Her Loyal Seal (8 page)

“The first thing we need is to better understand what happened. How were your people compromised?” Mason was relaxed and spoke quietly, while Clint wanted to take the man outside and beat the hell out of him for his incompetence.

“Nelson Barber has worked for us for over three years. When he applied everything checked out. He went through a rocky divorce a year ago and we found out he became a financial risk.”

“Don’t you monitor for that type of thing?” Mason asked calmly.

“We do.”

Again, Mason didn’t say anything.

“Obviously, it slipped through the cracks. Barber hasn’t been found.” Grogan pushed one of the files over to Mason. “Here is everything we have on Barber. Apparently we missed a lot. His brother was in on this too. He owns a janitorial company and has ex-cons and drug dealers on his payroll, which we’re sure Barber was using to do some of his dirty work. They’re actually paying these people and taking out taxes!”

He slapped his hand against the table.

This was going downhill fast. They still needed more information and cooperation, and having Grogan all upset wasn’t going to help matters.

“How’s Ed doing?” Clint asked, trying to help calm the man down.

“He’s going to be fine. Barber was using one of his old snitches to keep Ed locked up so he could take the call from Beth. The snitch, who was on his brother’s payroll by the way, got nervous and left Ed in the motel room. We found him from his phone’s GPS. He’s going to make a full recovery. If Lydia hadn’t foiled this bastard’s murder attempt, she and Ed would both be dead.”

Clint’s gut clenched. Yeah, it was great Ed was okay, but he didn’t want to even think about Lydia not waking up when she did.

“So at this point you haven’t told the parents anything, correct?” Clint asked.

“That’s correct. Unfortunately the sisters talked before we could stop them, so Beth knows what happened. But we asked them to keep it from their parents.”

“That’s probably going to be for the best anyway,” Clint said thinking out loud.

“Why, what do you have in mind?” Grogan asked.

“Actually Sir, we don’t have to tell you anything more. You’ve provided us with all of the information we need,” Mason said. He stood and opened the door of the conference room. “We’re going to discuss our next steps, and when we need your cooperation we’ll contact you.”

Grogan looked at all of the men in the room. “I deeply regret what happened on my watch. I’m doing a full investigation of my team. Barber’s immediate supervisor is on suspension. Going forward I won’t be delegating a damn thing regarding this case. You can reach me day or night. You need it, it’s yours.”

“I appreciate that.” Mason shook the hand offered to him. After the door closed he turned back to his men.

“Clint’s closest to this whole situation, it’s his woman who was almost killed. I’m putting him in charge of this op. Does anyone have any problems with that?”

“As long as the operation entails bringing her pretty ass back to San Diego where we can keep her under lock and key, I don’t have any problems.” Drake’s Southern drawl soothed Clint as much as his words did.

“Trust me, it was definitely my first inclination.” Clint grinned over at his friend.

“Great. We’re done here. Let’s get us some Texas Barbeque.” Drake started to get up from his seat.

“Sit down, Avery,” Mason said to his second-in-command. “This is the reason you’re not in charge when a woman’s life is on the line, you go all caveman and then the bad guys win.”

“That’s corn fed bullshit, Mason. You went all sorts of caveman when Sophia was in trouble and it was a damn good thing you did. You kept her safe dude, and it’s the same thing we need to do this time.”

Clint unclenched his fists and brought his palms to the table. “Drake, we have multiple priorities. Make no mistake keeping Lydia unharmed is priority number one.”

“I never doubted it, Clint,” Drake said with a wink. “I’m thinking Dickey’s. I hear their barbeque sauce is the best.”

“We’re not leaving to get barbeque. This is going to be a complicated op,” Clint said, beginning to get frustrated with his friend.

“So we take the brisket to go, pick up Lydia and fly back to Cali.”

“Be fucking serious for a minute!” Clint pointed at Drake. “Put your ass back down in your seat.”

“Are you sure you want him running this op, Mason? It seems to me he doesn’t have the people skills,” Drake said as he plopped down into the leather seat.

“Look, we have an opportunity to flush out who was pulling Barber’s strings. This is a chance for us to take down the cartel and hopefully Alfonso Guzman.” Clint tried to sound reasonable but Drake made it difficult.

“Grogan said Barber is gone. So if I’m reading this right the only way this works if use Lydia as bait. Are you out of your fucking mind?” Drake yelled incredulously. “Mason, are you good with this shit, because if you are I want to know when the fucking pod people came and took over the two of you.”

“Fuck you, Drake!” Clint hit his fist on the conference room table. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Finn and Darius were watching him closely. He knew that they agreed with Drake, but were letting him take the lead…for now. “I already told you Lydia’s safety was priority number one.”

“You go fuck yourself, Archer. Lydia is a non-combatant. What’s more, that woman has gone through more than anyone should ever have to live through. She’s paid her dues and now is the time to get out the cotton wool. I won’t have it. She is not going to be used by anyone, especially not by the man who I thought loved her.”

“You’re out of line,” Mason said quietly.

“Mason, you can’t seriously condone this shit.”

“I said, you need to hear what the man has to say.” Drake looked from Mason to Clint, who just stared at him.

“Fine. Talk.”

“Drake, you know me. At least hear me out like Finn and Dare are willing to do.” Clint looked at the four men seated around the table. Drake might have been the one who was talking, but he knew Finn and Darius felt the same way. As it should be. No man with a heart should want to use Lydia Hidalgo as bait.

“So can you explain it to all of us now? I know you’ve talked to Lydia, and you’ve come away with a potential plan, but I really haven’t liked it either. Can you lay it out for us?” Mason asked.

Clint rested his arms against the granite table top and sighed.

“Lydia was getting her master’s degree in computer science. She already had a double major in computer science and criminal justice. She intended to go to work for the Federal Ministerial Police. She’s seen the devastation that the drug cartels wreaked on her country and she wanted to fight against them.”

“She’s a computer geek? Like you?” That was from Finn who was looking at him in amazement.

“She’s so much more than just a computer
geek
. She tried to explain to me how she has this boring degree, but it has a little extra emphasis on cyber-crimes. She’s so full of shit. When we really got to talking, I realized just how good she is. Then I saw what she could do on a computer—pure magic. Plus, she has a network of people that tells me she’s been at this for quite a long time. Long before college. She’s fucking amazing.”

“Been doing a little computer canoodling, have you?” Darius teased.

“She’s been sick. Our boy needed to figure out some kind of way to canoodle,” Finn said grinning broadly.

“Anyway,” Clint said raising his hands. “When this attempt on her life was made, even though it was made by a US Marshall, it still showed any and all Hidalgos are targets. We figured Lydia was the easiest to get to because she wasn’t at the safe house. She wanted to use that. She wants to use herself as bait so we can flush out the bad guys.”

“Again, I say no. Fuck, no!” Drake crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair and plopped his boots onto the table top.

“You wouldn’t last two minutes with her. She’d hand you your dick, Drake.” Clint grinned to himself, imagining Drake trying to tell Lydia what to do.

“You’re pussy-whipped my friend.”

“Call
me
whatever you want. But you have to call
her
, brave, and right.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.”

Finn chuckled. Clint couldn’t blame him. Drake was damn near pouting.

“Okay, now you understand why the woman is so adamant she participate in taking these bastards down. And of course I’m not going to allow her to use herself as bait.
But
, I am going to have her be a very active participant in finding a way to give her life back. We have to cut the head off this cartel and it’s Alfonso Guzman.”

“She must’ve been incensed when she found out her dad was working with the cartel,” Darius said as he perused the file Grogan had left.

“That’s another thing that’s so impressive. She is loyal to a fault. I’m positive she’s pissed, but she barely says a word against her father.” Clint caught glimpses of Lydia’s anger, but she almost always tamped it down. “It doesn’t really matter, does it? In the end, he tried to do the right thing.”

“I wonder how much of it was due to Lydia.” Darius turned over one of the papers in the file and started skimming the next.

“I don’t think she had any idea what he was into. But I think it was probably because of her he tried to make things right,” Clint agreed.

“Okay, she’s part of the team. Now what do we do to make sure that absolutely nothing fucking happens to harm one fucking hair on her fucking head?” Everybody stared at Drake.

“How do you really feel?” Finn finally asked.

“Step one is to split up the family. They are expecting we will be keeping them together, and that stops immediately.” Clint pressed a button on his computer, and his screen displayed on the wall. It showed a map of the US, in the middle of Texas was a star.

“Okay, so does each one of them go with one of us?” Drake asked. “Who goes where?”

“We have to keep Mr. Hidalgo with the US Marshalls. But, they will have one of you with them. Since he’s going to be testifying the Marshalls wouldn’t let him out of their sight. Beth will be the one staying in Texas. She’s going to San Antonio.”

“So four of us are going to be utilized?” Darius asked.

“Negative,” Mason answered. “Captain Hale has a mission that requires three of us to ship out in forty-eight hours. Clint can explain how this will work.”

“Mason has been thinking of bringing a sixth person onto our team, and this is an opportunity to test him out. His name is Jack Preston.” Clint smiled when even Drake gave a nod of approval.

“Jack’s family has a ranch in San Antonio. Beth is going to go with him. Finn, you’re going to be attached to Mr. and Mrs. Hidalgo.”

“You’re not splitting them up?”

“Lydia said it would be too much of a strain on her mom if she was separated from her dad. She’d know. You’ll be going to Chicago.”

“Where are you and Lydia heading?”

“We’re going to a safe house in Tampa. Now, let’s start working out the details.”

****

Beth walked into the hospital room where Lydia and her parents were waiting.

“My Baby, come here.” Beth was swept up into her mother’s arms. Lydia was sitting in the chair by the window, her dad stood next to her, looking grim.

“I don’t like this,” he said in Spanish.

“English, Papa.”

“It doesn’t matter, they’re taking both of my babies from me,” Lydia’s mother said tearfully. She hugged Beth closer. “Where are you going my daughter?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Please Beth,” their mother started to cry. Beth looked over her mother’s shoulder at Lydia with a helpless look on her face.

“Mama, you know the rules. This is to keep us safe.” Lydia got up from the chair slowly, and wrapped her arms around the two women who meant the world to her.

“I can’t stand the thought of being separated from my babies.”

“They said we could call one another,” Lydia reminded her. She brushed a kiss against her mother’s cheek.

“And you’re barely out of a hospital bed. Who’s going to take care of you?” For the first time since she entered the room, there was a glimmer of a smile on Beth’s face.

“Lydia is going with Clint Archer. He’s going to be taking care of her.”

“He is?” Her mother pulled back so she could look at Lydia. “Where are you going?” Both girls groaned.

“Mama, I can’t tell you that.”

“Gloria, my love, ask your daughters a different question.” Lydia looked over her shoulder and realized her father hadn’t moved from his spot near the window. He still looked morose.

“I would tell you where we were going if I knew.”

Beth laughed. “That’s probably why they haven’t told you yet, Mama.”

“Papa, are you all right?” Lydia asked.

“Oh sure I’m just fine. My daughter was almost murdered, now we are being separated. It is still likely that even if I testify, we will all be killed. Why wouldn’t I be all right?”

“Ricardo! That is not going to happen. You must have faith in God.”

“God is falling down on the job, Gloria.”

Her mother crossed herself.

“Please, don’t fight,” Beth begged.

“God saved Lydia. We’ll all be protected. I’ll not hear this blasphemy anymore.” Her father shrank before her very eyes. He walked over to them, and put his arms around his little family.

“I am sorry my love. You are right. All will be well.”

“I have to go.” Their father took Beth into his arms and hugged her tight, and Beth burst into tears. He handed her off to Lydia.

“Do what they say. They will protect you with their lives.” Beth wiped her eyes and looked at her sister.

“Please don’t let this opportunity go to waste,” Beth said looking pointedly at Lydia. “You deserve all the happiness in the world.” Lydia held onto Beth just a little longer.

“You deserve happiness too, Beth. I love you.”

Chapter Six

“You’ve never been on a road trip?”

Clint looked at her like she said she never heard of peanut butter.