“And those trucks that leave on the U.S. side? If those are the ones being used for drug transport, my agency has routinely run random inspections with the dogs. I can’t believe we’ve never hit one of those, so my guess would be they’re specially outfitted with something that would throw off the dogs,” Dave groused.
“We plan to cross the border Tuesday. We want eyes on the trucks arriving at the warehouse from Alonzo. Once there, we’ll make our way to the tunnels, following the product. By the time we see it arrive stateside, your people can be in place. That should get everything you need to institute a raid,” Carson added.
They continued planning for the next hour, gave out assignments, and then he sent the information to Dave. Looking at the clock, he calculated the time needed to get ready, knowing he had Jeannie waiting at home. “Let’s get the equipment checked out.”
“It’s drugs, isn’t it?”
Carson didn’t blink. In fact, his face stayed perfectly impassive. So much so, she was amazed at how he could mask whatever he was thinking. Probably a trick all special ops either have or learn. “I know, I know, I’m not supposed to try to get any information. But I spent a lot of time in the ER with people who’d OD’d. We saved everyone we could, but as you can imagine, there were a lot we couldn’t. Heroin, meth, cocaine.” She shook her head as memories flooded back. “Hell, just about every drug you can imagine had been taken, snorted, shot up, smoked, huffed. The fact that the Garza family has a winery in Mexico makes it easy to grow and transport drugs as well as wine, and the other brother has a winery here in California, he can receive whatever’s coming.”
They were lying in bed after making love, his face turned toward her, his arms and legs wrapped around her. His embrace didn’t make her feel trapped but rather cocooned in safety. Not wanting him to feel pressured, she rushed, “It’s okay, honey. You don’t have to say anything—”
“I know, babe. This is the part where you and I figure things out. There are some jobs and missions with LSI-WC that I can talk about, things that aren’t overly sensitive or confidential. Others, especially ongoing investigations, I won’t talk about. What makes the Garza investigation difficult is that you’re involved. I don’t want to put you in more danger, but I also know knowledge is power.”
“Honestly,” she pleaded, leaning closer, “I just want to make sure that Maggie is safe.”
He nodded, keeping one hand around both of hers while he lifted the other and cupped her cheek. He met her halfway and kissed her lightly. “I do, too.” Still holding her close, he added, “That’s why I’m going to confirm your assumptions. But we’re working with the government to shut down their pathway in the trafficking network. So, I need you to stay smart, and let me do my job.”
Her heart soared that he’d felt able to trust her. Nodding, she said, “Yes, I’ll let you do your job. But I have to tell you that Maggie is smart. She was the one who first began wondering what Vincent was up to. She’s continuing to stay smart, and that’s part of the reason she wanted to get back to her own place.”
“As long as you’re not on the Garza estate,” he warned. “I brought you here to keep you safe, not walk back into the lion’s den.”
“No worries! I have zero plans to be back in their presence!” She hesitated, then added, “I thought I’d drive to my place after visiting Maggie. Just to pick up a few more things—”
“No way, absolutely not!”
She jerked at the vehemence in his voice and his arms tightened.
“Babe, I’m sorry, but you can’t go by yourself. I should have told you that our surveillance picked up someone entering your place. Just looking around as though to ascertain if you were still living there.”
Cold ran through her blood, and this time she shivered, burrowing deeper into his embrace. “I hate this.”
“Soon. I promise we’re working on things as quickly as we can. But one way or the other, I’ll make sure we get your things from your apartment. I just need you to promise not to go there yourself.”
She nodded, her forehead resting on his chest and the feel of his lips kissing the top of her head warming her.
“There’s more I need to tell you.”
At that, she lifted her head and stared into his eyes again.
“I’ll be here today but will probably leave tomorrow night. I shouldn’t be gone more than a day or so.” He reached across her, rolling her partially underneath him, and opened the drawer to the nightstand. Rolling back, he held a chain that was dangling through his fingers. Opening his palm, a small silver lighthouse charm fastened to the chain.
“This is beautiful,” she exclaimed, her fingertip delicately rubbing over the charm.
“This is something that Mace has done with his Keepers. Each of them gave a necklace to their significant others. Embedded inside is a tracer. It’s not meant to be intrusive, but if anything ever happened to you, I’d be able to find you. And while I’m gone, I want you to stay in communication with Rachel. I might be incommunicado, but please do that for me. I need the peace of mind knowing that you’re okay.”
She nodded, understanding the request. “That’s easy enough.” Seeing him staring intently, she added, “I get it, honey. Just like in the military, your team needs to know where you are. And as far as I’m concerned, we’re a team.”
“Damn, could you be any more perfect for me?”
“I think we’re perfect together.” Grinning, she placed her hands on his jaws and kissed him with everything she could pour into the kiss. With that, she pressed her body tightly to his, letting the kiss flame higher.
28
Carson led the Keepers inland from where their boat anchored offshore. Tecate was less than forty miles away but on the roads available would take a little over an hour to reach. Staying with the main roads where tourists traveled kept eyes off them.
Once there, Carson, Adam, and Leo checked into a hotel, then found a cafe near the warehouse for an evening meal, keeping an eye on the trucks moving down the road. Clocking the three trucks, one with the Garza Winery logo on the side and the other two plain heading to the warehouse, they noted the drivers and lack of security.
“Don’t seem too concerned about someone stealing their shit,” Leo said, his eyes hidden behind his reflector sunglasses, but Carson knew his gaze was locked onto the trucks.
“The Garzas wield a lot of power here. Their winery employs a shit ton of locals, not to mention the other business,” Adam replied. “Who around here would dare to cross them?”
Carson didn’t respond, his gaze still firmly locked onto where the others were looking. There were enough tourists around to keep them from looking out of place, but he was twitchy. Something was up. Something he couldn’t name. Fuck… maybe this is just a feeling that comes from being involved with someone else and working missions. He steadied his breathing, willing the unease to dissipate. It remained. Then I’ll learn to fuckin’ live with it. Jeannie’s in my life, in my heart. Now, we just need to nail the Garzas’ asses and get this fuckin’ mission over with.