given her to wear, and he tried not to think about how much he liked seeing his clothes on her. “The number of guards fluctuated while I was there, but I never counted fewer than twenty. Two were at the gate tower, at least six in the main house, another two guarded that big building over there, and the rest patrolled the grounds. All of them carried automatic rifles, a sidearm, and two-way radios. Some had knives, but I don’t think it was a requirement.”
It was a blatant show of force, designed to let people know that Aranza was not a man to be fucked with. Not surprising, considering the legions of enemies he’d acquired over the years.
Wade wasn’t the only person who wanted to put a bullet in the drug lord, but he was the most determined to make it happen. He raised the binoculars to his eyes once again and watched the two guards at the gate. “Do the patrols run day and night?”
“Yes. At night, the whole place is lit like a prison yard.”
Now that she mentioned it, he noticed the floodlights positioned above the perimeter wall, which meant a nighttime raid wouldn’t give them an advantage. More likely than not, there were surveillance cameras as well, which would eliminate the element of surprise. “Do the guards patrol outside the perimeter walls?”
“I can’t say for sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Dogs?”
“None.”
Well, at least there was that. His focus shifted to the building in the back. Two stories tall, with floodlights fitted beneath the eaves, it was large enough to fit a semi. No windows. The front entrance consisted of a roll-up metal door, with a standard door to its right. There were bushes planted along the side, as if someone thought it would make the structure less noticeable. “What’s in the brown building?”
“I have no idea. I wasn’t allowed to wander that far. During the day, and sometimes at night, they brought me to the main house to tend to Olivia, Beto’s mother. The rest of the time, they kept me locked in that small building attached to the main house.”
“How well do you know the layout of the main house?”
“Not very. Whenever they brought me in, they led me directly to Olivia’s room, which was toward the front near the kitchen. At the end of the day, I went out the exact same way.”
It was the answer he’d expected but it disappointed him all the same. “All right, let’s get to work. Jackson and Navarre, we could use some trip lines to let us know if we’re about to have company. Austin and Hope can set up camp. Hector, you’re with me. I want a better look at that gate.”
Using the dense underbrush for cover, they skirted the perimeter of the property until they reached the front—and only—entrance. Wade stared through his binoculars at the compound below, his anger building, senses sharpening. His impulsive side wanted to storm the place like a berserker, but common sense kept him rooted in place.
For years, he’d been waiting for this moment to arrive, and he wasn’t about to blow it. In time, there would be swift and blinding vengeance, but not until they knew exactly what they were dealing with.
“It’s a wonder Hope made it out,” Hector said from where he sat a few feet away. “That place is locked down tighter than a virgin on prom night.”
Wade grunted in agreement, his gaze still riveted to the men in the towers, both armed with high-power rifles. Security might not have been as tight prior to her escape. Also, it was possible the row of trees along the side of the house obscured the guards’ view enough for her to slip over the wall unnoticed. Or maybe she just got lucky. No matter the reason, it was a damn good thing she got out when she did.
“I was thinking. About Hope,” Hector said as they stood to leave. “She kept her end of the bargain.”
“Yeah, she did.” And that meant he was duty-bound to honor his promise to bring her to the American consulate. If he remembered correctly, the closest consular agency was in Oaxaca, a few hours’ drive from Viento Tranquilos.
But he didn’t want to escort her to the consulate. He wanted to stay here and rain fire on Aranza. It was going to take time to study his movements, to learn how his men operated. To pinpoint the flaws in his security and determine the best ways to