” Jamie threw in, to more approval.

“Damn, Gary!” Rocky exclaimed in a hoarse whisper. “I didn't know you were such an orator!”

“Blow it out your ass, Rock.” Everyone suppressed laughs.

“Okay, Sarge, get on with it,” Emmett said. “We're burning daylight.” The laughter renewed.

Robin looked at everyone and simply said, “Thanks.” He had no other words. He turned to the easel. “This is Rodriquez's ranch. We have a number of buildings. This is the main ranch house.”

Rick spoke up. “Jorge says he will bring Maria to Cathy's location. That would be the small guest room. Carlos has marked it with the “C” there. Jorge knew that's where we'll head first. Plus, it is easier to move Maria than it is to move Cathy.”

“Carlos, what can we expect in terms of security?”

“The main house is well guarded, Robin. There will be at least four men walking the outside and at least four on the inside, two on each floor. Since Jorge has been assigned to guard Cathy, there may be only three inside hostiles now.”

“What about electronic security?”

“There is an alarm system in the house. It is functional and will be armed. There is also a perimeter alarm system, but it has been down off and on for months. It didn't work when I left and no one seemed to be too interested in fixing it.”

“Jeez, they sound just like a government agency!” Doug joked.

“Do you know where we might be able to disable the alarm?”

“Yes, I do. I know the code.”

“I figured you did. Who else can we expect in the house?”

“There will be Miguel, and he will have a woman with him.”

“Who is the woman?”

“I don't know. He brings in different ones. They are stripped naked and brought to him. He is very paranoid. His quarters are here.”

“And a real romantic, “Ernie chimed in.

“There will also be Leona, the chef.”

“What can we expect from her?”

“She is very loyal to Miguel. He has made her rich. She keeps an Uzi in her quarters and I think she will fight. Her quarters are here on the second floor. And of course, there will be Juan Trinidad. His quarters are here, also on the second floor.”

Robin passed a picture around. “That's Trinidad. Don't mess with him. Kill him on sight. He is extremely dangerous.” Robin passed around another picture. “I'm sure you recognize this picture. That's Rodriquez. Same for him.” Robin passed a third picture. “This is Jorge, our inside man. He is a good guy. He should be with Cathy and Maria.” Robin turned to the easel. “These large structures to the east of the main house are barracks-type buildings. Our goal is to contain the people there. Don't make entry. It would be suicide. So, I need Doug and Rick to set up to pick them off at the doors and windows.”

“There is only one door,” Carlos observed.

“Only one door? Well, I guess Miguel doesn't have to build to code. That should make your job easier, guys. This small house just north of the barracks is where Carlos and Maria live. It should be empty. These two large barn-like buildings along the northeast wall are loaded with tons of dope. Mark, you, Jamie, and Willy set up on those buildings. Shoot anything that comes out. After taking care of the primary mission, we are going to blow those buildings up. I have a load of C4 charges and eight grenades. Split them up between the two teams.”

“Where the hell did you get that, Rob?” Ernie asked.

“Probably that little weasel Chucky,” Burke said.

“Yep, Chucky came through.”

“Jesus, is there anything he can't steal?”

“He didn't steal it, Burke. He bought it off of some military guys who stole it from the Army. We'll deal with them when we get back.” Robin reached back into the Bronco and retrieved two large pistol cases. He gave one to Burke and one to Rocky. “Burke, your partner is Mike; Rocky, you and Marv, of course. You guys are going over the wall first. I want you to hunt and take out any sentries you can find. Those hush puppies should make it easier.” Burke opened up his case to look at the silenced Smith & Wesson M39 9mm pistol.

“Where did you get two? I thought SOU only had one, “Burke asked.

“Our team owns this one,” Rocky offered.

Carlos spoke up. “You can only get over the wall at one place. The rest is covered in glass, spikes, and concertina.” He walked over to the easel. “Because of this small gate here, the wall above it is clear.”

“How come?” Burke asked.

“They stopped there while they were putting in the gate. They never went back and finished it.” The group laughed.

“Okay, what about the gate? Can it be opened from the inside?” Burke asked.

“Yes, it can.”

“Good. I'll go over the wall and get the gate open.”

“The other barracks building may or may not be a problem,” Carlos pointed to the barracks-type building furthest to the north in the compound. “This building may be empty, or it may contain a number of Arabs. There have been up to thirty Arabs there.”

“Arabs? What Arabs?” Robin asked.

“I told Chris about this. Several times a year, Arabs, sometimes from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, or Syria and sometimes from Iran, come to be smuggled into the United States.”

“Why?”

“They are coming to destroy your country.”

Robin looked at Carlos. The words Carlos spoke seared into Robin's brain, bringing up a silent rage.

“How many come at one time?”

“It varies. Sometimes many, sometimes few.”

“Are they armed?”

“Yes. You can expect them to be heavily armed.”

“Well, that certainly is important safety information. All right, let's finish this up,” Robin ordered. “Carlos, I want you to go with Burke and point out sentries. You guys taking out the sentries work your way to the main house. The rest of the team will stage at the small gate. When you are ready, let us know and we will all enter and head to our assignments. Ernie, you, Emmett, and I will join Burke and the rest of the sentry team to form the entry team. We will stack up at the front door. The stack will be Burke, Emmett, Mike, Carlos, Rocky, Marv, and then Ernie and me. I have an entry charge ready to go if we need it. Ernie, Carlos and Mike are the extraction team. Here are some drawings of the layout of the house. Any questions?” Robin looked over the barely visible faces. “Okay, we will operate on TAC 2.”

“Make that TAC 6, Rob,” Rick whispered. “The 'Hawk will be monitoring us.”

“What's that all about?”

“All I know is that Chris told me Grassley has ordered the 'Hawk to be airborne, and if we need help, he may authorize Jack to do it.”

“That's interesting,” Robin mused. The sound of a vehicle on the dirt road echoed in the night. “Sounds like the evening runs are starting. We will roll down there at a good clip. Carlos says that will make anyone in Santa Cruz who is awake think we are Rodriquez's men. Drivers use night vision. We will stop around two-tenths of a mile from the ranch and go the rest of the way on foot. Gary, you will stay with the vehicles. When the extraction team calls, you get your ass in there and pick them up. Drop Mike and Carlos off at the trucks, and then you, Ernie, and Jorge head for Tucson and don't stop. Mike and Carlos, we would appreciate it if you would come back and pick us up. Finally, remember, the minute we cross the border, the plan can go to shit. In that case, improvise, adapt, and overcome. Now, everybody quiet down and do what you need to do, including packing a double ammo load. We will launch in about three hours.”

The men moved to finish their preparations. Without being told, some of them took up positions to cover their camp. The vehicle and foot traffic steadily increased. Robin thought about how the traffic made the border inconsequential, as this activity occurred all over the border between Mexico and the U.S. Robin's jaws clamped tight. He had long complained to the DPS brass that DPS should be on the border in force—at least to interdict drugs and contraband—but the response was, “It's a federal problem.” Robin pointed out Arizona citizens living along the border were being affected by the rampant illegal activity. It didn't seem to matter to the brass. Robin knew this national security problem would only get worse.

Robin looked at the men around him, in private knots of two or three. Burke and Rocky were briefing men on the explosives. Burke checked the crimps on the charges and made sure the M-60 detonators were operational. Robin felt comfortable here. Being around tough, courageous men preparing to take care of business was completely in tune with his nature. There is an aura around highly trained and experienced fighting men. Men you can count on to do what is needed no matter how tough the situation may get.

Being supremely confident the mission would be successful, Robin felt intense pride in himself and the men around him. He had a growing realization that warriors who fight those who prey on the defenseless can never really be at peace with themselves. The fight never ends. His underlying uneasiness over the impact his addiction had on his family lingered.

TWENTY SEVEN

When Jack Moore landed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, he immediately asked for the armament chief. A staff sergeant on the flight line gave Jack a ride to the end of the tarmac, stopping at a large building surrounded by half-buried hanger-shaped concrete buildings. They went inside and the sergeant introduced Jack to one of crustiest non-coms he had ever seen. A giant of a man, Chief Master Sergeant Burl Williams wore more stripes than most uniforms could fit. The lines on his face formed a formidable pattern of canyons and crevices, which were only interrupted by his ready smile. The hand he held out in greeting was attached to a thick muscular forearm, and Jack felt at any moment Chief Williams could crush his hand without a second thought.

“What can I do for you, Customs Pilot Jack?”

“Well, Chief, I am going to be loitering at the border very early in the morning on a highly classified mission. I may be ordered south to assist a special ops team. All I have are two Miniguns. I wondered if I might borrow a couple of 2.75 pods.” Chief Williams' smile left his face and his eyes narrowed.