Marine's Mission - Rebecca Deel Page 0,68
room wall.
Once they were seated, Owen kissed the back of Gigi’s hand and said to Maddox, “This has something to do with the software program.” Nothing else made sense since he wasn’t involved in another mission for Fortress.
The Fortress CEO inclined his head in agreement. “Jon identified the buyer of the software program.”
Finally, some progress. “Who is it?”
“A man named Salvatore Gonzalez.”
“His name isn’t familiar.”
“He’s head of the Juarez Cartel in Loera, Mexico.”
Oh, man. “Drugs?”
“Among other things, including weapons and human trafficking.”
Dread grew by the second as Owen pieced parts of the puzzle together in his head, already suspecting where this conversation was headed. “You’re sending me to Mexico?”
A nod.
“When?”
“Since Shadow unit can’t be in place until tomorrow night, you’ll leave in the morning.”
Owen froze. “Shadow unit is my backup?” They were usually assigned to human trafficking rescue operations.
“They’re replacing Wolf Pack. With Eli down, I don’t want to insert an operative unfamiliar with Eli’s team. This mission is too important.”
“I understand, sir.”
“I hope so because you’re going to Loera undercover.”
He grimaced. “Not as a buyer of women or children. I can’t do it.” The prospect of pretending to be a human trafficker made his stomach churn.
“Gun buyer. Your cover identity is Owen Michaels, the head of a large Tennessee militia making plans to defend their compound against the government.”
His eyebrows rose. “What’s the group’s name?”
“Mountain Militia.”
“That’s a real militia in Tennessee. I recognize the name.”
Maddox’s lips curved. “Zane and I prepared a complete background. You and your ‘wife’ will need to memorize the information before you land in Mexico.”
Owen stared, afraid he knew who Maddox had in mind for the role of his spouse. “Wife?”
“Owen Michaels is really the head of the Mountain Militia. He’s married and head-over-heels in love with his wife. She always travels with him on these buying trips.”
“Who is my wife?”
Maddox inclined his head toward Gigi. “Meet Gina Michaels.”
Owen scowled. “I’m not taking Gigi into a pit of vipers.”
“I saw the intensity of your kiss, the emotion in your eyes when you looked at Gigi. Can you pull that off with a female operative?”
He flinched. Owen didn’t want to touch another woman, much less kiss her.
Maddox snorted. “I didn’t think so. No one seeing you with Gigi would question whether you’re emotionally involved. The real Owen Michaels has been on vacation with his wife. They aren’t due back at the compound for another week. Michaels and his wife were picked up by one of our teams overnight and taken to a black site. Once the mission is finished, we’ll drive the couple to a town near their home and leave them with a burner phone to contact their people. Zane replaced Internet photos of Michaels and his wife with yours and Gigi’s. Your identification papers are in the safe on the jet that you and the team will take to Mexico.”
“Does the president know about this plan?”
“Officially, no. Unofficially, he knows everything. Keeping President Martin in the dark isn’t wise.”
“Gigi will be in the line of fire.”
“We’ll do everything we can to make this safe for her.”
“Come on. Six operatives against an unknown number of men working for Gonzalez? How can this be remotely safe for an untrained civilian?” For the woman he loved. His free hand fisted. If anything happened to her on his watch, Owen would never forgive himself.
“Eleven highly trained operatives,” Maddox corrected. “Texas is going, too. They’ll set up outside the perimeter of the compound with Shadow unit. Both teams will be available within minutes if you need them.”
Things could go horribly wrong in seconds. Gigi’s safety would depend on Owen and his training. Sometimes, the best training in the world wasn’t enough to make a difference. Training and experience weren’t a shield against bad luck. The injury to his arm was the perfect example.
“We’re on a short time clock.” Maddox folded his arms across his chest. “We can make this work with the least amount of danger to Gigi.”
“How?”
“You will actually buy weapons. An anonymous third party is footing the bill. Once the weapons are on US soil, the government will take possession of the weapons.”
A frown. “What will the feds do with them?”
“Sometimes, it’s best not to ask too many questions. The rest of the mission won’t start until you and Gigi are clear.”
Rest of the mission? “Explain.”
“We’re freeing the trafficking victims. If things go according to plan, we’ll take down Gonzalez’s whole operation while we’re at it.”
“What about the software program?” Many good men and women would die