CTC – VII

Jack surveyed the scene from his vantage point on the hill, field binoculars to his eyes and his focus totally on what was going on below. Ramon and Hector were standing next to him but he didn't even register their presence as he watched the teams fight it out for control of the ruined outhouse they were using for practice.

'No no no…' Ramon exchanged amused glances with his brother as Jack whispered under his breath.

'What is it Jack?'

He lowered the binoculars as one team protected their corner and the other tried to take them out and gain possession of the box that was supposed to represent the prize. 'They're forgetting to protect their rear this time round. The attacking team remembered to use natural cover like I told them to and the defenders haven't figured that they'd use it.'

He looked over to Carlos. 'Wanna come and make a point with me?' The man grinned his acquiescence and Jack pulled up his radio and ordered Charlie and Javier to fall back. Without waiting to hear the reactions of the two brothers he set off at a sprint with Carlos close on his heels.

Ramon turned to Hector with a grin. 'Didn't I tell you?'

Hector rolled his eyes. 'Yes yes, alright. He's good.' Ramon raised his eyebrows. 'He's ivery/i good. But he's been here a month already and we haven't tested him beyond the ranch yet.'

'Well, we need to get the men up to scratch first. They're still making basic errors at times. And that's not Jack's leadership, that's their own stupidity. They're not used to organized tactics yet. They'll learn and when they do, we'll have the best trained men in Columbia.' Ramon grinned and clapped Hector on the shoulder, then raised Jack's discarded binoculars to his eyes. He watched as Jack and Carlos moved up from the scrubland behind the building, using the standard 'buddy' covering system where one ran while the other covered them and then vice versa. They moved quickly, a good partnership, and it wasn't long before Jack was at the small open gap at the back of building where a window used to be. He quickly got into position, swung his gun in and took out the four men spread around the interior of the outhouse. At least, Ramon assumed he took them out. He couldn't see in obviously but he knew that Jack didn't miss from that range.

Carlos gave him a boost through the small gap and Ramon heard the yell 'Clear!' reach him from way below. It was the signal for the rest of his team to move in and the four men defending the outside of the building quickly went down. Jack emerged from the building with the box above his head and a broad grin on his face, to the cheers and high-fives of the rest of his team. He laughed at their exuberance and allowed himself to be grabbed by the guys and swung around a few times before they all calmed down a bit and started helping the losing team off the floor, who had big red paint marks on their clothes that spelt out their losing status. There was a couple of minutes of jeering and joking, then Jack said something to them that caused them to move out back in the direction of the makeshift mess hall that he'd insisted on.

Ramon kept the glasses on Jack the whole time and studied his face carefully. He seemed to genuinely enjoy this aspect of his job and he had quickly become a favourite among the guys. He had started out just supervising simple things like target shooting but everyday he had come to see Ramon with more polite requests and questions about whether they could try this or that, and eventually Ramon had had no choice but to let him have virtually free rein over the way the men were trained. And they had improved beyond recognition in three short weeks, even Hector could see it now. He had been sceptical at first, but results were results and they were there for all to observe.

Jack had sent Carlos with the men and was running back up the hill, his breath coming easily as he covered the distance. He was in great shape and Ramon wondered how he did it, considering the size of his habit now.

'I sent them in for lunch Ramon. I'll go through it all with them straight after and we'll give it another run through this afternoon. If that's OK with you obviously.'

'Yes, that's fine Jack.' His phone rang and he walked away to answer it, leaving Hector and Jack alone.

'They're looking much better Jack, you've done a great job.'

'Thanks. They're good guys, they learn pretty fast.'

Hector studied the man in front of him and as usual, found himself puzzled. He liked Jack and found him quite easy to get on with most of the time. He only really saw him when they were working though because the guy didn't socialise much. The few times he drank with other people, he was quiet and almost withdrawn, it was only occasionally that he opened up and relaxed a little. Ramon put it down to the drug use, he said that using heroin made a person introverted but Hector wasn't so sure. Jack didn't seem introverted when he was working.

Ramon walked up to them and held his phone out to Jack. 'Someone wants to talk to you.'

Jack froze for a millisecond, a bottle of water halfway to his lips. Who would want to talk to him? He hid his confusion and took the phone without asking questions.

'Michaels.' Christ, for a second there, he almost said 'Bauer.'

'Jack! This is Leon Chavez.'

His blood ran cold for a second but he made sure it didn't show on his face. What the fuck? Ramon and Hector were literally two feet away from him.

'Hello sir. Its nice to hear from you again. It's been a while now.'

'I have a message from Antonio for you. He saw fit to call me because he said you missed your mother's birthday last week and he didn't have a number where he could get in touch with you.' iTony says, what the fuck is going on! Why didn't you call in last week/i

'Oh damn, that's right. I completely forgot. I'll call her and apologise. Him too.' iI was busy, couldn't get away./i

'Well, make sure you do. And give him your number for Chris' sakes Jack, I'm not your messenger service.' iI don't want to have to do this again./i

'I will sir. How's everything with you? Keeping safe?' iDon't threaten me you prick, the Agency has you by the balls./i

'Yes, everything's fine. Well, if Antonio calls back, I'll tell him you're going to be in touch alright?' iI'll call Tony and tell him you're still alive./i

'Yes, thank you sir. I'll speak to him soon too.' iDo that. Tell him I'll be in touch./i

'Bye Jack.' iPrick./i

'Sir.' iAsshole./i

He hung up and handed the phone back to Ramon who immediately asked him what that was all about. 'Seems I forgot my mother's birthday last week. My brother doesn't have a number for me so he called Mr. Chavez to see if I was around.'

They both got a good laugh out of that and Jack tried to join in although his heart was beating furiously in his chest. What the hell was Tony thinking, calling Chavez into this? Goddammit, he'd get him killed like that!

'Jack, Jack, you need to be a better son. It's not nice, forgetting the woman that brought you into the world.' Ramon clapped him on the back as they started walking back to the ranch house.

'I have a hard time picturing you with a mother. Or a brother for that matter. What's he like?' Trust Hector to be suspicious. He painted a grin on his face and tried to pretend he was having a good time.

'Well, he's a businessman. Done pretty well for himself really. We're not much alike.'

'Where does he work out of?'

'New York mostly.'

'What's his name?'

'Antonio. Tony.' Fuck, now he'd have to call in quickly and establish a cover for Tony as well. Damnit! His mind worked furiously as he thought about how he was going to do this while the brothers made jokes about their own mother and he pretended to laugh along with them. They reached the main house and Jack made to walk on to where the men were but Ramon stopped him.

'Wait a minute, I want to talk to you.' Hector went on without them and Ramon rounded on him. 'Listen Jack, I'm a little worried about your behaviour recently.'

'Oh? I'm sorry Ramon, what did I do?'

iWhy are your eyes so blank? I look into them and see nothing and I don't like that. And you're bstill/b not afraid of me. I don't like that either./i

'No nothing, you've done nothing wrong. You're doing a good job. It's just that – I know you have to stay apart from the other men a little, they're starting to look up to you. And that's good, that's what I want. I told you I knew you had talent. But you don't join in with them at all. Even Hector and I drink with them sometimes and you should too. Is it the drugs? I know you're using more.'

iOf course you know, you're the one giving them to me. And you wont let me say no because if I do you'll bust me down and I can't afford to have that happen./i

'No. The drugs aren't a problem, I don't use when I'm working. I just feel a little uncomfortable hanging out with the guys that I give instructions to during the day, that's all. Its not really how I was trained.'

iOf course it's the damn drugs Ramon. I get so fucked up every evening I can hardly talk. And you know that because you pay me a visit every night and make sure of it./i

'Well, you need to loosen up a little with them. Now listen, Hector and I think its about time we put all this training to good use. Stop by the house tonight when you're done and we'll talk about it.'

'OK Ramon. That should be about seven, is that OK?'

'That's fine.' Jack nodded to him and started to move away but Ramon stopped him. 'Jack?' He looked back. 'Eat something for once. You look like a rake.'

He smiled and nodded again, then headed into the crude mess tent. He'd politely insisted on having it early on. Having the guys eat together gave them a chance to bond more and cut down on people grouping together and forming cliques that bitched about other cliques. It was working too, fights between them had been reduced dramatically. Now they pretty much just fought for fun and Jack knew that would never stop. They just enjoyed it too much.

He walked over to the tables and helped himself to a coffee and an OJ, then walked out and headed back towards his tiny room. He'd started out sharing the bunkhouse with the other single guys but as Ramon increased his responsibility, he'd been allowed his own little space. He usually came in here at lunch times and took a few minutes to himself. And regardless of what he'd just told Ramon, he sometimes took a small hit too. He found himself missing it if he didn't.

Not today though. Now he was too mad at Tony. Goddammit! OK, so he'd missed calling last week but he'd only missed two of the back-up calls iand why the hell had he done this/i Now he had to get to a phone without being spotted, call in, tell Tony to arrange a basic cover for himself in case Ramon or Hector decided to check up on his 'family', he had to get him to call Chavez and square the story with him in case Ramon called him and damnit, it was a mess. He flung himself onto his bunk and stared up at the ceiling.

Well, maybe he could work it. Maybe he could persuade Ramon to let him take some of the guys into town after they were done tonight, on the pretence of talking over Ramon's plan, whatever that turned out to be. After all, he had just said he wanted Jack to socialise with the men more. So – OK, it was possible. He could only try. If not, he would just have to hope that Chavez was savvy enough to relay the conversation they'd had in its entirety and hope that Tony realised what it meant. He sighed and pulled himself into a sitting position. He should really put in an appearance at lunch.

He was just getting ready to move when there was a knocking on the doorframe. There was no door there but he had a curtain and the guys normally gave him some measure of space. He knew who this would be already though and it was confirmed as a dark head shoved itself through the curtain. 'Hi Charlie, what can I do for you?'

Charlie was an American too, there were only three on the ranch, including himself. This one seemed to have taken a bit of a shine to him and it was getting to be a slight pain in the butt actually, the guy wouldn't leave him alone. He was thirty-one but looked about twenty, due to wide set blue eyes that were as clear as the sky, and a mop of brown hair that shot out in all directions. His mouth was wide and it smiled a lot too. He was an ex-Marine. You'd never know it to look at him.

'Hey Jack. I was just wondering if I'd done something to annoy you. It was bothering me a bit so I thought I'd come and ask.'

Jack beckoned him inside and did a mental eye-roll. How the hell had this guy ever survived the Marines? 'No you haven't pissed me off. What makes you think that?'

'Well, you pulled me out of the group today. You've done it before too.'

'I did that because the other guys need more practice. You're ex-military, you know all this stuff already. They need to work at it a bit more, that's all.'

'Oh OK. Good.' He just stood there and Jack looked at him. 'Anything else I can do for you?'

'No. Well…yes. I mean…'

'Spit it out.'

'Well, I was just wondering if you were OK. Some of the other guys were wondering as well, I mean, we don't see you much, except when we're working.'

iLooks like Ramon was right./i 'I'm fine Charlie. Just working on new things to teach all of you. I don't want any of us to get killed when we get off this ranch, y'know?'

'Oh yes, I understand that sir.'

'Don't call me sir. We're not in the forces now. Its Jack, OK?'

'OK, sorry.' He seemed to be looking for an excuse to stay but Jack didn't want to give him one.

'I'll be out in a while alright? If the guys finish before I get there, have them move the tables back so I can talk to them altogether and demonstrate a few things.' Charlie nodded and left and Jack flopped back down on his bunk. What was with that guy? He was like a puppy or something.

Without even realising it, his hand was searching under the bed frame and it came up holding a small metal box. He stared at it and sighed. Might as well. If he was going to be busy this evening he might not have a chance…of course he would. Ramon would make sure of it.

He didn't know why the man was going out of his way to encourage Jack's drug use but there really wasn't a lot he could do to stop it. Anything Ramon 'suggested' was always an order, no matter how polite his tone of voice was. It didn't really make sense – why would they be happy with a junkie in charge of their men? Surely it would just get them killed? But then, Jack had a sneaking suspicion that Ramon didn't give a damn how many people got killed – there were always more guys around looking for work.

He slumped against the wall, toying with the box but not opening it. This mission was becoming more and more frustrating. He'd been ill for a week then had recovered enough to start work with the guys. There had been a few days of labour out in the fields where he'd worked harder than anyone else, determined to make a good impression after his rocky start. Then Ramon had asked him to spend a day teaching some of the newer guys how to handle their guns properly, apparently there had been some accidents on the last job because the young guys weren't used to automatic weapons. He'd been watched for the whole day by both the brothers and had given them his assessment on the guys at the end of the day. Neither of them had said much but they'd let him spend the next day with some of the more experienced security guys and he'd been able to point to at least five major things they were doing wrong. After that, it had become his full-time job and they seemed happy with what he was doing.

Logically, his mind told him that he was doing alright. He had some responsibility and hadn't run into any trouble. He even enjoyed the work, it was pretty similar to being in charge of a platoon in the Army and he'd always enjoyed the camaraderie that existed between a good officer and his troops.

But he wasn't getting anywhere. He was no closer to a position of trust with the brothers and at the moment, it didn't seem like he was going to get it. Of course, the longer he was here, the more likely he was to gain status and he'd only been here a month so shit, it wasn't as though he could expect to be very far along yet. It was just that…it all felt wrong somehow. He didn't feel like he was doing enough. There had to be isome/i way to make inroads into the cartel, something that was quicker than this anyway. Perhaps it was because of the heroin but there was an air of surrealism over everything he did here. And he was edgy all the time, he felt that there was something going on that he didn't have access to, as if he could be doing more to achieve his ends. And instead of doing it, he was enjoying his work and taking drugs and not really making an effort.

And those eyes were always on him. He knew it, even when he couldn't see them around. He was used to constant scrutiny but this was different, because he didn't know what Ramon was looking for. The only way he knew he wasn't blown was because he was still alive – but then, what did the man expect of him? What was he looking for? Hector was easy to read – he had been sceptical and wary of Jack and now he was slowly accepting him. But Ramon? Almost impossible to say. Those black eyes gave nothing away. And Jack didn't know which way to play him if he couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

He sighed and put the box away without opening it, then got off the bunk and headed back outside. Time to go back to work. He'd go by the house tonight and see what they were planning. Maybe an opportunity would present itself. He'd have to be ready if it did.

Charlie knocked on the door of the main house and smiled at Sergio when the boy opened it.

'Hey Sergio. Is Ramon around?'

'Yes, he's in the kitchen. I'll go and tell him you're here.' He ran off and Charlie grinned after him. He reminded him of his own son, who was about the same age. Then he shoved that thought away and closed the front door after him.

'Charlie.' He looked up and Ramon was standing there. He ordered him inside with a jerk of his head and he followed him through into the kitchen. 'So, what's he been doing?'

'Nothing Ramon. I just saw him and he's doing pretty much what he does every lunchtime. He just sits on his own. I don't think he's taken anything.'

'Hmmm.' Ramon lit a cigar and chewed on it.

'May I say something?'

'Go ahead.'

'Well, I think he's getting suspicious of me always hanging around him. I mean, I have to invent excuses to go and see him because he's always on his own. It won't be long before he's wondering why I'm doing it.'

'Don't worry about that. I've already spoken to him, he'll be spending more time with you all from now on. Ask him to go out for a drink with you tonight, he'll say yes. And you - you need to stop treating him like he's an officer in your military, stop talking to him like he's your boss. You work for ime/i. You have to become friends with him and get him to talk to you. You understand? You're no good to me if you kiss his ass all day long. He won't respect that.'

Charlie examined the floor. 'Yeah, I understand. It's just that – well, he's good y'know? It's hard not to respect him. He's not like the rest of the men and it's difficult to get close to him.'

Ramon threw his cigar down on the counter and backhanded him hard across the face, noting the look of pain with satisfaction. 'If this assignment is too difficult for you, just say so! I'm only asking you to befriend a fellow American, it shouldn't be that difficult. Maybe I overestimated you Charlie, eh? Maybe you really are a worthless piece of shit.'

'No, no, I can do it. Sorry Ramon.'

'Good. Now get back to work and don't come to me with this crap again. He may be better than most men who work for me but he's still just a man and I want to know about him. Bring me information or you won't be working for me much longer.'

He turned away and Charlie left, mumbling an apology and a promise to do better. He picked up his cigar and exhaled a long stream of smoke. He was on edge. There hadn't been enough action around here recently and Ramon was bored. Michaels was fitting in well and making the men work together, it created a different atmosphere on the ranch that he wasn't sure he was happy with. He quite liked it when the employees bitched and fought and scrapped for his attention. It meant that he had a never-ending stream of people falling over themselves to prove their worth. Now they were working as a team and although the results might be better for business, it set his teeth on edge. Discontent was what he was used to and this feeling of harmony was distinctly unnerving.

He picked up his phone and called Hector over to the house.

Jack spent the afternoon running through the morning's exercise again. He briefed them on where they'd gone wrong earlier and they tried it again with much better results this time. All in all, he was satisfied with the way they were coming along and they finished pretty early. Normally he'd let them go and relax some because this group would be back doing manual labour tomorrow while he trained another lot that were doing the manual stuff today – Ramon wanted all his men to be trained in fighting tactics, well, since Jack had suggested it anyway – but he remembered what he'd been told earlier and instead of letting them off, he organised a makeshift baseball game. They jokingly complained and said they wanted to play soccer but Jack had laughed and said he'd only play soccer if they beat his team next time out. Until then, it was baseball.

It was fun actually and they all seemed to enjoy it. Jack was pitching, since only a few others knew how to. Charlie headed up the other team as he knew the rules and after a while it descended into mad slides into base and tackling the runner's football-style when it looked like they were going to make it round. Eventually they were all too laughing too much to continue and they were covered in dust so Jack wound it up and promised they'd be able to play again soon. It was a good way to end the work day and it helped erase the memory of his thoughts at lunchtime.

He checked his watch – just time enough to take a shower before he had to get over to the house to meet Ramon. He walked back to the bunkhouse with a bunch of the other guys, but stopped when Charlie called his name and he waited for him to catch up.

'Hey man. That was fun.'

'Yeah, I thought so too. What's up?'

'Just wondered if you wanted to go for a beer later. If you're not busy with anything that is.'

He didn't really feel like it but again, he remembered what Ramon had said. And he had to get to a phone. 'Yeah OK. I have to go up to the house for a bit, I don't know how long that'll take. Ask the others too, we might as well all go.'

'Sure thing man. We'll hang out and wait for you.'

He jogged on and Jack trailed behind wearily. It had been a tiring day but he needed to get his game face on. There was no room for weakness tonight, he had to talk to Ramon and he had to get to a phone. He shook himself mentally and picked up his pace as he headed for the shower. He'd take a hit first, it was better if he did it when Ramon wasn't around. That way, he could control how much he took. Then he'd go and see what Ramon wanted and try and find a way to prove to him

i(prove to yourself man, be honest…)/i

…that he could do more than he was doing already. He felt better with this plan in mind and he pushed his worries aside and went back to work.

Ramon was tired of the look on Hectors face, the look that said he was talking crazy. He loved his brother, as much as he loved anyone anyway, but sometimes he was the most annoying person in the world. And sometimes it was necessary to remind him who was in charge around here.

'Hector, just listen to what I'm saying.' He was shaking his head before the sentence was finished and Ramon resisted the urge to put him through a wall. 'Do you think I'm so stupid? I'm not talking about inow/i. I'm saying we keep it in mind for the future.'

'I can't believe what I'm hearing. I can't. Are you serious?'

They both shut up as Claudia walked in and looked at them. She caught the tension in the air and looked at Hector inquiringly. 'Claudia, leave us alone.'

'Alright. Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Is the American staying for it?'

'I don't know yet. Just make enough.' She got the message and left the room. Hector paced around and glared at his brother, who just sat in an armchair and smirked at him. 'Ramon, I admit that he's good. But we can't trust him yet. We haven't seen what he can do on a proper job yet! And you are talking of…ithis/i? Why?'

He sighed and stretched his legs out. Hector never thought long-term, that was his trouble. 'Listen to me. I'm not talking of letting him in anytime soon. I'm not stupid. I'm just saying that if he continues to work well, there are more ways we can use him. Do you really think that he's going to be good on the ranch and useless when we send him out with the men? Of course he will be good! Look at what he's done so far. And he's only teaching basics at the moment – Lord knows what else he can do. So all I'm saying is, he's a long term prospect. And we need to keep that in mind. I don't want him getting bored and deciding to move on. We need to keep him interested.'

Hector looked sullen. 'Well, as long as you're not planning it yet. I won't go against it if he's proven himself – but he hasn't yet. I mean it Ramon, he needs to do a lot more first.'

'Of course he does. I've arranged a little something for tonight, sort of a test-the-water scheme. We'll see what he does. And there's the thing next week. We'll take it steady. I just wanted to bring it up with you now to let you know what I'm thinking. We run this business together Hector, you know that.' They both knew that was a lie. They weren't equals, not really. 'So stop worrying. Let me handle him and it will all work out.'

'We'll see. There's no hurry is there?'

'Of course not. Now, I'm going to change. He'll be here in a minute. Keep him entertained and I'll be back.' He rose and left the room, leaving Hector wondering. He didn't understand Ramon's interest in this man. He did admit that he hadn't really got to know Michaels though, so maybe there was something he was missing. He normally concerned himself with the running of the ranch and the distribution angles. Ramon was the one that made contacts and brokered deals, so he was more used to discerning who was trustworthy or not. It was a talent of his.

He threw himself into a chair and tried to calm down. It worried him that Ramon was thinking this about the gringo. It didn't mean that his brother was wrong of course, it just seemed to be happening very fast. There were only five men who had ever worn the mark. Himself and Ramon, their father and two other trusted men, both of whom were now dead. It was strange that this man Jack was even being considered this early on. Of course, it might never happen. They were just going to keep an eye on him and there was nothing wrong with that. He sighed. He was overreacting. There were countless tests before the idea would be considered enough to become a reality, so there was no need to worry about it yet. And the man iwas/i good.

His thoughts were interrupted by Sergio, who ran in calling his name.

'Hey buddy!'

'Hector, Jack's here.'

'He is? Well, you go and get him for me then, OK? And listen – you want to go for a ride with me tomorrow? If you do, let your father know so he can get a horse ready for you in the morning.'

'Yeah, I wanna go out tomorrow. Thanks Hector!' He ran out again and Hector smiled after him. He was a good kid. He hoped that the sons he would have with Claudia turned out like him, if they did the business would be in safe hands in years to come. Most of Ramon's sons were dead already.

'Hector.'

'Hey Jack. You want a drink?'

'Yeah thanks.' He got up and poured a tequila for him, then waved him into a seat as he handed it over. 'How'd they do this afternoon?'

'Much better. I'll be able to move them on to some more advanced stuff soon I think.'

'That's good.' Silence fell and Hector watched the man as he took a sip of his drink, trying to see what Ramon saw in him. He kept in mind that his brother liked a challenge – and yes, there was one here. The blue eyes were blank and he was hard to read. He didn't seem afraid or nervous, he didn't see the need to fill the gaps with unnecessary conversation. And he held himself upright, everything about his posture spoke of self-confidence and quiet strength. Intelligent too.

But he still made him nervous. Why would a man like this come to work in a drug cartel? Was he motivated by money? Or did he like the danger? Hector knew that he'd been in the military and that was plain to see in his bearing – maybe he just got disillusioned when he was kicked out and there was no other way he could spend his life. There was no way a man like this could fit into a quiet existence. He didn't know why he hadn't seen it before, but then, he supposed he'd never really looked. He spent a moment trying to imagine Jack in a 'normal' profession and it just wouldn't fit. But he couldn't exactly work out why and that frustrated him. He wasn't like Ramon, he didn't really enjoy challenges. He liked things obvious and this man kept too much back for his liking. He wanted to be able to read a mans thoughts from the expressions on his face, and he couldn't do that here.

'Have you ever been married Jack?'

'Once.'

'What happened?'

'She divorced me. Didn't like the army life. I don't know where she is now.' That much was in his cover.

'A woman who doesn't stay by her man is not worth having.'

'Yeah, I think you're right. She wasn't worth hanging onto though. I was quite glad when she left.'

Hmmm. He was cold. He liked that. 'Another drink?'

'Sure, thanks. Oh hey, the guys want me to go out with them tonight. Is that OK?' He kept the right amount of deference in his voice. Hector would like being asked.

'Yes of course Jack. We don't expect you to sit around here every night. You've been working hard, go and have some fun. There are plenty of whores in the town, you'll enjoy yourself.'

Jack smiled vaguely and downed his shot. He had no intention of using prostitutes but he wouldn't come out and say that of course. He found himself being quite glad when Ramon entered the room. Hector was different to his brother, he asked a lot more questions. Ramon liked to figure things out for himself by observation and trusting his instincts. It made him harder to deal with. Questions could be answered with a lie and Jack could do that easily. But keeping a lie out of your body language and eyes required a lot more effort.

'Evening Jack.'

'Evening Ramon. I hope I'm not holding you up.'

'Not at all. We saw you playing baseball with the men. That's good I think. Just don't do it too often. Another drink?'

'Yes, thank you.' Damn, even his warnings were subtle.

'Jack's going out with them tonight Ramon. I told him he should enjoy the whores.' Hector was grinning and his brother smiled at him.

'Ahhh yes, they're quite good. But something tells me you won't like doing that, am I right Jack?'

'Well…' iCareful/i. 'I haven't made a habit of it in my life. I'm not against the idea though.'

'You see Hector? A man of principals.' There was a gentle mocking in his tone and Jack got the impression he was treading on thin ice. But there was nothing he could do, he couldn't just change the subject.

'Principals are for weak people. Are you weak Jack?' Hector was glaring now and he was thankful when Ramon laughed loudly and saved him from having to answer.

'Now now Hector. He is American and you know how they can be. I'm sure Jack is as capable of fucking around as the rest of us. And now – how ready would you say the men are?'

He breathed a silent sigh of relief. Work was easy to talk about. 'They're getting much better. How ready they are depends on what you want to use them for.'

He was handed another drink and Ramon sat down. 'We know that one of our Bolivian rivals is moving some of their raw product into the area next week. Sometimes they bring it here to process before sending it on into the US to distribute. It's usually when their crop has been good and they haven't got the manpower to deal with it on their farms. Obviously, we don't want them to feel they can come here at will and employ men in the area to work for them - it's that sort of thing that encourages unrest. But naturally, we want their product. We have taken it from them in the past but they still feel they can come here on occasion. This is good. As long as they keep coming here, we will keep taking it. However, we have suffered losses in the past and they have managed to escape with the product on occasion.'

'So you're saying that you want to take the uncut drugs but not damage them so badly that they won't come back?'

'Exactly. If they feel they can come back, we get a lot of free supplies. Will the men be able to cope with this?'

'I assume they fly in?' Ramon nodded. 'How many men with them?'

'Usually about fifteen.'

'And do they drive far after they've landed?'

'No, only for about an hour.' Jack's mind was ticking over and it amused Ramon to see the way he thought and analysed the information.

'Do we know what night this will be happening?'

'Next Thursday is most likely. We will find out for definite within the next few days.'

'Then our best option is probably to attack the plane.'

'Really? Charlie led the last raid and he attacked the vans after they left the landing strip.'

'Did he use explosives?'

'Yes.'

'And did all the product survive?'

'No it didn't.' Ramon had to fight to keep from laughing out loud. He'd had Charlie beaten pretty hard for the losses, the man had been unconscious for two days. He was enjoying the fact that Jack could see the flaws in the other mans plans already.

'That's why it's best to hit the plane. If we attack in transit, we'll lose a lot of the stuff. If we wait until it gets to its destination, we'll have a whole lot of extra people to worry about. Plus, I don't think I've got enough time to train enough people properly with explosives between now and then. But I'm sure I can show a few of them how to use a sniper rifle. We can practise the ground assault through the week if you have a map of the area that I can look at. Or I can go and check the area myself if you prefer. But yes – I can have them ready in time. They learn fast.'

Ramon couldn't stop the laugh this time. Jacks confidence was complete and total and it was beautiful to watch. Even Hector looked impressed with it. There wasn't an ounce of fear or hesitation in the man at all. 'That's all I wanted to know Jack. We'll discuss it more fully tomorrow and I'll have a map of the area for you to look at. Come by in the morning, around ten and we'll go through it. Now go out and have a good time.' He watched the man nod and stand up. 'And Jack?' The blue eyes met his. 'If you feel the urge to let your principles slip a little this evening, neither of us will tell anyone. Your secret will be safe with us.'

He laughed harder as the man actually blushed a little before he bade them goodnight and left the room.

'You see Hector? There is no weakness there.'

Hector had been laughing too but he felt compelled to answer that. 'Oh no Ramon, no weakness. Well, until you show him a needle of course…' He watched as his brother stopped laughing and scowled at him. 'Don't give him too much credit just yet, that's all I'm saying. He hasn't shown his true colours to us, I think.' He walked to the door. 'Come on, dinner will be ready.'

Ramon stood slowly and placed his glass on a table. iBut I like that particular weakness Hector. It'll put him right where I want him, can't you see? He'll be mine, before he even realises what's happening. And I'll never let him go…/i