The Vargas Cartel Trilogy (Vargas Cartel #1-3)(130)

My eyes narrowed into slits.

“He’s telling the truth,” Emanuel interjected, folding his arms across his chest. “We’ve hired all three of these men before. We’ve never had any problems, and their references check out. Ignacio investigated each one of them himself. I have the files if you want to review them at length.”

I nodded. I believed him. Ignacio never did anything without meticulous planning and due diligence. Noah’s situation was similar to mine when I worked as a fixer. I’d taken whatever job paid the most. Sometimes, I had worked indirectly for the US government or other governments, but I was never entrenched with one entity or person. While the steady work one government could provide was nice, it made a consultant beholden and dependent. Two things I never wanted to be.

I cringed inwardly. Somehow I’d ended up indebted and tied to the Vargas Cartel for the rest of my life. Just that fleeting reminder made me want to dive into another bottle of tequila. If Hattie were safe, I’d do exactly that. Alcohol had the benefit of blurring unpleasant truths.

I gestured to the other two men. “What about you two?”

“I’m Rick,” the blond haired man seated in the middle said. “I did two tours in Afghanistan. I’ve been freelancing in Mexico for the last three years.”

“Me too,” the last man said. “Rick and I were in the military together. We’ve worked together a few times, but most of the time, we do our own thing. I’m Eric, by the way.”

I walked the length of the room with my arms folded across my chest. These three men weren’t the only ex-military, muscle-for-hire, in Mexico with adequate qualifications. With US unemployment at a high, particularly for military veterans, tons of ex-military personnel floated in and out of Mexico looking to make a quick buck. I could spend weeks interviewing potential candidates, but I didn’t have weeks. Hattie could be dead in a matter of days. As a rule, I didn’t trust anyone else’s judgment, but right now I had to trust Emanuel and Ignacio.

I swiped a stack of papers from the desk and handed each one of the men a stack of photos of the Alvarez safe house. “Okay. This is where they’re holding the hostage.”

“When are we going to move on the location?” Noah asked as he studied the photos.

“Tonight,” I answered.

“Don’t you think we should do a little recon first?” Rick said, cocking his head to the side.

“That would be ideal, but time is of the essence.”

Rick whistled as he shook his head.

I shot him a leveling stare. “Is that going to be a problem for you? If so, you can get the f*ck out now. Either you’re all in or you’re not.”

Rick scrubbed the side of his face. “You’re asking us to take a leap of faith here. A lot can go wrong.”

“You’re absolutely right. This mission could blow up in our faces whether or not we spend a week staking out the Alvarez safe house.” I paused in front of him, resting my hands on my hips. “Either way, I’ve agreed to compensate you for the added risk and time constraints. If it’s not adequate, then you can walk out right now.” I waved my hand toward the door.

Rick’s lips curled. “This is a suicide mission. We don’t know if the place is booby-trapped or how many men we’ll encounter. At least let a few of us do a quick surveillance run tonight so we’re not running blind.”

“He has a point,” Noah said, propping his ankle on the opposite leg. “The security might change the following night, but it’d give us more information than a few pictures.”

“No,” I spat, my hands shaking with violence. “If someone sees us, they’ll move her or kill her and we’ll be right back to square one, except they’ll know we want her.”

Noah’s nostrils flared. “And if we fail because we’re unprepared, they’ll cut off her head and deliver it to her family or you by sunrise.”

“Failing isn’t an option.” I curled my hands into balls. “Are you saying you’re not good enough to do this?”

Noah’s lips thinned, and his eyes glittered. “No, I’ll do it, but I want seventy-five percent of the money dropped into my account before I’ll lift a finger.”

I glanced out the window. An older man with gray hair crouched in the garden beds planting flowers. “Are you worried you’re not going to make it out?”

“No. I always come out on top.” He chuckled as he leaned back. “I’m worried you won’t make it out and I won’t be paid.”

“I’m not worried about myself, but I’ll wire the money to your account tonight.”

“One more thing,” Noah said.

“What’s that?”

“The final twenty-five percent payment won’t be dependent on whether the girl lives or dies.”

“No.” I gritted my teeth. “I need there to be an incentive for you to do everything in your power keep her alive.”

Noah ran his fingers over his lips. “Fine, but if they kill her before we show up, I still want all the money you promised me.”

A shiver ghosted down my spine. I hoped his words weren’t prophetic. Hattie couldn’t die. I wouldn’t allow it. Life couldn’t be that cruel. I swiped my hand across my forehead, hardening my heart. “Deal,” I barked with a wintry smile. “Now, let’s bang out the logistics so we can get everything ready.”