Confusion takes over Tommy’s face. “Uh… I’m not sure I follow?”
“We’ll sneak onto the next cargo truck. It’s got to be headed to a plane somewhere relatively close. We’ll board it. Judging by the proximity of this base to the Mexican border, I’m betting they are moving weapons and drugs south.” Probably selling to the cartels too, for ten times the price.
“Whoa there, hold on. Are you out of your mind? They will shoot us on sight!”
I lean my shoulder against the closest tree and angle myself in such a way that I’m facing him. “That’s why I said we are sneaking in?”
“I don’t know, man. I’m not James Bond,” Tommy whines, looking a little paler than moments ago. He wraps his arms around himself defensively.
“Do you even know who that is?” I gesture with my hand to start a slow approach toward the road.
Tommy follows, doing his best to stay low and not accidentally alert the entire compound to our covert presence. Or intentions. I appreciate it. “Uh, not really. I knowofhim, but I’ve never seen the movies.”
I shake my head, scoffing. “Figures. We’ll do a marathon once we reach my friend.”
Tommy wrinkles his nose. “I’m not really into old stuff. I think I’ll pass.”
Old stuff? Ouch.
The closer we get to the road leading into the illegal cargo hub, the heavier the air around me feels. There is a tangible tension to it, and a strange sensation that something bad is about to happen clutches my stomach. Frantically, I raise my hand, halting us. As Tommy comes to a stop, I scope out our surroundings, looking for anything out of place. Stillness still characterizes the forest, with the only exception being the noise coming from the complex.
“All good?” Tommy asks, his voice low and careful.
“Yeah. All good.”
The sun breaches the crowns of the tall trees by the time we are in position behind a leafy bush on the side of the road. I brace low so I am out of sight but have a good view of the compound, and Tommy mirrors my position without me needing to say anything. It’s like he just gets it.
“So, what’s the plan exactly? How are we sneaking onto those trucks?”
Now, this is a brilliant question, and the answer is that I don’t have a brilliant plan in place for that part. All I’m going off is an idea, a very questionable one which could go wrong very quickly, mind you, but an idea nevertheless. I’m just not sure Tommy is going to like it, let alone agree to it.
“So, one of us will…”Fuck, this is stupid.A suicide mission for sure. But, it’s not like we have much of a choice because it’s only a matter of time before the Crew finds us. We need to get out of the States, and fast, or my friend won’t be able to help us.
“Yes?” Tommy rolls his eyes as our gazes meet. They are really pretty eyes, blue like the sea or the sky on a clear day. “Just spit it out. The suspense is killing me. How bad could it be?”
“One of us will go lie down on the road and pretend he’s injured to distract the workers, while the other one neutralizes them. There were two of them in that first truck, so I imagine the next will be the same.”
Silence settles between us. Tommy curls his lip, then glares at the cracked asphalt road. “Let me guess—I’m the distraction.”
“I mean… Can you take on two men, who are three times your size by the way, and neutralize them before they ring the alarm?”
The huff of indignation Tommy lets out brings a fluttering sensation to my chest. The guy is expressive and opinionated, and he’s not afraid to show it. “Okay, but I still don’t like this plan.”
“Any better ideas? Once that truck reaches the airstrip, the chances of us hijacking it are close to zero.”Plus, we might only get one shot at this as our time is running out. The Crew could be here any minute now.
“Fine, fine. I’ll be the distraction.” Tommy stands, rolls his shoulders and stretches his arms, wincing a little. I clock in on the cause for that frown immediately—the cut on his elbow seems to still hurt. “It’s not like I got much choice. But you better not mess this up or I’m a goner.”
Mumbling something about trigger-happy fingers, Tommy follows me as I lead us to the part of the road just after the turn. This area is completely out of sight of the base, so perfect for our impromptu operation. Once we are in position, we wait in silence.
About fifteen minutes later, the gates finally buzz open and a truck heads our way.
“Go lie down over there,” I instruct Tommy, nudging him with a shoulder.
He nods stiffly. “Please don’t make me regret this.”
Something squeezes my heart. What I’m asking Tommy to do is borderline crazy, and he has no reason to trust me. Yes, I saved him at the church, but that was more of a lucky coincidence than an intentional choice. Any sane person would have said no to my crazy plan, so clearly, Tommy has a screw or two loose.
As I watch him get into position, I wonder yet again if there is a way to fix this mess so I can go back to my life as Father Gabriel. The church could be repaired. I’d make up some excuse about the attack. The only tricky part would be dealing with the Crew, considering we have a bit of history and they probably know I am alive now, but surely if I showed up with what they are so aggressively looking for, they’d be more willing to negotiate.
