It was the wee hours of the morning when Parker and Eliot returned to the hotel. Only Hardison remained awake, sorting the remaining dossiers into the files he had created. The Hacker's eyelids were heavy with sleep. His click-clacks on the keyboard were not the staccato they usually were. "Man," Hardison started, "this does not look promising." Parker gave only the briefest of nods before shuffling off to her room.
"It's Las Serpientes," Eliot answered, sitting down on the couch to untie his boots, "It's never that easy." Eliot placed his ear bud back in the case on the table. "What do we have?"
"It's easier to tell you who don't have a criminal record, brah," Hardison answered.
Eliot only nodded, and then swung around to stretch out on the couch. The last of the files sorted, Hardison powered down the laptops. "Something doesn't feel right, Hardison," Eliot said, his arm draped over his eyes.
"Yeah," the Hacker agreed, stood, and stretched. "This is going too good."
"I wish I could pinpoint what."
"'Know what ya mean," Hardison turned to the bedroom door, "maybe we'll figure it out in the mornin'."
"Hopefully," Eliot yawned the word.
"'Night, brah," Hardison said before entering the next room.
"Later, Hardison." Eliot rolled to his side and succumbed to sleep.
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For the next couple of days that apprehensive feeling would just not leave Eliot alone. He narrowed that it was going to come from Espinosa, so he was on high alert whenever anyone from the group left the hotel.
The Texas weather seemed to match the Hitter's mood. Clouds choked out any minute bit of sunlight and monsoon rains often pelted the streets. When it wasn't raining, the humidity was almost thick enough to cut. The quintet of thieves grew short of each other's company in a hurry. At least Nate had the ability of escape to the little souvenir shop, that, for all points and purposes, he was the manager of for the time being. When a small, but explosive tiff broke out among the remaining members of the team of what to watch on the single television, it was decided that they needed a break. Parker and Sophie went to scope out opposite ends of the museum. Hardison went down to the jacuzzi. Eliot spent some time in the pitiful excuse the hotel had the audacity to call an exercise room. At least it had a treadmill. It kind of worked.
00000ooooo000000
"Nate" Eliot came busting into the bedroom the following morning, "We've got problems." Both Hardison and Nate flew back their covers and launched out of their beds to follow the Hitter to the common room. Parker and Sophie were already up, though they looked as though they had been woken in the same sudden fashion that Nate and Hardison had been. The Mastermind and Hacker took places on the couch next to Parker as she used the remote to raise the volume to the news segment just starting up.
"Our breaking news story this morning," the blonde new anchor began, "INS and U.S. Marshals conducted an extensive raid on a local restaurant and bar." The television flashed to a small adobe building that looked very familiar to Eliot and Parker.
"Officials say the search took place shortly after 11 p.m. last night," the bald, male reporter took over, standing in front of the bar, "The joint operations convened on this property, Graciela's, after months of investigations concluded that it was being used as a hub of illicit activity, including drug and weapon smuggling as well as a sanctuary for illegal immigrants coming over the border from Mexico.
"Our research has concluded that this establishment is owned by none other than Javier Espinosa. Many of you may remember that Espinosa, supposed leader of La Serpiente cartel, was arrested last week in another action taken by the INS and U.S. Marshal's joint efforts at one of his other properties. His deportation hearing, we are informed, is going on this very minute…."
"WHAT?" Sophie and Hardison yelled, and quickly scrambled to their respective rooms to change their clothes. Much of the reporter's words were drown out by the ensuing chaos that the Grifter and Hacker made.
"Um," Nate began, "You two didn't know this?"
"No!" Sophie yelled.
"His hearing wasn't supposed to be until this afternoon!" Hardison also yelled, "I checked the docket last night!" The two of them hurriedly dressed and raced out of the room, grabbing briefcases and ear buds as they ran.
Eliot's cell phone started ringing. He looked down at the caller I.D. and then looked up at Nate. "Espinosa," was all he said. Nate grabbed the remote and turned off the television.
"Yeah," the Hitter answered.
"Gringo," the cartel leader greeted, "how's the hangover?"
"No sign of it."
"Bueno, bueno…"
"Saw Graciela's was hit last night."
"Yeah," the cartel leader's voice grew colder, "We had a little heads up that it was in the works, and we were able to move most of the products, but they still got some of the goods. Oh, well. We'll make up the revenue in no time and the kid will get pinned with it all. This leads me to why I'm callin', gringo."
"Oh?"
"I was able to get the kid's hearing bumped up to an earlier time. We should be hearing anytime now when he's going to be coming back to Juarez."
"A'ight…"
"We're going to take him out on the way. I was short handed before, and now, after last night, I'm even more shorthanded. I need all the help I can get."
"Why not leave the kid?"
"He knows things, gringo. He's been to my home. He's been to my businesses. I don't want to run the risk of him spilling my secrets. No one leaves my service voluntarily."
Eliot had the realization that walking away from this was not going to be an easy fete. "When's this goin' down?"
"Don't know yet, gringo. Keep your phone on. When I know, I'll send Hector for you. I'll let you know the plan when you get here."
"A'ight." Eliot flipped the phone shut and looked to Nate. "We've got even more problems."
"He's gonna take a hit on the kid."
"Yeah."
"We knew that was going to be a possibility."
"Espinosa's also got a person on the inside of the courts. He got the kid's hearing bumped up this mornin'. Man, we are way over our freakin' heads."
"Not yet. We still have a few hands to play, Eliot." Nate held up a hand to calm the Hitter down.
"No, Nate. We don't. As soon as he finds out when the deportation is goin' down, he's gonna call and I gotta meet his man. The whole reason he's gonna kill this kid is because he's seen things at Espinosa's. He didn't say so directly, but he implied that the same thing could happen to me and Parker if we don' cow tow to his demands. We're gonna have to fight- correction- I'm gonna have to fight to git us outta here, Nate. And this is deep."
"Eliot. There are still a few steps that need to be taken. We can manage this. Just be a little patient."
Eliot snorted and shook his head. Stuffing the phone in his pocket, he turned to the door. "Eliot," Parker peeped up from her spot on the couch, "where are you going?"
"For a walk," he growled. He slammed the door and walked to the elevator. Thinking better of it, he turned to the side and took the stairs instead.
About halfway down, he stopped at the landing and looked up to make sure that neither Nate nor Parker had followed him. He took out his phone and pressed the preset speed dial number. He listened to two ring tones before the person on the other end. "Benito Gomez, director de Policia Federal de Mexico," the man at the other end answered.
"Benito," Eliot said.
"Spencer!" the man exclaimed and continued in Spanish, "Great to hear from you! How is your nephew?"
"Growing like a weed," Eliot answered, also in Spanish, "Wants to be a fireman now."
"Great. Great. Well, Spencer, I know you don't call for small talk. What can I do for you?"
"I need your help. The crew I'm in, we've gotten into a little bit of a situation. At least I feel that we have, and my leader doesn't seem to think so."
"I've heard rumors of this little crew you've joined, Spencer. Interesting to say the least. What's this problem."
"We're up against Javier Espinosa."
There was silence on the other end of the phone and then, "Espinosa's big problems for this little band you have, Spencer. You're right, you do have a situation. We both know that the real Espinosa is not the one your government has in custody. I cannot elaborate too much on this. Everything is depending on when this kid who has assumed Espinosa's identity get's deported. All I can say is that we already have a man on the inside of the cartel and they are close to him. We can handle that much."
"Who?"
"I cannot tell you that, Spencer. All I can say is play along with whatever you are doing for him, and guard your crew. When things are going to go down, they will go down fast and hard."
"You know what he's planning."
"Ye… Spencer, I want to talk about it, but I can't. This is top secret mission number one right now. Watch your team, and watch yourself. If you've got this cover of being with his cartel, and things go south, I cannot guarantee that I can get it sorted."
Eliot sighed. Today he was just not going to get the answers he wanted. "Understood, sir."
"Sit tight, Spencer. I'm sure that between the two of us, we can get things taken care of with minimal casualties."
"All right. We'll talk to you later then, Benito."
"Talk to you later, Spencer. Take care of that nephew."
"Will do." Eliot hung up the phone and sat for a few more minutes on the steps, mulling things over in his head. He eventually stood and started back up the stairs to the hotel room to wait out Espinosa.
A few paces from the room, the cartel leader called again. "The kid is being moved in two days at 11:30 p.m. The governments have been made aware of the possibility that an ambush may occur on the way, so they are going to let things settle down a before moving him. Hector will pick you up at noon at your hotel."
Only 4 more chapters left! Again, thank you so much, everyone, for the reads and the feedback so far!