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“And we can’t go in guns blazing without getting slaughtered.”
I glanced at her. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
She arched an eyebrow. “That we need a distraction?”
“Exactly.”
I opened my comms. “Gideon, you copy?”
His voice crackled in. “Loud and clear.”
“We’ve got eyes on Malik. He’s dealing with a Baja cartel buyer. Need a soft breach with hard options if things go loud.”
“Copy that. You want smoke, sound, or chaos?”
I looked at Aponi. She smiled.
“Chaos,” we said in unison.
“Good choice,” Gideon replied. “Give me five.”
We moved into position—silent, fast. Aponi took the south wall. I moved to the opposite end, watching from a broken window as Malik opened the duffel and pulled out an AR-15 fitted with a suppressor and scope.
The cartel buyer nodded.
Cash changed hands.
And then…
Boom.
The explosion hit the other side of the dockyard—one of Gideon’s planted charges, just loud enough to startle but not injure.
Shouting erupted. The buyers pulled weapons. Guards scrambled. Malik reached for his radio.
That’s when Aponi moved.
She dropped two guards with stunning precision—one shot each. I charged in through the service door, hitting the back of the SUV and knocking one man unconscious before he could turn his rifle.
Malik spun, firing wildly.
“Aponi!” I yelled.
She ducked, rolled, and came up firing.
Malik went down.
Chest shot. Clean. Non-lethal—because she wanted answers.
I rushed to his side and kicked the weapon away, then cuffed him to a rusted pipe.
“You’ve got five seconds to tell us who else is on your payroll,” I said, pressing my boot against his shoulder.
He just laughed, blood in his teeth.
“You think this ends with me?”
Aponi stepped up, eyes dark and unflinching. “No. But it damn sure starts with you.”
