Rodriguez jerked his head back. “Are you joking?”
“This is no joke,” Valdez said, glancing back where their Humvees were parked in the middle of the desert. He waved his arm at the expanse of open land. “We control many miles, but the most crucial territory along the border, you have selected that land to be controlled by Garza. How else can I take that decision?”
“Antonio Garza is the conduit to the United States. He can move product freely from one country to the next. How can I impede that corridor? It would only hurt your business.”
“Maybe,” Valdez said, regaining his stride and moving forward again. “But he also works with our enemies and that concerns me.”
“How so?”
Valdez walked a circuitous path around low-lying shrub while Rodriguez followed closely, wondering why the man was acting this way.
“I must be careful what I say around certain people,” Valdez said, then continued his stride without further comment.
“Do you not trust Garza?” Rodriguez asked, sincerely.
Valdez shrugged. “He has done nothing to warrant my suspicions. It is simply my nature to probe.”
Rodriguez didn’t like the direction the conversation was headed. He needed to regain the leader’s focus.
“Have you heard about the American Secretary of State coming to the debate tonight?” Rodriguez asked.
“Yes,” Valdez said. “I understand you will have a personal meeting with the man.”
Rodriguez’s chest swelled with pride. It was a great honor to be singled out by the Secretary of State. “Yes, we will be meeting after the debate. I suppose the Americans have been reading the latest polls and realize I will be the next President. They want to create a dialogue so they can maintain good communications during my presidency.”
“I see,” Valdez said. “Do not lose your way once you become President Rodriguez. The Zutons are still in control. Adding President to your name does not change that fact.”
Rodriguez walked ahead of the cartel leader, then stopped abruptly, facing Valdez who didn’t seem pleased to suspend his pace. “Why do you speak to me like this?”
Valdez glanced over his shoulder at the squad of soldiers who were paying close attention to his body language and finding it necessary to remove their assault rifles from their shoulders.
Rodriguez had stirred up the hornet’s nest and suddenly felt extremely vulnerable. Valdez had always insisted on one hundred percent loyalty to his business interests and would never allow anyone to survive such an infidelity.
“There is a spy among us,” Valdez said, removing his sunglasses and baring his shark-like teeth. “There are people who suggest the spy is close to Garza. I would be careful what you say.”
Rodriguez could feel twenty pairs of eyes boring in on him. He understood how paranoid these cartels had become lately, killing scores of innocent people just because of a wrong word spoken, or a meeting with the wrong person.
“Santiago, I have known you for many years,” Rodriguez said, with open palms. “Have I ever given you a reason to be suspicious about my behavior?”
Valdez’s expression changed. The creases around his eyes deepened and his mouth turned into a warm smile. He reached out and held Rodriguez’s arm with a gentle touch.
“Do not act so defensive, my friend,” Valdez said. “Until this spy is discovered, there will be many more nervous discussions.”
Valdez replaced his sunglasses and began his return to the vehicles. There was always a finite period of time where a meeting could be considered safe. The cartel leader seemed to know exactly how long that period was and never exceeded its limit.
Rodriguez followed, the soldiers opening a path for the two men to travel.
Valdez added, “A famous man once said, ‘First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.’” He looked over at Rodriguez. “Do you know who said that?”
Rodriguez was familiar with the phrase, but reverentially said, “No. Who?”
“Mahatma Ghandi.” Valdez smiled behind his shaded eyes.
Even though Valdez had unwittingly twisted the pacifist’s words to suit his needs, the man was a sinister foe who needed to be treated with caution.
Valdez approached his Humvee, and as one of his men opened the back door for him, he turned to Rodriguez. “Do not forget about us, Mr. President,” he said. Then with a venomous smile, he added, “We will not forget about you.”
Chapter 20
Tommy drove a white BMW sedan with Matt in the passenger seat, and Nick and Stevie in the back seat. The two lane road stretched out straight and barren; waves of heat rippled off the asphalt and created the illusion of water dancing on the horizon.
Tommy pointed to the instrument panel. “Is it really one hundred and one degrees out already?”
“Slow down,” Nick said, from behind him. “Keep it five over the limit.”
Matt surveyed the desert floor. “You see anything back there, Stevie?”
Stevie was busy playing with a laptop computer, while Nick examined the monitor.
“Nothing yet,” Stevie said. “But we’re still ten miles out.”
Stevie had his hawk drone above them scanning the perimeter for snipers.
“I don’t like this,” Tommy said. “There hasn’t been one damn car in either direction for nearly an hour. How is that possible?”
“The freeway is thirty miles north of here,” Nick said. “There’s no reason to drive this way unless you’re going to Denton. The road dead ends there.”
Tommy glanced over his shoulder and saw Nick looking at his phone. “Well?” he said.
“Walt suspects the bomb is being transported today.”
“And you still think we’re better off alone, than calling in a team of agents to help find this thing?” Tommy asked.
From the rearview mirror, Tommy could see Nick looking out his window.
“We overwhelm this town with agents and they’ll modify their plans,” Nick said. “Maybe dig in and wait until it blows over. We don’t have time for that. We need them to underestimate us.”
Tommy grinned. “That’s okay. I like being the underdog.”
The BMW cruised over the asphalt with smooth precision. They’d rented the car because it didn’t necessarily raise any red flags like an SUV or a black American sedan might.
“What if they bolt town?” Tommy asked.
“They can’t,” Nick said. “We’ve got a DPS roadblock cutting off traffic before it gets to the highway.”
“I’ll bet that’s a pretty exciting place to-”
“Got something,” Stevie said. Nick hunched over the screen, while Matt craned his neck to look over the back of his headrest.
“See him?” Stevie said, pointing to a spot on the monitor.
“Yeah,” Nick said. “Can you zoom?”
“You bet.”
Tommy could hear Stevie tapping his keyboard. After a few moments he heard the response to the drone’s image.
“Shit,” Nick muttered.
“Where?” Matt asked.
“Two miles ahead of us, to our left,” Stevie said.
“Let me see,” Matt said.
Stevie twisted his laptop to show Matt, while Tommy glanced back at the image. The car swerved to the right, hitting a couple of shoulder bumps as Tommy examined the screen.
Matt grabbed the steering wheel and steadied the car back to the middle of the lane.
“Come on,” Matt said. “Keep it on the road.”
“Relax,” Tommy said. “What am I gonna hit out here, a lizard?”
Stevie returned the computer to his lap and gave commentary. “He hasn’t taken notice of us yet.”
“Is he alone?” Matt asked.
“Yes.”
“Rifle?”
“Yes.”
Matt twisted in his seat to look at Nick. “Should I take him out?”
Nick seemed to contemplate this. He examined the image on Stevie’s computer.
“He just spotted us,” Nick said. He waved at Matt. “Turn around, he’s grabbing his binoculars.”
Matt twisted back into his seat and tried to look casual. Tommy did him one better. He turned up the volume on the XM alternative station and began to bounce the heel of his hand on the steering wheel. His head bobbed up and down to the beat of a Guster song with a maniacal grin spread across his face.