Fallout
Chapter 24
"Have you got the whole message?" Abril demands.
"This looks like the end of it," Raul replies. "They're already bringing in the whole task force. They'll be in one place Sunday morning."
Where will they be meeting?" Abril asks.
"Warehouse in the Fashion District. The one they confiscated from the Derians."
"Yes, I remember. Sandra didn't believe it was worth seizing, too difficult to defend. That will make it perfect for us. With the task force together, we can surround them and take them all out."
"How many soldiers will you need?" Raul asks.
"Sandra underestimated Angela's comrades. I won't repeat that mistake. I want all of the strongest we have in Los Angeles. And bring in the top squad from Santa Ana."
"That will make 40 men."
Make it 50 if you can. We won't be leaving any survivors. The corpses can tell their story."
"How about Angela? Were you not leaving her alone?"
"It was Sandra's wish that Angela survive to raise the child until he was ready to be taken. But he has a rich father to watch over him. If Angela is present during our attack, she will die with the others. Now," Abril orders, "make sure our soldiers are prepared. They should have weapons from all our stores in the city. This attack will mean total destruction. No one will be left alive, Raul. That will be our warning to any who try to resist us.
Nolan stares into empty air while Lucy belts "Let It Go" into the karaoke microphone. Bailey touches his arm. "It's supposed to be your party, but you're not here. And I know that look. You're thinking about work, which you shouldn't be on a Saturday night, let alone at your party. What's going on?"
"Right now? Just the party."
"John, you're not usually that evasive with me."
"I'm sorry. I don't want to be. But there are some things I can't talk about. It's the job."
"Is this about what Randy told you?"
"Bailey…."
"It's Dad and Bailey's turn," Henry announces as Lucy puts down the mic.
Bailey's hair flies with the violent shake of her head. "No way!"
Seizing a chance to avoid more questions, John grabs her hand. "Come on! You're probably as great at this as you are at everything else. Except painting," he adds under his breath.
"No, really!" Bailey protests. "I can't!"
"You can pick something more your era," Abigail encourages. "Everyone your age knows 'I'll Be There for You."
"I know it. I just can't sing it," Bailey grumbles.
John's smooth, warm tones fill the room while Bailey grudgingly joins in with notes unknown to Western music. Lucy tries unsuccessfully to cover her wince with a smile. When Harper marches to the karaoke and hits the switch, Bailey lets out a breath. "Thank you!"
Nyla massages her baby boulder. "This one usually loves music, but that was traumatizing."
John grins at his girlfriend. "So you really can't sing."
"I think that was obvious," Bailey retorts.
John's grin widens. "There's something I can do that the firefighter, lieutenant in the National Guard Reserves, capoeira teacher, and motorcycle racer can't. Thank God!"
Laughter bubbles through Bailey's lips. "This has to be the first time I ever made anyone happy by singing."
John wraps his arms around her. "Or whatever that was."
As the sun peeks above the horizon, Tim Bradford climbs into a helicopter. "We can't get too close," Tim warns the pilot. "If the cartel has the building under surveillance, we don't want to tip them off."
"We'll keep just enough distance," the pilot assures him. "But we have to move in as soon as the cartel's troops are assembled."
"Right. We'll have to knock them back before they can take out any of our decoys." Tim consults his watch. "It won't be long until we know if the operation is going to work. They should all be in place in a half-hour."
The pilot holds up crossed fingers. "Good luck."
Normally, Smitty could sleep through an atomic bomb, and with his seniority, he rarely has to rise before noon on Sundays. Today, however, the thin metal walls of his trailer vibrate as he tosses in bed. Like much of what he's done for the cartel, the message he sent could get people killed. Jackson West died when Smitty helped La Fiera escape and raid the wedding. But deaths today could be so high profile the department will never stop looking for a culprit. In his dreams, Smitty sees himself dropping like the space troopers in the game. Finally, he gives up on sleep and turns on the news. If anything happens to cops, the press will be on it like dogs on raw meat.
From the helicopter door, Bradford sights through the scope of his rifle. Cartel soldiers form a ring around the target building. From what Tim can tell, they carry weapons similar to his own, with enough ammunition to mow down an army. Still, rifle bullets aimed upward lose their trajectory. If the department's airpower comes in at the right altitude, it will have a major advantage. But the pilots will have little room for error. Neither will Tim and the LAPD's other sharpshooters.
The officers serving as decoys inside the building have full armor. But humans in armor still get shot and killed. And armor's no match for a bomb. Tim's seen too many soldiers blown apart by IEDs. The cost of taking out Abril Rojas's operation could be very high. Too high.
Nolan turned in after the party broke up around one am. Still, he's been awake since five. He would have let Bailey sleep, but she had an early class to teach and left after a hurried breakfast. He wasn't in on much of the planning, but he knows operation Rat Trap is going down this morning. John would have volunteered but doesn't have the sharpshooter rating required. As far as he knows, Bradford is one of the few at the division to qualify. Reddick, the SWAT team captain, will be in charge and coordinating with the DEA. John checks his watch – again – and decides to turn on the news. The firefight he's expecting can't escape the notice of the media.
Abril makes a final inspection of her troops before giving the signal to move in. Tim watches from above as the cordon around the building begins to tighten. He thumbs his radio. "Condition Indigo."
Reddick lifts his walkie-talkie. "Indigo. Air support moving in."
As the cartel troops encircle the building, the sound of helicopter blades reaches Raul's ears. "Demonio!" He turns to Abril. "It's a trap. We should retreat. Now! It may already be too late."
Fire flashes in Abril's dark eyes. "We've defeated armies in Guatemala and Mexico. We've crushed our opponents in this city. We do not retreat!" She raises her rifle at an incoming helicopter.
A "breaking news" graphic flashes across the bottom of Nolan's television screen. Anchor, Mara Novak, appears on camera. "A story is developing in Los Angeles' fashion district. Residents of the area report hearing gunfire and helicopters. At this moment, the LAPD is refusing requests for comment."
"They're a little busy," John growls at the screen before hitting off. "Screw it!" If the LAPD is exchanging fire with the cartel, the least he can do is go to the division and offer whatever support he can.