Page 30 of Operation: Reckless Angel

“Shepherd knows what he’s doing,” Cooper said.

“I never said he didn’t,” Garcia replied.

“So, if this guy is clean, maybe it’s one of his potential visitors SecDef is suspicious of,” Smith said.

“We will be filing real-time reports to SecDef. I won’t be surprised if our mission gets amended at some point,” Garcia said. “Well, real-time reports beginning Monday at zero five hundred.”

“We’ll recon the area and begin to set up our equipment as soon as we land,” Cooper said.

Then he laid out the plan for the next twenty-four hours. John Wells lived on a working Texas horse ranch of five hundred acres of land adjacent to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in west Texas, just south of New Mexico. The ranch was closer to Juarez, Mexico, than Fort Worth. They’d land at Biggs Army Airfield. It was just over an hour’s drive due east on Highway 62 to their target.

When they landed, they found the three vehicles that had been arranged for them to use. An old dark blue cargo van was loaded with eavesdropping and surveillance equipment. A dark green four-wheel-drive Jeep Wrangler with a trailer housed two ATVs and camping gear. The third was a black Chevy Colorado ZR2, also with camping gear in the cargo bed.

“Looks like we’re going off roading,” Cooper said with a smile. “Garcia, Smith, the surveillance van is yours. Jackson and Roth, you take the Jeep. Doc, you’re with me.”

They quickly transferred their gear to the appropriate vehicles. They’d gone over the map while en route and planned where the equipment would be deployed. They’d focus on three areas.

First, once it was dark, they’d set up surveillance at the base of the long driveway that led to the ranch and Well’s enormous house that sat nearly in the middle of the five hundred acres he owned. It would easily be concealed in the dense brush in the vicinity.

To the north, just outside of the area owned by Wells, across Highway 62 was a portion of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park and the highest point to surveil the ranch from. Cooper and Doc would camp there to man their equipment, which they’d observe as well as transmit to Garcia and Smith in the van.

The third surveillance location would be on the south end of the property, an access road onto the ranch. The terrain was flatter here, and the scrub and other vegetation was low to the ground. They’d still be able to conceal the equipment in it.

The van would park at the Pine Springs Campground at the south tip of the mountains, which was near to Well’s property. Garcia and Smith would rotate shifts in the van. Jackson and Roth would also park and camp there, assist Garcia and Smith, and head out on the ATVs to troubleshoot the equipment if needed, or go onto Well’s property to run surveillance missions.

Roth had checked the weather forecast before they’d left HQ, as did the others. This area of the country was mild. It would reach lows of around thirty-five degrees overnight and during the day, highs in the mid-fifties, Fahrenheit. As far as he was concerned, those were the perfect temps to camp out in.

Being off season, it was nearly vacant of human life at the campground. Only two other tents were in the area. They set up camp and established communications with Cooper and Doc on the ridge where they parked, as well as with HQ. Smith took control of the satellite and brought it over the target area. The feed was crystal clear. They studied the ranch and main house, as well as all the vehicles on the property.

The afternoon hit a pleasant fifty-four degrees. Roth took in his surroundings. Others would call it desolate, isolated, or boring countryside. He found it beautiful out here. The air was clear, the horizon stretching forever without a building in sight. And it was quiet. All that could be heard was the wind.

As dusk approached, Roth and Jackson mounted the ATVs with the surveillance equipment loaded and ready to be installed. They followed the highway, not passing another vehicle, and turned off onto the dirt road that led to the Wells ranch. They parked off the road a click from the driveway and walked in to plant the equipment. Then they proceeded to the access road to the south side of the property to do the same there. Thankfully, the sky was clear, and the millions of visible stars and a crescent moon lit their way. Otherwise, they would have needed to use NVGs, which they had with them.

All went well until they were walking back to their ATVs after planting the second set of devices. As they descended a small hill, they came face to face with two men armed with AR-15s who appeared from nowhere. They’d heard nothing, saw no vehicles. They were dressed in black and had that air about them the two men knew well. They knew they were staring at a couple of carbon copies of themselves.

“Hey,” Jackson greeted them pleasantly. “You out to photograph the nocturnal mammals too? We followed tracks, thought we had a bead on a pack of coyotes.” He pointed back over his shoulder. “But they’re long gone.”

The two men exchanged glances. “This area is off limits,” one said. “It’s private property.”

“It is?” Roth said in feign surprise. “Sorry, didn’t mean to trespass.”

“You come out here unarmed?” the other man asked.

“No, that would be asinine,” Jackson said. His M4 was on a sling on his back. He pulled it into view for only a moment and then pushed it behind himself again. An AR-15 and M4 looked nearly identical. He didn’t want to give them too good of a view. He wanted them to assume he, too, was carrying an AR-15.

“I suggest you get on back to the national park lands,” the first man said.

“That’s where we started, but as I said, we followed tracks,” Jackson said.

The first man pointed in the direction they’d parked their ATVs. “The lights of your rides will attract animals. Be careful, hitting a deer on one of those will be fatal to both you and the deer.”

Roth didn’t like the warning tone he used. It was said as a threat. “Thank you for your concern,” he said.

Jackson nodded and then walked past the two men. Roth followed, listening carefully for any footfalls that would indicate they were being rushed up on from behind. He doubted they’d be shot in the back. If those men were going to shoot them, they already would have. After they’d crested another small hill, Roth glanced back. The men were nowhere to be seen.

They drove straight back to the campground and sat in the van with Garcia and Smith, making their report on a video call with Cooper and Doc, as well as Shepherd.

“Yeah, they were private security for Wells, I’m sure,” Jackson said. “They played it right out of the Blackwater training manual.”

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