“That I cannot tell you.”
Colt leaned forward. “So let me guess. In a matter of days, maybe a week, law enforcement is planning a raid on El Puñal’s compound.”
Diego’s lips thinned but he didn’t deny it. “I have said too much already. I can assure you that getting the boy out safely will be a top priority. My advice is that the two of you go back to Texas and leave the boy’s safe return to us.”
Colt flicked a sideways glance at Lissa, whose gaze locked with his in silent communication.
“We understand the importance of your mission,” she said. “We aren’t asking you to cancel your plans. All we’re asking is that when you go in, you let us go in with you.”
Diego shook his head. “That is not an option.”
“I’m a US Army Ranger,” Colt said. “Lissa is a trained police officer. Let us help you. We’ll follow your orders and stay out of your way. We’ll take care of the boy and you’ll be able to do your job without worrying about his safety.”
“I’m sorry. I am afraid I cannot do that.”
Colt leaned back in his chair. “You might want to rethink that position. If we don’t go in, neither will you. We could blow the whistle on your whole operation. Leak your plans to El Puñal. You’d wind up with nothing to show for three months of hard work.”
Diego’s jaw tightened. “You realize I could have both of you arrested and thrown into prison.”
Lissa set a hand on Diego’s arm where it rested on the table. “We don’t want to make trouble for you or the people you work for. We just want to bring Timmy home to his mother.”
“The answer is still no.” He focused on Colt. “And if you are the man my cousin believes, you will do nothing to interfere with our operation. This man, Spearman, and the men he is meeting are drug dealers and murderers. They destroy life every day, all for their own profit. We will watch out for the boy. I give you my word.”
Colt took a long swallow of beer, resignation filtering through him. He set the bottle back down on the table.
“You took a chance just meeting us tonight. We won’t repeat anything you’ve said or interfere in your operation in any way. You have our word on that. But we aren’t leaving Monterrey without the boy.”
Diego relaxed. “A compromise, then. I know where to find you. I will see the boy is returned as soon as this is over.” Rising, he finished the last of his beer, turned, and made his way through the crowd toward the entrance, pausing briefly to speak to the girl with the long black hair. Both of them laughed, and Diego disappeared out the door.
Colt turned to Lissa and Alex. “If they go in with a massive army of men, they’ll need to bring Spearman and the cartelsegundosdown. Timmy could get hurt.”
“Or killed,” Lissa said.
“So what are we going to do?” Alex asked.
“Only one thing we can do. Get Tim out before the task force goes in.”
LISSAWALKEDINfront of Colt and Alex out of the cantina, and Alex drove them back to the casita. He was staying in the city with a woman, which probably explained some of his eagerness to accompany them to Monterrey.
He would be picking them up in the morning, driving them to San Pedro Garza Garcia, an urban center about eight miles southwest of the city. According to Señor Cortez, El Puñal’s compound, which overlooked the basin, sat near the end of a road winding into the Loma Larga mountains.
As soon as they were back in the casita, Lissa used the information Cortez had provided to find the area on Google Maps.
“The place looks like a fortress,” she said, studying Google Earth photos on her cell phone, satellite images of the house and grounds. “How are we going to get in?” She glanced over her shoulder at Colt, who stared at the screen from behind her.
“More importantly, how are we going to get out?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Alex will be here in the morning to drive us up there. Once we get a look at the place, maybe we can find a chink in Spearman’s armor.”
Lissa hoped so. But the task of getting in and out without being seen seemed impossible.
“In the meantime,” Colt said, “it’s late. We need to get some sleep.”
Lissa cast him a glance. “What about sleep being overrated?”
Colt’s mouth edged up in amusement. “True, but we really need to be at the top of our game if we’re going against a guy they call The Dagger.”
She sighed. “You’re right. We’ve got to stay focused on Timmy.” She didn’t want to imagine the boy’s fear, being with a man he didn’t know, worried about his mom and sister, afraid he might never get back home.
Colt must have sensed the depth of her concern. “On the other hand, it’s important to get the best night’s sleep possible, and I know exactly the way to make that happen.”
