"Why Kemah?"
Napoleon had absorbed the story told to him by Buck Darrow, and he believed it. A man smart enough to fool the Hierarchy and survive was a rare individual, and yet the proof of his other life, the one that helped unfortunate folk and protected those who were vulnerable, was easy to access if one followed the right trail.
"Kemah is a little fishing town that serves as a conduit for many THRUSH financed drug transactions. I have cut off as many as I could without exposing myself to unfriendly scrutiny, but now I need UNCLE to step in and help deal with it.' Buck tried to assess the reaction from Napoleon and Illya, hopeful that they would carry this back to Waverly with an endorsement for action.
"I have limits my friends." He felt certain that THRUSH was on to his facade of faithful duty to the Hierarchy. He needed to get out of the way of any repercussions that might be headed his way; he needed to protect Sam and Esperanza, and possibly live with them as a family once more.
Napoleon and Illya had discussed the situation at length after reconnecting in Houston. The UNCLE jet would remain there until further notice, carefully guarded by several Section III agents in a private hangar.
Mr. Waverly was willing to meet with Buck and discuss his intentions to reveal everything he had on THRUSH. What would be asked in return was not yet fully revealed, but nothing could be set in motion until this situation in Kemah was played out. Even then it was uneven terrain for all parties concerned.
"We'll need details, names… What do we need to do to stop the drug trail into Kemah?" Napoleon was seizing upon a plan of action, ready to step into the path of this growing evil as it consumed lives and ruined those it encountered. He was thinking about this when he heard Samantha call out 'mama', her voice trilling above a woman's endearments.
"It's Esperanza, she has arrived. I had Terrence arrange for her to be brought here, hopefully without being followed." He rose to greet her and Samantha as they came into the room, their arms around each other's waists.
"So, Esperanza…?" This man's life was a maze of mysteries and secrets. Napoleon wondered how he kept track of it all.
"Sí, esta es mi familia." Buck embraced his wife, gathered Sam into their circle as the three of them stood together, each of them hopeful of remaining that way.
Illya was touched, he had grown fond of the girl and found her intellect and personality both engaging and … charming. He was charmed by her, and now he was moved by the scene in front of him. It made him think of his own family, the lost years after his father was imprisoned in the wake of the *Ezhov Terror, that violent episode within the Great Soviet Purges of the 1930's.
Napoleon took note of his friend's expression, something that washed over the Russian periodically, never with any explanation.
"Okay, details first and then we make a plan." Napoleon was ready to get to work, but then the aroma of breakfast wafted into the room, arresting Illya's attention instantly as he rose to follow it and the others out onto a covered patio that faced the Gulf.
Please Napoleon, let us enjoy the morning together, with my family. Afterwards we will conspire to topple THRUSH's drug business." The man looked happy, and Napoleon had a twinge of something he dared not identify as he observed the little family of three.
"Absolutely, I'm famished. One question?" Buck smiled at his new friend, because he now considered both of these men friends rather than adversaries.
"Yes, of course."
"Are we to remain here in Kemah for this operation?" Something told Solo that their travels weren't yet over.
"No, we need to go to the start of the trail, in Los Algodones." Napoleon made a face at the unfamiliar name.
"Here in Texas?" Buck shook his head.
"No, Los Algodones is in Baja, on the US border. It is a location that touches the United States in any direction you travel; it is a unique and little known town that makes a perfect base of operations for the drug trade. We will fly there in my plane, and Samantha and Esperanza will take the UNCLE jet back to New York. Your Mr. Waverly has agreed to this."
Napoleon hadn't been informed of the communication between Buck and Waverly, but he wasn't surprised that the man he was getting to know and appreciate would have taken the initiative to make his own arrangements to protect his family.
"Alright, we have a plan." Buck smiled and slapped Napoleon on the back as he led him out to the table where the others were already eating.
"Yes my friend, we have a plan."
*The Ezhov Terror, the most frenzied phase of the Soviet purges, refers to the arbitrary repression orchestrated by Nikolay Ivanovich Ezhov, head of the NKVD (the precursor of the KGB) 1936-1938.