Forged in Steele (KGI #7)(47)

“Four guard towers, one on each corner,” P.J. added. “Three men in each plus an additional watch post in the middle of the complex that enables the occupants to see the entire encompassing area. He has six guys there. All armed with long-range assault rifles. I’d lay odds on them being crack snipers, but that’s just a guess based on what we observed of everything else. I doubt he’d go to such lengths with his security if they weren’t capable.”

“Fuck,” Steele muttered. “What else?”

“High concrete walls surround the main house. Iron gates on the north and south with four guards posted at each. No one comes in or out without being cleared. We saw one delivery truck come in and it was at least five minutes before they were allowed inside. Everyone inside the truck was searched and patted down. The entire truck was searched, top to bottom. I doubt we’d get in that way. They were very thorough,” Cole said.

“With only two snipers, the best we’re looking at is being able to take out front or back but not both at the same time. Cole and I would both have to team up and take out one side and by the time that happens, they’re going to know we’re here and all hell will break loose. This guy is armed to the teeth. I’d say he’s one paranoid son of a bitch,” P.J. said.

“What you’re saying is that we’re outmanned and outgunned,” Donovan said grimly. “We need to pull another team for this, even if it’s Nathan and Joe’s.”

Steele swore. They didn’t have the time for this shit. What were the f**king odds they’d run into a goddamn fortress tighter than Fort Knox in the middle of Bumf*ck, Costa Rica?

“We don’t have time to pull in another team,” Steele ground out. “Any sign of Maren? Do we know if she’s even there?”

“We have a pretty good idea she is,” Dolphin interjected. “Ninety-nine percent certain.”

“Give me what intel you have,” Steele directed Dolphin and Donovan.

“Van and I poked around,” Dolphin began. “Mendoza had several deliveries. Women’s clothing. Several shipments of feminine shit. Lotions, bath stuff, perfume, hair crap. The whole nine yards. Not to mention a few local deliveries of floral arrangements. Looks to me like a man trying to court a woman. But no one has actually seen her. He’s tightened security in the last week, which falls in line with the timeline of Maren’s disappearance.”

Steele’s lips tightened and he swallowed back a snarl of rage. “Anything else that points to evidence that Maren is being held on his estate?”

“We have an eyewitness,” Donovan said grimly. “A child. Not the most reliable witness in the world, but he sounds believable to me and it was pretty clear what he saw.”

“Tell me,” Steele demanded.

“He saw a guy drive up to Maren’s clinic right before closing time. He was waiting when she came out. They spoke and the kid said Maren looked scared. But then he said the man picked Maren up, threw her over his shoulder and then stuffed her into his vehicle and drove away.”

“Fuck,” Cole murmured. “That’s pretty solid evidence. I vote we go in.”

Steele turned his attention to Baker and Renshaw. “What do you have for me?”

“It’s not good,” Baker said. “As Cole said, high concrete walls surround the main house. Two gates, both heavily guarded. We have a few options.”

“Give them to me,” Steele said tersely.

“Well, we can blow our way through the concrete walls. Going to take a f**kload of explosives and it still only gives us one way out unless you want to split up and go in one way and blow our way out the other. We can bust through the gates, but again, they’d know immediately we were there and it would still take time to go through the compound and secure it. Especially since we don’t know where the f**k he’s holding Maren.”

Steele and Donovan exchanged uneasy glances. Steele wasn’t liking either option.

“Or,” Renshaw said. “We can do a helo drop into the compound. Hit them hard and fast, load the chopper and get the hell out. P.J.? Cole? You guys detect any rocket launchers? Think they’re that armed?”

P.J. frowned. “Not that I saw. He has heavy firepower, but all I laid eyes on were the rifles, and he has plenty of those. We’d be dumbasses not to plan for the worst, though.”

“Where are we going to get our hands on a chopper big enough to carry all of us and offer enough protection that we don’t get our asses shot off when we’re lifting off and getting the f**k out of there?” Baker asked.

Donovan grimaced. “Damn good question.”

“Fuck it all,” Steele swore. “This is not the way I wanted this to go down.”

“I know we all want to go in and get her out, but we have to be smart about this,” Donovan said. “We need to call in another team, have Rio get us a chopper. He has the connections and could get it done a hell of a lot faster than us trying to get a contact locally. He could be here in a few hours if we call him up now. For that matter, Nathan and Joe and their team could be here not long after that. If we wait twenty-four hours before we go in, we’ll have enough manpower and planning time to ensure this goes smoothly without getting us or Maren killed in the process.”

“And what is Maren enduring in the meantime?” Steele said in a deadly soft voice.