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“We’ve got a potential situation. It’s Nate. He’s missing,” Michael stated, and Chad took the seat next to him and in front of another computer screen.
“What do you mean missing? I know headquarters hasn’t heard from him in a few days, but still, that’s not uncommon when you’re a sniper and about to take someone of importance out.”
“It’s more than that, Chad. His last update came through two hours ago. He was working under cover with Maria. She got him into the party on the Santos estate. The command called me to ask me about any other locations he could be holding out in.”
“What? How the hell did she do that and why would he go? Why is command concerned and telling you all this?”
“The command came from up top. It was believed that someone of importance was going to be there. Someone the agency has been searching for. Plus, Nate must have come across some useful information. Nate sent out a distress signal. He was on his way out.”
“Oh shit. That isn’t good at all. He knew his cover was blown. Who the hell could the special guest be? I mean it must be someone other than Francisco Santos himself? He’s been hiding for so long and no one can get into his estate or property.”
“Well Maria somehow had made a connection. She’s been working for the US for years, so she’s a reliable snitch.”
Chad thought about Maria, the older Columbian woman. Maria was a cousin of Santos’s. She had fallen in love with a government official who was being strong-armed by Santos. The official was trying to clean up some of the drug problems and illegal activity out of the city when Santos murdered him. Maria sought revenge on Santos and his entire operation.
“Well did you find out who the surprise guest of honor is?”
“Was. The event took place two nights ago.”
“Fuck. Where is Nate?”
“I hope on a fucking plane out of Columbia, but the feds don’t have shit yet. But, bro, get this, the guest of honor has the initials S.C. Who have we been looking for the last two missions?”
“Solandro Cruz?”
“It has to be, and by the radio chatter and the amount of buzz on the forefront, I’d say we weren’t the only party interested in meeting Mr. Cruz.”
Chad glanced at the screens and some satellite images of where Nate was last seen. He hoped that their friend and fellow Marine was okay. That was the problem with these secret missions. They were extremely dangerous. If anyone was caught, he was on his own, and the government denied knowing him and claimed to have no idea why he was there. His chances of survival after being captured were slim.
“Are the commanders asking for volunteers?”
Michael took his eyes off the screen to look at his brother.
He shook his head.
Chad ran his fingers through his crew cut hair. The feel of the scars along the scalp were deep. He had many battle wounds just like Michael.
“So we fucking leave him there and assume he’s dead? What about Mason? He’s heading out there next.”
“You know the deal as well as I do, Chad. It’s the path we’ve chosen. We’ve cut back a lot this past year. We discussed getting out of this shit sooner than later. Maybe the time has come. As far as Mason is concerned, I think his mission is placed on hold until we locate Nate.”
Chad inhaled then turned around in the seat he was in and looked at Michael. Michael was older than him by a matter of twelve months. They had each seen a lot of shit in their military careers. Each had secrets and actions they never talked about or admitted to being part of. But now things were changing. They were being hired out to go in blind, with very little information, and over what appeared to be personal issues or government power plays. He was starting to feel uninspired and ready for a change.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking about making this last mission I took my last one. I’m lucky I got out of there alive,” Chad admitted, and Michael raised one eyebrow at him.
“Seriously? It was that bad?” Michael asked then looked back toward the computer. Chad wondered why he felt like his brother was disappointed in his statement? If he wanted to be finished, then he would quit and start helping Monte with his security business. He asked him a dozen times and told him when Chad was ready to just say the word.
“Why are you giving me shit over this? As I recall you cut back and only took the recent mission because of Maria.”
Michael immediately turned toward him. Chad wondered if Michael had a thing for Maria. Now was as good a time as any to bring this question up.
“Fuck you, Chad. How many times do I have to tell you that I never slept with her. She’s an informant. Her family finds out she’s helping the US government and she’s dead.”
“Hey, it’s been a question for months. You took a special interest in her.”
“I felt bad for the abuse she went through and for the fact that her cousin killed her lover. Last mission when I arrived a few days earlier than expected, I couldn’t reach out to her. She wasn’t responding and I had a bad feeling. I was concerned for her. She started seeing someone from town. A nice man she said owned a local storefront. My gut told me something was up, and when I finally located her and snuck into her home, I found her in bed, eyes swollen closed and ribs broken. I asked her if it was Santos or his men and she denied it. She said there was a new guy. Some shithead from Santa Catalina.”
Chad thought about that a moment.
