Page 15 of Gator

“Yea, honey. Rapists. The man you mentioned, Chappo Ruiz? We shut down his drug and trafficking operation three times. Three. The last time, we destroyed everything he had. He is familiar with us, which was probably why he didn’t jump at the idea of coming for us.”

“You were Special Forces?” she asked, staring at Alec.

“No, I was CIA.”

“You were a spy? How does someone your size hide? I mean, well, you know what I mean,” she asked with confusion.

“In plain sight,” he smirked. “We all have our special skills, honey, but the biggest is that we know how to work together as a team and accomplish our goals. You saw the drone watching that mansion. We will know when he leaves, who he leaves with, and how many people are left in that house.”

“How?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears. Tailor grabbed the tissue box, sitting beside his big friend.

“Oh, no. No crying. I can’t take it. If you cry, I cry, and that’s just a big ‘ole mess. I mean, I’m an ugly crier. And have you ever seen a six-feet-seven, three-hundred-pound man cry? It’s awful, just awful,” he grinned. She laughed, wiping her eyes and nodding. Alec pulled out his phone and brought up the image of the mansion.

“Right now, our men are in a submersible off the beach. A submersible is like a small submarine that allows our men to approach from the water, sight unseen. With our drone, we are able to detect thermal imaging from inside the house. I can see six people. The nanny and the baby are alone in the nursery. There are two men seated in this downstairs living area, and two men are talking in the foyer.”

“That must be Hanz,” she said. “He’s shorter than the bodyguards.” Alec nodded.

“The point is, honey, we know what’s going on in there. Although we don’t have the audio up, the drone is also listening to conversations, recording everything.”

“But what if he has men hidden in the basement?” she asked.

“We’d see them too,” smiled Tailor.

Kate looked at the young woman, shaking her head. She was so confused and so scared, she didn’t understand what the men were saying to her. Pushing her Uncle Alec aside, she took his seat and reached for her hands.

“Dylan, listen to me, sweetie. When these men set out to do something, the word ‘failure’ is not in their vocabulary. One day, when we have time, and you’re feeling up to it, I can explain to you why we worry less for our men than most would. The technology and tools they have available to them are unlike anything in the world. It keeps them safer, makes them smarter, and allows us to be connected to them at all times.”

She looked back down at the screen and watched as two figures left the house and got into a car. As it drove away, the other two men walked into the kitchen, grabbing two bottles from the refrigerator.

“Alright,” she nodded. “I trust all of you. I just don’t want anyone to hate me for this.”

“No one hates you, Dylan. You could have easily figured out where we were and given him a direction. You didn’t. You told him you had no clue where you were.”

“I couldn’t do that to all of you. I wanted my baby back, but there was something inside of me saying not to do it,” she said, shaking her head.

“That’s called a conscience, and it could have also been a bit of ghost whispering,” smirked Erin.

“G-ghost whispering?” Kate laughed, shaking her head.

“Oh, man. Have we got a lot to tell you.”

Rising slowly out of the water from the submersible, the eleven men stared at the mansion on the beach. From the drawings and the information sent back from the drone, they knew it was more than twenty thousand square feet, with half of the rooms empty. They didn’t even contain furniture. Either Hanz hadn’t gone shopping, or he’d moved things out of the rooms for a reason.

“Masks on,” said Joseph. The others nodded.

The new rule was no faces seen unless absolutely necessary. With his brother, Nathan, directly behind him, they slowly crept from the water. Ian, Jak, Sean, and Kiel followed. Moving along the beach and between another mansion, another team moved to the front of the house. Striker, Hunter, Carl, Wes, and Marc were hiding behind the shrubs, checking and double-checking for cameras.

“I’m not finding anything,” said Wes.

“I’m just going to disrupt everything except the cable,” said Pigsty. “As long as the television is on, they’ll sit tight.” He flipped the switch and lights flickered, then came back up. Now, they were good to go.

Moving with stealth and speed, Gator and Kiel moved quietly up the back staircase. With their black wetsuits and faces painted black, they were barely visible. Slowly opening the door to the nursery, they hoped they wouldn’t have to shoot the nanny. As they moved further into the darkened room, they heard the distinct sound of snoring. Both men grinned, seeing the nanny laid out on the chaise.

Gator prayed the kid wouldn’t scream bloody murder when he picked him up. Grabbing a blanket, he wrapped him up and gently lifted him, ensuring his pacifier was still in his mouth. When Kiel nodded, they backed out of the room and went back down the stairs.

“The other two are still watching a Stallone movie,” said Nathan.

While the men in front backed off the property and onto the beach, the men all headed down the beach to a safer entry point to the water. Pulling off his pack, Gator opened a clear plastic bubble and inflated it with the small device. Securing Joey inside, he pressed the pressure lock and slowly began pumping oxygen in for the baby. He knew G.R.I.P. could be trusted, but he prayed that this would protect the baby.

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