Page 32 of Her Steadfast Hero

Chapter Eight

“Thank God you’re here,” Joaquin and Bernardo said in unison. Both of them ignored the seven men behind him and started talking at once.

“Hold up. I can’t understand you. Bernardo, you go first.”

“Salazar shot Molina and one of his men,” Bernardo said excitedly. “It worked perfectly. We’re down to seven of those bastards.”

“Salazar is the worst,” Joaquin warned.

“What’s the word on the boys?” David asked.

“Juan called ten minutes ago. He and his cousin can hear the men who killed their fathers.”

“If he calls again, tell them to stay off the goddamn phone! Those men will hear them, find them, and kill them.” David thought his head would explode.

“I did.” Joaquin looked sick. Those boys were going to end up dead unless Riggs and Harrison could get to them.

“Have you contacted Riggs and Harrison?”

“When I called it went straight to voicemail, I got no response to my text,” Joaquin explained.

“Good for them. They’re maintaining radio or cell phone silence. Maybe that means they’re close.”

Please, God, say they’re close.

A throat cleared behind him.

“Shit. I’m sorry.” He turned. “This is Lieutenant Gray Tyler, of the SEAL team Black Dawn. These are his men. This is my team. Joaquin Morales, the Lieutenant Governor Bernardo Lopez and the woman who runs everything, Carmen…” Fuck, he didn’t know her last name.

“I’m Carmen Garcia.” She gave David a dirty look. “He might not know my last name, but he was smart enough to have me get the blueprints for the hospital. You do speak Spanish don’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Five of the seven men answered. Shit, another thing David hadn’t thought to ask. He needed sleep. He rubbed his shoulder; it was hurting like a son of a bitch.

Shut up Sloane, you can bitch and whine in the next life.

“Ma’am, did Captain Sloane also tell you we would need a map of the city?” Gray asked.

“Of course, he did,” she snapped. “I have that as well.”

Dammit, he had not thought to ask for a map of the city, only the blueprints of the hospital. But Carmen had him covered. He was going to end up owing her his first born.

They went over to the large counter used by the postal workers and laid out the map of the city. The streets around the hospital, the annex building, and the bell tower were of most interest. Then there were the hospital blueprints.

“The hospital has power, it has generators,” David explained.

“Do they have key card entries to doors?” Aiden asked.

“Yes,” Carmen answered. “We’ve collected the ones that have all access.”

“Great,” Gray said.

“Are you using your police force to keep the reporters out of the hospital?” Gray asked.

“The full use of our police force has been securing the perimeter,” Bernardo confirmed.

“You did the right thing,” Gray said.

“It was David’s idea,” Bernardo said proudly.