Daydreaming, she noted the bright sun and sharp horizon on the screen. She felt the ship rise and fall as it maintained a 28-knot speed of advance. Someday, she would like to return here with Mark and their boy in an ocean-going sloop. Annie was a romantic, like most naval officers, and the power and majesty of the high seas held a place in her soul. In Mark’s, too, and together they would teach their son lessons in navigation and attention to detail, lessons he would keep in his heart forever. Once this pop-up war was complete, and after her CO tour, they would return to enjoy this beautiful part of the world. She would retire at twenty, three more years.
Olive sat down next to her. “XO, got a minute?”
“Yeah, go.”
“Ma’am, I know the helo didn’t find anything on their run over the island, but I still think the skipper is there.”
Holding Olive gaze, Annie pressed her. “Why?”
“Shane is doing a good job coordinating with the ship to get SOUTHCOM to share the signals intel they are getting. Seems the Venezuelans have the ejection seat, but they don’t know where he is either.”
“How do you know he didn’t go into the water in the channel? Or, if he was carried by the storm, couldn’t he have been deposited on the other side of the island — in the Atlantic, at night?”
“Ma’am, I don’t know, but I have a hunch. We’ve been flying all over the channel, and we’ve seen nothing. But the storm we think he got caught up in weakened after it transited the island.”
Annie wasn’t buying it, but didn’t want to shoot down Olive’s passion — just yet. “So then, do we ask CAG for another helo run over Trinidad?”
“No, ma’am. We know Trinidad is spun up about that and bending over backwards to stay neutral in this. But we have an embassy there. We have agents. Send them down to where the storm crossed the island and see what they can learn. Quietly. Covertly.”
“Venezuela has agents, too.”
“Yes, ma’am, and they may have already figured this out, although Shane has no reports that they have. So, we have to act. Meanwhile, may I get back on the flight schedule?”
Annie smiled. “Can’t keep a Hornet pilot out of the fight for long. Sure, get with Stretch. And ensure Shane keeps a close eye on the intel dispatches.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Olive replied with a smile.
Daniel could feel the pressure in his chest. Events were spinning out of control. Ramos was coming for him. He knew it. And the Americans were not reacting to type. He had never believed they would attack Venezuela — relentlessly — day and night. Now they were moving their operations to targets in and around Caracas, not stopping short as they always did elsewhere. Did they intend to conquer the Bolivarian Republic? March troops into the capitol?
With the Americans and Europeans monitoring every square meter of the Caribbean, nothing was moving on the water, and the mules were fearful to try any shipment of product. They even rejected the offer made by Daniel’s traffickers, double the money, and then hid to escape their wrath. The Americans also had shut down the Panamanian money laundering and had increased their maritime forces in the Pacific, all of which put a big dent in Ramos’s supply chain. Only a trickle of product had made it to El Norte in the past two weeks from any of the cartels, and nothing to Europe. Dealers could operate off a small warehoused supply of product in the short term, but, for Daniel and the cartels, the money flow from interrupted supply lines was felt all the way up the chain. For the first time in years, Daniel had to monitor his own supply of cash.
The secure phone rang. The dog Hernandez. He better have good news, Daniel thought as he picked up the receiver.
“Yes, mí general.”
“Señor, the American pilot may be hiding in Trinidad.”
Daniel gazed across the gulf at Trinidad. His lifeboat.
“Why do you think this?”
“The Americans flew their helicopters over the island last night. Port de Spain knows and is upset about it. My people are feeding the media, and it should be public soon. We are listening to them, and we know they listen to us. I will instruct my people to report on our tactical frequencies that we have captured the American, which will sow confusion and buy time.”
“Do you have people in Trinidad?”
“Not my people, señor. Caracas has agents, of course,but I do not control them. Do you have people, señor?”
Daniel did, and he could see where Edgar was going. Daniel’s agents would save Edgar’s hide. And his own hide…. For a moment, he hesitated and sensed Edgar fidgeting as he waited for an answer. If he could catch the American with this information, Edgar would no longer be necessary.
“I have…. Trinidad is a big island, with many people. If the American lives on it, he could be anywhere.”
“We think the southern coast, señor, a place called The Devil’s Woodyard. This is where their helicopter flew.”
The Devil’s Woodyard, Daniel thought as he studied Trinidad in the distance. He liked the name.
“I will take action, Edgar. Tell me, how goes the war?”
Daniel could hear Hernandez swallow on the other end. “Señor, the Americans have rolled back our defenses to the east and are now concentrating on the capitol. We have missiles to attack their ships, but it is difficult to find them. They stay far away, near the islands, and send their planes to attack. We are doing our best, but we do not have the forces to resist them.”
“You shot down one plane. Can you not hit others?”
“We did shoot down another, but the Dutch rescued the pilots on the high seas. After the first night’s loss, the Americans changed their tactics, señor. They are using stand-off precision weapons they can fire from many kilometers away, and they are picking off our assets, one by one. We tried to hit one of their warships, but the missile was deflected by their defenses and sank a Brazilian cargo vessel. They stay hundreds of kilometers away, señor. They even attack us with bombers based in the United States! Their reach is longer than ours.”
Daniel listened and took in Hernandez’s grim military assessment. “How long can you hold out, mí general?”
“They must put boots on the ground to overrun us, señor, and our forces are much larger than what Panama had when they overthrew Noriega years ago. They have shut down Río Salta, they have air superiority over the Bolivarian Republic, and the politicians are nervous the people will revolt.”
“Then they should string up some people!”
“Sí, señor.” A chastened Hernandez agreed.
Daniel knew he needed the downed American pilot as a bargaining chip to save his own skin. He could see his life here was coming to an end; his business empire for sure and, maybe, his actual life. Where could he go? Mallorca. The Spanish dialect was different, but there he could hide from Ramos and the world. One hundred million was all he needed. He had survived on much less. Annibel could be replaced easily enough… but he would miss Emma.
“Edgar, we need this American pilot. I’ll do what I can, and I know you are doing all you can. Maybe your pilots will deliver us another American today. That chance is worth sending them up to defend the Bolivarian Republic to the last man — except you, of course. You are much too valuable.