Bluff
Chapter 5. Mexican standoff
Author's note: From Wikipedia, "In popular usage, Mexican standoff is sometimes used to refer to confrontations between only two opponents with great parity of strength, where the one initiating the aggression may be at a disadvantage against his opponent". Complicated chapter because things happen simultaneously in two different places. I hope I achieved the desired effect. I'm not sure if I should raise the rating. Please let me know if you think so.
They arrived at the meeting point six minutes before time. It was a secluded place, an abandoned farm, away from the usual traffic. It had stopped raining, but the wind was gusty, cold and unpleasant.
One of the SWAT cars stayed about a hundred yards behind, trying to find vantage points without being detected. Meanwhile, Wallace advanced to the esplanade in front of the barn. There were already other cars there, pointing their headlights at them. Tiffany stopped fifty yards away, keeping a safe distance. She also left the lights on.
They checked their communications with each other and with the JOC. Everyone back there was attentive, but Jubal discovered with bitterness that Rina had decided to supervise the operation from her office.
Scola, Tiffany and the other SWATs got out of the vehicles and moved into a defensive position, weapons at the ready, but not pointed. When Jubal stepped out of the car, he immediately had the feeling of having several cross-hairs on them.
"Maggie," he called as he went around the vehicle, "We've arrived. Status?"
"We're already in the area, Jubal. But we're going to need a little time to make a safe approach." Jubal cursed under his breath.
The SUV's location, tucked in the middle of the forest, had turned out to be even more remote and secluded than that one. Maggie and her team had had a harder time reaching it. Not to mention that they couldn't be one hundred percent sure that Isobel was in that place. According to the GPS, the SUV had been stopped for two minutes on a lonely road and they did not know if they had changed cars. Perhaps she was already there at the exchange point, somewhere. Jubal calmed as much as he could the anxious hope that thought gave him.
He waited a bit for the other SWATs to confirm they were in position to open the opposite passenger door, and helped Vargas out of the car. The latter offered his wrists for him to remove the handcuffs.
Jubal gave him a fleeting, humorless smile. "No way."
"At least grant me the dignity of removing the cuffs from my ankles," Vargas asked with that soft, insufferable courtesy of his. "Don't force me to walk around like a baby in diapers."
"We'll walk slowly, I'll help you," Jubal replied with ironic politeness.
He took Vargas by the elbow, and the two of them slowly approached a point halfway between the two sides, like a couple of friends taking a stroll. Wallace and Scola followed, flanking them slightly behind.
Two other people approached from the other side. There was no sign of Isobel. The rain held back in the tall grass soaked the bottom of Jubal's pants. He was not wearing suitable clothing for that terrain.
"I hope you get Isobel back, Agent Valentine," Vargas said in an affected tone.
The tinkle and the personal allusion gave Jubal an uncomfortable unease, but he was able to bite his tongue to keep from replying.
"I do not wish Agent Castille any harm, you know," Vargas calmly added to his silence. "If it has been done to her, believe me it will have been against my wishes, Agent. In fact, I have..." he paused somewhat unnervingly, "other plans for Isobel."
It wasn't just his words; the way he said it, how he pronounced her name and the half-sideways smile all gave Jubal the creeps. A truculence came to his mouth, but he knew Vargas' intention was to irritate him, to make him nervous. That didn't mean he was lying, though. In any case, he should not let himself be provoked again.
"I thought you had learned by now that Isobel is not one to bend to the plans of others," he managed to reply sarcastically.
Vargas snorted slightly through his nose, as if amused. "Very true," he conceded. And he was silent again.
"Jubal," Maggie spoke in his ear. "We're here. It's a small hunting cabin. There are at least four armed men, two outside and two inside. There may be more. But we still don't have a visual on Isobel."
"Copy," Jubal muttered quietly. He needed to buy more time. They couldn't just barge in like crazy and risk Isobel being killed in retaliation. If she was even there... The presence of armed men in the lodge was significant, though.
The two groups stopped by mutual agreement when they were about twenty yards apart.
"Ricardo Arjones," said Vargas.
"[Yes, Mr. Vargas]," one of the men, whom Jubal recognized as Jones, replied in Spanish. "[It's me.]"
"[Are you sure you know what you're doing, Ricardo?]"
Jubal didn't speak Spanish well, but he understood enough.
"[Don't worry, Mr. Vargas. Everything is under control]" Jones said.
Vargas made a somewhat skeptical noise that only Jubal could hear. Jones went to say something else, but Jubal wouldn't let him.
"I don't see Agent Castille," he interrupted without further ado. "I want to see her."
"Oh, no. This is not how we're going to do things," Jones said in a thick Mexican accent.
"It's very simple. No Castille, no Vargas" Jubal declared.
"It's even simpler. Without Vargas, say goodbye to Castille," Jones threatened.
Jubal controlled his fear. He did not like this at all. If they changed one part of the deal they could change any other.
Two can play at this. It was time to up the ante.
In one fluid motion he drew his pistol and pointed it at Vargas, who barely flinched, but gave him a sidelong glance. Jones and his man aimed at him. He could feel Wallace and Scola also raise their weapons and exchange an alarmed look.
"You're assuming too much," Jubal snapped at him. "Maybe it's the other way around."
Jones only looked surprised for a few moments. "You're bluffing. You won't shoot," he played it down and lowered his gun.
"Oh, do you think you know me well, Mr. Jones? Because I'm 'law enforcement'?" Jubal perked up when he saw the confusion in Jones' eyes. That's it. Don't let him think. "At this point, and not knowing whether Castille is dead or alive, I would indeed shoot." He gritted his teeth, disgusted at having to threaten something like that. "Try me."
Stuart and Tiffany glanced at each other again, but trusted him and held their positions.
Jones fixed his eyes on Vargas, perhaps expecting some kind of instruction, but Vargas remained silent and cold as ice.
This guy's got nerves of steel, you've got to hand it to him, thought Jubal, as he felt his shirt soaking wet under his bulletproof vest, despite the wind and the coolness of the middle of the night.
Jones spat on the ground and pulled a cell phone out of a pocket. Pinning Jubal with a cruel expression, he ordered: "Coto, make her scream."
·~·~·
Bernal burst into the room and grabbed her too tightly by the right arm. Isobel saw stars. He did not have given her time to use anything she had prepared. He almost dragged her into the living room, as he always did. Coto was standing there, looking particularly grim, and holding a cell phone toward her. Bernal pulled her close as if to make her speak to it.
A proof of life?
"Say your name," Coto ordered distantly.
"I'm Isobel Casti-" She broke off because Bernal was pulling her hair; she resisted with a snarl, tears welling up.
"Isobel?" she heard on the other end of the line.
Jubal!, she recognized him immediately through gritted teeth; Isobel was unprepared for the heart flip she felt in her chest when she heard him, heard the anxiety in his voice.
"Jubal! I'm all right!"
Not getting the desired effect, Bernal lifted Isobel's elbow, twisting her shoulder. This time she couldn't suppress a yelp of pain. Something was definitely injured there.
"Enough!" Jubal exclaimed firmly.
The call was cut off at the other end.
·~·~·
When Jubal heard Isobel scream, inside him a torrent of fury merged with the wave of relief he had gotten from being able to hear her voice. It was the only thing that allowed him to maintain even the smallest iota of calm and not to shoot Jones right there.
"Enough!" Jubal heard himself exclaim, despite everything; he couldn't bear to hear her scream any longer.
Jones hung up. His smug smile at his reaction made Jubal's blood boil even more.
"You see? She's alive and safe. Sort of."
Jubal controlled his anger and helplessness as best he could. "Do you take us for fools?" His voice sounded more forced than he would have liked. "That's not good enough. I want to see her. I want you to bring her here."
He cursed himself for failing to keep his emotions under control.
"Give us Vargas and we'll tell you where she is," Jones demanded. He seemed to be getting impatient.
That restored some balance to Jubal. He was silent for a few moments. "Tell me where she is. When I have confirmation, I will deliver him to you."
Jones lifted his chin, as if considering. "All right. She's in a cabin. I'll give you the coordinates," but the poker face with which he said it could mean anything.
Continuing to stall for time, Jubal agreed. Jones consulted his cell phone to tell the location to him. Scola relayed the coordinates to the JOC, while Jubal continued pointing at Vargas and kept an eye on Jones.
"That's not Maggie and OA's location, boss," Kelly gasped from the JOC.
Jubal could almost have sworn his pulse stopped. Were Maggie and OA deployed in the wrong place!?
Disguising the storm inside him, he turned his face away for a moment to address Scola. "Stuart, send four agents over there," he ordered. They had no choice but to check it out. Then he nodded to Jones. "Now we all wait."
"No, you're handing Vargas over to us now."
"Not without having confirmation first."
"You've got the location. It's very close. Give us Vargas. Now."
Maggie by all the Saints, tell me something! , Jubal begged silently
·~·~·
When Bernal released her, Isobel's legs failed her. She fell to the ground, her vision obscured. She heard herself moan.
Someone unceremoniously picked her up by her torso and sat her down next to a half-open window. The coolness of the night did her good, taking the edge off the sharp pain in her shoulder. She blinked, recovering.
Coto was staring at her. His expression was strange, unsettling: empty and hungry at the same time. He left the cell phone on a table, and began to pace the room, mumbling, as if talking to himself; he was panting between his teeth. Bernal watched him, uncharacteristically preoccupied. Coto stopped abruptly and leaned his head against the wall.
"Why did he have to ask me that?" he muttered, furious.
And suddenly he turned to look at Isobel as before. He approached her decisively and took her by the sound arm, almost gently. "I'll take her back to the room."
"Hey, man..." Bernal seemed to hesitate, but Coto ignored him.
When they got there, he went in with Isobel and locked the door from the inside. His eyes, fixed on her, glowed with a predatory, orange hue. Isobel started to panic.
"Scream," Coto asked her.
·~·~·
"They're on their way. ETA 10 minutes," Scola confirmed.
"You heard him. I'll give him to you in 10 minutes, then," Jubal said to Jones with a serenity he did not feel at all.
"Jubal, we have a visual," OA suddenly reported in his ear. "We're looking at her through a window. Those coordinates they gave you are fake."
You lying bastard.
Jones seemed to be chewing on glass. "You give us Vargas or we kill her!" he shouted.
The tension released inside Jubal like a whiplash. His heart, terrified, nearly leapt out of his chest.
"OK. OK," he tried to de-escalate. "I'd have to uncuff him first, wouldn't I?"
Meanwhile, Jones pulled out his cell phone and dialed again. Someone answered on the other end.
"No! Stop wasting time! You're going to send Vargas right now." Jones held the cell phone up to his face. I just have to say one word," he threatened.
A shiver ran down Jubal's spine, like a bolt of lightning. It galvanized his panic and turned it into a steel-cold calm.
"Jubal, we're in position, shall we proceed?" Maggie asked urgently, but it was impossible for him to answer at that moment.
He rested the cannon on Vargas' head. "Say it, and I'll kill him."
Jones first froze. Then he opened his mouth to pronounce Isobel's death sentence.
"Jubal!" Maggie called again. He had to ignore her, and cocked his gun without a moment's hesitation. Jones looked at him out of his mind.
Time seemed to stand still. Even the wind ceased to be heard.
Slowly, Jones lowered the cell phone, opened his hands in an appeasing gesture. But Jubal didn't move a millimeter. It seemed to him that could see Jones cursing through his teeth.
The gunshot reached his ears almost at the same time Jubal felt the impact hit him in the chest and knocked him down.
·~·~·
Coto took a stride, looming over Isobel, knocking her back. She instinctively stood on guard, and slowly approached the bed, to where she had her weapons hidden, without losing his face.
"Scream," Coto repeated. She was not willing to give him that satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Bernal knocked on the door. "Come on, man, don't fuck around. The boss is not going to like this."
"I won't be long," he answered his companion, impatiently.
"That's what you said last time, and then you took a long time. Hey, the boss is calling-"
"Leave me alone!" Coto roared. He licked his lips. "Scream," he asked Isobel again, his voice hoarse and his eyes feverish; he looked like he was in the middle of a psychotic break.
Damn it, and it seemed that the crazy was the other one.... It was clear what his particular fetish was.
"Okay, but I don't want to know anything," declared Bernal, walking away, leaving her to her fate. "Bernal," he was heard answering the call.
Coto launched himself at Isobel. She tried to dodge him, but the room was too small. His fist hit her in the cheekbone. Isobel fell on the bed, somewhat stunned. He threw himself anxiously over her, covering her with his body. Coto was wearing very baggy clothes so Isobel was unaware of how sexually aroused he was until he was on top of her.
With a cruel look, Coto jabbed his thumb into her shoulder. "Scream!" he demanded.
Isobel couldn't help it: a scream escaped her. He began to groan and grope her, shoving his hands under her clothes, his urges driving him completely mad.
~.~.~.~