Chapter 36

"Monterrey, Steph. Mexico"

Came from Stanley as he taxied the plane toward a small hanger that looked to be at the edge of what I assume was the airport. Once inside the hanger and as the plane came to a stop with the engines dying down, Ethan was ready to open the door. Everything was unloaded from the plane and taken to a small room at the back of the hanger. Stanley had obviously planned for us to fly straight down here because it seemed he'd been well planned in what he'd packed. It seemed that we would be staying here as well as there were bunk beds, tables and chairs and a small efficient kitchen.

That was when I assumed that we were going to be moving onto the next job. To be honest I didn't mind because it would give me something else to think about, other than finding the bodies of those women, and I knew we had to get that little girl away from her father. Ellie was already here, she'd been organizing this place for us to stay in and had been trying to get a handle on what was happening with some of the cartels, just in case we ended up crossing their paths.

Ethan and Ellie went to get takeout, while Lizbeth and I organized the small area that we would be sharing for the next few days. It wasn't ideal, with little privacy but I didn't feel in a position to complain. It was a good job that we had an assortment of clothes with us that we'd taken to San Francisco because I had a feeling, we would need to be more subtle with how we approached this job.

It was after we'd eaten and were sat at the table that the real planning started.

"I traced back the email that Alessi sent to Jasmine, it came from an internet café in the city, which gave me a general location"

"I checked the place out. I think he may have used it just the once. I didn't see any sightings of him"

Which, it seemed, was something else that Ellie had done while she was here.

"Well, he's pretty stupid, because I'm sure he thought that someone would track that email back to there and draw a blank about where he was. Luckily for us he uses the same email address for everything, twitter, Facebook and other social media sites so I was able to find his precise location"

Yeah, I could just imagine Alessi sat with his phone to occupy himself not realizing the mistake he was making. Ethan brought up a satellite image on his laptop screen that showed an area to the north of Monterrey, though it was difficult to work out what the terrain was like.

"He's here just outside Los Mirasoles and from what I could find, I'd say he's living here"

Ethan zoomed in on the satellite image until a single building came into view. It looked as though we were looking onto a valley with trees growing on either side of the building, maybe where a river had once run?

"The problem that we'll have is that there's a compound about a mile further up that track that belongs to Flores Borrego, who runs the Gulf Cartel between here and the border"

There were a lot of buildings came into view as Ethan moved the image, several that could have been houses but the rest looked like large barns. The track, that led to where Alessi was, continued up to the compound so one of the things that we'd have to be careful of was being seen on the track. I had no doubt that there were other tracks in and out of the compound, or were there? Did Borrego think that he could guard that one entrance and keep the compound safe?

"The only idea that I've come up with is to create a distraction to get the men away from the compound"

I was pretty sure that wouldn't look anything like the distractions that I'd done for Ranger. I couldn't see a woman having that kind of effect.

"The Gulf cartel exists alongside the Los Zetas cartel, but that relationship is very tenuous with constant disputes cropping up. Los Zetas is the larger and stronger of the two, but the Gulf Cartel is one of the oldest cartels, so Los Zeta tolerate their existence as long they keep to an agreement"

Okay, I was beginning to follow what Ethan was saying. If I was right, he wanted to instigate a disagreement between the two cartels that would have Flores Borrego leaving his compound with most of his men. Shit, I hoped that we didn't end up in the middle of that.

"What would you suggest Ethan?"

Stanley looked serious as he asked that, and I didn't blame him.

"Surely we need to find out if that little girl is with Alessi first, don't we?"

I could hear the worry in Lizbeth's voice as she asked that and she did have a point. Ethan shrugged his shoulders as though he was waiting for suggestions so maybe that was where we could come in.

"I can't see him looking after a child and a house, cooking and cleaning. I'll bet he has a woman who does that for him"

"Ethan, what's at the beginning of the track, where it leaves the main route?"

I watched as Ethan dragged the image until the main route came into sight and there for all to see was a small hamlet.

"Good call Lizbeth"

There was something else that I noticed as he did that, the position of the access track and what could be the bed of a river with the tress growing on either side.

"We could get up to Alessi by following the riverbed, its screened from the track by those trees"

From those observations we started to formulate a plan. Two of us would hike up the riverbed close to Alessi's property while someone else would keep a watch on the hamlet and who went up the track. I was envisioning spending hours sat on surveillance, but Ethan had a much better idea. Cameras would do the work for us and as they used a Wi-Fi that had a long range, then we wouldn't have to be anywhere nearby.

It seemed that Stanley and I would taking a hike up the riverbed seeing as I'd been the one to see it and Lizbeth and Ellie would place the cameras on the main route. Ethan you might ask, well he was going into Monterrey to research what would create the diversion.

Two hours later it was the middle of the night as Stanley and I started our walk. Somehow, we had an old truck that blended in with the others on the road so the four of us were kitted out in black with guns, vests and cameras. As I followed Stanley up the edge of the flat sand, I couldn't help but think what Ranger would think if he could see me now. I had a black hat on covering my hair and even had some black gunk on my face, yeah just like in the movies. I was wearing black cargos with a gun in the back of them and a black long sleeved T-shirt underneath, I felt like a soldier but wasn't naive enough to think that having the right look would make a difference. Was this what Ranger did when he went into the wind? I couldn't hope to compete with the skills that he had, yet here I was. Would he proud of me or would think that I was stupid for getting involved as I had done with this rag tag group of people?

It was another thing that I was sure he wouldn't like, which made me think about how I was here, trudging up this valley. I tried to think of when I had got involved, but to honest, it just seemed to evolve. I almost felt responsible for ensuring that those EMPs couldn't do anyone any harm and at the back of my mind there was a promise to a dying man, Petco, that I'd do whatever I could to put right what he'd done. There was a feeling of righteousness that I'd sometimes felt when bringing in an FTA. Was that how Ranger felt when he did the work that he did? I missed him and had so many regrets for not trying to get in touch with him. Fleeing from that road had been the right thing to do though, the idea of being taken by Raynor or Markovic still sent shivers down my spine.

I could have, should have because I knew deep down that Ranger wouldn't have betrayed me, but would he have agreed with the path that we were taking? Probably not. He'd be annoyed with me even disappointed that I thought that I was capable. But I'd changed as well, I knew that, I wasn't that dizzy female that he needed to protect anymore. I was an equal member of a team with people that I trusted and who trusted me. We discussed things together to formulate plans and whilst not at Ranger's level of competence I was getting there. Maybe one day I would have the courage to face him that was if he ever wanted to see me again. For now we had a mission of own to do and I needed to focus on that, yeah focus on the goal Stephanie.

I wouldn't say that it was quiet as we walked, and not because my heart was thumping in my chest. It was the sound of animals as they went about their lives during the night. The katydids, crickets, and cicadas provided a cacophony of sounds around us. I was sure that there were mammals as well. Stanley had told me that they would be more frightened of us and stay away, animals like the prairie dog, grey wolf and Xoloitzcuintli, a breed of dog that I knew nothing about. I never saw anything, but it did make me very aware of where we were walking.

The light coming through the windows was the first indication that we were close to Alessi's place. Crouching down we crept closer, in my mind I was trying to figure out the possible layout of the place. We were at the back of the house, a house with only one floor, so in my mind the light was probably coming from a bedroom. Why the light was still on in the room at this late hour puzzled me. If the girl, whose name was Aida, was here then I couldn't see her being in there. Maybe there were several men who stayed here and maybe they took it in turns to keep watch over the house. Shit, there were so many variables that we didn't know about.

A tug on my arm and I saw Stanley holding up a camera and pointing to the side of the house so I watched him disappear into the darkness. As he disappeared I was looking around for somewhere to place the camera that I had. I knew that I needed to be closer to the house to have any chance of catching what was going on inside, but the trees were blocking most of the view. I was careful with where I walked knowing there could be someone in that room, but I was also curious. Before I knew it, I was hunched under the windowsill and raised myself very slowly so that I could see inside. I was looking at a large open space that stretched from the back of the house to the front and sat there asleep in a large, overstuffed chair was a man. It wasn't Alessi, which posed two questions. Who was he and where was Alessi?

I moved away from the window and looked behind me, thinking that a view inside this room would be useful, and spied a tree that would be perfect. I had always found climbing trees easy as a kid and even as an adult. It was getting down that that had always terrified me and now was no exception. The camera was attached to a branch with zip ties and would give an excellent view of the room. I was debating whether to turn around to climb down when I heard voices, men's voices, and froze. I was opposite the window and could see that another man was now there, kicking the leg of the man in the chair. Alessi wasn't pleased that he'd fallen asleep.

Alessi was only dressed in boxer shorts, blue ones with palm trees printed on them. He'd put on weight from the photo that I'd seen of him and no doubt the beer in his hand had something to do with that. I didn't dare move in case I attracted their attention but continued to watch and listen.

I had no idea what they were shouting at each other because they were using Spanish, but when they both stopped and looked to the other side of the room, it was then that I saw a small child walking into the room. Her hair was tousled from sleep, and she was holding a small stuffed toy to her face. The shouting had obviously woken her up but as Alessi started to walk toward her he was pushed out of the way by the man who had been asleep. He wasn't gentle with her as he picked her up and from the look that he gave Alessi, he wasn't pleased that he was the one dealing with her.

I was thankful when Alessi disappeared to another room and when the other man reappeared, he opened a door that led outside at the front of the house. I took that as my cue to move from where I was, I didn't think of how to get down the tree, I just did it. I was soon back on the sandy riverbed pleased that Stanley was waiting for me.

On our return walk to the truck, I kept running through what I'd seen in that room, trying to figure out what role each of the men had. Why had Alessi been stopped from taking Aida back to her room?

Once back at the hanger I was too tired to even want to know how the others had got on. After washing the black from my face, I fell onto the lower bunk bed and instantly fell asleep.

Waking up I realized I must have been really tired from our excursions because I was sure I was in the same position, on my stomach, as when I'd fallen onto the bed. Turning my head, I was aware of how quiet it was, but couldn't immediately see anyone. The idea that I was on my own soon vanished when I saw Lizbeth curled up on the couch with a book in her hands. I pushed myself up onto my knees, swearing as my head hit the upper bunk.

"Morning Steph, you slept well"

I was sat on the edge of the bed rubbing the sleep from my eyes and thinking that maybe Lizbeth was right. There had been no dreams that I could remember.

"Where is everyone?"

"Ethan and Elaina went out to check on the feed from the cameras and Stanley, I have no idea"

"Did anyone see anything of interest?"

I knew straight away that what Lizbeth was going to say wasn't going to be good.

"Stanley checked out the camera feed earlier and thinks that a large van passed by the front of where you were, he's sure that he heard kids crying"

Shit, that meant that they were getting close to moving the children which meant that Aida could end up with them. Was that why Alessi had been kept away from Aida last night? So that he wouldn't try to stop it?

A look at my watch showed that it was nearly 11 o'clock and my empty stomach said that it must be time to eat.

"How about we find somewhere to eat and then we'll meet with the others and discuss what we can do next?"

I asked, knowing that Lizbeth would probably want to be doing something other than just sat around here waiting.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Hurry up and get ready"

I took a very quick shower, washing my hair being a priority, and dressed in some black fitted jeans and a round neck white T-shirt. Having a shower here wasn't ideal, as there was little hot water, and the bathroom wasn't the most inviting place to be in.

30 minutes later we were walking from the hanger and toward the front of the airport where passengers accessed the terminal.

"How about we get a taxi and head into town"

I nodded my head in agreement thinking that there would be a better selection of cafes or restaurants. It was fairly quiet with very few people in the queue for taxis and it wasn't long before we were on the road heading into the center of Monterrey. The taxi driver suggested a good place to eat when we asked him for a suggestion, though to me it didn't seem as though we were anywhere near the center of town. I quickly ignored that, thinking that maybe where he was suggesting was better than the usual tourist places.

The place we arrived at looked okay with awnings hanging outside and large windows showing the interior, so once inside we found a table to one side of the room.

"Enchiladas. We can get a selection of fillings"

Came from Lizbeth as I studied the menu. To be honest I felt spoilt for choice at the variety of dishes on the menu but quickly agreed with Lizbeth. As we ate and drank our coffee I looked around, watching the comings and goings of the other customers. Each table held 4 people and were covered in a red checkered tablecloth, with complimentary water and an assortment of dips with bread sticks. The other patrons were mainly men, who were very focused on eating.

"I'm heading to the rest rooms"

Was all that Lizbeth said as she got up from the table, so I watched as she disappeared through a door at the back of the café. That was when things changed. The men who had been sat at their tables were suddenly leaving and it was only as I looked out of the window that I realized that there were a couple of trucks parked outside with their occupants obviously coming into the café.

I began to feel very uneasy but knew that I couldn't leave without paying our bill. Picking up my bag I decided to find Lizbeth in the rest rooms and suggest that we left straight away. I had a feeling that maybe this place was a favorite eating place for men that I really didn't want to be near.

Getting to my feet and turning, I could feel the atmosphere in the place go cold and I realized there were a few too many men in here with me for me to feel comfortable. As I started to make my way to the back of the café two of those men were suddenly in front of me, looking me up and down. It was definitely time to get out of here.

"What's your hurry, chica?"

I ignored the question and tried to side step the man who had spoken to me, but he moved at the same time and blocked my path.

"Excuse me"

Was the lame response that came from my mouth as I glared at the two men. Yeah, I definitely had to get out of here. They were big men wearing shirts over T-shirts and jeans with the usual dark skin and hair that was typical for the area. What wasn't typical though were the guns pushed down the front of their jeans. A laugh came from the man as he reached up and swept his hand down my hair.

"This one looks like a money maker, grab her"

As the other man made to grab hold of my arm, I spun around into a hard body behind me. Okay, I didn't intend to knock him backwards, but I was going with the opportunity the advantage gave me. Unfortunately, I hadn't realized that there were two more men stood behind him. I felt a hand in my hair, pulling me toward the front door, trying my best to resist, but he was holding me to the side, out of reach of any swings that I tried to make. I only had the one defense move that usually worked. He was surprised when I actually moved in closer and maybe even more surprised when my foot engaged with his crotch. The response wasn't what I expected as he gave me a really evil look, making me think that his balls must be made from steel. I saw his fist fly out but with his hand still holding my hair tightly in the other hand I didn't stand a chance.