Page 35
Story: Extraction
“I take offense to that,” Mark muttered, and John bit back a grin.
“Your point?” Paul cleared his throat.
“My point, Paul, is you lied to me. Engineers for construction companies, my ass.” I held up a hand and used my fingers as I spoke. “DSA means Division of the State Architect and GMP means Guaranteed Maximum Price. Common construction terms, which you’d know if you were actually working for a construction company.”
“Well, damn,” Mark chuckled, “you’re good.”
“I’m not good,” I sipped the beer, “I’m great. Just like you guys are supposed to be. Isn’t that right, Blackstone?” All six men went still. You could hear a pin drop they were so silent. “And Mike,” I figured I’d give one more example of just how good I was at my job, “when you flexed your arm, I spotted an angel, half black and half white. The black side has clipped wings and the white side doesn’t.” I held up my hands as he went to speak. “Please let me finish because this is good.”
He looked around the table and shrugged. “Fine, have at it.”
“I also remember the story of the famous Cartel family that got taken down by Blackstone. And how Salvador’s daughter went missing. She had a distinctive tattoo on her back, a black angel. There was a rumor that she fell in love with one of her Blackstone rescuers, and now that I see your tattoo and connect the dots, here we are.” I chuckled, proud of my discovery.
“Most people wouldn’t know that information.” Mike studied me carefully, and I backed off a bit.
“Most people don’t study facts like I do. Plus, I was asked to do a story on her family.” The tension in his huge shoulders loosened a little. I decided it would be in my best interest to lighten the mood. I needed them to see I wasn’t a threat. “And now, here I am, sitting by a pool with a bunch of men dressed in pastels who resemble a box of saltwater taffy.”
“Did she just call us taffy?” Mark leaned over and asked Keith, who just glared at him. “Well, color me impressed.” He dragged his hand down his outfit. “I really like her.”
“You’d like a skinless cat if it complemented your outfit,” Mike grunted and made John crack up.
“I’m impressed but also concerned with how much you know,” Cole said. It was clear he was the leader of the group, and his intense expression was focused on me.
“I’m very good at my job. I’m constantly researching, analyzing, and finding any back door, neighbor, or ex-girlfriend who can get me deeper inside the Cartel life. I’ve given up a lot to do this job, and I don’t take it lightly.”
“I respect that.” Cole nodded and seemed to relax a little, which in turn made me relax. “How did you get separated from your team?”
I let out a deep sigh, one I’d been holding forever. “I went to meet with someone I’d been working hard to develop a relationship with. When I got back to where we were supposed to meet, everyone was gone, along with my cameraman. I found out later, one of the soldiers had been killed and my cameraman taken hostage.” I took a breath. “I was trying to get back to the rest, but…” I trailed off.
“And?" he prompted.
“Well, usually, when something like that happens, I’d lay low and wait to hear from them. Just this morning, I was able to check with my people in Washington and assured them I was all right, and I got the green light to keep going. That’s when I discovered the rest of the team was killed.” They were my friends, and their death screwed with my head and sleep. “Now I’m just worried about Ben.”
“Ben’s fine,” Paul said, and I blinked at him. “We extracted him a few days ago.”
Though I was beyond relieved to hear that, I closed my eyes and fought back the urge to go back to Bruno’s place and drive a bullet through his heart. How dare he use Ben like that?
“Prick,” I muttered, and Paul drew in his chin at me. “Oh, I didn’t mean Ben.” My head spun in circles about how Bruno had played me, again.
“Your injuries, are they from the explosion?” Keith’s voice barely pushed through my rage.
“Ha!” I tapped my fingers on the table and tried to calm myself. “This would be the handiwork of Bruno Perez.”
A cold chill settled over the table, and I wondered which Pandora’s Box I’d just opened.
“Hang on.” Paul’s jaw ticked as he drew in a deep breath. “Bruno Perez did that?” He pointed to my face.
“Well, him and his friggin’ waste of space men he calls soldiers.”
“Fuck,” John muttered.
“Yeah.” Mark looked at Cole, who jumped up and put a phone to his ear.
I looked at the others as I tried to follow what was happening. “So, you thought he was dead?”
“Considering I blew up him and his driver last year, yeah, I thought he was.” Paul snickered.
I dropped my head and connected the dots. “That explains the burn scars on his arm.” My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I gave it a quick glance. It was Jack. “It’s my contact at the Post.” I shrugged and put the phone away. “I’ll call back.” I figured something must be up, but I didn’t want to call in earshot of the guys.
“Your point?” Paul cleared his throat.
“My point, Paul, is you lied to me. Engineers for construction companies, my ass.” I held up a hand and used my fingers as I spoke. “DSA means Division of the State Architect and GMP means Guaranteed Maximum Price. Common construction terms, which you’d know if you were actually working for a construction company.”
“Well, damn,” Mark chuckled, “you’re good.”
“I’m not good,” I sipped the beer, “I’m great. Just like you guys are supposed to be. Isn’t that right, Blackstone?” All six men went still. You could hear a pin drop they were so silent. “And Mike,” I figured I’d give one more example of just how good I was at my job, “when you flexed your arm, I spotted an angel, half black and half white. The black side has clipped wings and the white side doesn’t.” I held up my hands as he went to speak. “Please let me finish because this is good.”
He looked around the table and shrugged. “Fine, have at it.”
“I also remember the story of the famous Cartel family that got taken down by Blackstone. And how Salvador’s daughter went missing. She had a distinctive tattoo on her back, a black angel. There was a rumor that she fell in love with one of her Blackstone rescuers, and now that I see your tattoo and connect the dots, here we are.” I chuckled, proud of my discovery.
“Most people wouldn’t know that information.” Mike studied me carefully, and I backed off a bit.
“Most people don’t study facts like I do. Plus, I was asked to do a story on her family.” The tension in his huge shoulders loosened a little. I decided it would be in my best interest to lighten the mood. I needed them to see I wasn’t a threat. “And now, here I am, sitting by a pool with a bunch of men dressed in pastels who resemble a box of saltwater taffy.”
“Did she just call us taffy?” Mark leaned over and asked Keith, who just glared at him. “Well, color me impressed.” He dragged his hand down his outfit. “I really like her.”
“You’d like a skinless cat if it complemented your outfit,” Mike grunted and made John crack up.
“I’m impressed but also concerned with how much you know,” Cole said. It was clear he was the leader of the group, and his intense expression was focused on me.
“I’m very good at my job. I’m constantly researching, analyzing, and finding any back door, neighbor, or ex-girlfriend who can get me deeper inside the Cartel life. I’ve given up a lot to do this job, and I don’t take it lightly.”
“I respect that.” Cole nodded and seemed to relax a little, which in turn made me relax. “How did you get separated from your team?”
I let out a deep sigh, one I’d been holding forever. “I went to meet with someone I’d been working hard to develop a relationship with. When I got back to where we were supposed to meet, everyone was gone, along with my cameraman. I found out later, one of the soldiers had been killed and my cameraman taken hostage.” I took a breath. “I was trying to get back to the rest, but…” I trailed off.
“And?" he prompted.
“Well, usually, when something like that happens, I’d lay low and wait to hear from them. Just this morning, I was able to check with my people in Washington and assured them I was all right, and I got the green light to keep going. That’s when I discovered the rest of the team was killed.” They were my friends, and their death screwed with my head and sleep. “Now I’m just worried about Ben.”
“Ben’s fine,” Paul said, and I blinked at him. “We extracted him a few days ago.”
Though I was beyond relieved to hear that, I closed my eyes and fought back the urge to go back to Bruno’s place and drive a bullet through his heart. How dare he use Ben like that?
“Prick,” I muttered, and Paul drew in his chin at me. “Oh, I didn’t mean Ben.” My head spun in circles about how Bruno had played me, again.
“Your injuries, are they from the explosion?” Keith’s voice barely pushed through my rage.
“Ha!” I tapped my fingers on the table and tried to calm myself. “This would be the handiwork of Bruno Perez.”
A cold chill settled over the table, and I wondered which Pandora’s Box I’d just opened.
“Hang on.” Paul’s jaw ticked as he drew in a deep breath. “Bruno Perez did that?” He pointed to my face.
“Well, him and his friggin’ waste of space men he calls soldiers.”
“Fuck,” John muttered.
“Yeah.” Mark looked at Cole, who jumped up and put a phone to his ear.
I looked at the others as I tried to follow what was happening. “So, you thought he was dead?”
“Considering I blew up him and his driver last year, yeah, I thought he was.” Paul snickered.
I dropped my head and connected the dots. “That explains the burn scars on his arm.” My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I gave it a quick glance. It was Jack. “It’s my contact at the Post.” I shrugged and put the phone away. “I’ll call back.” I figured something must be up, but I didn’t want to call in earshot of the guys.
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