They pull away, and I'm not a block down the road before she sends me a text with the address of his ranch. I feel the adrenaline begin to surface with the thought of what this weekend could bring for us. It should be a great time, and I'm hoping that firecracker Mallory keeps Harris busy.
Seeing her tell him in person is really the best gift she could've given me. I wanted him to know that what I told him on the airplane wasn't me just being delusional. She said it with her own mouth now, so he will respect that. He is a man of honor and respect; even though we haven't seen eye-to-eye on Jade, I get where he's coming from.
I'm glad she has someone like that to watch over her, even though he won't need to do that any longer.
I drive the few hours thinking about her. Once I pull in at the office, I see Kase’s truck is here, so I know I'm late to our meeting. He's already turned everything on by the time I'm through the doors. Our technology is highly secured and top of the line. It has to be for what we use it for. “What's the status?” I ask, then grab a chair, flipping it around to straddle it. My hands rest on the top.
“Intel shows Al-Quaren is moving through Mexico. We’re going to have to be ready to move.”
“Goddamn Mexico. I hate going in there to find someone. Why can't these assholes stay where their native land is?”
“I know. We have informants there though, so he’ll settle in, and we’ll go in and pull his ass out of his hole.”
“These guys think they're men hiding in a shithole to avoid their death. What happened to facing it like a man? No, they send out their babies to do that.” I pause, thinking about Jade and her face as she pulled the trigger. I knew the minute she pulled the trigger it would haunt her, and I will forever owe her for that shot.
“I do know there are four men with him. They’re all dressing alike, so it's hard to tell which one is Al-Quaren. We’re going to have to check his markings to confirm.”
“What time is this conference?” I'm getting impatient, knowing getting him is going to be a struggle. He's been on our radar for years and right now, I’m down two men who are working in Iraq on another project.
“They will be dialing in shortly.” The computer begins to ring, and we wait while The President of the United States starts to talk to us both. His face comes across the screen. The deep circles under his eyes let me know this isn’t coming lightly. Christ. I could never run a country. Every president in office has always had my respect. The day-to-day struggles they all deal with would put most of us in a mental hospital. I listen intently as he starts to speak. His words come out strong and very demanding.
“Thank you for meeting with me on this. I'm calling in your help, because I know your history of success in taking out international terrorists. I want this guy captured and brought in for questioning. He has vital information about national security we need to get our hands on. I'll use the most effective ways to interrogate him to get that information, but first I need to find him. That's where you two come in.” We both watch, knowing we’ll be going in. Our men are the best of the best, and I have no problem organizing another team like the last one to smoke him out.
“He's working with a Mexican cartel and will be tough to pull out of there. Tell me what you need, and I'll get you the resources.” He turns to talk to someone on his right, then quickly back to us.
“This time I can't offer you any soldiers. This needs to be done completely with your men.”
“Sir, I’d like you to reconsider. I need a sniper and a point man to fill my team. I’d like to request two of the soldiers that just completed the mission I was on last week. They are brilliant in their positions and would be exactly what I need to get in and out successfully.”
“Resources I can do. Who are the two you have specifically in mind?”
“Captain Elliott and Captain Harris of the US Army.”
“I’ll grant you two soldiers for this mission, but they’ll need to agree to go AWOL before I can approve this. I want zero connections with the US Army in the event your mission is compromised. I'll have half of your funds moved soon, so they're there for you to fulfil the job. Once it's finished, the rest of the money will be transferred.” All of this is the normal agreement I have to make when I get a call. This is just the first that came directly from The President.
“When do you want us to go in?” Kase asks.
“One week. He's been staying at his locations for about two weeks before he moves. He's just changed locations, so we’ll get you down there once we get his location verified, then send your team in before he moves out.” I sit still and watch The President give us orders, knowing this is a huge mission for us. I also know it’s a very dangerous one and one I’ll be very ready to have behind me. I’m not completely familiar with the area of Mexico that he’s been in, and I’m going to have to do thorough research before I leave for this.