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And this ends our latest foray into the Task Force arc. Just over an hour later Sonny looked around the conference room. They were all there, waiting. He looked over at Castillo, who stood. “I want one thing to be clear. This ends today. No matter what. Menton crossed a line, and he will pay for it. You can still step away. This is my fight with him, not yours.” Dave snorted. “Like hell. I bought my ticket when I dropped that smuggler and the NVA officer in Laos.” Randy nodded. “So did I. And Trudy’s my friend. He’ll pay.” Gina squeezed Stan’s hand. “I’m late to the party, but Trudy was my partner for years. And Marty…I owe you so much. No, I’m in.” Sonny watched them all nod. “That’s it, then. It’s a go. I talked to Narcotics and they’re going to run a raid on the second location. Turns out they’ve been watching it based on the dead guy’s heroin habit and his visits to the place, so they have a warrant ready to go. I told him it could be a dry hole and he didn’t care. Said it’s the least he could do to repay us for taking down Delgado. He also said they have eyes on the place now and no one matching Menton’s description has been near it. So we don’t need to flush him from there.” Stan nodded. “Easy. I just pull the dummy traffic for them and let the panic button go through. As soon as that goes, I’ll start my show for the electronics shop.” “Good man. Our operation will kick off right after John’s people step off, and that’s in fifteen minutes. Usual load, boys and girls. We’ll get close to the store, then peel off and head for the warehouse. If he gets to that boat we’re screwed.” “He won’t. I had a word with the Coast Guard. They’ll have a bird in the air on our signal. He might outrun us, but he won’t outrun a helicopter.” Castillo smiled. “Let’s do it. We’ll work out transportation on the way down.” Sonny looked at Rico, who shrugged. He doesn’t think Marty called anyone, either. That means he’s planning to break away as soon as we step off. “Weapons and comms checks, people!” Sonny found Stan in the armory loading extra magazines for his Browning. “You got that thing working, Stan?” “Yep. And I know he didn’t call anyone, Sonny. It would have shown up in the tech room.” “Good man.” Sonny looked around. “I’m sending Gina and Mindy with you and Lester. Don’t tell him about the change. Rico’s gonna drive the rest of us.” “I got it. And I’ll take good care of ‘em, Sonny.” “I know you will, Stan. You know, I’m damned proud of you. I don’t know anyone else on the force who could do what you’ve done in the last week. Hell, I know I couldn’t. Not even half of it.” “Thanks, Sonny.” Stan stood, trying to find words. “I…I was wrong about you, too.” “Let’s get this done so you can get back to your honeymoon, big guy.” Sonny chuckled and grabbed extra magazines, not trusting himself to talk any more. Randy caught up with him just outside the armory. “Boss, I…” “Already taken care of. We’re with Rico.” Sonny looked around. “Is he…” “Already headed down. Said he drove slower than the rest of you.” “Ok, people! Marty’s on the move. Mindy and Gina, you’re with Stan and Lester. Dave and Randy, you’re with me and Tubbs. Stan, I want to know every move Marty makes. But we can’t use the normal comms.” Stan grinned. “I never mentioned this, but there’s a second channel. I’ll switch yours over, but he doesn’t know about it. He’ll kick my ass for this.” “At least he’ll be alive to kick it. Get it done and then we move. Otherwise the plan remains the same. Send your fake signals as soon as John’s people go in. Make it good. I want Menton running straight to his damned funeral.” It was, Castillo reflected as he guided the Ford through late morning traffic, a good plan. Sonny adjusted on the fly, keeping the same intent but switching options as conditions changed. It felt good to see him grow as a leader, maturing from the headstrong ego-driven cowboy into something more. The edge was still there, but tempered now with cold reasoning and logic. Burnett’s influence. His sunglasses blocked the glare and his own judgement of himself as he drove. There was the law, and what he was doing flew in the face of it. But Martin Castillo had always had two lines: one for the Job and another for his own moral code. Dale Menton had crossed both of them, and by crossing the second line he’d signed his own death warrant. The rational part of Castillo accepted that he was going against the Job, but he also didn’t care. He’d toed the line every other time Menton had harmed him, and each time the man had walked away laughing. Not this time. He kept his car radio tuned to the tactical frequency, waiting for the chatter launching John Vallencio’s team into action. He knew Vallencio slightly, and considered him a good cop. He’d do his bit today and then some if there was room. And his people….Sonny’s people now…would do their jobs. And he’d do his duty as he saw it. He pulled off the road about a quarter of a mile from the warehouse, picking a parking lot outside a derelict gas station, and waited. Not fifteen minutes later the first calls went out, launching the Narcotics warrant team into action. He could imagine the scene: men in black or green flack jackets going through the door, yelling ‘search warrant’ as they crashed through. People running in panic, holding their hands high, and maybe a scattered shot or two, but in minutes the situation would be under control. Not five minutes later a second set of calls went out, equally convincing and packed with effort, but he knew they were fake. Switek had done his job to perfection. If he hadn’t have know, Castillo would have thought a second raid had just gone in. Now it was his time. Leaving the car, he left his big Magnum in its shoulder holster and started down the low hill toward the warehouse. He’d gone over the reports of the two marshals many times before leaving the office, and he had a solid mental image that matched what he found on the ground. No activity, and the lone guard would be hiding in his hut by the gate to escape the sun. Feeling the scar tissue pull at the wound Maynard had given him back in the Keys, Castillo moved through the lank grass like a ghost. Menton would be here soon. As soon as the radio operator announced he was picking up chatter, Dale Menton bolted through the back door and started his car. He wasn’t sure how things had gone so badly wrong, but he needed to get away and regroup. Castillo would get lazy again. He always did. And then he’d be dead. But for now it was time to head for the hills. The car’s tires lost traction in the alley gravel before finding purchase and shooting out into the street. He didn’t look around, not wanting to see SWAT vans or anything else reminding him of police. If he saw them, they’d see him and the whole thing would be a waste. His hands were slick with sweat as he fought the wheel, and he willed himself back into control. Once clear of the area he slowed down, sticking to the speed limit so as not to attract attention. He was over three blocks away. Outside of any cordon Metro-Dade might think to put up. It was Sun Tsu or one of those Chinks who’d said you should know your enemy, and Menton had made a thorough study of Metro-Dade and its raid tactics. Waiting at a light to turn left toward the warehouse, he felt his confidence returning. He’d passed at least two patrol cars and not drawn a second glance. It was too bad about the boys, but he could always hire more men. And they knew the risks. He smiled at one thought. At least he was saving the bonus money he’d promised them if the operation was a success. That would go far toward setting up someplace new. And then he’d make his old contacts and start up like nothing had happened. One of Menton’s talents was his ability to land on his feet no matter what. He rolled past the fat-ass guard in his air conditioned shack with a wave. If he was sticking around he’d fire the man for being so lazy, but now it just didn’t matter. He patted his suit coat pocket, feeling the notebook with all his bank codes and phone numbers. One thing he’d learned long ago was to keep that kind of information close. You never knew when you’d need it. He could also feel the weight of the Colt snub nose in his other pocket. Not his favorite piece, but it would do in a pinch. Soon enough it wouldn’t matter at all. He hit the breaks, brining the car to a sliding halt in the gravel lot. He smiled, thinking of the big boat in the shed overhanging the water. No more than five minutes and he’d have the twin V-8s roaring and the salt spray in his face. He didn’t care about the second part. The damned sea was overrated. But the engines meant freedom, and that made any discomfort tolerable. He started to walk when one word brought him up sort. “Menton.” Martin Castillo stepped out of the shadow of the warehouse, watching as Menton froze at the sound of his name. He repeated it, louder this time. “Menton!” The stocky man turned, and Castillo could see the first inklings of fear on his pudgy face. “Castillo? What the hell are you doing here? Ain’t you supposed to be at a donut shop?” “You should have known better.” He started circling, feeling the sun warm his back as he moved. Better to get Menton where the glare would disadvantage him. “Known better than what? Hell, I didn’t break out of jail. Uncle Sam gave me my walking papers.” “You should have known better than to go after my woman again.” “Oh, is that what you’re callin’ her?” He could hear the fear in the man’s voice, a thin current under the bluster. “I figured she was just your whore.” “I didn’t want to bring your mother into this.” A little poke, something to add anger to the fear and make him careless. For all his squatness Castillo didn’t underestimate Menton in a fight. “But you crossed a line. My line. There’s no coming back.” “Big words. But you let me go after your team got wiped out.” “That was Gretzky’s doing. I would have stuffed a grenade in your fat mouth and pulled the pin.” “But you can’t do that now. You’re a cop.” Castillo smiled. “Do you see a badge, Menton? You crossed MY line. You made this personal. And you will personally pay the price.” “I’ll see you in hell, Castillo.” Castillo anticipated the lunge, and sidestepped with the grace of years of martial arts training. Using Menton’s own force he swept his legs out from under him and sent him crashing to the gravel. There was an audible ‘whomp’ as the air left the man’s lungs. Castillo just stood there, out of arm’s reach. “Get up.” “I’ll take that out of your hide!” Menton snatched up a handful of gravel and whipped it at Castillo’s face, but the other man was ready. Shielding his face with his left hand, he pivoted and snapped a kick at the side of Menton’s head, sending the man sprawling again. Castillo looked down at Menton’s sweaty form. “Get up!” he hissed, circling. Not letting the other man get a good fix on his position. The kick had opened a cut just above his left eye, and he knew it would be stinging from sweat as well as the pain. Menton snarled, circling with him. Looking for a way to close the distance. He came in low, ducking under another kick and hitting Castillo in the midsection like a football lineman.. Spinning away, Castillo deflected part of the blow. But there was no denying Menton’s strength, and he felt pain stab all along the scar tissue from Maynard’s bullet. He staggered, absorbing a punch to the chest before getting his feet under him and driving Menton back with two quick jabs and another kick. Menton grinned, blood running down the side of his face. “Good stuff, Marty. I ain’t had a good fight since I got out of prison.” “I bet they loved you there. You’re about the right height.” “Fucker!” Menton came at him like an engaged bear; exactly what Castillo hoped to provoke. He dodged the man’s outstretched arms, spinning and catching him in the side with a powerful snap kick. Something gave under his foot, and Menton went down hard clutching at himself. “That felt like a rib or two. A down payment. Nothing more.” Castillo wanted to move in, to finish it. But he knew Menton was counting on him coming closer. The man was dazed, but he wasn’t hurt enough. “Stop dancing and just fight!” Menton feinted one way, then ducked and came from the left, his punch catching the scar tissue again and making Castillo wince. “Something there don’t feel good,” Menton hissed, swining again. The shock almost drove Castillo to his knees, but he used the momentum of Menton’s blow to roll away and come back to his feet. “Your gymnastics coach teach you that?” Castillo didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just stood there in the sun watching Menton through his sunglasses. He balanced on the balls of his feet. Waiting. He was hurt. No question. But he knew Menton was worse. There was blood on his lips now, and his breath rattled. Maybe the rib had done some damage when it broke. One more good kick… With a roar Menton charged again. This time Castillo was planted and ready. His foot came up, his knee bent in an almost exact ninety degree angle, and then snapped forward with every ounce of his leg strength, catching Menton in the same spot as before. The man screamed, dropping to the ground like he’d been shot. The wheezing was louder know, and at least three ribs were gone. Castillo walked over, smashing the outstretched fingers of Menton’s left hand with the heel of his shoe. I could do this right now he thought, looking down at the nasty eyes so full of hate. But if I do, am I any better than him? Could I look Trudy in the eye again? Or myself? He lifted his foot, aiming it square at Menton’s throat, and then lowered it again. “You’re not worth it,” he said, turning away. “I hope your boyfriend in prison will take you back, Menton. Because that’s where you’re going.” Menton looked at the world through a red haze. His entire chest felt like it was on fire, and his left hand throbbed. But he also saw Castillo’s broad back and knew the man had made his last mistake. Digging into his coat pocket, he brought out the small Colt and squinted down the barrel. Rico looked at Sonny as he sent the big Caddy hurdling through the noon rush. “What does Stan say?” “Castillo’s car hasn’t moved for about twenty minutes. He’s at the warehouse.” Sonny grabbed for the dash as Rico cut around another taxi, risking the oncoming lane as long as he could to gain distance and time. “We’re close.” Rico executed a perfect power slide through the last left turn, bringing the big car to a stop within feet of Castillo’s Ford. Randy jumped out of the back seat and looked down the low hill. “Car just goin’ in there. Could be Menton.” Sonny pulled his 4506. “Let’s get a move on!” They moved through the tall grass as fast as they could, eyes flicking left and right just in case Menton had helpers lurking in the shadows. A low retaining wall separated the warehouse grounds from the field, and they reached it just as Castillo smashed Menton’s fingers. Rico looked at Sonny, who shook his head. “We gotta let this play out,” he whispered. Randy nodded. “The captain will make the right call. We just gotta back his play.” Still, he flicked off the thumb safety of his custom .45. Dave nodded and did the same. They were too far away to make out the words, but Sonny knew what had been said when Castillo looked down with that stare of his and turned to walk away. Then he saw sun glint off blued metal and the stubby revolver in Menton’s good hand. “No!” The word ripped itself from his throat as Sonny brought up the 4506. In one smooth blur of motion he let the front sight settle on Menton’s chest as the man started to turn. From the corner of his eye he saw Rico doing the same, and he knew what was happening to his right. When they shot it rolled out like thunder. Six twin booms from the bigger .45s and a pair of higher pops from Rico’s 9mm. The stubby Colt dropped from his lifeless fingers as Dale Menton crashed back on the gravel. The eight bullets hit so close together the coroner later thought the man had been shot with a single cannon ball. Sonny stood, the echos of the shots ringing in his ears and the shock of what had happened bouncing around in his head. Jenny had been right! If they hadn’t have been here Castillo would be dead. He looked over at Randy and Dave. Dave had already flicked the safety back on his .45 and was looking over at the body like it was something he’d seen on the side of the road. Randy met his gaze and shrugged. It took Rico to break the silence. “I’ll be damned if I ever ignore anything that girl says again.” Down in the empty lot, Castillo turned, looking from the body to the four men on the other side of the wall. Then he grabbed at his midsection and winced. “Randy? Do you have that aid bag? I think he might have torn some scar tissue. And you might want to call Metro-Dade out here.” The Assistant U.S. Attorney looked at his notebook. “And Menton was about to shoot Captain Castillo when you four came on the scene?” “Yes.” Sonny nodded. “Did you identify yourselves?” “Given the circumstances we didn’t have time. But we were wearing the tactical vests marked with badges and U.S. Marshals. Menton knew who we were.” “I have no doubt of that.” The man closed the book with a snap. “It all seems clear to me. I don’t know how this man got released, and we may never know. But I’d say your Task Force handled the situation admirably, Lieutenant Crockett. I will be advising the Service that you are all cleared as far as I’m concerned.” He grinned. “Now get back to work. You have no idea how many people made their bones off that Maynard business.” “And you should have seen Stan’s face when he saw what I got.” Gina giggled and leaned closer to Trudy. “Especially the one I got myself.” “I’ll bet.” Trudy was sitting up in bed now. With Menton dead and buried they’d moved her back to Mercy General. They even said she’d be going home in a couple of days. Sonny stood in the doorway grinning. He was sure Stan had enjoyed the presents, although he still shook his head when he thought of what Gina had gotten for herself. How had he missed that? Then he felt Jenny next to him and smiled. None of that mattered now. And he expected Mindy was still blushing after Rico had talked at great length about the wand and feathers. Castillo sat next to the bed, his ribs still taped up. Menton’s blows had done damage, but he was healing fast. He looked over at Sonny and smiled. “I just want to thank you again.” “No need. You should be thanking Jenny.” She blushed. “I just said…” “You have my thanks, Jenny. And it will be a pleasure to see you at the wedding.” Gina turned and smiled. “It was my idea. Nothing says you can’t have two maids of honor.” Sonny smiled, then looked at his watch. “Sorry to cut this short, but we gotta go. We’ve got an appointment.” Castillo nodded. “We’re all on leave until next week. Enjoy the time.” They were outside and in the Ferrari before Jenny spoke. “Where are we…” “You said you wanted to meet them.” Sonny looked straight ahead. He’d been building up to this for the entire week. “Now you can.” The setting sun dyed the tombstones red as it always did this time of day. He pointed to the stone. “That’s where they are. Take all the time you need. Please.” He watched as she walked up slowly, respectfully, and laid two white roses at the foot of the stone. Then she sat, and he could see her lips moving as she spoke words he couldn’t hear, lost in the distant sound of the waves. Turning slightly he looked out, wondering just what it was Castillo looked for when he watched the water. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she was back at his side. Tears streaked her high cheekbones, but her eyes smiled. “This was really good, Sonny. I have to thank you. She loves you so much. I promised her I’d look after you and love you until the day I die.” “And I promise you the same thing, Jenny.” He took her in his arms, almost feeling Caitlin’s presence at that moment. “I promise you the same,” he repeated, looking out over the water.

Sonny looked at his watch. “Ok, Marty. You’re on.” He waited until the big Ford had some distance on them before nodding to Rico. “Let’s go. And you know she’ll kill you if you so much as scratch the door on this baby.” “Don’t remind me.” Rico eased the Challenger into traffic. “I’m just glad she said I could use it.” “The Ferrari’s too damned obvious for this. And I need to be on the radio. Besides…” Sonny winced. “You’re a better driver than I am.” “Naw. I just had the training.” “That’s what sucks. So did I.” Sonny kept an eye on cars pulling in behind Castillo as they rolled through Miami, half listening to the thumping of the big V-8’s exhaust. It was an interesting change from the whine of his Ferrari, and it took his back to his high school days. Focus, Crockett. We got a job to do. He kept shifting his glance from car to car, looking for patterns. The same plate reappearing after it had turned off. Anything… “We’re almost to OCB. Anything?” “Not yet. They might not pick him up until he leaves.” Sonny gestured with his hand. “Find a spot where we can see him but not draw too much attention. If they’re staking out OCB we won’t pick them up until he leaves.” “Where’s he going next?” “Federal Building. But it won’t matter. Menton will pull his guys as soon as part two of our plan kicks in.” He looked out at the passing cars. “Comm check. How we sounding, Elvis?” “Five-by, boss. Standing by.” They watched as Castillo parked the big car and headed into the white building that had once been so familiar but now seemed as foreign as the dark side of the moon. Sonny knew he could never go back there, not after this kind of work. The thought left him a bit shaken, and he forced his mind back to the business of watching. “Here he comes. The man in black.” Sonny nodded, watching around Castillo and not the man himself. He was aware of the Ford backing out and easing into traffic. And then he saw it. A tan sedan not unlike those favored by the FBI and ‘other government agencies’ crawled out of a spot toward the back of the lot and slid in three cars behind Castillo. “Got you,” he muttered. “Tan Feeb special.” “I got it. Those cats never learn, even when they’re freelancing.” Rico gunned the Challenger and pulled into traffic. “How long we gonna stay on ‘em?” “Not long. I just want to be sure…and…now!” He grinned as Marty turned and the tan sedan rolled through a red light to follow. “Got you!” He lifted his mic. “Boss to Elvis. Execute. I say again, execute.” He turned to Rico. “Head for the second target. Team Bird, start your count.” In the Roach Coach, Stan let out a whoop and pumped his fist in the air. “We’re a go, boys! Any last minute pointers?” Dave grinned. “Yeah. Move fast and cover your sectors. Stick with the pistols because that’s what you know. Next time we’ll work out with the MP-5s first so you’re confident with them.” Randy chuckled. “You both know the drill. We ready to roll, sarge?” “Let’s do this.” Stan accelerated, sending the Roach Coach roaring down the street before coming to a halt in front of a dilapidated office building that looked to be mostly vacant. From studying the records they knew Menton’s stuite would be on the third floor of five, hiding under the name of Total Quality Ltd. Shrugging on his black flack jacket with U.S. Marshals printed in yellow on the front and back, Stan checked his Browning Hi-Power one last time before turning to the men in the back and yelling, “GO!” Randy and Dave jumped out the back doors, Dave heading for the main building entryway in a low run. Lester came out behind them, his moves less sure but determined not to fall behind. Stan brought up the rear, guarding their six from any surprises. Dave led them straight up the stairs, pushing aside three surprised and then terrified occupants of other suites in the building. Randy hissed, “Federal Warrant!” at them as he passed, leaving Lester and Stan to just shrug as they ran to keep up. When they got to the top Dave paused to let everyone form up. Stan looked at the three men and made up his mind. He knew Gina would kill him when she found out, but it was something he had to do. “Let me go first. I’m in charge, if it’s a trap I gotta run that risk.” Dave and Randy exchanged glances, and Stan could see new respect in their eyes. “You sure, sarge?” Stan just grinned and reared back. The door exploded inward at the force of his kick and he shouted “Federal Search Warrant!” at the top of his lungs as he charged through and broke right like they’d trained, his Browning up and moving with his eyes as he scanned the room. A flicker of movement told him Dave was going left, and he kept moving to let Randy come in behind him. The girl behind the front desk screamed and raised her hands, but the man coming down the hall at a dead run was decidedly unfriendly. Stan saw a flash of metal as the man started raising what looked like a shotgun, and then the flash of his Browning’s muzzle almost surprised him as he started shooting. Three 9mm rounds caught the man square in the chest, dropping him and his shotgun like a sack of concrete. Through the ringing in his ears he heard Randy shouting at the girl to get down and stay down, followed by the deep booms of a .45 two-round group that had to be Dave. Following his training, Stan came to a stop when he reached the corner of the room. “Clear!” he shouted, turning to account for his men. At the far corner Dave nodded and jerked his finger twice down the hall, indicating he wanted to move and clear. Stan nodded, pointing at Lester and sending him to cover. Randy nodded his approval and gestured to the corridor partly-blocked by the dead man. Stan nodded, raising his Browning in a solid two-hand stance and advancing down the hall, pausing only to kick the pistol grip shotgun away from the dying man’s grasping fingers. Behind him he heard Randy telling the girl to call an ambulance before following him down the hall. There were two doors opening off the hall, one leading to a small bathroom and the other to a bland office that looked like it hadn’t been occupied for months. Stan hit both doors hard, almost embarrassed when the rooms turned out to be empty. Still, you couldn’t be too damned careful when clearing an area. How often had they drilled that into his head? And Stan Switek wasn’t about to half-ass anything, especially if he was in charge. His ears still rang from the shooting, and he could feel every nerve in his body buzzing from the jolt of adrenaline coursing through his veins. Gonna be hell when this crashes out he thought, still enjoying the rush that came with it. And later his mind would start playing back the shooting like a broken projector. He’d ridden that train before, too. But now he had Gina. And she’d be proud of how he handled this. Just like he’d be proud of how she did on her raid. They linked up outside an open door where the two halls came together. Dave shook his head. “I think there was just the two of ‘em and that girl.” Stan nodded. “Let’s check the rooms to make sure and secure anything before the uniforms arrive. We don’t want to lose any evidence to Metro-Dade or we’ll never see it again.” Lester leaned into the conference room and backed out. “You guys need to see this.” Stan stepped in and grimaced. The projector was still beaming Marty’s face on the far wall, and pictures of him outside OCB, sometimes accompanied by Trudy, lay scattered on the table. There were also photos of his house and notes about movements, most of which were months or even years old. “Police up all this shit and let’s move! I think I hear sirens.” He switched on his radio. “Boss, Elvis. We got two hostiles KIA and a buch of papers. Dry hole for the big bad wolf, though. We’re blowing this pop stand before the gate crashers arrive. Elvis out.” Switching off, he turned to Lester. “Get what you can. Then get prints off those guys. We gotta be ready when Metro-Dade arrives.” The first patrol car screeched to a halt, lights and sirens going full-tilt. Stan walked out, his U.S. Marshal’s badge held high. “Federal agents executing a fugitive warrant. Two suspects are down, but our main target wasn’t here. I need you to secure the area and get those men transported.” The patrol cop looked him up and down. “Ain’t you Switek from OCB?” “Sergeant Switek to you, patrolman. And I’m on special duty with the Marshal’s Service.” He nodded back toward Dave and Randy coming out of the building cradling their MP-5s. “Unless you’d rather talk to those two.” “Naw, we’re good.” The uniform shrugged and turned to his partner. “Alex, get the tape out. Looks like we get to kick back until the end of our shift.” “You mind calling in the lab boys, too? We gotta hit another location in under an hour.” He chuckled. “What with this war on drugs an’ all we keep busy. I’ll let your shift commander know you were a big help.” “Thanks, sarge. We’ll wrap this up for you.” They were back in the Roach Coach and rolling down the street before Stan started laughing. “Don’t let me forget to put in a call to that guy’s shift boss, Lester. He did recognize me, so I gotta follow up.” Sighing, he reached for the van’s phone. “Where the hell do I think I am, anyhow? I’ll do it now.” He made the quick call, giving both officers’ badge numbers and hanging up before the man on the other end could ask too many questions. “Good work., sarge.” Randy slapped him on the shoulder. “Nice moves in there. You’d think you’d done it a thousand times before.” “More like five.” Stan laughed. “But Sonny was right. All that shit we got…Menton’s been watching Castillo for a long time.” “But there’s big gaps, too.” Lester was flipping through the notes and photo logs. “And next to nothing since the Task Force formed. No wonder he was desperate. I’ll know more once we get back, and Mindy’s gonna love all this stuff.” “And that’s how you’re gonna keep his places shut down? Turn them into crime scenes?” Sonny smiled. “Not always, but it works out for us. If Metro-Dade’s got the whole thing taped off Menton can’t go near it. Saves us the time and manpower of watching the damned dumps. Still, we’d better move, partner.” He keyed his radio. “You can scratch that itch, cap. One’s down and we’re closing on two.” He looked back at Rico. “That should piss off Menton even more. Once Castillo dumps his tail the bastard’s blind until we let him see again.” “And here we are. Typical dump neighborhood for a Company safe house or whatever the hell they got goin’ here. And there’s our ladies. Are you sure we can’t send ‘em in as strippers?” “Mindy might go for it, but I can’t answer for Gina. And you’d have to ask Stan. He’d probably want to go as her Elvis pimp.” “Oh, God. Don’t remind me.” Rico shut off the Challenger. “We ready to do this?” Sonny nodded, raising his mic. “Team Bird. Execute. I say again, execute.” They came through the door of the porn shop in pairs, Sonny and Rico with their badges on chains around their necks and Gina and Mindy following close behind. The tattooed man behind the counter started to reach for something, then froze when Sonny’s big .45 tracked in his direction. “Keep those hands where I can see ‘em, pal. Federal agents executing a fugitive warrant. How many people are in the back? And don’t play stupid with me. It’s too damned hot out there.” “T…three. In the movie booths.” “That’s it? I ain’t gonna find no surprises when I go back there?” Rico looked the man up and down. “I hate surprises.” “He does.” Sonny’s voice was conversational. “We had a guy deliver balloons to the office for his birthday one year and he almost shot him. Over balloons! Imagine what he’ll do to you…” Turning, he motioned for Mindy and Gina. “Toss the place. Our guy might be hiding under the counter or God knows where else.” Rico came back through the ratty curtains, herding two tourists who looked like frat boys and a confused Japanese businessman. “Sorry, chumps. The place is closed as of now. Sorry you didn’t get your damned happy ending.” One of the frat boys started to protest, and Rico let his mean voice show. “Be glad you ain’t getting a ride downtown to central booking, chump! Now scram!” Tattoos behind the counter started shifting again. “Hey. Don’t I need to see that warrant?” “What you need to do is stay very still now. We’ll be out of your hair in a couple of minutes.” “I don’t think so.” Gina smiled as she came out of the storeroom. “Look what I found in plain view next to a case of Trojans.” She held up a big plastic bag filled with smaller ones. Even at this distance Sonny could see the red cross stamped on them. “Heroin.” He shook his head. “My, my. We’ve been a bad boy.” He turned to Rico. “Cuff him. I’m gonna call Lieutenant Vallencio and let him know we got him a customer.” Rico grinned as he slapped on the cuffs. “Where’d you get that smack? And don’t tell me you found it.” “Naw, man.” The kid was scared clear through, and Sonny knew he wasn’t lying just from his eyes. “This older dude came in and told me to hold it for him. Said it wouldn’t be here more than a couple of days.” “This older dude. Was he short, stocky, and made you want to wash your hands after you talked to him?” “Yeah. I think he owns the joint. Man, I just work here. Helps pay the bills.” “Yeah.” Sonny nodded. “Look. You tell Lieutenant Vallencio everything you told us and he’ll help you sort it out.” He reached for the phone. “I’m calling him now.” Two rings and someone picked up. “Vallencio.” “John? It’s Sonny. Look, can you get down to the Pink Kitten as soon as you can? We were doing a warrant raid and came across what I think is the last of Doc’s smack. We gotta keep moving, so if you’re busy you might want to send a patrol car.” “Screw that. I’ll be there in ten.” Sonny smiled and hung up. “He’s on his way. We’ll do another sweep and clear out as soon as he’s got the scene.” He turned back to the clerk. “Look, man, I hate to ask, but the ladies have a bachelorette party coming up. You think you could run the register for ‘em?” Gina giggled. “Sonny!” “Well, it’s true more or less.” Mindy nodded. “Let’s get to it, Gina.” Rico chuckled and turned away. “I don’t even wanna know.” “Go check the office, partner. There might be some bread crumbs there. And I know John will hook us up if he finds anything later.” Five minutes later Gina and Mindy were at the counter. Both had outfits that might cover bad intentions but not much else, Gina’s in a deep blue and Mindy’s in emerald green. Gina looked down into the display case and smiled. “And I’ll take the one on the far left. The nightie’s for him and that’s for me.” Mindy’s eyes went wide. “Are you sure?” “Don’t knock it until you try it. What about you?” She looked around and picked up a long wand with feathers on the end. “He still owes me a spanking.” She giggled when Gina blushed. “Like you said, don’t knock it…” Sonny stood to one side, trying not to laugh. Leave it to Gina and Mindy to turn a bust into a shopping trip. He watched as the tattooed kid rang up their purchases, counting back change as best he could with the cuffs still on. They were gathering up their bags when John Vallencio came in. “I should have know. Only you could turn a bust into a strange shopping trip, Sonny.” “Yeah. You know me. All business.” He grinned then nodded to the kid. “He’s not in this, I don’t think. Just works here and was quick to spill what he knew about the smack. Rico’s in back tossing the office.” “That better be all that’s being tossed, based on what I see out there.” Vallencio grinned and dipped his head in a short bow. “Ladies. I’ll go let him know the cavalry’s here so you can get on with that serious government work you do.” Then his eyes went serious. “Thanks for calling me, Sonny. I thought we got all his smack in the warehouse.” “So did I. The kid seems to think this is it, but he was just babysitting it. I think we’re on the trail of its source, though. You shouldn’t have to worry about more coming in.” Rico came out of the back with a file folder in his hand. “Got a couple of addresses here we should check. John already had a look and don’t care.” He stopped, staring at the bags. “And what do we have here?” Mindy smiled. “You’ll find out later. Let’s just say it involves something I still owe you.” She turned and headed out the door, throwing a little extra wiggle into her walk. Gina turned to follow, pausing as she drew even with Rico. “I like her. Don’t let that one get away.” “I don’t plan on it.” Rico waited until they were gone, then turned to Sonny with intense eyes. “What was it, man? Ya gotta tell me.” “Aw, Rico. They made me promise.” He grinned. “Let’s just say it might involve spanking.” Rico did one of his little dances, the first Sonny had seen him do in days. “She’s a super freak,” he sang, mimicking Rick James a little too well for Sonny’ comfort. “She’s super freaky, ow…” “And Stan’s got a fun night ahead, too. Let’s get going. I want to go over everything and start planing the next move.” “Boss?” Menton didn’t like the sound of the radio man’s voice. “What? Did those idiots lose the target?” “No. He’s still taking them in circles. But I just got two panic button hits in quick succession. One from Location Alpha and the other from Location Charlie. I can’t raise anyone at Alpha. I didn’t call Charlie because it’s not secure without one of us there.” “Shit. Try it anyhow.” Menton moved closer, watching as the man dialed a number on the phone integrated into his radio set. He listened, then killed the call. “Well?” “It wasn’t that kid you hired.” Menton stared at the man, wanting to smash his face into the console but knowing that wouldn’t change anything. At the end of the day it wasn’t his fault in any case. He was just doing what he’d been hired to do. Run the radios and not ask questions. How could both locations have been hit? “Check the scanners. See if there’s any police activity.” “Doing that now, boss. Sounds like units are rolling to both locations. Ambulance and coroner to Alpha and just patrol cars to Charlie. Charlie sounds like it’s narcotics activity. I recognize the voice on the radio. Some lieutenant from that office.” “Good work. Keep me posted.” Turning, he found his corner chair and sank into it. “And call off the team on the target. I need to think this through.” Was it just a damned coincidence? It had been a risk leaving the last of the Red Cross smack with that kid, but he knew at least one of his guys had a problem and it seemed safer to store it away from them. Maybe that had been a mistake. Now he’d lost his emergency bolt hole. But if they were rolling the coroner to Alpha that might have solved his other smack problem. “Should have shot him myself,” he muttered, knowing he couldn’t have afforded to. Good help was hard to find, especially after the Feds put Maynard in the ground and out of business. He’d heard rumors in prison, but the reality staggered him. Both Maynard and Moncado gone, and that redneck bastard Holmes not long afterward. All by the same shadowy Federal agency. For years Maynard had been untouchable. Walking the earth like some covert ops god while lesser mortals fell by the wayside. He’d gone down with Lao Li, the Company not so much as batting an eye, while Maynard’s every folly was excused and covered by Langley. What the hell had changed? He must have really pissed on the wrong shoes to get green-lit. Or maybe this agency whatever the hell it was just didn’t give a damn. That thought made Menton’s blood run cold. But this just sounded like Metro-Dade stumbling onto something. Even a broken clock was right twice a day, and he knew the guards at Alpha weren’t the brightest bulbs in the fixture. Hell, the junkie might have lost his Methadone and gone out to score, drawing the wrong kind of attention. And maybe the kid knew enough about China White to know what he had in the storeroom and tried to turn a quick buck himself. Sweat dripped down from his shallow forehead and got in his beady eyes, but he didn’t really notice. Stick to the plan. Close out Castillo. Then disappear. Don’t let the local yokels throw you off. He kept repeating it in his head. Then he turned back to the radio man. “Bring them all here. We need to change the plan to account for Alpha and Charlie. Make sure Beta and Delta are still operational.” He didn’t need to know about Echo. That was Menton’s ace in the hole. They waited for Castillo to return before starting the debriefing. Sonny noticed Rico kept looking at Stan and grinning, so he finally nudged him and whispered, “Don’t ruin the surprise, partner.” Then he turned to Castillo. “Did you end up losing them?” “No. They aborted.” Castillo looked almost disappointed. Stan nodded. “That tracks. Lester picked up a short signal a few minutes after the Pink Kitten closed for the day. Sounded like some kind of recall. And that fits with the panic buttons seen at both locations.” Sonny smiled. “Yeah. Ya gotta let ‘em hit the alarm so you can see what falls out of the tree. Right now I’d bet Menton’s trying to convince himself it was all an unfortunate coincidence. And he will, because he wants this so bad and he thinks we’re just dumb cops.” He turned to Mindy and Gina. “You got anything out of the files we grabbed from both locations?” “It’s early yet, Sonny.” Gina waved her hand to take in the stacks of pictures and papers. “But yeah, I think we have. Menton had his people watching the lieu…I mean the captain off and on for almost a year. It stopped just before you formed the Task Force, and I think I know why.” She pointed to the picture of one of the dead men. “His prints came back from Metro-Dade of all places. Got picked up in a drug sting and did almost a year in county. He also comes up as a former ‘government employee’ with an undisclosed agency. I think he was the one coordinating the surveillance, and Menton couldn’t replace him while he was in prison.” “So he was working off old intelligence.” Castillo nodded. “He was always sloppy that way when he got fixed on a target. Do we think he knows about the Task Force?” Gina shook her head, her thick dark hair bobbing with the movement. “No. Surveillance picked up again after he got out, but it was all focused on OCB and your house. That’s where they picked up Trudy. But there’s no indication he had any idea about this building, let alone the marshals.” Sonny smiled as Mindy nodded her agreement. “I agree with Gina’s analysis. He’s got no idea we’re out here. There are one or two pictures of Rico and Sonny, but that’s all. And they’re old. Going back to before you two went on leave or whatever it was.” Rico chuckled. “Sloppy. Like a chump who’s looking to run overseas and wants to finish one last thing before he disappears.” “That’s exactly what he’s doing.” Castillo looked at the photos, and Sonny could see his eyes change again. “Do we have next steps?” “Tomorrow we hit his two last known locations. Same as today. Maybe we’ll catch him, but I doubt it. In any case, we leave him with just one place to go.” Sonny got up and drew a big circle around the warehouse. “Here. Randy, Dave, can you guys do a distant recon tonight? I want a feel for how many men are there and what kind of boat he has standing by. If security’s too tight, abort. I’d rather go in blind than tip him off.” Randy nodded. “You got it boss.” Castillo nodded his agreement. “Good work today. I want all of you to go home. Get some sleep. This will likely end tomorrow. Once Menton starts running he’ll run fast. But he’s dangerous. Don’t forget that.” Stan spoke up. “I’m gonna put some more transmissions out there. Just to keep him thinking this is a coincidence. Lieutenant Vallencio’s good with it, especially since one of those guys we shot at the office building had heroin in his system. The same one Gina got the print hit on. We can frame this like the dead guy led his people to the Pink Kitten.” Castillo nodded. “Good thinking. Do it. And anything else you think of to keep him off balance.” Sonny waited until the rest of the team left the room, either going home or back to their offices to finish one last thing, before he turned to Castillo. “You want me to drop you by the hospital, Marty? I need to check on Jenny, too.” “Thank you.” Castillo gave the documents on the table one last glare before turning away. “It will be good to end this.” They showed their IDs to the gate guard and waited while he called to verify. “I’d forgotten how big a pain military bases can be,” Sonny muttered while the naval security guard talked on the phone. “But it’s the best place for her right now.” “Yes. Even Menton’s people won’t be able to track her here.” Sonny nodded. Naval Air Station Key West was at the very end of the Keys, a long drive down Highway One ending in a fenced, guarded compound. But they had a good base hospital, and after the favors the Task Force had done for various agencies during the Maynard/Moncado case it was easy to get Trudy moved. The guard returned with their IDs. “Sorry about that, gents. You’re both cleared. Head on through.” The hospital was like any other, smelling of antiseptic and alcohol. The attending doctor smiled when they came in. “Good to see you both. They’ve been asking for you. I have to say Miss Joplin is recovering quickly, better than some Marines I’ve treated with similar wounds. And her friend…” “Jenny means well.” Sonny grinned. “She’s just a bit rough around the edges. Or she can be.” Castillo led the way, and Sonny could see the excitement growing in his steps. He tried to hide it, but for someone who’d know him for years the change was obvious. They came to the door, nodding to Tiny who sat sentry in a chair outside, and went in. Trudy was sitting up, flipping through bridal magazines with Jenny and Brick of all people by the bed. The big man looked up, an embarrassed look spreading over his face. “They wanted my opinion about some monkey suit or another,” he explained, his cheeks going a pale red. Jenny giggled. “And you’ve been a great help, Brick. Come back as soon as they’re done and we can finish picking out the bridesmaids’ dresses.” “You shouldn’t embarrass him like that.” Sonny smiled. “He’ll never live it down.” Trudy smiled. “He’s got great fashion taste, though.” Then she turned to Marty. “It’s good to see you, my love.” Jenny moved to make room for him at the bedside. “Let’s go for a walk,” she said, taking Sonny’s hand and leading him to the door. “They need their time.” A fresh breeze was blowing in off the water when they stepped outside, and Sonny breathed deep. “That’s just what I needed after that place. Can’t stand the smell of hospitals.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders, feeling her snuggle close to him. “I miss you, baby.” “I’ve missed you, too. But it’s almost over.” She looked up at him, her blue eyes intense. “Do you remember what I said?” “That the four of us must be there? Yeah. And we will be. I’ve seen to that. Don’t worry.” “Good. I won’t worry, then.” “I gotta ask. How are you after the shooting?” She looked up at him and smiled. “I though it would bother me more. So did Trudy. But she didn’t see his eyes. The were already dark. There was no light to go out of them. I…” Sonny thought back through all the people he’d had to shoot in the line of duty. Official or otherwise. There were a few…like Hackman. He nodded. “I think I understand.” “I thought you would. I had a dream, but it was what would have happened if I hadn’t have shot him.” She pulled him close. “I need you to kiss me and then we should get back.” Trudy looked up when they came back in and smiled. “She needed to see you, Sonny. Just like I needed to see Marty. But you both need to get back so you can finish this.” Sonny nodded, noticing Castillo was looking out the window at the ocean beyond the wire. “You’re looking better.” “It’s nice here. Quiet. The doctor says I should be able to go home soon. Less that a week.” She looked at Castillo’s back and motioned Sonny closer. “Bring him back to me,” she whispered. “I will, darlin’. That’s a promise.” Reaching down, he squeezed her hand and then looked over to the window. “You ready to head back, Marty? I hear the ward nurse is a beast.” “Yes. I’ll see you soon, my love. You have my word.” The ride back was quiet, both men sunk in their own thoughts and content to let the Ferrari hold its own conversation with the road. Sonny dropped Castillo at the underground garage to make sure he took his usual car, using work as an excuse. “I forgot to grab that damned folder we got from the Pink Kitten,” he said to reinforce the excuse. “You need anything upstairs?” “No. Thank you for taking me to see her.” Castillo’s eyes lost some of their darkness. “I needed that very much.” “So did I, Marty. But we’re getting closer. Another day, maybe two, and Menton will be a bad memory.” Turning, he made a show of heading for the elevator, waiting until Castillo actually pulled out of the garage before going up to the tenth floor. Now that he thought about it, looking at that folder sounded like a damned good idea. He didn’t want Menton to have any surprises lurking in the wings. It was dark by the time Martin Castillo coasted the big Ford into its parking place. Even though he understood it was useless he went through his normal precautions. The photos had been clear proof Menton knew where he lived. But why hadn’t he just struck here, at the house? Walking through the blackness, hearing the night sounds and distant slap of the waves, Castillo thought he knew. Menton had tried and failed once before to destroy him in his house. This time he wanted it public, out in the open so he could be sure of his success. Maybe even watch it with his own eyes. And maybe that would have worked. But then he crossed the line. Unlocking the door, he entered his alarm code and walked through to the back patio door. He needed the ocean right now, to hear it hiss and slide up and down the beach. To smell it on the breeze, and know that somewhere things were right and good. To know Jess was out there somewhere. Watching. What would he think of the mission Castillo had set for himself? He knew Ti Ti would approve. The old Nung knew a thing or two about revenge and squaring accounts. He’d likely smile, those red-capped teeth looking like they were dripping blood. Big Gus would just nod, understanding it would happen if he approved or not. And Jess…in the end Castillo thought he’d approve. Someone had to put an end to the works of Menton. Stars glittered and danced in the black velvet overhead, and he missed Trudy. He jazz piano drifting through the open door. The smell of her as she came to sit with him. And later, sharing his bed and his life. He missed it all, understanding just what Menton had aimed to take from him before the killing blow. And he knew Sonny had hit if perfectly. Menton didn’t value people, but he valued his network. And Crockett was smashing it one piece at a time. Looking out toward the ocean he couldn’t see, Castillo made his decision. As soon as they had a fix on Menton he’d disappear. Go to the man and finish this one and for all. He wouldn’t risk the team, his friends. No one else should have to pay for his mistakes. And if Menton proved too much for him, he knew Crockett and the rest would finish the job for him. Getting to his feet, he walked back in the house and laid his badge on the counter. If he made it back, it would be there for him. And if not…they’d know what he’d tried to do. Once Menton crossed the line there was no going back. For either of them. Sonny stopped at the base of the familiar gangplank. “Sorry, Elvis. Just me again tonight, buddy. She’ll be back in a couple of days. Let me grab you a tuna and then I gotta go below.” Once the gator was fed, he ducked below and turned on the dim saloon lights. He didn’t need much to look through the file he’d grabbed from the office, and he wanted it dim to go where he needed to go. Flipping through the pages, he saw they’d guessed right about Menton’s remaining properties. Especially the warehouse. With any luck Dave and Randy would be able to get close, because there wasn’t much there aside from the address. The other two matched everything they’d gathered. Timing would be critical, because they had to use it to drive Menton to the warehouse. A part of him wondered how many men Menton had left, but another part didn’t care. Stan’s team could handle anything that came their way, and he was confident in Mindy’s ability. Gina was a wild card, but there was no way he could leave her behind now. They’d just have to take their chances. He doubted it was more than six, just because neither of the remaining properties were big enough to hold more than a handful at once. Only the warehouse could do that, and it wasn’t factored into anything. Leaning back, he tried not to think of Jenny and how she’d felt when he held her outside the small hospital. Looking up, he saw the picture of Caitlin and smiled. “She wants to meet you,” he said, knowing somehow she could hear him. “I think it’s time, don’t you? I never thought I’d find anyone else, but I think I have. And she respects the hell out of you, babe. You would have liked her.” Shaking his head, glad no one but Elvis was around the hear, he turned off the light and headed for the aft berth. He needed to snatch what sleep he could before the endgame began. By some unspoken understanding they all met in the conference room shortly before nine. Castillo sat in his usual spot, looking a touch less grim that he had the day before. Sonny noticed and smiled to himself. Seeing Trudy must have settled some things for him he thought, looking at the rest of the task force. Stan and Gina sat together, with Lester and the rest of Team Elvis close at hand. Rico and Mindy looked rested as well, but he guessed neither man had seen what the girls bought at the Pink Kitten yet. Looking at Randy, he started the ball rolling. “Did you guys get anything?” “Yeah. We did a distant recon and cleared the area before 0100. He’s got no security to speak of. Probably doesn’t want to attract attention. Typical night watchman and some lights. Maybe a dog. And there’s a boat.” Dave nodded. “Looks like that go-fast rig you’ve got, boss. He can get the hell out of there in a hurry if he needs to.” Stan spoke next. “We got our seeds planted last night, Sonny. If he was listening he heard it, and I’d bet he is. I’ve got a couple more ready to go today if we need ‘em. Some distraction to cover the raids.” “We got some more information on the dead men.” Gina looked at her notepad. “Seems they were refugees from one of Maynard’s little Contra missions.” “It makes sense.” Castillo nodded. “They moved in the same circles. Menton would hire men who knew the score.” “There’s three still unaccounted for from that particular squad. One was a radio man.” Rico smacked the table. “Score! You got pictures? I’ll bet the Caddy those are our outstanding guns for hire.” “Way ahead of you, Rico.” Gina smiled and handed pictures around. “It’s from their booking sheets, so don’t expect to see happy smiles. There might be one or two others we don’t know about, but this tracks with what we found in the office building.” “Then we change our plans.” Sonny’s brain was working fast, pushing through and discarding multiple scenarios. “If he’s that short we don’t need to hit both locations. Hell, we might not have to hit any of them directly.” He turned to Stan. “Where would he need his radio for maximum coverage?” Stan stared at the map. “For all his locations? This one.” He stood up and pointed at a small building located roughly in the middle of the target area. “It’s listed as an electronics repair shop. No one would question an antenna on the roof, and it’s central to all his other stuff. Anyplace else and he’d risk blind spots.” “That’s the one we hit. Both teams. We can send Metro-Dade after the other one, but I bet it’s a dry hole.” Sonny’s eyes narrowed. “But here’s the trick. Stan, I want you to set up transmissions before we hit, letting him know we’re coming. Mix it in with the Metro-Dade traffic they’ll have going for their raid so he buys it.” Rico shook his head. “You want to blow us before we go in?” “I want to flush the bastard out. You really think he’s gonna stay put for a raid? This way we blind him and force him to move no matter where he is. His comm guy will hear and put the warning out. I think he’s gone to ground where he can hear, so there’s a good chance he’s at the shop. That’s why we hit it. But if he’s not…I want to get him running where we can grab him.” “But what if we miss him?” “There’s always that chance. But I think this is our best bet.” He turned to Castillo. “It’s your call, captain.” Castillo stared at the map, and Sonny could almost see him doing distance and time calculations. “Crockett’s right. There’s a risk, but it’s the best chance we have. Do it.” “How long will it take you to set your stuff up, Stan?” “An hour if we want it to be solid.” “Take the time you need. I’ll call Vallencio over in Narcotics and see if he’ll at least stage the other raid. They don’t have to go in, just look like they’re going to.” Sonny got to his feet. “Let’s get rolling, people.” Back in their office, Rico grabbed his arm. “It’s damn risky, Sonny. I don’t like it.” “We don’t have to like it. We just have to do it.” Sonny felt the bite in his own voice and smiled. “It’s not perfect, but it’s what we have. And this way we know both where Menton’s going and when Marty’s going to try to jump ship.” “Yeah. I know. Don’t mean I have to like it.” “Never said you did, partner. But it’s the hand we’ve got and I’m gonna play it to the end.” Rico nodded, looking at him through narrow eyes. “And this is how you ran people down when you were Burnett?” “Yeah. More or less. Some of it was more…direct. But yeah. It was all about having the right intel and not letting them know you knew what they were up to.” “Do you really plan on hitting the electronics shop?” “More or less, yeah. I think Stan, Lester, Mindy, and Gina can take that one if they have to. I’d rather be there, and I know you would, too. But Jenny brought that thing up again yesterday at NAS Key West.” “About the four of us?” “Yeah. She made me promise again.” “Mindy made me promise last night.” Rico shook his head. “We were havin’ dinner at Downbeat and out of the blue she brought it up. You think he’ll do a runner?” “I’m sure he will. Look how calm he is today, partner. He’s made up his mind about something, and that’s all there is. Trudy seemed worried when we left yesterday, too.” “I had Stan check. The transponder’s still working and in place.” “Thanks.” Sonny sat down and sighed. “Better give the guns a going-over. Odds are we’ll need them before the day’s over. And I gotta call John and see if he’ll play ball with us.”

The black of night outside the windows matched Martin Castillo’s mood. But he knew Sonny was right. He couldn’t do this alone…at least up to a point. When it reached that point he’d go on his own. Like he always had. But for now he needed the team. But they were also his friends, and he wouldn’t risk their futures in doing what he knew needed to be done. “Thank you for coming. Thanks to the security team from the marshals office and the quick thinking of Sergeant Switek we managed to eliminate Menton’s hit team at the hospital. A deception operation suggested by Lieutenant Crockett is in motion. Menton will be led to believe Sergeant Joplin is in critical condition and not expected to live through the night.” Gina shuddered and grabbed Stan’s arm. “It could have happened, too.” “Yes.” Castillo let the single word hang in the air. Using the silence to control his emotions. “Until now Menton has been at least two steps ahead of us. That changes now.” Randy nodded. He and Dave were at the far end of the table, still wearing their black fatigues and grim faces. “We’re in this with you all the way, captain. Just like I said before.” Dave nodded. “Ain’t never walked away from a mission in my life and don’t aim to start now.” “Understand this. If you don’t wish to be involved nothing will be held against you.” He looked around the table, locking eyes with each person. “Our objective is to eliminate Menton. Nothing less. If you have doubts, please walk away now. This is…” His voice almost broke and then he mastered himself. “Personal for me. There is no warrant for Menton. I tried to bring him in once that way and he still managed to do this.” Sonny spoke up, his voice Burnett cold. “Menton was also tied to Delgado, the heroin kingpin we took down. Odds are he had some ties to Maynard and his bunch, too. He’s a damend dangerous man, and won’t stop until Marty is dead. And he doesn’t care who else dies in the process. I’m in this to the end, but I owe Marty. I won’t think any less of anyone who bows out.” Gina looked at Castillo. “This is like when they came after your friend’s wife and son, isn’t it?” “Yes.” He remembered Laura and the boy like it was yesterday. Jack had named the boy Martin. Sometimes, late at night, he wondered how they were doing. But those thoughts came less frequently now that he had Trudy. And Menton had tried to take that away from him, crossing a line in Castillo’s warrior code. He could never let that stand. “When Menton came after Trudy he crossed a line. My line. I cannot let that stand.” The silence hung in the air for what seemed like hours. Then Castillo nodded. “If you’re all in let’s get started.” Mindy smiled. “I was waiting for that, captain. Gina and I will get on that address you got from the driver. Chase it back and see what’s hiding behind it. We’ll run down his team members as soon as the IDs come in. There might be clues there.” Gina nodded. “And I’ll check my files and see if any of our victim interviews line up with that or other locations Menton might have used. These ex-cons like to rough up street girls, so there could be something there.” Stan grinned. “And I’ve got a couple of ideas to keep Menton’s head scrambled.” “Good.” Castillo looked at Crockett for a moment. “Mather and Blair will stay on your team for now. In case you need firepower or some overwatch capability.” Dave looked at Stan and smiled. “Good to go, sarge. Let’s get this cluster-fuck moving.” “Crockett, you and Switek work out some operations. Plans to keep Menton off balance. We can’t let him gather his thoughts. Tubbs, see what you can dig up with O’Laughlin and our new Switek.” He found a smile inside his anger. “Congratulations again, by the way. It’s good to remember there is happiness even in our dark world. I want reports as soon as you can.” Back in his office he sank into the familiar chair and stared out at the blackness. It would be dawn in a few hours, and he knew his body needed rest. But Castillo couldn’t shut off his mind. He had no illusions about what would have happened to Trudy if Jenny hadn’t have been there. And that was why he had to finish this. The team was good. If anyone could run Menton to ground it was them. Castillo knew he’d never worked with a better unit. Even Jess and the rest couldn’t have stood with the people in the office suite beyond his door. And they were loyal. Perhaps, he thought, to a fault. When the time came he’d strike out on his own. It was his career to throw away, but he had no right to destroy theirs at the same time. Sonny’s the one I’ll have to watch. He knew that instinctively. Ever since the detective had become comfortable with the part of him that was Burnett, Castillo know he’d become a more potent weapon. And Burnett would understand exactly what he intended to do. So would Randy Mather. If he could keep those two occupied it would make his disappearance much easier. Tubbs knew revenge, but their link was different. He’d stay focused on protecting the others. The couch in the corner was looking more and more appealing as his thoughts wandered back over the past. The ambush that had ripped Jess, Gus, and Ti Ti from his life, and the later one in Thailand that had almost claimed Jack. And the grenades later that same year. Giving up, he moved over and laid down on the couch, settling into its contours like an old lover’s embrace. His mind might not need rest, but he knew his body did. Closing his eyes, he repeated the words learned long ago in his mind, easing his journey into sleep. Sonny cracked the door and looked back at Rico. “He’s asleep. Finally.” Rico nodded and yawned. “We should be, too, partner. We’re gonna have to be fresh if we want to take this chump down.” “You’re right.” He made the rounds of the various offices, spreading the word. “If you need sleep, grab some. Here or at home. Doesn’t matter to me. We’re gonna have to be on our game to get this guy, and we can’t do that if we’re dead on our feet.” Ever practical, Dave and Randy pulled out military issue sleeping bags they’d squirreled away somewhere in their office and were asleep in seconds. Stan and Gina ducked out soon after, and Sonny nodded as they left. “Great work again, Stan. Gina, it was good to see you. Just wish it was under better circumstances.” She smiled. “That’ll come once Catilin’s House is up and running. But right now I need to get the sergeant here home and tucked in. He’s dead on his feet.” Sonny turned to Rico. “Go ahead and take Mindy home, partner. She needs the rest. I’ll grab a couch here or something. That way I can make sure Marty and Randy don’t slip off on their own.” “Solid. I’m beat, and Menton’s not gonna be run to ground by a bunch of sleep-deprived cops.” He started toward Mindy then stopped. “You really think Marty would take off on his own?” “In a second. He wants to finish this, and he doesn’t want to endanger any of us. Randy would go because he said he would, and I don’t think even Marty could back him off once his mind was set on something.” “Yeah. Still waters and all that.” Rico smiled. “See you in a few hours, partner. Come on, Mindy. Let’s go get some sleep. Casa Cooper has great air conditioning.” “Right now I just want to listen to some Bird and fall asleep.” Mindy took Rico’s arm and winked at Sonny. “Or something. See you in a few hours, boss.” Left alone, Sonny stared at the map, fixing the location of the office building in his head and drawing a mental circle around it. If Menton’s there, he’d want bolt-holes close by. Places he could get to on foot and then hop transportation. It’s what I’d do…or what Burnett would do. Always have an escape plan. I just need to get inside his. Then he shook his head, fighting back a yawn. The couch in the office he shared with Rico wasn’t the most comfortable, but it was better than what Castillo had. Sonny never understood the attachment he had with that old couch, but it seemed to work for him. That was what mattered when you had to snatch sleep when you could. He was also glad the man had the foresight to have the suite’s bathroom expanded and fitted with a shower. At least they could clean up and not smell like yesterday’s sweat when they got back to work. Marty didn’t say much, but he covered all the little things. It felt like he’d only been asleep for minutes when a single ray of sunshine starting trying to pry Sonny’s eyelids open. He tried to ignore it, but nothing worked. Finally he gave up and rolled off the couch. He could smell coffee in the conference room and knew Stan must have come in at some point. The smell of his coffee was unmistakable. There were clothes in the office closet. A quick shower and he’d be ready to go. Hair still damp, Sonny sipped coffee and stared at the map. It was just past six, and he could hear Stan working in the tech room, his voice mixing with Lester’s as they plotted tap locations. He’d need to talk to them soon enough, but for now he didn’t mind being alone with the map. Gina came out of the intel office with a stack of printouts, and started circling locations. “These are places we’ve traced back to one of Menton’s shell companies,” she said as she worked. “Mindy was right. He doesn’t have many, but they’re set up to allow him to bolt from place to place if he needs to.” “Good.” Sonny rubbed his chin, feeling the stubble. “We’re gonna herd him like cattle. Drive him from one place to the next until he’s right where we want him. That’s how I got Manolo and El Gato in the end. You give ‘em no place to run except right where you want them.” “You mean how Burnett got them.” “Yeah. Sort of. Burnett is part of me, Gina. I can’t change that, and denying it almost broke me. I had to make peace with that side of me, and give it something useful to do. I can’t really explain it, but this is what happens.” “I understand.” Neither of them had heard Castillo open his office door. He looked rested, but his eyes were still dark and intense. “That side of you will always be useful. The focus it brings. I heard part of it. Tell me the rest.” “Gina and Mindy have tracked down most of his holdings in Miami. There may be some we can’t find, but I think we got the main ones. My plan is to herd him. Cut off all his options but one. But it’s gotta be something he doesn’t see as a trap.” Sonny stared at the circles, planning it like he was after El Gato. Herding the big man without his being aware. And finally… “Here.” He walked to the map and tapped a small warehouse on the river. “It’s got a dock, so he’s got a boat there. You won’t find it registered in any name we know, I’d bet. But it’ll be there. He won’t think we’d chase him to an escape route.” Gina nodded. “It makes sense, Sonny. But how do we herd him?” “We know he’s using this office building.” Sonny pointed at the map. “So we push him out. But first we need to close off some of his bolt holes.” Rico and Mindy walked in, both looking rested. “See you started without me, partner.” “Sorry, Rico.” Sonny explained what he’d missed. “That’s where we are right now,” he finished. “It’s all over the news. The shootout and the story we wanted planted.” Castillo nodded. “Chef Deputy Washington can be very persuasive.” Mindy giggled. “He can. He can also scare the hell out of them.” Stan and Lester came out of the tech room. The bigger man was smiling. “It also helps when a station gets some ‘leaked’ official radio traffic about the ‘horrific shooting’ and the status of the wounded cop.” He looked at Lester and grinned. “Something we cooked up before you got up, Sonny. It’s Channel Two’s exclusive, I think.” “Yeah.” Lester grinned. “They got this camerawomen who’s something else.” “Good work, guys. Especially putting it out there without waiting for us. That lets Menton think he’s still calling the shots.” Sonny kept staring at the map, letting the threads connect themselves for him. “We’ve stolen a move on him. Now we need to steal two more.” Dale Menton looked around the room. It was less crowded now, but his second team was better than the first. Smaller, but veteran. Some of these men had been with him in Thailand. They knew the score. “You all saw the news this morning? Team One went down, but they took the first target with them. Now the second target should be coming into the open.” The team leader looked skeptical. “How do you know?” “Because we killed his woman. Or she’s gonna be dead in a few hours. And that will bring him out swinging. It always does. He’s a predictable bastard. Good, but predictable.” “How did Team One buy it? They were good.” “Maybe to take on one hospital security goof. But my source tells me there were more cops there. Something about another officer being shot and them responding. It was an accident, but one they weren’t ready for.” “Looks like the decoy didn’t work as well as you’d hoped.” “That was their plan. And it drew off most of Metro-Dade, so I’d say it worked.” Menton glared down the table. “Look, what happened was unfortunate, but it’s the cost of the mission. They achieved their goal, and that’s what matters. Do we have eyes on that house of his?” “Yes. No one’s been near it for three days at least.” “He’s working out of his office, then. And we don’t have eyes on it?” “He hasn’t been near that stupid Gold Coast thing they think they’re so clever with.” The team leader grinned, showing his gold front tooth. “We don’t have a good line in anymore, so we can’t get a fix on him.” “Keep watching. The second you pick him up, don’t lose him. I want this finished.” Menton glared at the picture on the screen dominating the far end of the room. “I won’t miss this time, Castillo. You son of a bitch.” “He’ll be looking for me.” Castillo wasn’t asking a question. “Yeah, and he won’t know where you are because he has no eyes on the inside.” Sonny looked around the room. “He showed that when he went after Trudy. He might know your house, but I think we got it wrong before. His men picked you up on the way out of town, not in Miami itself. Otherwise we’d see someone around here.” Stan nodded. “And that ain’t happening. Lester and I have the exterior nailed down. No one comes in or out we don’t know about, and I have cameras on most of the surrounding buildings, too. If they were watching us, we’d know. And we sweep the room every day for bugs. And three weeks back I put those little buzzers on the windows to break up any of that fancy laser stuff Lester read about.” He looked at Castillo. “If they’re going to watch for you anywhere, captain, it’s OCB. Menton’s been there, and it’s the only place he knows.” “Stan’s right. OCB is the only link he has between you and anything else. He could have even staked out your house back then, storing the information away for later. Menton’s good at waiting.” Sonny paused, letting Burnett run through the pieces. “But I think he’s tired of waiting. We can use that.” “How so?” “He thinks he’s winning. He’ll start getting greedy. They always do. It worked with Manolo and El Gato. Hell, even Cliff at the end of it all. We saw it with Maynard, too. And the people Delgado surrounded himself with. You can use that greed to get them to do whatever you want. Ya just gotta know which strings to pull.” “Looks like we’re missin’ all the fun.” Randy yawned as he and Dave came out of their office. “But I won’t deny I needed the sleep.” “I think we all did.” Sonny filled them in, speaking in clipped sentences. “So now we just gotta draw Menton out.” Dave nodded. “How do you feel about bein’ a staked-out goat, captain?” “If that’s what it takes.” Castillo smiled at the thin joke. “All we’d need to do is have you pay a visit to OCB. Let ‘em see you and then lose any tail in the traffic. Menton will go bat shit. I don’t think he’d send a team to your house, especially if he hasn’t seen you there. He’s got to be dying to get a fix on you.” Sonny smiled. “And that’s when we hit him with the combination.” He turned to Stan. “How quickly can you drum up some fake radio traffic, Stan?” “Faster than that spaghetti mobile of yours can burn through tires and gasoline.” Stan grinned. “Good. I want something to go out about the wounded officer not making it off the operating table. Maybe send it just below normal police band so the uniforms don’t freak out.” “I know just the band. We used to use it when I was on patrol to talk smack about the sergeants.” Stan chuckled. “It doesn’t get much use these days. The kids don’t know how to find it. But it’s how something like that would go out.” “Good. Get it moving. Can you have it ready to go inside of two hours?” Stan nodded. “Good. Then you’ll stand ready with your team. Same as last night. Marty, you’ll be the bait. Rico and I will run a distant tail looking for anyone on your six.” “What then?” Sonny smiled, but it was a nasty thing coming from someplace dark inside. “Then Stan’s team rolls and hits his damned office building. I doubt he’ll be there, but it’ll light a fire under his ass. He’ll start questioning his own team. Everything around him. Then we hit again.” He pointed at the small porn shop down near the waterfront. “What is it with CIA and porn shops? Anyhow, Rico, Gina, Mindy and I will take this one. We can’t stretch too far without losing sight of him, but that will cut out two of his options.” Castillo looked at the map, nodding. “Leaving him three.” “Right. And tomorrow we shut down the other two. Herding him to the warehouse. Right where we want him.” Sonny looked at the map again. “I want each of you to think this one over. Tell me what I missed and we’ll fix it. We only get one shot at this bozo, and we can’t miss.” Mindy giggled. “I haven’t raided a porn store since my days on Boston PD. What a blast from the past.” Gina looked over at Stan and smiled. “Maybe I can find a welcome back present while we’re there.” Stan went bright red and laughed. Castillo waited until the team headed back to their offices to test the plan. “It’s good you got them to laugh. We need that now.” Sonny nodded. “Yeah, I could feel that.” He looked at the map one last time to reassure himself. “What do you think of the plan?” “You’re inside his head. I’m too close for that. And you’re hunting him like Burnett would.” Castillo turned and headed for his office. Sonny followed the unspoken invitation. “I have to know. Can you step back out of Burnett once this is done?” “Yeah. I can. Like I said, I’ve made peace with the part of me that’s him. Before…I don’t know. I was too busy being a cowboy. Then that explosion and everything before it sent me the other way. I’ve got the center now.” “Good. You will need to be strong for them.” Castillo waved his hand to take in the rest of the office. “They’ll be looking to you for leadership.” “To us both, Marty.” “I have to finish this. One way or the other.” Castillo turned and looked out the window, his face set in a cold stare. “No matter where that road takes me.” “I get it, Marty. Hackman, remember? I know how you feel, and that you have to finish this. But we’ll do it together.” “Of course. Just let me know when I need to move.” Sonny walked out of the office with a sick feeling twisting in his stomach. Ignoring Rico’s questioning glance he headed for the tech room. “Stan? You got a second?” “Sure, Sonny. What’s up?” Reaching back, Sonny shut the door. “I need you to rig a tracking device of some kind on Marty’s car. Where he wouldn’t find it. Can you do that?” “Sure. I could probably get one on him, too, but that would be harder. What’s up?” “I got a bad feeling about how this might end. If he slips off on us like he did with that Surf asshole I want to know where he is.” “Gotcha. Consider it done, boss.” He turned to Lester. “Get one of those D-24 transponders ready. Give it a full shakedown. I don’t want a bad unit going on the car.” Back in the outer office, Rico was still waiting with a confused look on his face. Sonny pointed to the outer office and waited until they were in the empty reception area before he told Rico his worry. “I don’t want him getting away from us again,” he finished. “Something’s eating at him, and I got a bad feeling he’ll go it alone as soon as he knows where Menton is.” “He’s done it before. And Marty’s a big boy.” Sonny paused. “It’s what Jenny said. I just can’t shake that. And what Mindy said got me thinking. She’s never been wrong with it since I’ve known her. We have to be there when this ends. You, me, and the two marshals. And we have to track him to do that.” “Yeah, I get it partner. He’s almost sure to go Lone Ranger on us as soon as Menton’s in the crosshairs.” Rico looked back toward the suite. “You think we can get him?” “Yeah. I’m chasing him like Burnett would, and he never missed when he went after someone.” Sonny fought back a shiver. “It’s tough to tap into, but I can handle it. And it’s worth it if we get this guy.” Rico nodded. “We’ll get him, Sonny. I can’t find a damned thing wrong with that plan you cooked up. Dave and Randy can’t, either, and it’s driving them nuts. Timing and personnel are what worries me.” “Yeah. It’s a risk with what we have, but less of a risk than doing nothing. We’re one step ahead of him now. I want to turn it into five or six.” Lester hurried by, winking at Sonny as he passed. “Don’t start the rundown without me.” “You got it.” Sonny smiled. “He’s come a long way from that tech rat we used to know.” “They all have. And Stan? That dude’s a wonder.” “I was an asshole for not seeing it before. But he’s worth his weight in Elvis gold for sure. There’s not an ounce of quit in him. Never has been. Put that with Dave and Randy and you’ve got something damned powerful.” He slapped Rico on the shoulder. “Now let’s go turn it loose.” Sonny waited until Lester came back and had a chance to wash the evidence off his hands before calling everyone to the table. “I think we’ve had enough time to kick holes in my little plan. I know the timing’s tight and we don’t have lots of people. There’s no good way around that. I don’t want to tap Pete for more, and anything else would take too long. Menton will smell something’s off fast. Speed is our ally here.” Randy looked around the table. “I think I speak for us all, boss. Can’t find a damned hole worth mentioning. You picked out the weaknesses, but we gotta work with those. But you remember the Corps. Speed is always a force multiplier. And Patton’s three rules of war?” “Audacity, audacity, audacity.” Sonny grinned. “And that’s what this plan is. We can adjust on the fly if I missed anything, and I’m sure I did. Comms will be key, so everyone check in with Stan and Lester for updates and the like before we roll. Once Team Elvis hits the streets they’ll be moving too fast to provide much support.” Stan grinned. “I like that, Sonny!” “Figured you would.” Sonny smiled back. “You guys will move in as soon as Rico and I pick up a tail on the captain. I don’t think you’ll catch Menton there, but if you do give us an all-points and we’ll collapse on the location faster than he can spit. I’ll even let Rico drive.” He nodded, remembering their run after Trudy had been shot. “Solid. Fifty bucks if you make the call even if he ain’t there.” Sonny waited for the laughter to die down. “Very funny.” He turned to Castillo. “This is your show, captain. I’m just planning the tour.” Castillo nodded. “Thank you. Thank you all. Be aware that once this starts there’s no going back. Menton has already declared war on me, and he’ll widen his focus to the whole team once he’s aware of you. But Crockett’s plan is a good one. Stick with it and watch each other’s backs. We will finish this.” He stepped back, nodding to Sonny. “I’m ready when you are.” “Equipment and comms check, people. We roll in ten.” Sonny looked over at Stan. “You can run that fake radio traffic now.” “He’ll fall for it like Elvis falling for a teenage girl.” Stan chuckled at his own analogy and headed for the tech room. “Roll your masterpiece, Lester,” he thundered. “Let’s get this party started!” He had to admit it felt good to get out of that damned conference room, even though it was trading one kind of cell for another. Still, the radios were here and not there. Dale Menton needed to know what was happening now, not twenty minutes after it happened. It was hot the small room. Maybe someday they’d come up with gear that didn’t put off heat, but it was nothing compared to the jungles of Thailand or Laos, so Menton could deal. He looked over at the man wearing headphones, wondering what the hell was going through his head. The expression on his face was… “Got something!” He fiddled with the dials and grinned. “It’s on that lower frequency Metro-Dade uses when they don’t want people to hear what they’re up to. Morons think no one knows about it. Three or four of ‘em on the line, blabbing on about…” He paused, then smiled even more. “Boss, that cop you were after is dead. They said she just died on the operating table.” “Is there a way to confirm?” “Not right away. We’d have to wait for the news cycle to kick in. But this is cop chatter all right. I’ve heard the one voice before.” “Alert the teams. That should draw Castillo out of his hole to OCB, even if it’s just to sob like a little girl before heading home.” Menton smiled, enjoying the feeling. It was like he had Castillo pinned to a board like a bug and he was waiting to catch the sun just right with his magnifying glass. “I want to know the second they lay eyes on him.”

Rolling a bit longer than I thought, but it's turning into a busy tale. Later Sonny couldn’t say what made him swing by the marina. Maybe it had been the intensity in her eyes when she’d asked about Marty, but he knew he needed to see if Jenny wanted to go to the hospital. She’d been waiting on the Dance, and she let out a little yell of joy when he asked. “I’d love to,” she said as she ducked below to throw on one of her simple sun dresses. “Give me a second and I’ll be right there. I’ve been thinking about them all day. And you.” “I’m sorry, baby.” He kissed her as soon as she came through the companionway. “I got all wrapped up in this stuff and just…” “Don’t apologize. It’s what you do. I just want to understand more about it.” They climbed in the Ferrari and Sonny guided the car into the early evening traffic. “It’s dangerous work, but you’ve already seen that. I get called in all the time, but you know that, too. I used to be an asshole about it, as you might have gathered from my friends. How Cait put up with me I’ll never know. I wish I would have been better with her, and I will be with you.” She looked at him, and he saw something in her eyes before she looked away. “I’d like to meet them when this is over.” “They’re…” “You go to their graves. It’s ok. I understand. I’d just like to meet them. If that’s ok with you.” The more he thought about it, the less crazy it seemed. Hell, with Jenny just about everything didn’t seem crazy after a time. “Yeah. Yeah, we can do that.” “Good. I want to let her know I’ll take care of you.” She reached over and touched his thigh. “But now we need to see Marty. And Trudy if she’s awake.” The hospital was wrapped in the strange gloom that often came right as a shift was ending and another waited to begin. Still too early for the drunks to be flowing in, but a shade too late for the mothers with kids who had sore throats or scraped knees. Especially on the ER side it was noticeable. Sonny nodded to Tiny as the big man loomed out of one of the side doorways. “Just coming to check on them.” He nodded. “Wish it was better circumstances, Sonny. Jenny. Good to see you again.” “Keep a good watch tonight, Tiny.” “I always do, ma’am.” She giggled and took Sonny’s arm as they moved past the big man. He saw a second shadow and knew Brick was close by. He’d also not missed the compact MP-5 hanging by an assault strap at the Tiny’s waist. They weren’t taking any chances. Trudy’s room was quiet except for the beeping and humming of the hospital machines surrounding her bed. Castillo sat in deep shadow near her head, holding her hand. He looked up and smiled as the two came in, and Jenny ran past Sonny and threw her arms around him. “It’s so good to see you, Martin! How is she?” “Why don’t you ask me?” Trudy’s voice was dry and brittle, the result of surgical tubes and partial dehydration. Sonny remembered those same sensations after he’d been shot, so he knew what she was going through. Jenny let out another happy yelp and leaned over the bed. “I’d ask, but it’s a silly question considering where you are. I just had to come and see both of you.” Castillo looked over at the doorway, and Sonny could see the light in his eyes again. “Thank you for coming. And for bringing Jenny.” Jenny turned back to Castillo. “You look like you need some fresh air. And I can see work in your eyes. Sonny, why don’t you let him know what’s happening? I’d love to stay with Trudy and keep her company.” Trudy smiled, but Sonny could still see the pain lines on her face and in her eyes. “I’d like that, Jenny. You can help me plan the wedding.” She looked at Castillo. “I’ll be fine, my love. You go with Sonny.” “I won’t be long.” Castillo slid past Jenny and kissed Trudy on the forehead. Then he turned to Sonny and his eyes changed. “Fill me in.” Sonny waited until they were past Tiny and Brick to drop the bombshell. “We’re pretty sure it was Dale Menton who was behind this. He managed to get sprung from Federal prison a couple of weeks ago. Pete’s already looking into that side of it. From what Mindy said he’s pissed as hell.” “Menton.” Castillo’s voice was flat. “Everything points that way. Stan’s leading a team to check out the building the shooter used. It’s owned by a series of overseas shell companies tracking back to Southeast Asia. Rico’s turning over every informant rock we can find, and Mindy’s running Menton’s know shell companies against holdings in Miami. And I’m sure you noticed Tiny and Brick.” “Good work. Menton is dangerous.” Castillo climbed into the Ferrari, waiting until Sonny pulled into traffic to continue. “This time I will finish things.” “We’re on it with every resource we have. And I don’t think Menton knows anything about the Task Force. How he tumbled onto you and Trudy I don’t know.” “Surveillance. I’m careful once I leave the city, but I must have gotten careless somewhere and his people saw us together. Menton hires ex-Company men.” Castillo stared out the window, and Sonny could feel him drifting away again. “Marty…we got this. I know how you feel. So does Rico. We’ve both been there. I’ll get you up to speed at the office and then we’ll make our next move.” “Unless Menton makes it for us. Do not underestimate this man. He was in this game before Maynard ever recruited his first asset. How did he get out of prison?” “All we know right now is he was released.” Sonny turned into the underground garage and shut off the Ferrari. “Rico and I think taking down Delgado might have rattled cages we didn’t know about. He got out soon after that.” “Let’s go up.” Rico had been sitting at the conference table talking with Gina and Mindy when they came in, and he shot to his feet. “Marty! Good to see you. How’s Trudy?” “Better. She sends her love to all of you.” Castillo gave them a thin smile and then turned to the map. “Crockett told me about Menton. What do we have?” Gina walked over and gave him a quick hug, and Sonny could see Castillo blush slightly. “She’ll be ok, Marty. She’s one tough lady. And it is good to be back working with these lugs.” She smiled and turned to the map, going all-business in a second. “This is the building the shot came from. Dave tracked it back and they’re heading there now to look it over. Metro-Dade had some calls about ‘crazy white dudes’ in the area around the time of the shooting, but the 10-13 pulled them away. They weren’t close enough to do anything even if the call hadn’t gone out.” Mindy gave Castillo a weak smile, and Sonny felt sorry for her. She didn’t know him like they did and didn’t know what to do. “We’ve tracked ownership of the building back through three shell companies to one out of Thailand. That’s probably his main one.” “Yes. It would be.” Castillo turned to her and smiled. “Thank you for your concern, Deputy O’Laughlin. I know this isn’t easy for you. Can you run a search of property records and see what else those shell companies own in Miami? It might give us a lead.” Rico got to his feet. “I’ll help her, captain. Gives me something to do other than stare at that damned fax machine. I know why Sonny hates it now. Would have shot it myself if Gina would have let me.” “Do we know where he is?” “He hasn’t come up on any of our taps, but they aren’t really set up for this. And we can’t get more warrants until we have locations, and he’s been keeping a low profile.” Sonny turned and looked at Castillo. “He’s been planning this for years, Marty. That warrant profile was a setup. He’s kept it on ice, just waiting.” “He’s missed me at least twice, and I’ve hit him every time. He wants to finish this. Just like I do.” Sonny was about to tell him about the plan for the building when the phone rang. Stan Switek felt the weight of command bearing down on his thick shoulders. He had to remind himself it wasn’t a real weight, and his command was pretty theoretical. But he had to admit he’d felt proud when Sonny put him in charge. And the look in Gina’s eyes was enough to make any incidental indignity well worth suffering. But there hadn’t been any. Lester asked his advice like he usually did when they dialed in the surveillance frequencies, and Dave and Randy actually paid attention when he told them where to put their gear in the roach coach. In fact, they’d even asked his advice about the roads leading into the area and which ones he felt offered the best lines of retreat if they had to get the hell out of Dodge. Still, the weight was there. He knew the basics, learned at the feet of one of the best men he’d ever known. Castillo always took the blame and shared every ounce of credit, and Stan swore he’d do the same. It was dark in the underground garage when he looked over at Lester and nodded. “It’s time. Let’s roll.” “Gotcha, boss.” Lester chuckled. “I always wanted to say that.” Randy and Dave sat in the back, their black fatigues vanishing in the shadows thrown by equipment racks. After their last outing Lester had rigged two folding jump seats back by the doors, short on comfort but top-notch on usefulness and speed. The two deputies sat in them, silenced MP-5SDs gripped between their knees. They hadn’t said much since kitting up, just settled in and waited for the ride to end. “Welcome aboard Roach Coach Airlines,” Stan ad-libbed from the driver’s seat. “You’re on a round-trip ticket to the fun and adventure of colorful Overton. Don’t harass the natives or they might shoot at you. And go around barefoot at your own risk.” Randy grinned. “Backed up a few warrant raids in here now and again. Once you got past the bad apples it ain’t a bad place.” Lester nodded. “Yeah, but it’s tough. You got no real development going in, and what happens pushes people out of their homes and doesn’t give ‘em anything in return. No wonder the place is on edge.” Dave snorted. “Metro-Dade don’t help much, neither. But like you said it’s tough. People want police, but they don’t want to give up any information. Don’t take much for the uniforms to stop trusting ‘em.” Stan nodded, guiding the van through the building evening traffic and going over scenarios in his head. He was trying to play it cool, but he could feel the sweat beading in the hollow of his spine. Way back when he’d done some uniform patrol in Overton, so he knew the area fairly well. Or he had. Making the last turn, he turned off the headlights and shifted into neutral to let the van coast to a stop. Reaching back, he pulled the curtain between the cab and the back to keep any light from bleeding out. “Lester, get the system up. We need to know who’s transmitting around here and what they’re saying. Guys, you got five minutes until you wanted to step off. It looks quiet from up here, but I’d rather let Lester verify no one’s on a radio spotting.” “Sounds good, sarge. We’ll go on your word.” Stan nodded, then said “You got it” when he remembered they couldn’t see him. They wouldn’t turn the night vision on until they were outside; a flash from one of the panels could overload the goggles and shut them down for minutes. Time they didn’t want to waste. Lester slipped on his headphones, leaving one ear clear, and started rolling the frequency dial. “Got a Metro-Dade unit out and about,” he said, sounding almost like a DJ as he updated the rest of the van. “Sounds like two kids playing with walkie-talkies. No, scratch that. A dealer and his spotter. They just radioed that the patrol car went by.” He shook his heads. “Kids and their new toys.” Stan listened with half his mind, the other half focused on the streets around him. Dealers working the corners were nothing new here. Only the faces and the drugs of choice changed. He’d spent a good part of his career on the streets, and not the flashy ones Crockett and Tubbs got to hang out in. You picked up a lot playing a wino, a bum, or just hanging around on the corner shooting the shit with the street dealers. He knew Overton was tense, but that usually worked itself out with thrown bottles, a stabbing or two, and maybe a burned car someone wanted to collect insurance on. He came back to the van when he noticed Lester’s voice change. “Just picked up something in the lower frequencies. Tactical ones. Short sentences. ‘In position.’ ‘Wait.’ Now they just sent ‘Go.’ No idea what the hell…” “I think I do.” Stan looked out the side window, watching as two Molotov cocktails arced through the air, flames jumping on their cloth wicks like fireworks gone wrong. The two bottles shattered against the side of one of the small single-family homes left over from some project after World War II, sending flames licking up the side of the dry structure. He thought he saw lighters flare across the street, and then a second set of bottles exploded against another frame building that might have once been a corner store. “What’s the call, sarge?” Dave’s voice was urgent. “We can get those assholes no sweat and maybe continue with the mission.” Why would they burn their own houses? The though jumped into his head and wouldn’t go away. “Any more on that frequency?” “Yeah. Another ‘Go’ message.” That did it. Pieces started falling into place as he started the roach coach. “We’re aborting the mission. Lester, call Metro-Dade and have them roll units. Then get on the phone and see if Sonny’s in the office or his car. Tell him to get to the hospital. We’ll meet him there.” Lester nodded and starting working the comms. Dave and Randy looked at each other, and Stan guessed they were surprised by the decisive tone of his voice. But he knew what was happening. Knew it as clearly as if the asshole had posted it on a billboard. “Don’t you get it? This is a diversion. Gang trouble doesn’t go down like this in Overton. And why would someone want to draw every cop in Creation here? What does that leave exposed?” Randy connected the dots first. “Shit! The hospital!” “Hang on back there! Lester, get those calls made!” Stan floored the accelerator, hearing the souped-up V-8 roar as the Roach Coach gave him everything it had. He just hoped it was enough. “What is it, Lester? Did the raid…” “Sonny! Get to the hospital quick! We aborted. Overton was a diversion. Stan thinks Menton’s gonna hit the hospital!” Sonny stared at the phone in disbelief. How the hell had that fat little prick beaten them to the punch again? But then his mind kicked into overdrive. “They’re hitting the hospital! Marty, with me! Rico, bring who you can when you can! Stan’s on the way!” He turned and sprinted for the door, noticing Castillo had beaten him there. Sonny left a trail of rubber from his parking place to the street, the Ferrari howling in protest as he cranked it around the corner and speed-shifted through the gears, accelerating as fast as the car could. “Marty, I…” “You couldn’t know. He’s three steps ahead. I should have known.” Reaching under his jacket, Castillo pulled out his big Smith & Wesson Model 29 and checked the cylinder. The six .44 Magnum shells glittered in the orange light from the Ferrari’s instrument console. He closed the cylinder with a click. “They’ll go in through the ER. It’s the most direct route.” “But they won’t know about Tiny and Brick. They’ll think it’s just Metro-Dade.” Then his mind processed the rest of the equation. “Jenny!” “Trudy has her pistol. I made sure of that. But we have to get there.” “We will.” Sonny did a racing change and cut around four cars, ignoring the honks and squealing of tires he left in his wake. Red lights didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but getting to Mercy General. The red cross sign loomed out of the darkness, and Sonny slammed on the breaks. The Ferrari screamed to a halt, smoke rolling off the tires. He turned off the car and hauled out his own Smith & Wesson. “Let’s do this.” Castillo nodded. His voice was cold. “We only need one alive.” Sonny did a double-take, not sure he’d heard correctly, and saw Castillo ghosting for the door. He followed at a dead run, the rattle of automatic weapons fire reaching his ears as the doors hissed open. Controlled bursts, coming from the direction of the trauma corridor. He stuffed his badge in his blazer breast pocket, almost slipping on a pool of blood spreading from the body of the ER’s lone security guard. “Poor bastard didn’t stand a chance,” he muttered, and then realized he had to move if he wanted to keep up with Castillo. The older man was ghosting from doorway to doorway, the big pistol up and tracking with his eyes. Sonny tried to keep up, but was having trouble. He’d never seen anything like this before from Marty, and it impressed and frightened him at the same time. He wanted to move, but the careful cop wouldn’t. Cover your partner. Watch your six. Get the screaming civilians to cover. Be ready to warn. Then Burnett reminded him it was Jenny down there, too. He started to move, pushing past a screaming nurse with a muttered “Stay down” to mark his passing. The acrid smell of gunpowder filled his nose, and he could see glittering spent shell casings littering the floor ahead, the fluorescent overheads making them sparkle like gold nuggets. Then he saw two bodies, men clad in plain fatigues with ski masks on their heads and UZIs still clenched in their dead hands. Both had been killed by short controlled busts to the chest. He looked over at Castillo, who shook his head and motioned to keep moving. More gunfire rattled out head, just audible over an alarm someone had pulled. Sonny winced, then nodded. It would give them cover to move. Two men sheltered in doorways ahead of them, with what looked to be UZIs aimed down the hall. One leaned out and fired a controlled burst, spent casings arcing out to joint the growing pool on the floor, then seemed to sense something behind him. He started to turn and Castillo shot him through the chest. The Magnum’s big boom overwhelmed even the wailing alarm, growing in power as it bounced off the walls. The second gunman reacted like a trained professional, diving away and bringing his own weapon up. Sonny shot him twice through the chest, the impact knocking his body down the hall and the sound of the two shots merging into one. Brick and Tiny had barricaded themselves behind an upset gurney and chairs from the hall, and they’d left a string of down men in ski masks running the length of the hall. Smoke trailed from the short barrels of their MP-5s, and they waved when they saw Sonny and Castillo. “Damn glad you two showed up. We’re low on ammo and those bastards were starting to wear us down. They came at us fast, but we got two right off.” Brick spoke fast. “You two head on down. I heard shots from down there and they might have gotten one past us through a side door or something. I think there’s another down the hall to the right. We’re sweeping now.” Sonny nodded, turning to keep up with Castillo who was moving like a shadow again. The safety on his pistol was off. If they’d hurt Jenny or Trudy, Sonny wasn’t sure he could take one of them alive. And he knew if they’d hurt Trudy Marty’s wrath would be terrible to behold. The door to the room was partway open, kept that way by a dead body. The man’s ski mask had come off, showing a shock of close-cropped blonde hair and what looked like skinhead tattoos. The dark shape of a shotgun was partly visible under his body. Castillo turned to Sonny and raised a finger. Nodding, Sonny leveled his own pistol and shouted “U.S. Marshals! Surrender now or die!” Trudy’s weak voice answered his shout. “We’re ok. Jenny…” In a heartbeat Sonny was through the door. Jenny still sat in the chair by the bed, smoke trailing from the wide muzzle of Trudy’s big MatchMaster. She looked at the body and then Sonny, putting the safety on the pistol before moving so Castillo could get to Trudy and take her in his arms. “He wanted to hurt her, so it was his time to go.” Her voice was calm, like she was talking about a change in the weather. “He was a bad man, so I don’t feel bad.” Sonny looked down at the tight three-round group perforating the man’s chest. “Where’d you learn to shoot like that?” “Father had a gun collection. And it was handy in my old line of work.” She looked over at the body like it was a badly-folded shirt. “He came in through that side door once the shooting started. Like they’d planned it that way. He didn’t expect me to be here, and he didn’t expect me to have a gun. He was a coward.” Castillo came from the bed and looked down at Jenny. “I can never repay you.” “You don’t need to. You brought me Sonny. It was you who brought him back to Miami. So I’d say we’re even.” She smiled and looked over at Trudy. “I couldn’t let him hurt my friend.” She looked down at the pistol as if seeing it for the first time. “I need to give this back to Trudy.” Stan came through the door puffing like an overheated engine. “Is everyone ok? I tried…” Sonny slapped the big man on the bicep. “You did great, Stan. You warned us just in time and made the right call.” Castillo nodded. “Excellent work, Switek. Your instincts are commendable. Crockett made the right call giving you a team.” Brick and Tiny emerged from the side hall, pushing a handcuffed man in front of them. “We found this piece of garbage in a car out by the side exit.” Tiny smacked the man upside the head with his huge hand. “All dressed up and no one to drive, right chief? Sonny looked at Castillo, who nodded. “Take that punk down to your interview room. We’ll be having a little talk with him. Stan, have Dave and Randy hold the fort here until we can get two fresh deputies in.” “We’re good, boss. Just need some more ammo and coffee is all.” “They they can cover for you until you get coffee and ammo.” Sonny turned back to Castillo. “I…” “Go to her. She needs you now.” Castillo turned to the surviving gunman, his eyes black as night. “I’ll deal with this one. Switek, have Tubbs meet me at the marshals’ office. Crockett will join us when he can.” Sonny found Jenny sitting back in her chair, talking with Trudy as if nothing had happened. The charge nurse, recovering some of her dignity after being one of the first to run away, stuck her head in right after Sonny came back. “We’ll need to move you, Miss Joplin. The police have to muck around.” Jenny looked at her. “Those police just saved your life, you cow.” “Miss, I…” “I got this, lady. Go round up your crew and get Trudy moved. Now.” Sonny looked at her with a Burnett stare and she turned in a cloud of distressed authority and scurried out. Trudy smiled, her eyes bright but tired. “You’re a hell of a lady, Jenny. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t have been here.” “I just did what needed doing.” She smiled and turned to Sonny. “It was Stan, wasn’t it?” “Yes.” He didn’t even bother asking how she knew. “He’s got an ear for the street like we do the ocean. If they tried anything out there, he’d know if it was true or not. He’s a good man. Gina’s lucky he’ll have her.” Sonny looked at Trudy, who just shrugged. So she noticed it, too. “I need to get down to talk to that guy we captured. But I wanted to make sure you’re ok.” “I am. For now. Later…it might be hard.” “It will be.” Trudy smiled. “Sonny was there when I had to kill my first bad guy.” “He told me.” Jenny sat down, suddenly looking very frail and alone. “I…” “Let me call Stan and have him let them know.” Sonny turned for the door. “I can’t leave you.” “You have to.” “No, I…” “Sonny, let me talk with her. You helped me, and now it’s time I paid that forward.” Trudy smiled at Jenny. “Besides, it’ll give us an excuse to talk.” “It’s ok, Sonny. I’ll be ok with Trudy. But later…” “I will be back as soon as I can. If you’re not here I’ll look for you at the boat.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I love you, baby.” The interview room was small, no bigger than an oversized closet. The driver slumped over the table, his right wrist cuffed to a bolt hook in the table. In turn the table was bolted to the floor. Only the chairs moved. Martin Castillo looked through the one-way glass. He’d had the man put in there almost an hour ago, and no one had gone near him since. Rico stood next to him, and Sonny had joined then not ten minutes before. Castillo could feel both men looking at him, but he didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just watched the man in the room. He’s trained. Likely CIA. He’ll be hard to break, and physical torture won’t work. Even though I’d love to try a few techniques I learned in Saigon. The South Vietnamese were not gentle on their enemies. In his head Castillo went through the lines, the techniques he could use or discard to break the man. Then he decided. Without a word he opened the door and went in. The man looked up. “I want my phone call.” “No.” “I got rights. I want my phone call.” “No.” “Listen, asshole, I want…” “That guard your team killed was an off-duty police officer. Do you know what happens to even accused cop-killers in Florida prisons?” “But you can’t…” “And if that guard happened to be deputized as a Federal law enforcement officer…do you know what happens then?” Castillo walked to the back of the room, just out of the man’s line of sight. “You could move from one system to the other. And charges can take time to process. It could be months. Do you think you can survive months of that? First the Florida guards and then Federal officers?” “Look, you can’t…” “Or maybe you cooperated. Or maybe you didn’t but we said you did. I understand they have a saying in Radford. Snitches become bitches.” “You need to call this number. They’ll explain…” “No. They’ll say they never heard of you and hang up. You’re expendable to them.” Castillo moved again, still out of the man’s line of sight. “Just like your dead teammates. Menton didn’t tell you there were U.S. Marshals there, did he?” “It was supposed to be one hospital punk guard. We didn’t…” “See? He lied to you. It’s what he does.” Castillo went quiet, watching the man squirm in his chair. The chain rattled as he shifted, trying to see who was talking. When he spoke again it was lower. “I can help with that. You were just driving, right? But if you don’t help me, everything I talked about will happen to you. And I don’t lie.” When the man spoke his voice was a whisper. “What do you want to know?” “Where is Menton?” “I don’t…” Castillo moved in front of the man with two quick steps, so fast he seemed to appear out of nowhere. His voice was a hissed shout, and he slammed his palm on the table to punctuate each world. “Where. Is. Menton?” “Look…I swear I don’t know where the fat bastard actually stays. He always met us in a conference room in this cheap office building down by the docks.” The man rattled off the address. “We had safe houses scattered around. You know. Tradecraft. But him? I never knew where he went. That Nazi fuck who was in charge? He might have known. Wondered if he might have been Menton’s bitch in prison, or maybe Menton was his.” “What about after the hit?” “I was supposed to drive to a Holiday inn out by the airport and leave the car there. Then we’d scatter and meet up at that office in two days to get paid and get the hell out of Dodge. At least that was the claim. I always thought Menton had something up his ass about it, though. Another job.” “Explain.” “There was a second target. We were never briefed on it. Just the girl. And we didn’t know she was a goddamned girl until those two assholes botched the shot. You got both of them, by the way. They were on the team. Menton talked about a second target, but I got the feeling he either wanted to do that one himself or he had another team waiting in the wings.” “You’ll be transferred to a holding cell. I’ll talk to the AUSA about you cooperation and see what we can work out.” Castillo smiled. “You still want that phone call?” “No. You were right about it, I’d guess. I’ll take my chances that you’re honest.” Rico looked at Sonny. “How the hell does he do that?” “I gave up figuring that out years ago, partner.” Sonny stood with his arms folded across his dark gray blazer, still processing the events of the evening. “You know Jenny killed the guy who made it to the room. Put three rounds in his chest without blinking.” “Damn. That girl is full of surprises.” “Yeah. Then she looked at him and said it was his time to go.” Sonny shook his head. “And you should have seen Marty in that hospital. I’ve never seen a man move like that before. It was like he was smoke, floating from one spot to the next. And the one guy he shot? One round right through the heart.” “How’s Jenny?” “She’s still with Trudy. Trudy said she’d talk to her, but…” Sonny shook his head again. “I don’t know if she’ll need to. And when Marty said he owed her, she shook it off and said they were even because he’d brought me to Miami for her.” “You got yourself a strange one, partner, but in a good way.” Rico nodded toward the room. “It’s like you found Castillo’s little sister.” “Kinda, yeah.” Then his voice changed with his mood. “We gotta get ahead of Menton. If he’ll send a damned hit team into a hospital God knows what else he’ll do. We can get Gina and Mindy started on running down that building the asshole mentioned., and that might be enough for Stan to get some warrants.” “We put wires in either way.” Castillo came out of the interview room, his eyes dark and brooding. “I will not let Menton shoot up my city like this. We are going to stop him, no matter what it takes.” Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his badge and set it on the table. “He crossed my line. I don’t need the badge to deal with him now. This is personal. I won’t risk any of you.” Sonny shook his head. “Yeah, it’s personal. But think, Marty. He knows you better than anyone out there who’s taken a shot at you.” Rico nodded. “He really knows you, not just from reading a file. He knows how you think, man. How you react. He’s trying to draw you out alone. You do that, and the chump wins. He’s read ahead.” Castillo looked from one man to the other. “You’re my subordinates, but you’re also my friends. I can’t ask you…” “Who’s asking?” Rico dropped his badge on the table with a hollow thud. “You forget, I’m an expert at this kinda thing. How do you think I got to Miami in the first place?” Sonny’s badge joined the pile. “And I didn’t exactly destroy the Manolo organization on the clock. And if the others were here, their badges would be in the stack, too. Especially Randy.” Castillo nodded. “Yes. He told me.” Sighing, he reached down and picked up the badge. “I already owe you both more than I can ever repay. But this has to end.” Rico looked at Sonny. “You don’t owe us a damned thing, man. You gave us second chances when neither of us deserved them.” “Especially me.” Sonny laid his hand on Castillo’s shoulder. “I was a shit cop when I left. Hell, the best work I did was when I wasn’t a cop. But you let me back in, Marty, and let me prove I’d changed. So if I have to turn Burnett loose on this asshole consider it a down-payment on what I owe you.” A confused look appeared on Rico’s face. “Burnett? I don’t follow…” “This is the kind of thing Burnett would do. Ruthless. Totally focused on one target. Hell, it’s how I broke the Manolo organization one person at a time.” Sonny allowed himself a thin smile. “Yeah…I own Burnett now. Warts and all. Anyhow, I can go after Menton the same way. We have what he wants, and we know at least one of his bases of operation. Let it leak that the team was all killed, but that they critically wounded Trudy and she’s not likely to make it. We’ll get her shifted to a different hospital to reinforce the con.” Castillo nodded. “He will think I’m broken. That’s what he was trying to do.” Understanding lit Rico’s face. “Yeah! And then we start hitting him. Hard and with no let-up. If we can get Brick’s team we’ll have the resources.” “And if we turn Dave and Randy loose he’ll know we’re after him.” Sonny’s eyes were bright. He could see all kinds of possibilities opening. “I need to talk to Stan. See what he can come up with. He’s an inventive bastard, and his tech can help us look like there’s way more of us than there are. False radio transmissions and all that.” Castillo looked at them. “Do it. I’ll arrange the hospital transfer. Jenny can go with her if she’d like. I’d…” He paused, then looked straight at Sonny. “I’d feel better if they were together.” “After seeing Jenny’s shooting so would I.” Sonny nodded his agreement. “Let’s get to work, gents. We’ve got a trap to set.”

He didn’t remember anything after hearing Tubbs scream out the 10-13 call. Martin Castillo wasn’t even sure how he’d ended up at the hospital. They’d all come by, of course, and he hoped he’d said the right things to them. But he just didn’t remember. Everything stopped right after he heard Tubbs screaming the call. The doctor had been kind, waiting until the others left before talking to him in depth. “She’ll be fine, but it’s going to take time. And care.” “She’ll have both,” he said in a voice leaving no room for doubt. “Good.” The doctor took a step closer. “You’re a hard man. I was in the Army for a few years. Met a lot of hard men, but not one like you. She’ll need you to be strong.” “She’ll get everything she needs,” he repeated, locking eyes with the doctor, who took a step back and then smiled. “I’ll leave you in her hands,” he said, nodding toward Gina. “Looks like she’s done this before.” “Enough times to know you don’t need to be an asshole.” She smiled, waiting for him to finally leave. “He’s trying.” “Sure. And I’m the queen of Sheeba.” She came over and rested her hand on his shoulder. “They’re doing everything they can, Marty. I’ll be heading back there soon to see what I can do.” “You should go. If Chief Deputy Washington is sending people, they’ll be the best he has.” Castillo forced a smile to his lips. “You need to be where you can do the most good. And Stan will need you, just like you need him.” “But what about you?” He could see her tears forming and tried to head them off. “What I need is behind those doors. I need to be here in case she comes out of recovery sooner than they expect.” This time the smile wasn’t forced. “I appreciate everything everyone is doing. But you need to be together to get this done. Please.” She was just turning to leave when two big men in flack jackets with marshal’s badges on them came striding down the hall. Gina covered her mouth with her hand, and Castillo found another real smile. “It’s taken care of.” It was almost dark when the task force reassembled around the conference room. Gina looked at Sonny, her eyes still bright with tears. “I left him at the hospital. These two huge guys with marshal’s badges showed up and said they were pulling the security detail, so he told me to come back here and help Mindy.” She forced a smile. “I just wish it was under better circumstances.” Rico whistled. “Sounds like Pete sent that warrant team we worked with going after Doc. That had to be Tiny.” She snapped her fingers. “That’s what he said. ‘Tell them Tiny and Brick got this’ was what the really big one said.” She looked at Stan and smiled. “Now I remember them. From that party after your last case!” Sonny smiled. Now that he knew Trudy was in good hands he could turn his full attention to the task Marty had given him. Find out who did this. “Ok, people. What do we have?” Lester spoke first. “We went over that scene God knows how many times before the lab goofs got there. The bullet shattered when it hit the side of the building. No ballistics love there.” Dave nodded. “Looked like a 7.62mm to me. Nothing fancy. I got the shot’s direction, but something just ain’t right. It’s buggin’ me. If the shooter was going for a heart shot he hit low. It don’t make sense.” Stan flipped through a ream of print-outs. “No radio transmissions or spikes of any kind, Sonny. There was no comm going in or out of that area. I even left the gear on after we go there. Nothing.” “They were already in place.” Mindy’s voice was certain. “Waiting for us to show up.” “But who the hell is it?” Rico slammed his hand down on the table. “Rico. Easy.” Sonny touched his partner’s shoulder. “We gotta take this one cool. Whoever did this is counting on us to go off the rails. We can’t do that.” Gina shook her head. “Why Trudy? She’s a great cop, but I can’t think of anyone who’d want her dead like that. Not with this much work.” “Maybe they were after me and missed.” Dave shook his head. “It ain’t about you, Rico. I can see why some folks might want to drop you, but the shot’s wrong for that kinda miss. Unless the guy had never fired a rifle before, and I just don’t see that here.” “That and this little trap has been in place for a long damned time. Someone took a really long view of this, and none of us have enemies going back that far.” Stan looked around the table. “Except…” “Castillo.” Sonny nodded. “Good thinking, Stan. Only Marty has enemies that would have starting planning this…What? Five years ago at least. Someone with connections. But why now?” Rico turned to Mindy. “Can you run a search for high-risk Federal prisoners who got released in the last two months or so? If it was local, we would have heard something.” She nodded and turned toward the intel office. Then she stopped. “I…” Sonny nodded. “Give her a hand, Rico. Tomorrow I’ll have Gina work with you, Mindy, if that’s ok. She wants to help out and her Spanish could be an asset.” “Of course.” Mindy gave a weak smile. “It’s just…” Gina smiled. “I understand, Mindy. I’ll help out any way I can.” Sonny smiled his thanks. “Did you need to make any calls? Have me make some calls?” She chuckled. “That’s right. I’ve got lieutenants who can call for me now.” She draped her arm around Stan and smiled. “And a big sergeant. What’s a girl to do? I already called them, Sonny. Just get them a letter saying I’m on special duty and they’ll be happy.” “Consider it done.” Sonny looked around, groping for words. “I’m not Marty. I know that. But we’ve done all we can here tonight. Go home. Get some rest. We reconvene at 0700 and we hit these bastards hard.” “What about Captain Castillo?” “I want to help him, Lester. But he said the best way we can do that is find these bastards for him.” Sonny looked around the table. “And God help them when we do, because I think he’s going after them.” Rico watched as Mindy fumbled with the computer keys. Normally she was confident and assured in front of that screen. But not tonight. “You heard the doctor, Mindy,” he said, his voice low and soft. “She’s gonna be fine.” “I know. But things were going so right for her. She was so happy.” “She still is happy. Hurting, but I’ll bet she’s still happy.” “I know all that…I…” She looked up at him, those bright blue eyes brimming with tears. “I don’t want to be alone tonight, Rico. I didn’t want it to be this way, but…” “At least we’re not drunk.” Rico smiled, then looked off someplace far away. Seeing the face of Angelina and what he imagined Rico Junior would look like. “I don’t want to be alone, either,” he whispered. “I’m damned tired of being alone.” Casa Cooper’s lights were low, the jazz soft and whispering from the stereo. Mindy looked around, a smile blooming on her face. “This is perfect, Rico. How did you know…” “The song? I figured with your taste there’s no way you couldn’t love ‘Moonlight in Vermont.’” He smiled, walking over and touching her shoulders, feeling her soft, thick hair slide over his skin. “And after today we needed The Sound.” “We did.” She tilted her head up and kissed him, the smell of her perfume filling his nose. “I aim to please.” Smiling, he hung up his jacket and walked to the patio door. “Let me show you the city. If you squint you can almost turn it into New York.” “Or Boston.” She smiled, taking his hand and stepping out onto the rooftop patio. “This is amazing. You can see the sea, and the neon.” “It almost makes Miami tolerable.” He smiled. “I don’t actually hate it, but I do like to bitch about it.” “It’s a hard change.” “It is.” He slid his arms around her from behind and kissed the back of her neck while she was staring out at the lights he’d seen countless times by now. “But it’s better now.” “Have you been alone the whole time you’ve been here?” “More or less. I won’t claim I locked myself up in a monastery, but the only one who really mattered is dead. A drug-dealer’s half-daughter, if you can believe that.” He laughed. “My stars don’t line up very damned often.” She smiled. “They did tonight.” She shrugged off her blouse, her trim body looking like freckled ivory in the moonlight slipping between the clouds. He drew her to him. “Yes,” he said, kissing her, “I think they finally did.” Sonny spent the entire drive back to the marina rehearsing what he’d say to Jenny, but in the end he gave up. Somehow he figured she’d just know what happened in that strange way of hers, or he’d tell her straight out without any bullshit. Tonight the candles burned in the St. Vitus Dance. He was glad. The boat had seen him through so many hard times he almost drew strength from the fiberglass hull. He nodded to Elvis as he walked up the gangplank. Then he saw her, standing in the companionway. “Something terrible happened. I can see it in your face.” “Trudy got shot today.” She let out a sob and fell into his arms, and he realized he was crying with her. “Is she going to be ok? No…I know she is.” “She is, darlin’. Randy got to her in time, and she’s got a good doctor. She’s hurt, no question, but she’ll be ok. Trudy’s tough.” “She is. She’s also my friend. And I know she’s yours.” “Yeah. I was there when she had to shoot her first man. He was trying to kill us, but she shot straighter than he did. I’m alive today because of her.” “So is Marty. She’s a wonderful woman.” She gasped. “Marty! How is he?” “I don’t know how to answer that, Jenny. He’s…he’s just sitting in the hospital. He told us to go back to work, to find out who did this, but his voice was so empty.” “He’s preparing.” There was a certainty to her voice that surprised him. “Getting ready for what he knows he has to do. And you need to be with him when that happens, Sonny. You, Rico, Randy, and Dave. Promise me you’ll be there.” Her eyes burned with an intensity that almost frightened him. “We will be, Jenny. I promise you that.” “He’ll need you there.” She kissed him, a light touch on his lips. “But I need you now.” “Jenny…” He’d been turning it over in his mind the whole way back, actually hoping for red lights so he could kick it around in his head some more. “I want to be with you. For the rest of our lives. If that’s marriage, fine. If not, I’m fine with that, too. But I don’t want you to leave. Tonight...tonight reminded me again of how fleeting all this is.” “And I want to be with you. No matter what that looks like. I was silly the other night.” “No. You were just trying to figure out what I wanted. I didn’t know then. But after seeing Marty tonight, I know.” He smiled down at her, seeing her eyes glow in the flickering candlelight. “I have to be in early tomorrow.” “But we have tonight.” She smiled and turned toward the aft berth’s door. “What do you mean you don’t know if she’s dead?” Menton glared across the table at his two shooters. “The cops collapsed in on the scene so damned fast, boss. It was all we could do to get clear before Metro-Dade started locking down the perimeter.” “But they didn’t go far enough out to get you, did they?” “They came damned close.” The thinner of the two spoke, his voice level and reasoned. “In that first group of cops, the plainclothes ones, there were two guys with CAR-15s who looked to know their way around a battlefield. If I had to bet, they guessed sniper right away.” “And you’re sure the target wasn’t there?” “Positive, so we went for the secondary.” “And missed!” Menton slammed his hand on the table. “Not really, boss. If the secondary’s wounded, it will draw the primary out. Like staking out a goat to lure in a tiger.” “You don’t know how right that comparison is.” Menton nodded, his brain starting to process the new information. “But you’re right. We can use this. No plan survives contact with the enemy, right? And the bait was stale. That’s on me.” “Can’t blame you though, boss. It smoked out more than a few nosy Fed teams before they tumbled onto the real work.” “Yeah. And all good things come to an end or some liberal shit like that.” He could feel the plan sorting itself out in his head. Falling into place. “Get some intel on that hospital. Plans. If both targets are there. Hell, even finishing off the secondary will draw the primary out.” “You think he suspects?” “They’re vice cops, you moron. They got more enemies than we do.” Menton smiled. “And most of ‘em don’t even speak English good enough to make threats. They’re probably wastin’ time now sorting through every mook they busted over the last ten years. Won’t do ‘em any good.” He decided. “Once you get the intel bring it to me and get the boys ready.” After the shooters trooped out, Menton slumped back in his chair with a suppressed groan. Standards had certainly slipped while he’d been away. Those clowns wouldn’t have been picking up spent brass back in Laos or Thailand. No wonder the Company was losing Central America to the Commies. But not this time. They wouldn’t expect a hit at the hospital. There’d be a street cop or two hitting on the nurses and stuffing his face with donuts, so no problem for the crew he’d hired. After that…he’d just taunt Castillo. The man had more pride than common sense, and if he was taunted he’d pop up like a Goddamned Cuban jack-in-the box. And then he’d put two in the back of his head. Problem solved. It wasn’t like the bastard didn’t deserve it. Taking down Carlos Delgado rattled a lot of old, rusty cages. Menton was still connected enough he’d heard Castillo had something to do with that operation, and word came down that if he sorted out the problem all would be forgiven. Menton chuckled. He didn’t give a damn about forgiveness. This was all about revenge, going back well over twenty years. The team assembled well before dawn, drifting in early for their own private reasons. Sonny found them grouped around the conference table and shook his head. “Why do I feel like I’m the last one at the party?” “You’re not.” Rico looked at the others. “But they did make me say I’d tell you something. We all talked before you got here. We’re in this all the way with Marty, Sonny. No matter where he goes or how far it goes.” Sonny nodded. “Been down that road myself a few years back, trying to make up for something I screwed up that ended up costing me almost everything. Whoever did this wants him to suffer, just like Hackman wanted me to suffer. He probably thinks Marty will go off the rails, just like I did. But Hackman miscalculated. He didn’t think I’d go all the way. He thought wrong. And this moron likely thinks Marty will run off alone swinging at shadows. He thought wrong. We’re gonna find him, starting right now.” Rico nodded. “That’s what I told ‘em you’d say. How did Jenny take it?” “Hurt, and then mad. I’ve never seen her so mad. She was worried about Marty, too.” He shook his head. “She said…Naw, it’s just her talk.” Mindy leaned forward. “I want to know. What did she say?” “She said he’d go all the way, and when he did, Rico, Dave, Randy, and I are supposed to be with him. She made me promise.” “Then you’d better do it.” There was a finality to Mindy’s voice that got Sonny wondering. “My people have tales of girls like her. You never ignore what they say about situations like this. They’re always right.” Rico chuckled. “I didn’t know South Boston had folk tales.” “No, silly. The Irish. My gran had that gift they say.” She shook her head. “I don’t know that I believe it, but I also don’t know that I DON’T believe it.” “Yeah, I know what you mean.” Sonny nodded. “So now you know. Anyhow, did that search turn up anything?” Gina nodded. “And you’re not gonna like it. Dale Menton was released from Federal custody over a week ago.” “Menton? That CIA scumbag?” Rico snarled. “How the hell does a chump like that get his ‘get out of jail free’ card?” “The Company. Same way they always do.” Sonny looked at Gina and Mindy. “Does the Chief Deputy know?” “Filled him in just before you came up,” Gina said with a smile. “And I think he’s making a few breakfasts in DC very uncomfortable right about now.” “You think it’s him?” Randy looked at the former OCB cops. “Yeah. Marty broke up a nice business deal he had with a former Nationalist Chinese general. But they got history going all the way back to Vietnam.” Rico shook his head. “Come to think of it, he might have used the name Menton on that mission we ran with him in Laos. When we took out that smuggler and his NVA contact.” “Yep.” Dave nodded. “I remember that.” “And Menton played a big part in the ambush that took out most of Marty’s team in Laos. And probably the grenade attack that almost killed his first wife.” Sonny nodded, his eyes cold. “We got our man, boys and girls. I want this son of a bitch pinned to the wall by the end of the day. Contacts, who he talked to in prison, who tried to make him their damend girlfriend in prison. Everything that exists on this asshole.” “Boss? I figured out that shot. I’m a damned moron for not seeing it earlier. The shooter? He was in a building. He took the shot from elevation.” “I don’t follow.” “He didn’t account for bullet drop. You shoot from higher up, the bullet drops more so you have to aim higher. Idiot musta practiced on flat ground. Damned good thing for Trudy, too. That was what saved her.” Randy took over from Dave. “But that lets us pinpoint where the shooter was, boss. And he was either the bravest cracker in all of South Florida or a brother.” Walking to the map, he jabbed his finger at a building outline. “Shot came from right here.” “Run that damned building. Find out who owns it. Might not go anywhere, but I can’t see Menton risking a shot from someplace he didn’t control. And see if Metro-Dade had any disturbance calls in the area before or after the shot. Probably not, but run it anyhow.” Sonny glared at the map. “And I want a picture of Menton on that damned wall. We need to know our target.” He didn’t want to go into Castillo’s office. It just didn’t feel right. But he knew he had to. The Task Force was his responsibility until Marty walked through that door and said it wasn’t. He didn’t like it, but Sonny knew he could do it. He’d barely settled into the chair when Rico came in. His usual saunter absent, his partner slumped in one of the chairs and turned so he could look out the big window. “I still can’t get my head around it all, Sonny.” “I know that Delgado goon, Doc, was tied in with Menton somehow. Maybe that’s what triggered it.” “But why, man? After all these years.” “One thing I learned from Hackman was you can’t figure these bastards out.” He smiled, but it wasn’t really Sonny’s smile. “And one thing Burnett showed me is you can only put ‘em down. If you don’t, they keep coming after you.” “And you think Marty will?” “Oh, I know he will. I think that’s why Jenny wants us with him. To keep him from doing anything stupid.” He shook his head. “You should have seen her when she said it. I’ve never seen her look so serious, so intense, before.” “Yeah.” Rico smiled. “And in the interest of full disclosure, I think Mindy and I are now officially a ‘thing’ or whatever they call it.” “Good to hear, partner. Gotta have some good stuff in the middle of this mess.” Then he switched mental gears. “I don’t think Menton will leave Miami. Not until he has what he came for.” “You think he’s here?” “He didn’t strike me as the kind who trusts others to handle his dirty work. He’d want to be there to make sure.” “But didn’t he answer to that Lao Li cat?” “He did, but something might have changed. Maybe taking out Delgado did more than we know. Hell, we might never know. And I’m cool with that. So long as we get Menton, either on a slab or in cuffs.” “Where do you need me?” “I’d say working informants but we don’t have any. Izzy won’t be worth squat with someone like Menton, and I’d lay odds he imported most of his talent in any case. Ex-Company mercs most likely. Maybe stick close to Mindy. She seems shaken up by all this.” “She is, partner, and I’m not sure why. But yeah, I’ll go lend some moral support an’ listen to Gina talk about the honeymoon.” Sonny winced. “Was it bad? I wondered about that place Angie picked, but I ain’t gonna say nothin’ to her about it.” “Naw. Sounds like they had a hell of a time. Before the damned shooting I’d never seen either of ‘em happier, and bits of it are coming out again.” “Good. Keep at ‘em. And let me know if anything breaks.” Sonny turned to look out the window himself, almost praying for a flash of insight. Hell, even a plane slamming through the office window would be a help right about now. He couldn’t shake the fear this was all beyond him, that he’d jumped into the deep end thinking he was in the kiddie pool. When he looked up Randy was standing in the doorway. “Boss? You got a minute?” “Sure, Marine. What’s up?” “I meant what I said in the hospital. Just wanted you to know.” “Yeah. And I meant what I said out there.” He smiled. “I get the family connection, Randy. And I’m not making light of it for a second. If we need to put the badges in the drawer to finish this, that’s what I’ll do. It wouldn’t be the first time.” “I heard something about that.” “The son of a bitch conned me into getting him off death row. Then he murdered my wife and the unborn son I didn’t even know I had. I…went a little crazy after that. Then he goes and runs to some damned island and pays off the entire police force and just sits there. Taunting me.” “Any one would have snapped.” “But I didn’t. Not really. It was more…” Sonny groped for words. “You know my cover, right?” “Burnett? Yeah. Got a hell of a scary reputation.” “Yeah. That came after. Anyhow, it was Burnett who let me know what I needed to do. Told me that maybe the law had failed, but justice didn’t need to.” He looked up. “I never really told anyone this before.” “I get it. I read some of the things about my great-grandpa and he thought the same. Those times he put down the badge he was going after crooked lawmen. Bastards who’d played the system and done wrong within it. I expect he’d have done the same thing you did. Hell, he might a time or two.” “I appreciate you coming by with this, Randy. I’d say we’re on the same page. Don’t know where it leaves the Task Force when this is done…” “Fine and dandy, I’d say. Pete’s a lawman of the old school. The really old school.” Randy got up. “I’ll go help Dave. He’s workin’ with the map to plot possible escape routes from that building.” They worked through the rest of the day, taking an occasional break for more coffee or to order food from some takeout joint or another. Stan and Lester were beating hell out of their machines, and coming up empty each time. “We just don’t have taps where we need them,” Stan grumbled. “Hell, we don’t even know where we need them yet. I’ve still got one or two on some of Holmes’ red neck pals, but nothing there, either.” Gina nodded. “I just turned Pete loose on the Federal prison people. He’s a character, you know that? Called me ‘hon’ and everything. Anyhow, he said he’d get us answers if he, and I quote ‘has to go all the way to DC and kick ass until the cows come home.’” Mindy nodded, blooming into one of her few real smiles of the day. “That’s Pete. He’s a character, but he gets things done.” “Anything come back from Metro-Dade?” Rico had latched onto that project shortly after noon. “Yeah. Got some of those chumps in patrol to cough up the crown jewels. They had three calls from that neighborhood, one before the shooting and two after. All concerned ‘crazy white boys’ who looked like they were breaking into the target building. No IDs, no nothing. Just crazy white boys.” He looked down at the paper. “The one unit they rolled diverted to our 10-13. Wouldn’t have mattered in any case. They were fifteen minutes out from the building. Those boys were long gone before they could have gotten there.” “Menton probably counted on that. Shooting a cop is a hell of a distraction.” Dave snapped his fingers. “I been thinkin’. We got those escape routes, but they could also be ways in. Randy an’ I could go after dark. Just need the roach coach to drop us close. We still got those goggles, so we can see in the dark and they can’t. I plotted the shot angle back, so I know what floor and room they shot from.” “Anything on the building’s owners?” “A shell company owned by a shell company. So far.” Gina shook her head. “They’re all from the Far East, though.” “Menton.” Sonny tuned back to Dave. “You think they left anything behind?” “Not likely. But you never know. And if they’re watchin’ the place they’ll see we’re making progress. Put some pressure on them for a change.” Sonny looked at Rico, who nodded. “It’s a solid plan. All we got right now.” “Make it happen. If we can’t go tonight, don’t run the op. It’s not worth the risk if they’d had an extra day to clean up. And has anyone heard from the hospital today? No? I’m gonna go check on Marty. Stan, you’ve got tactical control of the mission. Ask for whatever resources you need.” Stan gaped at him. “Me?” “Sure. You’re a sergeant now.” Sonny smiled. “And you make good decisions and you’re not reckless. If it looks too hot or something isn’t right on the electronics, you can abort the mission.” Randy nodded. “You got our vote, sarge. You got good instincts. Let’s do this thing.” “I didn’t forget about you, lieutenant. Hold the fort here until I get back. Pete might need something.” Rico nodded. “You got it, Sonny.” Menton figured he should just move his damend bed into the conference room. He never seemed to leave it, but it was worth it. Soon to be even more worth it. “You guys clear on the plan?” “Crystal.” The team leader gave him a look that was almost a sneer, and Menton filed it away for later. “Hospital security’s a joke, and it’s a clear run from the ER doors to the private room that nurse says she’s in. Maybe two cops on duty. Metro-Dade’s training is right up there with the Cambodian army’s, so we ain’t worried.’ “But you’d better be worried about Castillo. He’s one man, but he ain’t like any one man you’ve ever seen.” Grinning, the team leader held up his SPAS semi-auto shotgun. “I think this’ll slow him down a bit.” Then his face grew serious. “We heard about what he did helping Grezky here a few years back. We won’t take any chances, Menton. Don’t worry about that. He dies, then she dies if there’s time.” “Police response time is anywhere between five and ten minutes on a good night.” Menton grinned. “This one ain’t gonna be good. I got a few helpers who are gonna toss some Molotovs in Overton thirty minutes before you go in. That’ll get the natives all riled up and keep Metro-Dade busy all night long.” He looked around the table. “I know this is a rushed plan, but we can’t let Castillo sit too long. He’s got his people sniffing around, and even a blind dog finds a bone now and again. We gotta hit him now, while he’s exposed and off balance. Before he knows he’s the target.” “Only question I have is when do we get paid?” “Wire transfers go through as soon as the mission’s complete. Less the half you already got. And that half’s yours either way. Just like we agreed.” Menton grinned. “Anything else?” “Naw. Equipment check in ten, boys!” The team leader got up from the table with a grin, his blonde hair cut close to his scalp showing a series of tattoos. Menton recognized some of them from prison. How the hell did a skinhead get in the Company? Ah, well. Don’t bother me none. Makes him a better tool right now. He’ll walk through damned fire to kill a Cuban cop. Alone again with his thoughts, he looked at the empty chairs. He didn’t care if none of them came back, so long as Martin Castillo bled out on the cold linoleum floors of the hospital. With that page closed, he could get on with his life.

Martin Castillo looked around the table. “So where are we?” Stan looked at his notes. “We’ve had two more calls, captain. Same as before. Going to a payphone in Overton we can’t get a good angle on. Confirming the meet each time, and with a bit of a bump in the money changing hands. If it’s a trap, it’s a damned good one.” Rico shook his head. “We got nothing new.” Sonny nodded. “Absolute zero, Marty. We can’t get anyone close to that grid without setting off a riot, and the street’s still quiet.” Dave looked at his notes, and then at the big wall map. “We’re still seeing some new activity, but it could be dealers trying to open a new market. It’s hard to tell. There aren’t that many places to set up, so we’re makin’ do with less than optimal hides and angles.” Trudy and Mindy looked at each other. “We don’t have a damned thing,” Trudy said with a sigh. “If this guy’s real, he’s a damned ghost. And if he’s not real, he’s still a damned ghost. I’d feel better if I could say one way or the other. But those sealed files still lead nowhere. Piles of FBI red tape no one seems to know how to cut.” Mindy nodded. “And the Marshals’ Service doesn’t have anything of their own on the guy. Our teams got blown before they could get far enough in to start building a a better profile.” Sonny snapped his fingers. “How were they blown?” “Never the same way. Once a team had a wire compromised, another time the target never showed up for a meet. And the last time he just never did a damned thing.” “Damn. I was hoping there might be a pattern.” Mindy laughed. “So were we.” “We have to proceed like he’s real, but plan for something different.” Castillo looked up from his own notes, ending the discussion with a single glance. “Tubbs, Joplin, are you both ready?” Rico nodded, and Sonny chuckled as his partner tugged at the lapels of his Versace suit. “Mac daddy Rico’s ready to roll. Got my ride and my best lady.” Trudy smiled. She’d worn a bright red dress that hugged every curve of her body, a momento from her hooker decoy duties. Sonny shook his head. It still amazed him sometimes how far they’d come. “I’m ready to go, captain.” Lester nodded. “The roach coach is ready. We got room for two extra bodies is all, though.” “Blair and Mather, you ride along. And be ready.” Randy hadn’t spoken until then. “I’ll bring a CAR. Just in case.” Dave nodded, but Sonny could see he was uneasy. That set his own spiders tapping away. They’d been slow up until then. “I think I’ll bring the M-21. You never know.” Sonny nodded. He understood the feeling. “Where do you want me, Marty?” “Metro-Dade had another rough night last night, so you can’t be too close to Overton.” Castillo looked at the map. “Try to get as close as you can without being obvious. It won’t be easy.” He looked around the room. “Mindy and I will be here controlling the operation and calling backup if it’s needed. I want everyone on their toes out there.” Dave nodded, his face more serious than Sonny had seen before. “Somethin’ ain’t right out there. Be extra careful. I didn’t like it when we went after this guy the first time, and I like it less now.” The Caddy’s whitewall tires crunched over gravel on the edge of the big parking lot as Rico wheeled the big convertible in like he owned the entire block. Hell, for some small change he probably could own the whole block. Someone’s bright idea to put in a shopping mall had died in the baking sun, and all that was left now were some low graffiti-covered cinderblock dreams and the big parking lot. “The last call said they’d meet over there.” Trudy pointed, her sunglasses shifting on her face. “By that 7-11. But I don’t see anyone.” Yeah. I ain’t seen a soul since we rolled up on this block.” Rico shifted his hand. “Startin’ to look like a dry hole, boys.” “Stay on it.” Castillo’s voice was firm. “There might be something by that building.” Rico turned and grinned. “You heard the man. Let’s go have a look.” He felt the Walther P-88 under his arm. It still took some getting used to the new position, but he had grown to like the West German semi-automatic. “We’ll just look like we’re scoutin’ cribs for business.” “Yeah.” She smiled, shifting on the seat. “I’d forgotten how much this dress itches. I’ll be glad when we’re done and I can change out of the damned thing.” “Why didn’t you get rid of it before?” “Remember that dealer we were trying to grab just before that whole mess with you and the dirty IAB guy? He had a thing for the dress, so I couldn’t get rid of it until we had him cuffed and stuffed. Then things got busy and I just forgot to get rid of it.” She chuckled. “It was the most hooker looking thing I still have.” Rico applied the breaks, letting the car ease to a stop. “Here we are. At least there’s some shade.” He shut off the big car and stepped out into the sunlight, slipping on his sunglasses at the same time. “Where was this chump supposed to be?” “Over by where the bags of ice would be if this dump was open.” Trudy walked around the car, her heels clicking on the cracked concrete. “Right…” Rico looked up and saw the front of her dress puff out like the zipper had broken, and he started to laugh until he saw a red spray arc through the humid air. Trudy didn’t scream. She just looked down at herself, the impact knocking her sunglasses off and letting him see her eyes go wide in shock and fear. The impact sent her sprawling, her hands coming up through some fading reflex to protect her face. And the blood, deep red, flowed out from under her body. Rico screamed, jumping over the hot hood in his best Starsky and Hutch impersonation, clawing at his pistol as he scrambled for her body. She was still moving, little sobs coming from some deep part of her, and he cradled her head in his lap as he scanned the area around them. He’d heard no shot, just maybe the crack of the bullet before it hit her. He grabbed for a radio that wasn’t on his belt, and the remembered the watch. “10-13!” he screamed, forgetting there was no Dispatch to hear. “10-13! Officer down! God damn it! Officer down!” Sonny felt his entire body turn to ice, Cranking the Ferrari, he left a trail of rubber yards long as he burned out of the shaded parking area and raced for the scene. The engine screamed in protest as he bounced the tach off the redline, squeezing every ounce of power he could out of the car. Nothing else mattered but getting there. In the roach coach, Lester slammed the van into drive and roared out of the shed they’d found for cover. Stan was echoing Rico, screaming into the radio for an ambulance. And Randy and Dave had no expressions on their faces at all. But both Lester and Stan heard bolts slamming forward and safeties coming off. Then Randy looked at Dave. “Rock and roll.” The other deputy nodded. “If she’s dead we’re burning that whole goddamned grid to the fucking ground.” Later Stan realized he’d never heard Randy talk like that before. It was a whisper full of pure, concentrated rage. Mindy could only stare at Castillo. He didn’t move. Didn’t even seem to be breathing. He just stood and stared at the radio. Then something tripped in her. “Come on, Marty! I’ll get my car! We gotta go!” She grabbed his arm, guiding him like he was sleepwalking out of the office and to the elevator. “We gotta go,” she kept repeating like it was part of a prayer. Once Switek’s call hit the air, sirens converged on the parking lot like pigeons on a bag of spilled popcorn. Three cars squealed to a halt in a matter of minutes. Rico didn’t pay much attention. He’d rolled Trudy onto her back after tucking his badge in his breast pocket to avoid any friendly fire, and was using what little first aid he knew to deal with the bleeding. What was it Sonny had said back in the Keys? Yeah. “Corpsman up!” he shouted into his radio, hoping they’d hear and respond. The uniforms kept coming, circling and jabbering into their radios to little effect. One shouted something about rescue being on the way, but Rico could see blood bubbling at Trudy’s lips and started getting scared. Really scared. Then he saw the van loom out of the rippling heat haze, and Randy exited the back before Lester came to a stop, medical bag in one hand and carbine in the other. “Get the fuck outa my way!” he shouted, laying out one uniform who didn’t move fast enough. Dave followed, his weapon at port arms and looking like he’d need less than no excuse to open fire. “Where’s she hit?” Randy didn’t wait for the answer, digging into his bag and going to his knees. “Chest wound. Shit. Looks like a collapsed lung. Sucking chest wound.” He tore away the dress and ripped open a field dressing, using the plastic to cover the wound and stop the God-awful sucking sound Rico had been hearing. “Where’d the shot come from?” Dave was sweeping the surroundings, not really seeming to care if he made the uniforms nervous. “I didn’t move her. Whoever it was had a silencer, too. I didn’t hear a shot. Just the crack.” Dave nodded and looked over at Randy. “You need help?” “Just the goddamned medevac! If it ain’t here in five, shoot one of those dumb fuckers. Maybe they’ll roll faster for two.” Dave nodded, and the uniforms backed away. Even Rico wasn’t sure that Dave wouldn’t shoot one of them. Luckily he didn’t have to find out. Thirty seconds later an ambulance screamed around the corner, in a dead heat with a white Ferrari that looked to be breaking land speed records. Randy stayed with Trudy until they loaded her into the ambulance, and refused to leave her. “I’ll ride shotgun on these assholes until we’re at the hospital,” he said, squinting at the medics. A sergeant with no neck climbed out of one of the squad cars and looked around. “What’s all the commotion, boy?” Anger shot from Rico’s heart to his eyes in half a heartbeat. He turned, thumping the ID stuck in his breast pocket with a thumb. “That’s Lieutenant Boy to you, chump. A cop’s been shot. And if you don’t get a detail on that ambulance in the next five seconds you’re gonna wish you never crawled out of that trailer you share with your fat-ass wife in whatever swamp you came from. You reading me, boy?” He memorized the idiot’s badge number for later. Castillo might want a word… “Uh, yessir.” Words flooded out of the big man’s jabbering mouth. He started to turn, and ran smack into Sonny’s Burnett glare. The fat man stumbled back like he’d been punched. “You have five seconds to get your fat ass out of my crime scene and back to traffic where you belong. Otherwise this nice Federal lawman,” he pointed at Dave, “will arrest you for hindering the progress of a Federal investigation.” Stan stuck his head out the open door of the roach coach. “Mindy’s on the net. And she’s got Castillo with her.” Sonny looked around. “Send them to the hospital. He needs to be with Trudy, and Mindy might keep Randy from shooting anyone.” Dave nodded. “He’s right pissed. Only seem him that mad once or twice before, and it never ends well for whoever got him that way.” He looked at the milling officers. “I’ll keep these assholes out of the way while you look around.” Rico stared down at the pool of darkening blood and the scattered wrappers and bloody bandages. She’d been with him. She was his responsibility. How the hell could he look Marty in the eyes again after this? And if she didn’t make it… He felt Sonny’s hand on his shoulder. “There’s nothing you could have done, partner. Dave just said so himself.” “Damn it! I could have come in from the other side! Gotten out after her! I…” “It was a trap. Someone was after her. Why else would they stage the meet in a location they knew we’d have to send our black detectives? And a place where we couldn’t do overwatch or have any close backup?” Sonny glared out at the heat waves. “Some motherfucker knew what we’d do and used it.” Dave walked up. “I’ll have the shooter’s location damned soon, boss. Definitely a rifle from the wound.” His voice was impersonal, and Rico knew he’d gone into solution mode. Dave was a shooter, and he had a shooter’s problem to solve. “But you didn’t hear a shot, so someone was usin’ a silencer. All you heard was the crack of the bullet?” “Yeah. And…” “Best not to think on that. Randy’s damned good with that bag. I’ve seen him deal with worse chest wounds and the boys lived.” Dave forced a smile, and Rico nodded his thanks. “But if you heard the crack that means they didn’t change the load. Means someone didn’t practice much with it.” He looked around, measuring angles. Stan’s voice echoed from the van. “Guys…they’re at the hospital now. Mindy and Castillo just got there. Randy…Randy’s not letting anyone but him near her until they get to the operating room.” He looked back in the van at Lester, who nodded. “Look, Lester and I can handle this until the goofs from the lab get here. You’d better get to the hospital. We’ll take care of the caddy for you, Rico.” “I’ll stay, too. Still got some things to look at.” Dave shook his head. “Now get in that fancy car of yours and drive, boss.” Rico looked over at Sonny. “I had full pursuit training back with NYPD. You mind if I drive?” He could feel the doubt in Sonny’s eyes behind the glasses, but then it changed. “Go for it.” Sonny looked over as Rico did a speed shift and shot the Ferrari through a gap he’d never have dared. He’d never known his partner could drive like this, and he was impressed. They were making record time, and had lost the two marked units ‘escorting’ them within a block of leaving the parking lot. But he was worried. Rico’s face never changed as he drove, and Sonny could see the streaks of dried tears on his cheeks. He drove with a mechanical sureness, weaving the car in and out of traffic like a sewing machine needle. Sonny knew he blamed himself. Hell, he blamed himself for not saying to hell with some damned riot and going in with them. But that wouldn’t help them find who’d done this. A cluster of uniforms waited by the emergency room entrance, and Sonny nodded to one or two he recognized. They’d all come at the 10-13 as a show of support, and he wanted them to know he appreciated it. “Get back to work, guys. We appreciate it, and I know she will, but we can’t give the bad guys a pass. Whoever did this is still out there.” Rico started to push through, and Sonny grabbed his arm. Not hard, but gentle. “Go easy, Rico. Marty’s gonna be hurting right now. We both know how that feels. But Trudy’s still alive. We gotta keep him focused on that. And catching who did this.” “That’s what keeps buggin’ me, Sonny.” Rico’s voice was stretched tight as a piano string. “Who the hell would be after Trudy? She’s taken down some bad dudes, but they’re all still in prison far as I know. And none of ‘em would hold a grudge like this.” “Maybe she’s not the real target.” Sonny had been turning an idea around in his head. He didn’t like it, but it was starting to make sense. A bad kind of sense. Plus, it was the same thing he would have done as Burnett. And sometimes to catch them, you had to think like them. “Then who…” Rico looked down the hall and froze. “You don’t think…” “I don’t think anything yet, partner. But we gotta consider it.” Sonny looked up and saw Randy coming down the hall, his assault rifle slung over his shoulder and a gutted aid bag dangling from his left hand. “How is she?” The deputy looked up, and Sonny saw his shirt was covered with blood. “Got her breathing and the hole covered before those dipshits showed up. Do me a favor, and if ambulance 7 Charlie 2 rolls if I’m shot, just shoot me through the damned head.” He tried to smile, but it died somewhere at his feet. “But the doc seems to know his shit. Prior Army surgeon.” “How’s Marty?” “Mindy’s still with him. He ain’t said a word since he got here. Just watched her go into the OR and sat down.” Randy looked back. “I should have a talk with him.” “Mind if we go with?” Sonny touched the deputy’s shoulder. “We’ve…done this before.” “Sure.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, guys. You and Marty go way back. Me? I’m just a stranger more or less. Except for Vietnam and my family.” Sonny shook his head. “What do you mean your family?” “I’ll tell you when I tell him. It’s damned complicated in some ways.” They found Mindy and Castillo sitting in a drab waiting room not unlike a million others in the country. Except on the other side of the ‘no entry’ doors their friend, and Martin’s love, was bleeding on an operating table. The thought made Sonny want to slam through the damned doors. But he didn’t. That wouldn’t change anything, wouldn’t solve anything. Castillo looked up, locking eyes with Rico. “I want you to know I don’t hold you responsible. You did everything right, and kept her alive until Deputy Mather got there. You didn’t leave her alone. I’m grateful for that.” His voice showed no inflection. Just flat words tossed out to fall to the floor. “Dave, Stan and Lester are working the crime scene, captain.” Sonny kept his voice level with great effort. He could see the tears still streaming down Mindy’s face and jerked his head, motioning for Rico to go to her. And then he thought about Jenny and almost lost it. She was so close to Trudy. But he couldn’t think about that now. Marty needed him. And Sonny wasn’t about to let down the man he admired more than anyone on Earth. “They’ll find anything that’s there, and some stuff that likely isn’t. We’ll get them.” “They crossed a line.” Castillo still didn’t look up. “They crossed my line.” Randy nodded. “Know a thing or two about those, captain. My great-great grandfather was a marshal back in the bad old days. Time or two he dropped his badge when people crossed his line and made things right. Just want you to know I hold to the old ways.” “I appreciate that.” Sonny nodded. “You know we’re with you, Marty. No matter what. Me and Rico.” Martin Castillo just nodded, his eyes fixed on the floor two inches in front of the tips of his shoes. Gina Switek. Gina looked at the nameplate on her desk and smiled. “You ladies are just so funny!” Only two of the office’s four counselors were in, but they were her favorites. Little Lia and her fiery disposition and more controlled Ashley. They’d been the first to make her feel welcome when she shifted over from OCB, and they’d become friends. Lia giggled and twirled a strand of her long brown hair. “So tell us about the honeymoon, girlfriend!” “Yeah.” Ashley chuckled herself. “It’s not like Lia gets enough ideas from those damned books of hers.” She waved dismissively at a stack of romance novels perched on the edge of Lia’s desk. “Those help me connect with the girls! You’d be amazed if you knew how many of them read those.” Lia turned back to Gina. “Still, girl, you gotta tell.” Gina smiled. It had been wonderful. A whole week with Stan to herself. Angie had booked them into a small island hotel with fantastic room service and private beaches. And Stan! He’d been both romantic and hysterical almost at the same time. She didn’t know if she should start with the story of the candlelight dinner he’d arranged on the beach or the time he’d chased her around the motel pool in a pair of pink flamingo swim drunks and an Elvis wig complete with sunglasses. She settled on the beach. They’d understand that. “…and then the moon came up. Stan raised his glass and toasted the most beautiful woman in the world.” She smiled at the memory. “Damn…” Lia let the word out like a whistle. “That’s one romantic dude you landed, Gina.” “Now I heard about Stan from some friends over in Metro-Dade. What kind of goofy shit did he pull?” “Nothing, unless you count running around the hotel pool in pink flamingo swim trunks with an Elvis wig on goofy. To me that’s just Stan on a Thursday.” She laughed with them, and was about to go on when the phone rang. “Cala…I mean Switek.” There was silence at the other end, and then Stan’s voice came on. Gina’s heart fell through the floor. She’d only heard that tone once before…when he’d told her he found Larry dead. “Trudy’s been shot.” “What? Where?” “She’s in the operating room right now. Mercy General. Gina, I…” “I’m on my way, baby!” Gina slammed down the phone and grabbed her purse. Her heart raced as she scrabbled for her keys. “I gotta go!” “What is it?” “My old partner’s been shot!” She didn’t remember the drive to the hospital, even later when she tried. All she could hear was the absolute pain in Stan’s voice, and then she thought of Martin Castillo. If Trudy died, she knew he’d move heaven and earth to destroy whoever had done it. And Trudy…all the time they’d spend together, cases they’d cried about, failed romances they’d downed too much wine to forget. And how she’d nursed Gina through her depression after Sonny and Rico left, finally telling her to let them go. And Stan…Trudy had been the one to look her square in the eyes and say “Why the hell can’t he be the one, Gina? Give me one good reason.” And she couldn’t. Not one. Stan met her just outside the automatic doors to the emergency department. “Lester sent me over,” he said, scrubbing at the dried tears on his stubbled cheeks with thick fingers. “He and Dave are still holding down the crime scene, but they thought I should be with you.” “Bless those two lugs.” She tried to smile, but broke down and sobbed into his thick shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re here. I couldn’t do this without you.” “Neither could I, baby.” She could feel his breath in her hair as he pulled her close. “When the call went out Lester and I were screaming into the radio trying to get the ambulance moving. Dave and Randy…I hope I never hear a man talk like Randy did in the back of the roach coach again. How did Dave put it? He was mad clear through.” “How’s Marty?” “I don’t know. I waited out here for you.” He gave a forced laugh. “I’m too much of a chicken to go in there alone.” “So am I.” He shifted, moving out the embrace and taking her hand. “Then let’s do it together.” Stan hated hospitals. Ever since he was a kid and his father’s cab had been run off the road by some drunk. The smell of antiseptic and alcohol always bit his nose, taking him right back to that night. It wasn’t that he’d been afraid his dad was hurt. More the opposite if he was honest. But the flashing lights, howling sirens, and people running around had gone to work on his six-year-old mind. He’d had nightmares about it for weeks, giving his father yet another reason to mock his pudgy son. But he had to be strong. For Gina. Well, not really strong. She was a damned strong person. But he had to be supportive and there. She clung to his arm as they made their way through the main waiting room to one of the smaller suites grafted on to the sides of the trauma units. They knew they were close when they could hear Tubbs’ voice echoing off the white walls. “Then find someone who’s in charge, damn it! We need an update!” Then Randy’s voice echoed out, and Gina looked at him with wide eyes, maybe understanding what he’d said earlier. “You get someone now, or you’ll be needing another trauma unit.” Sonny saw them first. “Stan! Gina! Damn, I was hoping we’d meet up under better circumstances.” Stan started to speak when Sonny raised his hand. “I want to hear about it all, but later. We’re about to find out how she’s doing.” Stan looked past Sonny and saw Castillo sitting in a chair, eyes focused on something only he could see on the floor. He looked…controlled. And that sent fingers of fear racing up his spine. Screaming like Tubbs, even the dark rage of Randy he could deal with. But what was building in Castillo was something he didn’t want to know about. No he corrected himself. It’s something I don’t want to be on the wrong end of. Gina saw him at almost the same moment and rushed over. “Marty! I’m so sorry. She’ll be fine. She’s tough. A fighter.” “Thank you.” His voice was distant, yet totally controlled. Stan shivered. “I appreciate everything you all are doing. She does, too. I know.” He looked up, his dark eyes unreadable. “But I need you to get back to work. Help Dave and Lester at the scene. Go through everything. Time is a luxury we do not have.” He turned to Mindy, still sobbing from time to time and learning against Rico. “Call the Chief Deputy and let him know the situation. We might need a protective detail in the hospital.” Sonny shook his head. “I’ll do it, Marty.” Turning, he ran down the hall. Stan looked down at Gina. He wanted to take her in his arms, tell her it would all be ok, and then go back to their little island paradise with her. But he knew he had a job to do, and he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t get down to it. “I need to go,” he whispered. “Maybe you can stay with Marty?” “Like hell. Someone shot my partner! I’m coming back until this is over. And don’t you try to stop me, Stanley Switek!” Randy chuckled, and Stan could see in the deputy’s eyes he was thankful for the release. “I’d not press her on that one, Stan. I think she means it.” Sonny came back down the hall. “Pete’s sending a team. He insisted, and told me to fuck myself if I disagreed with him.” “That’s Pete.” Mindy smiled through her tears, touching Rico’s shoulder. Stan looked at Sonny and nodded toward Gina. “She’s back in the team until this is over. Don’t argue with her.” “I wouldn’t think of it. Gina, stay here with Marty until the marshals arrive. Guard duty always works in pairs.” Gina nodded, and Stan knew Sonny’s intent. He didn’t want to leave Castillo alone. “Good. Stan, get back to the scene. Randy, you go with. Dave might need a hand. That end’s a shooter’s problem. Rico and I will head back to the office and start going through everything we have.” He turned, and almost ran into a doctor coming out of one of the trauma units. The man was harried, but his short-cut gray hair spoke to military origins. “I don’t like having my staff threatened.” Randy spoke first. “Sorry, doc. But we was getting the runaround. Not what you want to hear when one of your own goes down.” “You’re the one who got to her first? And scared the hell out of the EMTs?” “Yep.” The doctor stuck out his hand. “Good work, son. Damned fine work. You sure you weren’t a medic? No small thanks to you she’s gonna make it. The bullet didn’t expand, just punched through. Made a bit of a mess, but no lasting damage I don’t think.” He turned to Castillo. “You must be the husband?” “Yes.” “We’ll be moving her to recovery soon, and then to a private room. I expect you’ll have security in place. But she’ll make a full recovery. If not for your friend there it would have been a lot worse.” Castillo nodded. “Thank you.” Then he turned to Randy. “I owe you two debts now. Two lives. I can never repay you.” “No need, Marty. It’s what we do for each other.” Grinning an odd lopsided grin, he turned to Stan. “Let’s get movin’. We got a case to solve. And then some.”

A little bit shorter this time, but it's a natural break and a bit slower...a bit of a breather for everyone. Martin Castillo hadn’t been in his office more than half an hour before Stan came barreling in. “Just got this off one of the taps connected with that file, lieu…sorry, I mean captain. That still feels strange, though not as strange as Sergeant Switek.” He ginned. “Anyhow, we got a hit. Two male voices. One said the money didn’t come through as planned and they need to meet to do an exchange.” “How did it sound?” “Normal but strange. I don’t know how to…” His voice trailed off, and he scratched at the thick stubble on his chin. “Wait…got it. It sounded kina like they were reading a script. The right words but flat.” “Let me listen.” “Figured you’d ask for that. Lester’s got it cued up on machine three over in the lair.” Getting up from his desk, Castillo followed the burley detective through to the tech room. Lester looked up from his consoles and pointed to the machine closest to the door. “Headphones are hooked up and ready to go, captain. Just hit play when you’re ready.” Castillo nodded, settling the headphones over his ears. He listened to the voices hit rewind, and then played it again before slipping the headset off and turning to Stan. “I agree. Something’s not right about it. What number did they call?” “A payphone. Directory shows it’s about a block from the meeting location.” Stan shook his head. “Someone’s planning well if it’s another lure.” “We’ll assume it is. Get that tape ready to play on a portable unit in the conference room if you could.” Turning, he headed back to his office, pausing in the conference room to announce “Team meeting in five minutes” in a voice louder than usual. He wanted to get some other ideas before moving forward, even though he figured there was only one way to play the hand someone was dealing them. And he had to make a quick call first. Sonny looked over at Castillo and nodded after the call played the second time. “It’s a setup sure as hell. The question is why.” “And what the hell do we do about it.” Rico’s voice had the bite Castillo expected from him. Trudy shook her head. “Too bad we can’t just walk away from it. But I know we can’t. Not if we want to find out who’s behind this.” Randy nodded. “And it goes back years. Someone put a hell of a lot of effort into this, and was using official channels to do it. That makes me nervous.” Mindy cleared her throat. “Me, too. I confirmed Trudy’s findings with my own contact over at Justice. Whoever planted those original reports did a damned good job of it, and covered their tracks in the bargain.” Trudy looked at Castillo. “Could this be Joe Dalva again?” “No. I looked into that. He’s still in prison. And he never had the clearance to do what we’re looking at.” “Then who?” Mindy shook her head, the motion tossing her thick red hair. “We don’t know. And that’s why we can’t drop it. I’ll read Chief Deputy Washington in and get his ideas, but we don’t have much time.” “Yeah. Those chumps said the meeting was in two days.” Rico grinned at Dave and Randy. “At least we have good intel on the area.” “That’s YA 24, isn’t it?” Randy shot Dave a look. Rico nodded. “Yeah. The one you warned me about the other day. I don’t have any CIs in that zone.” Sonny shook his head. “I did, but the bozo got busted trying to steal a Gremlin. Of all the damned cars to steal he picks one of those rattletraps! Anyhow, he’s cooling his heels in county and I’m blind in YA 24.” “Remind me about this activity.” Castillo remembered the report, but he wanted the rest to know. “Nothing we could pin down. It was only for a night, and then we got shifted per the normal rotation. But there some people moving around we hadn’t seen before. Could be a new crew of dealers trying to move in, since that used to be on the edge of the 8-Ball Kings’ turf. We didn’t get a good enough look at ‘em to tell.” “It could be a coincidence,” Castillo allowed. “But assume it isn’t. Someone might have been preparing the ground for…what?” “The actual meeting? Maybe we’re wrong and there is some chump out there behind all this. Maybe an informant for the Feds or someone they want to keep hidden. Or maybe there is some Mob hit man hiding out in Greater Miami.” Trudy nodded. “Rico’s right. If we’re looking at everything, we have to include the file being legit and the guy’s just good.” Castillo nodded. “I agree. But we also plan for the worst. If we have no informant coverage, I’m shifting Blair and Mather back to overwatch on YA 24, at least for the night before the meeting.” Randy nodded. “It’s too damned open in that grid for us to do much during the day without drawing a crowd. But at night we can get in and out no sweat.” Dave nodded. “But it don’t help us a hell of a lot if the meeting’s going down during the day.” Sonny looked at the map. “But we still have a question. Who are we going to send to cover that meeting? If the location’s right it’s right out in the open, and damned close to Overton. That means if we want to stay low profile it’s gotta be Tubbs. And I don’t want him going in alone.” Trudy smiled. “I’ll go. We’ll draw less attention in that part of town than a mixed race couple would, and if one of you palefaces go with him we might as well carry signs that say we’re cops.” She turned to Mindy. “I grew up near there.” “Yeah, the same thing would happen if you went into South Boston with one of us.” She smiled. “Camouflage. With Rico all dolled up he’d just look like another pimp out with one of his girls for an afternoon drive.” Trudy laughed. “Something like that.” Castillo rubbed his temples with his thumb and index finger. The old headache was back, and he could feel scar tissue from his last bullet wound pull as he shifted in his chair. “It’s practical. But I want backup close by.” “No problem, captain.” Stan spoke up. “Lester and I will have the roach coach on hand to run comms, and we can fit a couple of bodies in the back no sweat.” Something still didn’t feel right, but Castillo didn’t see any alternatives. “Do it. But I want you to think about alternatives and bring any that make sense to me.” Back in his office he washed down two aspirin with a cup of lukewarm coffee and stared out his wide window. Was he only worried because Trudy had volunteered to go with Rico? He searched his heart and knew that wasn’t the case. It did play in, he was always that honest with himself, but it was the way the whole thing felt that didn’t sit right. “Head bothering you?” Trudy walked behind his desk chair and started rubbing his shoulders with her pianist’s strong fingers. “Some. First in a while, though.” He smiled and worked his neck. “That’s a good thing.” “You don’t like me going in with Rico.” “I don’t like either of you going in. But I also know we have no choice.” He looked out the window, seeing her ghost-like reflection in the glass. “This doesn’t feel right.” “I’ll be careful, Marty. And Rico will be right there with me.” She smiled, running her finger along his cheek. “If you think I’m going to miss my own wedding you’re crazy.” One office over Rico looked at Sonny. “I don’t like it.” “Neither do I, partner. And neither does Marty. But hell, what choice do we have? We gotta hang something out there and see what’s up. I’d go, but then Overton would explode. We don’t need to start a damned race riot. I wish we could put Randy and Dave out there to give you cover, but they’re right. There’s no damned place in that grid they could set up without drawing too much attention. Someone picked this spot damned well.” Sonny stared at the wall. “Maybe that’s it. What the hell’s so special about the meeting spot?” “How do you mean?” “Look at the first one. It was set up just to see if we’d go to it. Nothing special, right? Except someone knew that damned building would be pretty much empty and that we’d hit the door hard. So what is it about this one?” “It’s a burned-out park on the edge of a district that’s one thrown bottle away from a race riot.” Rico looked at Sonny, his eyes thoughtful. “But I get where you’re goin’, partner. Maybe that’s why it’s special. Someone knows we can’t send the full squad in.” “But why? Why care?” Sonny rubbed his eyes. He was tired of thinking about it, but he knew it would chew on him the rest of the day and into the night. “I’ll let it turn around and see if anything floats up.” He shook his head and changed the subject. “Got any plans tonight?” “I’m gonna see if I can get Mindy to Downbeat.” Rico smiled. “Try to make up for the other night. What about you?” “I might see if Jenny wants to go out.” Sonny chuckled. “You know, we’re pretty much living together now, but we’ve never really been on a date. Just the Task Force bashes at Robbie’s.” “Then you’d better go show the lady a good time.” Rico laughed and then turned serious. “We don’t know how this one’s gonna go. Any time you can spend with her is time to the good.” “I know.” Sonny chuckled. “Ya know, this job’s easier when you’re single. Harder, but easier.” He looked down at his notes from the meeting, knowing Rico was right. Now that she’d stopped smuggling stolen art, Jenny would need to find something else to do. He knew it even if she didn’t yet. And she was safe now…her ex shut down and gone. He was looking forward to hearing what she had in mind. The sun was just dying the waves red when Trudy Joplin idled her Challenger into the parking space outside Castillo’s house and shut off the engine. She sat for a few moments, listening to the big V-8 tick as it cooled from the drive. Even now she couldn’t believe he’d bought her the car. If only her brother could see it. She looked over and saw his plain, unmarked Ford. It was so like him to avoid drawing attention to himself. Stepping out, she crunched through the gravel parking pad, her high heels sinking in just enough to make footing an adventure. But it was a walk she knew by heart now, including the more solid patches and spots to avoid. She let herself in, knowing he’d be in the kitchen. “Sorry I’m late,” she said as she locked the door behind her. “Mindy had to get ready for a date, so I finished the activity report for her.” He met her in the entryway with a steaming cup of green tea. It was their little ritual; whoever got in first had to make the tea. “I’m sure she appreciated it.” “Thanks.” She took the tea and kissed him on the cheek. His thick mustache tickled her nose like it always did, and she smiled. “You aren’t mad, are you?” “Of course not. You helped out a team mate. I could never be angry about that.” He gave her one of his rare warm smiles and turned toward the deck. “I was just watching for Jess.” “I never should have said that.” She touched his shoulder as he turned, a feeling of deep embarrassment sweeping over her. He’d never make fun of anything she did, and now she felt like she’d poked fun at something very important in his life. Even though she hadn’t meant it that way. “I know it means a lot to you.” “No. It’s fine. You were right. It is what I do some nights.” He reached up and squeezed her hand, and she could feel every callous from his variety of martial arts and firearms trainings. His entire adult life could be read in the hard patches of skin on his hands. “Other nights I just try to imagine what he said the waves told him.” “Sonny says Jenny does that, too. Listen to the waves, I mean.” She joined him in the cooling night air, looking out over the water that was starting to disappear in descending darkness. “I really did want her as my bridesmaid.” “I know. But she was right about Gina.” “I know.” Trudy sighed and hugged him from the back. She couldn’t explain how much an actual wedding meant to her, or more to the point what it would mean to her family. They didn’t talk much these days, but they were still close in an unspoken way. She didn’t quite understand it herself, but she knew they’d be disappointed if she didn’t have a wedding. They’d never say anything, but their eyes would speak volumes. Especially her grandmother. And she still couldn’t believe Sonny was paying for it all. Angie had looked her up and down when she broke the news. “Girlfriend, you all be his family now. He got no one else. Oh, there’s blood kin somewhere, but they don’t mean squat to him. You all is his family, and he wants to do right by you. That’s one thing girl loved about that fool man.” Trudy could still hear the big woman’s voice in her head. She realized with a start that Marty had been talking. “What was that, baby? I was thinking about what Angie said.” “It’s fine. I just asked if you wanted to sit down. Listen to the waves.” “I’d love that.” She let him pick one of the deck chairs and then settled into his lap with a contented sigh. “But I’d also like to sit with you.” “I don’t mind.” His strong arms when around her, and she could feel his breath against her shoulder-blade through the thin silk of her tight blue dress. She’d worn it because she knew it was one of his favorites. “This is nice. I wish…” She paused, looking up at the stars. “I wish this could last forever.” “It can. Forever is eternity and a split second.” “Where did you read that?” “I didn’t.” He chuckled. “It’s my translation of what an old Montagnard told me once in Pleiku. Time matters if you think it does and you have ways to measure it. They didn’t, so an hour could be a second or a whole day. So we do have forever. It’s whatever we decide it will be. But with you I want it to be time with no ending.” “My love.” She didn’t even try to say in in Vietnamese, but she knew he’d take it with that deeper meaning. They sat in each other’s arms until hunger drove them inside. The drummer rattled off a last subdued riff on his cymbals before reaching up and muting the vibrating metal. Rico waited for the echo to bleed into the walls of Downbeat before clapping. It didn’t seem right to interrupt the song, even if it was ending. “April in Paris” was one of his favorites, and the house band and done it serious justice tonight. Mindy smiled at him. They were sitting side-by-side so they could both see the band. “That kid does play a mean sax,” she whispered, nodding to the lean Hispanic musician. “He could be Brazilian. The Sound is huge there, and he plays more like Getz than he does Parker.” He smiled back, still in awe that he could talk jazz with this beautiful woman. All too often his social life in Miami amounted to drinks, clubs, and then awkward dodging of phone calls. This was different, and he wanted to savor it as long as he could. “What is it?” “Nothin’, Mindy. I’m just glad to be out with someone who knows the difference between a sax and a tuba.” “They aren’t that bad!” “You’ve never seen Crockett’s tape collection, have you? Before he and Caitlin got married I think he ordered the whole damned thing from Sears. On sale. Or those late night shows Stan used to watch when Larry was still alive.” “You guy have been together a long time, haven’t you?” “I’ve been down here since ’86, and they were together before that. Castillo’s the only one newer than Lester, but you’d think he’d been here since Maimi washed up on the beach.” “Longer than most marriages these days.” She smiled, but there was something in her eyes that made Rico wonder. It was gone before he could pin it down. “We don’t get that in the marshals much.” “You normally don’t down here, either. But we turned out arrests, and I think Castillo used that to keep the brass away. At least until Sonny and I went all Lone Ranger and dropped our badges.” He told her a bit about the mess that had been Costa Morada and how they’d quit right afterwards. “It was the right thing to do, but for the wrong reasons. I needed to get my head in order, and you would have hated Sonny if you’d met him before that break. He’s a new cop now, and a better man.” “What about you?” “Me? I’m still stylin’ and profilin’. Ricardo Tubbs, man of mystery and high style.” He laughed. “Not really. Most of my changin’ came when I found out what happened to my son, but I guess I also figured out I ain’t cut out for much other than the Job. And now they’re all puttin’ down roots. I might have to open a damned day-care in the next couple of years. And I can tell you smellin’ of diapers will seriously cramp my style.” She laughed and touched his arm. “I know how you feel. My last office was like that. The Miami office? Not so much. They’re good guys, if you like the gym, gunpowder, and sharing them with three other girls and their wives. Except for Dave and Randy and most of the guys on the warrant teams. But they’re…” “All about the Job.” Rico smiled. “I get it. You can see it when they’re talkin’ and how they walk.” He smiled as the band came back from its break and launched into a Charlie Parker standard. “And I sure as hell wouldn’t bring any of ‘em here.” “Good. This can be our place.” He felt her slim hand slide over his. “I didn’t even know this was here.” “Gina worked a case in The Blue Note a few years back, but it went under not too long afterwards.” Rico smiled. “Something about bullet holes cutting down on customer traffic. But the same crew just moved to a different place, got a better house band, and opened Downbeat. They don’t advertise like Rumours or some of those other places, but that’s why I like it. And they get good traveling acts from New York, Chicago, and even Kansas City.” He looked over at her, almost losing himself in those deep blue eyes. “And I’d love it if it were our place.” Turning his hand palm-up, he raised her fingers to his lips and kissed them. She giggled. “Do they have a menu around here?” Rico thought of a million cheesy club responses to that question, but stopped himself. Mindy was a special lady, and he was going to treat her like one. “Yeah. Nothing big, but it’s all good.” “Good.” She smiled at him again, and he saw something else in her eyes. A promise and an invitation rolled into one. “I didn’t have much lunch, and I think I might need my strength later.” Jenny looked up from the menu. “Can we afford this?” “Sure.” Sonny smiled, having absorbed and hidden his own shock at the prices. He knew he could afford it, and he didn’t want Jenny to worry. This was her night. “Order whatever sounds good, darlin’.” Sitting in the dim light, he was just enjoying looking at her. She’d picked out a sapphire blue dress for the occasion, one that matched her eyes to perfection. He wore his Burnett black suit, tailored by someone with an unpronounceable name and indeterminate gender preferences, but it marked them as dangerous people with money. She smiled. “You pick.” He waved the waiter over and ordered for them both. “We’ll start with the shrimp, then the filet mignon for two with grilled asparagus and the pepper brown sauce, and end the evening with blueberry cheesecake. And we’ll need a bottle of your best merlot.” “Excellent choice, sir.” As soon as he vanished, Jenny giggled. “I never knew you could order like that.” “Neither did I.” Sonny grinned. “I’m more of a burger and fries guy, with bacon on the burger if I’m feeling adventurous. But you picked Le Mason, so I figure we should go with the best they have.” Her foot found his under the table. “Like I did with you?” “Or like I did with you.” He smiled, watching her eyes sparkle in the gloom. In some ways it reminded him of the dinner with Caitlin when they’d ended up in each other’s arms, but only very generally. In fact, he’d been thinking of her less and less lately, but it wasn’t like she was slipping away. More like she was letting him go, with her blessing. He knew she’d aways be a part of him, but now she was sharing that part with other people. “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” There was no bitterness in her voice, and not a shred of jealously. It was one of the things he loved about her. “Yeah. Kind of, I guess. It’s funny. I don’t dream about her like I used to.” “She’s telling you it’s ok.” She reached out and took his hand. “She was a very wonderful woman, Sonny. I could never be jealous of her. I wish I could have met her. You were lucky to have the time with her you did.” “And now I’m lucky to be with you.” He smiled, watching her eyes glow. “To be honest, Jenny, I never thought I’d fall in love again. I was ready to marry the Job and stick with it until the bitter end. Then you came along.” She smiled. “And here comes our shrimp It smells fantastic!” They worked their way through each course of the meal with appreciation, and Sonny even found himself enjoying the wine. She just giggled again when he mentioned it, dipping a piece of her steak in the rich brown sauce dotted with green peppercorns. They lingered over dessert, and he fed her blueberries from the cheesecake’s sauce using one of the small spoons. It was a memory he’d hold for the rest of his life, right beside the one he had of Catilin the first time she looked at him from the back of the boat with those eyes and when he’d held his son in his arms for the first time. And from the look in her eyes and the way she was walking as they headed for the car he knew there would be other memories soon to come.

Had a fairly productive day, so I figured I'd post part 2. The next one may be a few days depending... Ricardo Tubbs woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and no regrets. He had no regrets because he knew he hadn’t brought Mindy back to Casa Cooper. She’d made it very clear about one-thirty that she was more than willing, but he’d begged off. “I’m too damned wasted,” he remembered saying with only a bit of exaggeration. The truth was less exciting. He didn’t want the first time he slept with Mindy to be because they were both drunk. Groaning, he rolled over, the effort making the room tilt on its axis and do a quarter turn. He’d been tempted, though. Those damned eyes. Her smooth skin. And every inch of her lingered in his memory like the aftermath of an electrical shock. Bur he’d been drunk the first time he brought Valerie home, too. And that had ended badly. Rico didn’t like making the same mistake twice. He lay flat on his back, the hum of the central air turning into a chorus of thunderclaps in his head. He tried again, turning slow this time, using his arms to steady himself. It took five minutes for him to make it from the bed to the master bath. The cool tile felt so good under his feet he wanted to lie down and press his forehead to it until the pain went away. But he knew the only real cure was aspirin and water. But not too much water. His stomach lurched in protest at even the thought of water. The Caddy! Where’s the Caddy? His brain lurched for a moment, then quieted when he turned up a hazy memory of slipping two twenties to one of Robbie’s security guys at Casa Cooper’s front door. I owe that man big-time, he thought, running cold water and scrubbing his face with his hands. His guts lurched again, and he reached for the anti-acid. The drive in was going to be hell. His sole consolation was most of the Task Force looked as bad as he did, if not worse. Dave was still wearing his sunglasses, and even Randy didn’t seem inclined to pick on him. Mindy’s hair was still a mess, and she gave him a sheepish grin when he walked in. “About last night…” “Nothing about last night.” He smiled, then winced as the movement sent pain stabbing through his wounded brain. “We had fun, our friends had some good news, and we’ll have better chances.” “So you’re…” “Jenny got it right, lady.” Rico remembered that much. Jenny coaxing ‘boyfriend’ out of Mindy. The girl was part mermaid, part fortune teller, and all fox. But as he smiled down at Mindy he knew he wouldn’t pass on the Irish redhead for anything. He just hoped she still felt the same after last night. She smiled. “She did.” Then she winked at him, wincing as pain shot through her head. “Remind me to stay away from tequila.” “Only if you remind me. Damn Trudy can put that stuff away like water. I forgot it was a trick of hers.” He smiled, careful not to push his limits. “Are they in yet?” “Should be here any minute. He’s got a call with the chief deputy at ten. Sonny’s got his lawyer meeting, so he’ll be in closer to noon. And Stan and Lester already ran off in the roach coach. God knows what they’re up to.” “I don’t wanna know. They got some catching up to do.” Rico smiled again, then made his way back to the office he shared with Sonny. He wasn’t ready for the firing squad of the typewriter just yet, but he could at least squint at his notes and pretend to be going over them. Castillo called them all together just after Sonny came in. Stan and Lester had snuck in while Rico napped in the shared office, and they sat at the long table looking fresh and chipper. Rico wanted to hit them both. He looked at Dave, who read his mind and nodded. Sonny looked tired but happy, and Trudy still glowed from last night’s announcement. “Welcome back, Stan. You’ve been missed. I hope you had a good honeymoon.” Castillo smiled. “And in case you haven’t heard, Trudy and I will be going on our own soon.” Stan grinned. “Great news, captain! And yeah, we had a blast. That Angie can sure as hell plan stuff right down to the last detail. That first hotel had these things by the bed…” “Moving on. The chief deputy asked us to take over one of their warrant searches. The team that had been working it was compromised, and the target went to ground. It needs fresh faces.” Rico nodded. “And that’s us. Solid. Is it one of the ones we worked up?” “No. It’s been on their desk for some time.” Randy shook his head. “Those warrants suck, captain. Let us take a look at it and we’ll see if it looks familiar. Some of them are worse than blown.” “We’ll work it either way.” “Sure. No question. I just wanna see what variety of shit sandwich ol’ Pete handed us.” “We’ll start working that as soon as the file comes over and has been reviewed. Tubbs, you take lead on this one. Switek, you and Franz stay on the taps. Did the one on the target’s other girlfriend go in?” Stan looked at Lester, who shrugged. “Yeah, captain. It did. Lester got it rolling yesterday afternoon. I think we got the asshole on it once already. We’re writing it up now to give to Trudy and Mindy.” “Good, Keep me posted.” He shifted. “Crockett, you may be needed for backup on that new folder. Blair and Mather, once you’ve looked that folder over I need you to move overwatch to YA32. The chief deputy has some kind of operation taking place there next week and he doesn’t have a good overview.” Randy nodded. “Roger that, captain. We’re on it.” Rico leaned back, weighing the odds. He didn’t like what Randy said about the target folder, and he doubted the deputy marshal was wrong. He knew their system and he knew the local office. It was like asking Rico about Bronx Armed Robbery back in the day. He knew how they moved and how they acted. It was the same for Randy. And if was nervous about getting junk dumped on them, Rico guessed he should be, too. Sonny agreed when they got back in their office. “I met Pete during that whole gang thing. He’s a straight shooter, no question. But yeah, I could see him dumping a case that was going nowhere fast. Or one that had a team blown. He doesn’t have that many deputies, and we sure as hell would be new faces to most of the guys he’s chasing. They go after everyone, and when we were with OCB we stayed pretty focused.” “True enough.” Rico rubbed his temples. “You were smart to stick with beer and cut out when you did, partner. Trudy switched us all to tequila not long after you and Jenny hit the bricks.” “Not Tequila Trudy? Oh Lord. I think I’m glad I missed that.” Sonny shifted in his chair and winced, making Rico squint. “Something wrong with your back?” “Oh, uh…no. Not really. Just strained something hoisting some sails.” “Yeah, I’ll bet you did.” “Enough about me. Did you…” “No. I wasn’t drunk enough to make that mistake. We’re cool. Going out to Downbeat this week, in fact.” “Nice.” Sonny shook his head. “Jenny had a little meltdown when we got back to the marina. She was afraid I’d want a wedding now.” “So she doesn’t…” “No, man. In her mind she thinks we’re already married or something. Just not with the church and all.” Sonny shook his head. “I just can’t figure her out. The second I think I’m onto it, she throws me a curve. Yeah…I know. Roll with it. I’m tryin’, partner.” “Just let it happen. She’s a great lady, Sonny.” Rico sighed. “You’re thinking about it again. Don’t. She doesn’t. The more you try to think her into something, the more she’ll slip away.” He smiled. “She’s like a damned jazz solo. Floats just out of reach until you catch it. And when you do, you don’t know how it happened.” “She doesn’t like jazz.” “Go figure. But the metaphor still applies.” “Yeah.” He grinned. “Yeah, I guess it does, Rico. Hell, let’s go get some lunch if you think your stomach can manage and maybe when we get back Pete’s little surprise will be here.” Rico’s head felt like it was going to stay attached to his body after a sandwich, and they headed back up to the office. Mindy smiled as they came in. “That file got dropped off about ten minutes ago. The captain wanted me to make sure you got it as soon as you came in.” “Did he look through it already?” “Not really. And Randy’s waiting in there, too.” She lowered her voice and leaned forward, letting Rico get a good look down the front of her shirt. The look in her eyes told him it wasn’t by accident. “I took a peek, though. It’s a case that’s been in our office over there for close to two years. Guy always manages to stay just out of reach. And know at least one team blew their cover trying to get close to him. We could never figure out how he knew.” “A leak?” Rico smiled, seeing that she either hadn’t worn a bra or had taken it off before they got back. “I don’t think so. Not in our office, anyhow. It could have been Gorman, though. We did coordinate with Metro-Dade, and a lot of that went through OCB. And he did sell to more people than Moncado.” “Solid.” Rico gave her a wink to show his appreciation, and small red dots bloomed on her pale cheeks. “We’ll see what Randy can add. Thanks, Mindy.” Randy was sitting at his normal spot at the conference table. “Dave had to run home,” he said with a smile. “Touch of flu, I think.” “Not surprised. He did try to keep up with Trudy.” “I warned him, but he’s one of those guys that has to accept a challenge.” Randy smiled again. “Me? I pick and choose my spots.” Sonny grinned. “That’s a smart move when Trudy and tequila are together.” He tossed the folder on the table. “This is what Pete sent over. Mindy already gave us a little bit of background on it. Two years is a long time.” “Yeah, and I bet she mentioned a leak.” Rico shook his head as much as his lingering hangover would allow. “Naw, but we did.” “There had to have been one. Dave and I were working overwatch with the team that was blown. We kept that operation in a pretty tight box, but we did have to coordinate one or two things with your pals over in Metro-Dade. Don’t know who; that was above my pay grade. But as soon as we did, the target ditched every location we had for him and disappeared.” Rico shook his head. “Might as well hold up a damned sign. What did Pete do?” Randy chuckled. “Lost his shit. Metro-Dade didn’t care, though. They had some other crap going on and we were just after one guy. Never mind he had major warrants for homicides.” Sonny flipped through the file. “Yeah. He’s one bad dude. No question. At least we don’t have to coordinate with anyone.” “That’s why Pete gave it to us. He wants this guy, and he’s tired of being burned going after him.” Rico looked at the folder. Something seemed off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Not yet. “Has anyone ever seen this cat? I mean laid eyeballs on him?” “Not in our office. We’d get him on the phones, and a blurry image from time to time.” Sonny looked at his partner. “You got something, Rico?” “Not yet. It just seems off is all.” Randy nodded. “I thought the same thing. And you know Dave and his damned spiders. He never felt right about it. But the warrant team thought it was solid so we followed their lead.” Sonny nodded, and Rico could see the gears working in his mind. “We’ll have a look and see what we see. Question everything in the damned folder. We’ll do it around the table so we don’t miss anything. I’ll see if Trudy wants to help, too. Another set of eyes would help,” An hour later Trudy set down her section of the file. “Something’s off with this guy. Rico’s right. I can’t put my finger on it, but pieces are missing.” Rico nodded, glad Trudy agreed with his gut instinct. “Yeah. Like why would a cat with Federal contract murder warrants out of Detroit run to Miami? And then stay put for years. It just don’t pass the smell test.” Trudy nodded. “He’s got no ties here aside from this list of supposed girlfriends. These guys usually run to family. Old crew. Someone they knew from prison. He’s got none of that here. Given the people he’s supposed to have worked for I would have expected him to run to New York or Chicago. Maybe Vegas if he wants a change of climate. But none of those outfits have solid ties down here. Maybe Vegas, but he isn’t supposed to have worked much for them.” Rico nodded, thinking hard. “So what do you think we have?” Sonny snappend his fingers. “A nice shiny lure. Something designed to draw the big fish out from under the banks so you can hook ‘em. That’s what we got here, kids. A lure.” “But who’s on the other end of the line?” “Let’s show this to Marty and see what he thinks.” Trudy looked around the table. “Sounds good to me, sergeant.” Rico smiled as he used her newly-promoted rank. “That’s detective sergeant, if you don’t mind, lieutenant.” She smiled back as she hit him with his own new rank. “Point taken.” Rico chuckled, looking around the table. “Sonny?” “Yeah. Let’s do it. See what he says.” “You’re convinced?” Martin Castillo sat at his desk as if carved from dark marble. Rico had always admired his twin gifts of stillness and silence. He’d broken more men than Rico could count with just those two tools. Sonny nodded. “Trudy ran it through the intel process as well. Aside from a warrant that seems to have come from someone’s ass, there’s no real indication outside the file that this guy exists.” Trudy nodded. “I ran the cases he’s connected to. Quite a few of them are sealed, but I used a contact I made at Quantico during one of those training seminars and had them check.” She looked at Randy. “Even Pete couldn’t have gotten access to these. She confirmed the files are mostly empty. Vague notes and some fuzzy descriptions. The ones that aren’t sealed could be hung on almost anyone. Sonny, Dave, even Mindy if the light was bad.” She smiled. “We’re in the clear, though. The perp was reported as White in all cases.” Rico looked at Castillo. “But that all begs the question, captain. What do we do about it?” Castillo looked at the file, then the faces of the people around his desk. “We move with it. But we look for the people at the other end of the line. Something specific must have prompted Chief Deputy Washington to hand this one off. I’ll look into it. Put together your concept of operations, and I’ll review it. We don’t move until I say.” “How do you know they’ll bite on this?” The stocky man looked down the table at one of his hirelings. “Because they’re cops. Cops always bite on warrant stuff. It’s like dangling free money in front of a traitor. They see an easy arrest and they go blind to everything else.” “Even this target?” “Yes. It’s getting handed off from another agency so there’s less chance of it being questioned. And even if it is, what are they gonna do? This imaginary guy’s been ‘on the run’ for years.” He chuckled. “Tugs every heart string those morons have. Like the Rooskies getting us to tear our own agencies apart looking for moles that don’t exist.” “Everyone’s got a weakness.” “Something like that. And every agency has one, too. The Marshal’s Service HATES having fugitives elude them. It’s bad for business. And if these rumors about some special group are true, they’ll get handed the one who got away so many times.” “How do you know some group like that exists?” “It wasn’t normal cops who took down Maynard and Moncado. No chance of that. And someone put an end to that mess with the Dominicans and Columbians, and took out Doc in the process. And he wasn’t an easy person to find, let alone kill. No, there’s someone out there in the shadows. And it has to be the target. All we gotta do is draw them out. Then we hit ‘em from the back.” “How do we know they took the bait?” The stocky man smiled. “We got a location in that file. It’s wried so we know when someone goes in. Call went out pointing them that way. The alarms trip, we know they took the bait.” The other man nodded. “Smart. Damned smart. We could have used you in Yugoslavia.” “Never was my beat. I ran further east. That and I’ve been otherwise occupied the last few years.” He smiled, showing the conversation was over. “I’ll let you know when we get a nibble. Be ready to sink the hook.” Castillo looked around the table, and Rico felt the intensity of his eyes. “I just got off the phone with the chief deputy. We were handed this because they monitored a call setting up a drop in an apartment down by the docks. Someone’s supposed to be leaving cash for the target.” Dave shook his head. “Just don’t sit right, captain.” “No. But we check it just the same. If it’s a lure we need to make them think we bit.” He looked around the table. Deciding. “Deputies Blair and Mather will check it out. Sergeants Switek and Franz will provide comm and electronic support. If anyone uses a radio in that box, I want to know about it.” “Sounds good, captain. Dave and I have run overwatch in that area before, so we know the entry and exit points pretty well.” Rico tried to pay attention as the planning process moved forward, but he was having a hard time concentrating. It was always like that when he wasn’t directly involved in an operation. That and he had the memory of his glance down Mindy’s top. He just couldn’t get the slender deputy with the thick red hair out of his thoughts, and that had a history with him of not ending well. First Valerie and then Angelina. Maybe the third time would be a charm, but he had to be careful. Had to be sure. After all, he worked with Mindy and would be for the foreseeable future. He snapped back to the room when his ears picked up his name. “Tubbs and Crockett will be backup. I want you staged close enough to respond if Mather and Blair need you, but not too close.” Rico nodded. “We’ll find a good spot. And with Stan and Lester on the air they can send us a go signal in a second.” Stan chuckled. “Less than a second with this new gear. Dave and Randy will be using the earpieces and wireless mics. Lester and I got the bugs worked out, no pun intended, last night. I can patch their signal through, so you can monitor them in real time. They need help, you know without waiting for us to tell you.” “Outstanding!” Rico laughed and slapped Stan on his beefy shoulder. “I don’t know what we’d do without you two. Be sending carrier pigeons most likely.” Randy cleared his throat. “How soon does this have to happen?” “The sooner the better. If there is money there we don’t want the target getting it.” “Roger that. Dave and I will work up a plan and brief the others.” Nodding to his sniper partner he stood up. “We’ll meet back here in thirty. I expect to launch no later than fifteen minutes after that, people.” Rico chuckled as they headed back to their office. “Randy don’t waste no time once he gets a mission, does he?” Sonny nodded. “He and Dave don’t at all. That’s why they’re good at what they do. They can think with the best of ‘em, but they also know when it’s time to stop thinking.” He shook his head. “Took me years to learn that. Or relearn it.” “We all make mistakes, Sonny. It’s how we deal with ‘em that makes us men or boys.” “Tell me about it.” He sighed. “Now I know what Evan meant. You think I’ve redeemed myself yet, Rico?” Rico looked at his partner, trying to determine if the question was serious. The look in Sonny’s eyes gave him the answer. “Only you can answer that, Sonny. But if you ask me, I’d say yes. You made things right with Stan and Gina, you’re using Caitlin’s legacy in a way she’d be proud of, and you faced up to your own past and made peace with it. Not many men I know could do that. And you helped Jenny climb out of the hole she was digging for herself.” “Yeah. I guess. It’s funny. Everyone talks about redemption and all, but they never tell you what it feels like.” “You ask me, I think it feels like being happy with yourself. But I ain’t one to ask. Marty’s the deep thinker in the office.” “Yeah, but he’d just stare at me and say ‘what do you think?’ or something.” Sonny shook his head again. “Some days I do, Rico. But others…I’m not so sure.” “You ask me, that’s Evan still whispering in your ear. You didn’t forgive him, and that ate at him. Maybe you should try just forgiving him. He was flawed, no damned question, but he was trying to redeem himself in the only way he could think of. I may not have liked the man, but I think I understand what he was trying to do.” Deep down, Rico knew he understood without question. It was the same thing that had driven him to Miami. Trying to atone for failing to protect Rafael that fatal night. Knowing there was nothing he could have done did nothing to dull the pain, even after all these years. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Sonny sighed. “Hell, let’s get down to this operation. If we don’t have some kind of half-assed plan Randy will kill us.” Darkness laid its hand over the lower part of the city before Dave and Randy rolled out into their mission. That was the plan. From prior recon, they knew most of the streetlights near the target building were broken or dead, and their night vision would give them an advantage. It wasn’t much, drawing on ambient light to give the world a flat, green look, but it was better than the actual blackness around them. And the best part was the bad guys wouldn’t be expecting it. A single word from Castillo shook the goggles out of the marshals’ supply chain, and Randy was glad he’d involved the taciturn captain. Parking their mid-80s Trans Am on the edge of the district, about a block from the target building, Randy activated his watch mic. “Roach Coach, this is Rover 1. How’s the signal?” “Clear as a bell, Rover 1. Rover 2?” Tubbs’ voice came over the earpiece. “Read you five-by, Rover and Coach. Let’s rock and roll.” Randy looked at Dave and nodded. “Let’s fire ‘em up and get down to business.” Pulling the bulky goggles over his eyes he activated the system and the world fuzzed before returning in a flat green. With Starlite you got no depth perception since it only used one viewing tube. Both Dave and Randy had used the system many times before, but they aways chuckled when newcomers tripped over curbs or stepped in holes because they couldn’t judge the distance. It was all about experience and using environmental cues. Stepping out of the dark car and easing the doors shut, the two men crossed the street in a low run, not wanting to expose themselves any more than necessary. Dave looked at Randy and shook his head to show the spiders weren’t stomping, but Randy took no chances. Always assume someone’s watching was a line his scout-sniper instructor always used during the stalking classes, and he’d taken it to heart years gone now. Once in the deeper shadows clinging to the buildings they slowed their pace, moving with deliberation and putting stealth over speed. Soon they were at the edge of the abandoned building the call claimed was the drop location. Randy looked at Dave, who nodded again. Drawing his custom 1911-A1, he raised his hand slightly and whispered “Going in.” The main door was off its hinges, and from their prior surveillance they knew the place was used by a variety of squatters and junkies from time to time. This seemed like one of the quiet nights, and they moved up the stairs with Dave leading, his .45 held at the low ready position and Randy close behind covering their flanks and rear. The target apartment was on the third floor of six, right off the stair landing, and they stayed close to the inner wall of the staircase to avoid any creaking treads. The sound of distant voices reached their ears as they moved past the second floor, but Randy didn’t care. Most likely some junkies shooting up or smoking their score, or maybe a hooker with a john who wanted some privacy. Anyone making noise was no threat to them. They reached the apartment door, and Dave pointed to the knob. Randy was sure his eyebrows were raised behind the goggles. The lock looked new compared to everything else they’d seen, and the door itself was also in far better condition. Enough to stop a random junkie or squatter, but not enough to keep them out. Dave raised three fingers, then dropped them one at a time. When he had a fist he reared back and kicked the door right below the knob. It flew open with a crash, and Randy flowed past him into the room, his .45 tracking from side to side as his eyes scanned for targets. The empty room laughed at them. They moved through the remaining rooms the same way, Dave leading and then Randy. Coming back to the entry, Randy raised his mic. “Clear. It’s a dry hole. Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here for weeks.” “Copy that. No money?” “No nothing. Place is empty. Nowhere you could hide money even. Dust on the floor show only our tracks.” “Copy that.” Stan’s voice was reassuring as always. “Come on out and head back. It’s a wrap, people. We’ll stay on station until you’re clear. Just in case.” Dave hit the button deactivating his mic, and Randy did the same. “Guess this counts as a nibble. Wonder who was watching.” “Maybe no one. Who can tell in this neighborhood? And speaking of that we’d better get the hell back to the car before we find it up on cinderblocks or just gone.” Castillo was waiting for them when they got back to the office. “A dry hole?” “Roger that.” Randy set his goggles on the long table. “Some junkies or hookers on the second floor, but the target room was dry as a bone in the desert. It was set up, though. New locks and the door had been replaced at least once. But the place was empty and there were no footprints in the dust aside from ours. And maybe a few roaches.” Castillo nodded, looking at Sonny and Rico. “We didn’t see anything, captain. One or two dealers, maybe. But we didn’t really have eyes on the building.” Sonny shook his head. “I did check the rooftops, though. Didn’t see a thing.” Lester spoke up. “I was looking for radio signals when they went in. That whole area’s flooded with crap from the boats on the river, so it’s tough to pick anything out. At least in the normal transmission spectrums. I did get one spike when they went through the door. No more than a second. Then it was gone.” Randy looked at the two tech guys. “Could someone rig the door with an alarm like that?” “Sure. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy.” Stan’s face fell. “And they could do it without really going in the room. Just a contact switch and small transmitter. They could even have hidden the damned thing in the knob.” “It doesn’t matter.” Castillo’s voice was final. “Whoever it was knows we took the bait. That was the objective. Now we see what their next move is.” He looked at Stan and Lester. “I want you on every communications channel in that target folder. They’re listed there so we will hear whatever goes out. The rest of you stick with your regular duties. We’ll plan our next move once we have another target.” Sonny saw the single candle flickering in Vellamo’s stern seats and knew that was where she waited for him. Shutting off the Ferrari he sat for a moment, listening to the powerful engine tick as it cooled down from the drive here. Then he sighed and stepped into the warm night air. She waited for him belowdecks, wearing a smile and a blue stone necklace he’d gotten for her weeks before at one of the oddity shops springing up in the fading Deco district. It reminded him of her eyes, and she’d latched onto it like some kind of symbol and never seemed to take it off. Now it hung just about her firm, high breasts like a promise. She came to him, touching his shoulder. “You had hard day.” It wasn’t a question, but he’d gotten used to that. Somehow she just knew. “Not the day. More like parts of it.” He sat down on the settee cushions and she settled in next to him, folding her slender legs under herself and resting her head in his lap. He told her about his conversation with Tubbs, leaving nothing out. “It’s hard,” he finished, looking through the ship’s hull at the waves slapping at the fiberglass. “How do you know when you’ve done enough?” “You don’t. But those around you do.” She looked up and smiled, her deep blue eyes sparkling in the dim light cast by another candle. “And it sounds like they’re telling you that you have found redemption. I know you have with me. I’ve never been happier in my life. And I want you to be happy, Sonny.” “I am, darlin’.” He chuckled. “I really am. It’s not a feeling I’ve had for years, though. Ever since that night. But I’ve got great friends who were damned kind to let me back in after I screwed things up for myself. And then there’s you.” He reached down and touched her hair. “I don’t have words.” “Then show me.” She smiled, long fingers working at his slacks. “Show me how I make you feel. We don’t always need words.” The jangling telephone jarred him out of a deep sleep. Reaching out with a snarl, the stocky man snatched up the receiver. “This better be good.” “They took the bait. The alarm went off about five minutes ago. We held position just like you said.” “Good.” He looked at his watch reading the glowing hands in the dark. “We move to Phase II in the morning. Let me know as soon as it’s ready.” Lying there in the darkness, he let his mind wander back to those days behind bars. It was strange sleeping in total quiet, without someone screaming down the cell block or the clattering of nightsticks on bars as the guards made their rounds. He’d come out ok, but his life had prepared him for much worse. And besides, Federal prison didn’t hold a candle to some of the shit holes he’d seen in other places around the world. He also tried not to let this thoughts rush forward. He’d done that a time or two in the past, and it was how he’d ended up in prison in the first place. No, this time he’d do it the right way. Slow. One measured step at a time until the target was in the ground. It was a shame his main intel source had been busted, but there were ways around that. Besides, he figured he had everything he needed to move forward. His team could develop their own intel. And without some frail old man putting on the breaks success was assured. Smiling in the darkness, Dale Menton laid back on the pillows and went to sleep.

I'm working on other stuff, so this one might update slower than normal. I also don't know how long it's going to be yet. I'm hoping for no more than six parts, but you never know... For those of you who track such things, it's in the Task Force Arc and follows on the heels of Echoes. The rising sun turned the ocean to molten gold. Martin Castillo sat on his deck, looking out and imagining he could see a surfer out on the waves. Like Jess was still out there, watching over what was left of the team. Trudy Joplin came out of the low, Japanese-style house, two steaming cups in her hands. He sensed her presence, and smiled even before she came into view. “I thought we could have some tea while you watch for Jess.” “I’m not, my love,” he lied. “I was waiting for you.” “It’s ok.” She handed him a cup and then settled into his lap, giggling as his free arm slid around her waist and he kissed the side of her neck. “From what you’ve told me about him I’d be surprised if you didn’t watch for him at least some mornings.” He sipped at his green tea, letting the smell of her fill his nose. Last night’s perfume had faded just enough to be a subtle reminder, and he liked the effect. “You’re right. I was watching, too.” She smiled, and he could imagine the sparkle in her deep brown eyes. “I’ve been thinking. Ever since Stan and Gina’s wedding. I know we don’t have to, but I think I’d like a small service. If that’s…” “It’s however you want it, my love.” Castillo smiled. He’d seen how she looked at Gina, and he had to admit Switek had even looked good in a tux. Tubbs no doubt had a hand in picking it out. “I’m happy as long as you’re happy.” “I know Angie’s busy with Caitlin’s House and all, especially with Gina on her honeymoon, but I wonder if she’d be willing to do the planning again? It was so perfect.” “Ask her.” Castillo didn’t doubt Caitlin Crockett’s former assistant would jump at the chance. She and Trudy were good friends, drawn together by music more than anything. “She might appreciate the distraction.” “Yeah, she might. I know Sonny’s helping as much as he can, and they got some of the best people involved, but…” “It’s a lot of work. Good work.” Castillo deep down was still amazed Sonny Crockett had given the house up for the project. But Sonny had changed a great deal in the time he was away. He’d come back more mature, more aware of what he needed to do to be part of a team. And a better man. Castillo had his doubts when he’d asked the detective to join the Task Force, but he was glad to have been proven wrong. The stocky figure stared at the prison gates, remembering all the times he’d stared at them the from Yard, wondering if this day would ever come. The guards had laughed when the word came down. “Who the hell did you blow to get out?” one of them chuckled as he glared across the counter at the man. But it had happened. Freedom was a handful of steps away. A plain sedan screeched to a stop just beyond the outer wire of the Federal prison. Picking up his small bag, the man started walking, moving past the red lines and clanging bells to what they all called Outside. Nodding to whoever was behind the tinted glass, he opened the back door of the sedan and climbed in. It started moving before the door was fully closed, leaving the prison behind in a matter of seconds. The man settled into the seat with a sigh. “About damned time.” “Shut up. You have no idea how many favors this cost. It better be worth it.” “It will be. But I got a score to settle first.” “They told me. Don’t take too long. There’s work out of country waiting for you.” “Three weeks tops. If you got the info I requested.” The other passenger held up a gym bag. “It’s in here. We couldn’t get everything, but you’ve got what we could lay our hands on without drawing too much attention. People still watch, you know.” “Yeah. But they won’t be watching much longer. And I need a damned cheeseburger.” Sonny Crockett still had a smile on his face as he pulled into the underground parking lot. The Task Force office was on the tenth floor, so he still had a few minutes to get his game face in order. But he wasn’t sure he wanted to. Last night with Jenny had been great, and he felt like he was walking on air. It was a feeling he hadn’t had since Caitlin was murdered, and he wanted to savor every second of it. Unlike most, Sonny knew how quickly those feelings could be ripped away. Mindy O’Laughlin looked up from her desk as he walked through the outer door of the office suite. “Good morning, boss,” she said, still using the name they’d given him when he assumed temporary command of the Task Force after Castillo was wounded. He’d tried, but the marshals refused to change. “Rico’s already here, and I think Lester’s poking around in the tech room. Stan should be back today, and Dave and Randy are on the range until noon.” She smiled. “They said something about needing some time with the new rifles in dim light.” “Thanks.” He made a point of ignoring the red marks on her neck. One thing Rico didn’t know about redheads with that pale skin…they get hickies if you stare at them too hard. “I’ll be in the office when the captain comes in.” Ricardo Tubbs sat at his desk in his perfectly-pressed suit, the very picture of style. He looked to be going through files related to their latest case, and he nodded when Sonny came in. “Wanted to get a jump in the paperwork, partner.” Sonny chuckled. “Looks like you got the jump on something else, partner. You gotta watch those redheads and hickies.” Rico’s eyes went wide. “Aw, damn! You didn’t…” “Relax, pal. I didn’t say a word. Mindy’s good people. I’m not gonna embarrass her. You might want to get her a scarf or something, though.” He grinned as Rico jumped to his feet and bolted out of the office. Sighing, he sat down at his desk, wincing as his back touched the chair. It was a good thing Rico wasn’t in the room or he’d be hearing about it all day. The thought of how those scratches got there brought another smile to his face, and then he turned his attention to work. Their current case wasn’t much by Task Force standards, but it was a chance to help pay back the Marshals’ Service for all their help and Castillo hadn’t been about to turn it down. Chasing down fugitives was a big part of what the marshals did, and given the Task Force’s ability to collect intelligence Chief Deputy Pete Washington asked for their help with a few manhunts. It was grinding work for the most part, but it helped Lester and Stan hone their surveillance craft, and Trudy and Mindy got a good workout pulling the information together into target folders the high-risk warrant teams could use. With Dave and Randy conducting their overwatch surveillance, everyone kept busy except him and Rico. So they passed the time cultivating informants and helping with the target folders. A cop could never have too many CIs, after all. Rico came back in shaking his head. “Turns out she had one in her purse,” he said as he sat back down. “Women.” “Yeah. Speaking of which, Stan and Gina should be back today or tomorrow. Be good to have someone in there again to keep Lester company. I think he’s about to lose his mind with no one to talk to about frequencies and beard care.” “Yeah. That beard of his is gettin’ to be a real menace. One of these days he’s gonna get it tangled in the steering wheel of the roach coach.” “Now that’s an image I did not need in my head. Thanks a lot, Tubbs.” “I aim to please.” He raised his hand. “Don’t say it, Crockett!” “Who, me? And speaking of last night, you two go anywhere new?” “We checked out Downbeat, that new jazz club in the Decco district. They got a good house band, although the dude on trumpet could learn a thing or two from Dizzy.” “Glad you had fun, even though I don’t know what the hell you just said.” Sonny chuckled. “Anyhow, let’s see if we can get this crap done before the captain comes in.” Castillo and Trudy came in just before nine. Sonny heard them pass through the conference room, but kept working on his informant report. Castillo would let them know if a team meeting was in order. But everyone had their assignments and one great thing about Castillo was his ability to stay out of the way and let his people work. Sonny always admired that and tried to copy it himself when he was in charge. Sipping coffee and typing up reports, breaking up the time by teasing Rico about Mindy’s neck, Sonny lost track of time. The next thing he knew Dave and Randy could be heard in the conference room, teasing each other about their shooting in the gloom of pre-dawn. He grinned, knowing most of it was total crap. Former Marine Corps scout-snipers, Dave Blair and Randy Mather were two of the best rifle shots he’d ever seen. When Rico said they could outshoot Metro-Dade’s best with Dave aiming and Randy pulling the trigger blindfolded he was only half joking. The intervening half hour seemed like a heartbeat, and then Castillo’s low voice filled the empty air. “Meeting in five.” They formed up in their usual order: the head chair reserved for Castillo and the rest settling in wherever was convenient. Dave and Randy usually sat together, while Rico and Sonny varied their positions just because. Lester sat near the end, close to the tech room door just in case, and Mindy and Trudy sat near each other in their roles as intel analysts. Once everyone settled in, Castillo came out of his office and sat down. Sonny always swore he had a camera somewhere, because he never arrived too soon or a second too late. He looked down at his notes. “Report.” Lester cleared his throat. “Still no action on the target’s girlfriend’s phone. At least not the kind we want. He’s gonna be pissed when he finds out she’s having phone sex with half of Greater Miami.” “Shift the tap to the other girl. The warrant just came through. We won’t tie up resources on a non-productive lead.” “Roger that, captain. It’ll be done by the end of the day.” Castillo nodded, checking something off on his notepad. He looked up, and Sonny saw the subtle gleam when he locked eyes with Trudy. “Intel?” Mindy adjusted her light blue scarf and looked at her notes. “We’re almost done with the target folder on Jamal Williams. Lester should have the tapes ready for us this afternoon, and then we’ll wrap it up. The one on Carter Hanson went over late yesterday.” Trudy nodded. “We’ve got an update based on overwatch surveillance on the Fogelson folder. I’ll send that over as soon as we’re done.” “Good.” He gave the women a thin smile and moved on. “Overwatch?” Randy looked at Dave and spoke for both men. “The new rifles are just fine, captain. Spent the morning running through drills and we can give you hits out to 1200 yards. More if conditions are right. We put in some time on Grid YA 24 yesterday. The reports are in your basket, Trudy. We didn’t see either target, but there might be some stuff there you can use.” “Thank you. Crockett? Tubbs?” Sonny looked at Rico, who shrugged. Sure. Punt it to me, pal. “We’ve been trying to recruit some CIs on the edges of Little Havana. The reports will be on your desk by the end of the day. Got a few, but it’s slim pickings. After that whole Dominican thing quite a few of the crews are lying low. We’ve got lines on some Columbians and a Peruvian or two, but nothing that matches the profiles for the high-risk warrant boys.” “Keep at it. We may need those CIs later.” Castillo looked at his own notes. “I know it’s been slow, but Chief Deputy Washington feels we’ve earned a break. I see some of you have been working on intra-office relations.” Sonny stifled a chuckle as Mindy’s face went a bright shade of red. “Keep up the good work. The Miami office has already executed two arrests based on our intel. Those two targets had been able to evade capture for three months before we got involved. Your work produces results. That’s all.” Back in the office, Sonny let loose with a laugh. “Good work there, Rico. Keeping up with intra-office relations.” “I hate it when he grows a sense of humor. And did you see Mindy?” “He didn’t mean anything by it, Rico. And she knows it. You heard his voice. He’s happy for both of you. I’d bet my badge on it.” He grinned. “Or my new boat.” “You finally did it?” Rico grinned, his anger vanishing as quickly as it had formed. “Bought the Dance?” “Yeah. Marty walked me through the whole process. She’s mine free and clear.” “About damned time, man. I might have to look into Casa Cooper in a few years. That pad suits me down to the ground. It’s like New York without being in New York.” Sonny nodded, making a note to do some checking himself. Then he looked at his watch and let out a curse. “I gotta run. Got a meeting with Angie and some damned lawyers about Caitlin’s House in half an hour. I’ll be back when I can. Leave some stuff for me. I don’t want you doing it all.” Rico nodded and watched Sonny bolt out of the office. His partner had been a new man since they’d come back from their little break from law enforcement, and Rico liked the changes. Burnett still lurked like a great white shark in the shadows at the back of the big fish tank, but Sonny seemed to have learned something from his cover. He was more responsible, thought more about the rest of the team, and at least twice had put himself at serious risk to save them. The old Sonny wouldn’t have done any of those things. All Rico could figure was reconnecting with Vietnam and his Marine training had flipped some kind of switch deep in Sonny’s soul. The cowboy was still there, but he was more reasoned and calculating than he’d ever been before. And Jenny, strange little Jenny who was more some kind of mermaid than a person, completed him in a way Rico hadn’t seen since Caitlin. No, he corrected himself. Strange isn’t the right word for her. Otherworldly is closer to it. Jenny seemed to sense things before other people, and had a connection with Sonny that was only exceeded by the bond Castillo had with Trudy. He couldn’t explain it, even to himself, and more than once he found himself a bit envious of both men. Well, maybe not completely. Mindy had been a surprise, and a damned good one. She was pretty, smarter than he was, and loved jazz. Three things that always got Rico’s heart skipping a few beats. They’d been out a few times now, taking things slow and easy. But he still remembered the swat she’d given him when he was working undercover as Teddy Prentiss and found himself looking forward to the day he’d get to swat her curved backside. Shaking his head, he forced his attention back to the informant reports. Sonny hadn’t been kidding. Ever since the Dominican-Columbian war and the little fracas between the Dominicans that followed, the streets had been quiet. Like all the gangs were catching their collective breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Supply chains were a mess, and there was scrambling to fill the gap left when Moncado’s organization when up in smoke. The streets were always at their most dangerous when there was a vacuum of any kind. And right now there were more than a few. As he looked at his notes and filled in blanks on the forms, Rico marveled once again at Castillo’s ability to look forward and plan. Some bosses would have had their people filling out forms from past cases or chasing leads for other units. Not Castillo. If he had extra resources he put them to work getting ready for the next case. Or the case after that. The only wasted informant was one you didn’t have. Hitting return for the last time, Rico spooled the form off the typewriter and added it to the small stack on the left side of his desk. Then he flipped through his notes and sighed. Six more to go. And once they were done it was back out on the streets to add to the total. Only a handful would ever produce anything worthwhile, but you never knew which ones would be in that handful. He’d had more than a couple in his time who looked promising but turned out to be a waste of time, and more than a couple who’d seemed thin but produced pure gold. His musing was interrupted when someone cleared their throat in the doorway. He looked up and saw Mindy standing there, her scarf open. The red marks stood out like blood on satin sheets, and he shrugged an apology. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.” “I guess next time you’ll just have to put them lower.” She smiled and batted her eyes before turning and walking away with an exaggerated hip sway. “Always knew that girl was a handful.” Randy chuckled as he came through the door. “Just wasn’t sure whose hands she’d fill.” “Naw, man. It ain’t…” “Oh yeah it is, man. And good for you, I’d say. She’s a sweet kid. Too good for those bozos over in the other office. But that ain’t why I stopped by. Just wanted to let you know we saw a bit uptick in traffic in YA 24 before we called it quits. You got any CIs in that area, you might want to wake ‘em up. Dave thinks something’s brewing, and I agree with him.” “Thanks. I’ll do that. And I’ll pass the word to Sonny. He might have a CI or two over there.” Rico tried to picture the big street map in the conference room, cut up into grids so they could systematically recon each part of the city. Another of Castillo’s innovations. “Nice.” Randy shook his head. “You up for a drink later? The Sanctuary?” “Sure. Been a few days. Robbie might think we don’t love him anymore.” “Dave will be glad. He’s still sweet on Debbie but don’t want to go there by himself.” “She is a nice lady. No question.” Rico leaned back in his chair. “You ever think we’re relaxing too much?” Randy looked at him. “Maybe. But we got to from time to time.” “Yeah. You’re right about that.” Rico looked at his pile of notes. “Sonny’s meeting with some lawyers, but I’ll leave him a note if he isn’t back by five. Want to meet there at, say, eight?” “Sounds good to me. Get some chow and maybe Dave will have his courage worked up by then.” The stocky man looked around the room and snorted. It was a typical conference room with no windows and a humming overhead projector. He’d seen countless numbers of them in his career, and would no doubt suffer through another countless number. But this was different in one big way: it was HIS conference room. A picture flashed on the screen. “This is the target. We aren’t sure of the window of opportunity yet, so you’ll have to be ready to go on short notice. You bastards are being paid damned well, so don’t kick about it. Surveillance will be in place soon, and the plan will evolve from there.” The team nodded. Six men, each honed in the covert war that had been going on since 1945. They’d all walked away for their own reasons, taking their skills out for hire. Just like he’d do once he was done with what needed doing. What should have been done years ago. “Is there a second target?” “Of course. But we start with this one. You’ll be briefed on the second once this mission’s complete. Need to know and all that crap.” The same man looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Security?” “It’ll be there. The target’s a cop. That bother any of you?” “That’s a damned fool question.” “I find the best way to answer a damned fool question is with another damned fool question.” The stocky man waited for the chuckles to die down. “You’ll have full info before the mission goes down. Any other questions? No? Then I’ll see you when it’s time to prep for launch.” He waited until they filed out before shutting down the projector and gathering up his slides. Leave no trace behind. And this time there was no one to get cold feet when he closed with the target. Not this time. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Sonny looked down at Jenny sitting on the saloon sofa, admiring the curve of her legs and the way her hair draped over the cushions. “I’m going mostly to keep Rico from whining.” She smiled, getting to her feet with a smooth motion that took his breath away. “No. I want to. I like your friends. Trudy is funny, and Robbie’s always so kind.” She pulled her white t-shirt over her head, showing him her magnificent body. “Let me get that white dress and we can go.” Now it was Sonny’s turn to smile. They’d settled into a strange sort of domestic routine, moving from her boat to his almost at random but always by some unspoken prior agreement. She disappeared into the aft stateroom, reappearing moments later in her short strapless white sundress that made her hair look like spun gold. “How do I look?” “Beautiful as always, darlin’.” He smiled, pulling her close and kissing her. She returned the kiss with her usual energy and reached up, taking his hand and moving it lower. “I left the bikini bottoms on the berth.” Her smile was both teasing and innocent. “I hope you don’t mind.” “Not a bit.” He kissed her again, then swatted her firm backside. “Let’s get moving. Don’t want Tubbs whining because we’re late.” The drive in was quiet, and he liked the feeling of her hand on his thigh as he drove. She had a way of just being, without any words or sounds. He’d noticed it from the first, and it made him…comfortable. For the first time in a long time. Reaching down, he squeezed her hand and smiled at her. She smiled back, her eyes glittering, and mouthed ‘I love you.’ “I love you, too.” He said the words, smiling, and then accelerated away from the light. Even after all he’d been through, she made him feel ike a kid on his second date every time they went out. The Sanctuary had a line at the door and a full parking lot, but Robbie’s people found a spot for the Ferrari and passed him and Jenny under the rope without a word. He knew them all by now, and slipped the valet and the door guy twenties for their trouble. Ever since he and Robbie made up the club had become the Task Force’s hangout, which suited everyone involved down to the ground. The Task Force people tipped well and made sure everyone behaved, and Robbie got to talk with other former Marines and see his best friend more than he had in years. Rico and Mindy were already at their booth, one toward the back Robbie kept reserved until after eight just in case they swung by. They had been deep in some jazz conversation or another, but looked up and smiled when Sonny and Jenny approached. “Lookin’ good, babe,” Rico said with a smile, then grunted when Mindy slugged him on the arm. “Mindy, you don’t want to hit him too much.” Jenny’s eyes sparkled, and Sonny wasn’t sure if she was going to be joking or not. “You might scare him off. And you don’t want to do that.” Mindy’s blue eyes went wide, and she laughed. “You know, Jenny, you might be right. I grew up with brothers and forget they’re different than boyfriends.” Jenny smiled at Rico’s slack-jawed stare. “That’s what you wanted to know, isn’t it? Now buy us all drinks, please. I’m thirsty.” Sonny just shrugged and gave his parter his best ‘what the hell am I supposed to do’ look. They’d just slid into the booth and given their order to the brunette waitress when Dave and Randy came in, Dave trailing along behind a pretty blonde like he was on a short leash. Jenny looked at Sonny and whispered, “That’s Debbie, isn’t it?” “Yeah. Don’t spook Dave you like did Rico, ok?” “I wouldn’t. Debbie’s ok but too quiet. And I like Dave. I’ll let you know if she’s right for him.” Sonny just smiled and kissed her neck. He didn’t think he’d ever really figure her out, and didn’t care if he did. What he cared about was making her happy, and he seemed to do that well enough. So well she’d walked away from her smuggling life to be with him. “Glad you three could make it, even though I hear this was Randy’s idea. Where’s Marty and Trudy?” “They’ll be along.” Randy grinned. “How’d your meeting go?” “Good. Got the last papers signed with those damned lawyers. The house should be open in a month or so. When Gina’s back from their honeymoon she and Angie are going to start interviews.” Jenny smiled. “Caitlin would be proud, Sonny. It’s a really good thing you’re doing.” That was another thing about her that amazed him. Most women would be jealous of Caitlin, or at least the idea of her. Not Jenny. She seem to have huge respect for his dead wife, saying how beautiful she’d been or how good her music was. She’d even insisted he keep wearing the wedding ring. “It’s part of you,” she said one night, “and I love all parts of you. It makes me feel like she sees us and approves.” “I like to think so. At least it gives some of ‘em a second chance. Life’s hard enough without the streets dragging you down, too.” He grinned, uncomfortable with all the attention. “Anyhow, let’s have our drinks and get down to it.” Trudy and Castillo came in not five minutes later, heading for their usual seats. Trudy slipped in next to Jenny, and the two of them started chatting away like sisters. It always surprised Sonny. They’d done that the first time they met and every time since then. Castillo looked over at him and gave the same ‘what are you gonna do’ look he’d given Rico minutes before. “Sorry we’re late. Had a last minute fax come in.” Sonny groaned. “Would you PLEASE just let me shoot that damned thing?” Mindy laughed. “They’d just send another, faster one, Sonny. It’s the Federal Government.Fax makes the world go round, until they find something faster.” Rico looked around. “Where’s Lester?” “He had some tapes to change,” Castillo said. “At least that’s what he said.” “I think he’s meeting up with Stan so they can go over stuff before tomorrow.” Trudy chuckled. “Gina and Stan got back this morning. Lester’s been all kinds of antsy ever since.” “Sounds about right.” Sonny nodded. “Did she say if they had a good time?” “Yes, they did. She wanted me to thank you again.” “I’m just glad they had fun.” Sonny smiled, knowing it had been the least he could do for his old teammates. Gina for putting up with his shit over the years, and Stan for getting his best friend killed by being an overzealous asshole. He was just thankful they’d both forgiven him when he came back. Trudy looked over the table, her brown eyes sparkling. “So I talked to Angie today. She agreed to help. Marty and I are getting married.” “That’s fantastic news, Trudy!” Sonny looked over at Castillo, who just nodded. “Congratulations both of you! Just have Angie let me know…” “It’s already settled.” Castillo spoke softly. “All you need to do is show up.” He looked from Sonny to Rico and back again. “It wouldn’t do for my best men to be late.” Jenny squealed, a noise Sonny had never heard her make before. “I’m so happy for you, Trudy! And you, Marty! I know we just met, but I feel like I’ve known you both for years.” Castillo nodded. “Maybe you have.” She looked at him and smiled. “You might be right.” Trudy took Jenny’s hand. “I’d like you to be my maid of honor.” Jenny shook her head. “No. I’d love to, but you’ve known Gina so much longer. It should be her. You two have been through so much. But I’d love to be a bridesmaid. If you’d let me.” Trudy met Sonny’s eyes across the table and mouthed ‘don’t let her go.’ He just nodded, touching her shoulder and feeling her smooth skin under his fingers. Robbie appeared out of nowhere, like he usually did. “Must be good news the way you all look.” Jenny smiled. “Trudy and Marty are getting married.” “Well, no shit? Next round’s on me! Hell, I’ll join you. Congrats both of you!” The rest of the night passed in a blur. Sonny stuck mostly to beer, taking a single shot of Black Jack in honor of Marty and Trudy. He’d promised Jenny he’d cut back, and he meant to keep his word. They left just before midnight, after Robbie promised he’d make sure everyone got home safe. “I’d love to stay,” he explained to Castillo as they started to get up, “but I’ve got a final meeting with the legal team in the morning and how the hell would it look if I showed up to a rehab house meeting half-drunk form the night before? Angie would kick my ass so hard I wouldn’t be able to sit down for a week.” He grinned. “But I am happy for you. For both of you.” Castillo took his hand, and Sonny could have sworn he saw tears in the corners of the man’s eyes. “Thank you, Sonny. It’s how she wanted it.” “And you’ll have anything you want. Just say the word.” He covered Castillo’s hand with his and squeezed. “It couldn’t have happened to two more deserving people.” The ride back to the marina was quiet. Jenny spent most of it looking out the Ferrari window, and Sonny sensed a distance growing. After they pulled into his parking space, he shut off the engine and looked at her. “What’s wrong, darlin’?” “I…” Her voice trailed off. “I don’t know. I’m kind of confused, I guess. I thought they were like us, and then this happens.” “Jenny, it’s what’s Trudy wanted. Her family’s very church-going, and she grew up that way. Most of it fell away when she saw what life was like, but deep down she needs something like this. Marty…hell, he’d do anything for her. So he’s making this happen. And I’m helping them.” He looked out over the water, at the masts bobbing against the dark sky like distant trees shifting in the breeze. “Is that what you want?” “No. Not right now, anyhow. We belong with each other. No one else needs to stamp that or file that away somewhere.” Her voice grew very small. “Maybe someday…I don’t know. But not now.” “And that’s fine, baby. I don’t care about a church wedding. They don’t mean much. My first wedding was big. Her whole damned family and most of mine. Cait and I had a much smaller one…just some friends and that was about it.” He closed his eyes, letting the memories flow over him. “The first one was not so good. The second…well…you know how that ended. Church weddings and me don’t seem to get along.” “I’m sorry. I’m being silly and upsetting you.” “No. Don’t ever say your feelings are silly. I…hell…I’m not good with words. Never have been. But I love you, Jenny Walker. And if you want a wedding we’ll have one, and if not we won’t. All I know is I don’t want you out of my life. Not now. Not ever.” She flowed into his arms. One second she was on her side of the car and the next she had her arms around him. “And that’s how I feel, James Crockett. I just…I saw how happy you were for him and I thought that was what you wanted.” “Naw. Not if you don’t. I’m happy for them just because, not because of the wedding. It’ll make Trudy feel better, and that’s a good thing. But they’re together wedding or no wedding.” He smiled and kissed her, tasing her last drink on her tongue. “And now we’d better get to Vellamo before someone calls us in for public indecency.” She smiled and slipped her dress up around her waist. “I don’t think that’s indecent. Do you?” “Not in the least, darlin’. Now let’s get belowdecks.”