Pressure Point (The Extractor Series Book 3) Read online

  “Oh really? Is that how this is working now?”

  Bridge laughed. “I mean, who’s to say you’re not just making it up to get a roll in the hay first?”

  “You know, sometimes I don’t even have words for you.”

  “That’s not surprising.”

  Bridge walked over to the laptop on the desk and sat down, looking at the screen. He wasn’t sure what he was looking at, though. There were a bunch of names and addresses typed, none of which looked familiar.

  “What is all this?”

  Nicole sat down next to him. “In doing the background checks on some of these guys, a few names and addresses kept popping up. Four of them have some type of connection to that address there.”

  “Could that be where the girls are being held? Or where they take them for their… you know.”

  “I don’t think so.” Nicole swiveled the laptop toward her and started typing the address, pulling up a picture of the building. “It comes up as a residential address, so it doesn’t look like a spot for either instance. But it could be the guy who lives here knows something about it.”

  “What do we have on him?”

  “I haven’t gotten too deep into the background check on him yet. The owner is listed as Sergio Flores. At first glance, he has no criminal history.”

  “Doesn’t mean he’s not under the radar, though.”

  “Yeah. If he’s got deep pockets and some connections, who knows what his story is.”

  “How long’s he lived there?”

  “Ten years.”

  “And how do those other guys connect to him?”

  “Four of the guys have been represented in court cases by lawyers who also have a history with Flores. Not with criminal court cases in respect to Flores’, but in other legal and real estate dealings.”

  Bridge stared at the screen, the tips of his fingers on his chin as he thought. “Interesting.”

  “Could just be a coincidence.”

  “You don’t believe that any more than I do. In the work that we do, coincidences are extremely rare. Usually if there’s a connection, it’s because there’s a reason for it.”

  “Speaking of connections…” Nicole hopped on Bridge’s lap, straddling him. “You promised me a connection of your own.” Bridge didn’t resist this time. There were only so many times that he could. “I’ve been a good girl.”

  “Yes, you have.”

  Bridge got up, still holding Nicole across his chest, her legs wrapped around his waist. He took her into the bedroom and closed the door.

  The next morning, Bridge woke up, his eyes fluttering as he looked over at his girlfriend. She wasn’t there. His eyes quickly opened fully as he looked around the room. He pulled the sheets off his naked body as he got out of bed. He quickly threw on a pair of sweatpants and opened the bedroom door. As soon as he stepped out from the bedroom, he saw Nicole sitting at the desk, appearing to be working. He came up behind her and kissed her on the neck. Appreciating the kiss, she watched him sit down next to her, admiring his attire.

  “You didn’t have to dress up on my account,” she said, putting her hand on his chest and rubbing it.

  “Well, I thought about coming out in my birthday suit, but I wasn’t sure if you were entertaining anyone out here.”

  “I would actually really like that.”

  Bridge smiled. “Maybe another day. I can’t have you too distracted. You’d never get any work done.”

  “That’s as true a statement as there is.”

  “What are you doing, anyway?”

  “Just working. Got up early, figured I’d get right into it.”

  Bridge wiped his eyes. “Anything good?”

  “Oh yes. Lots of goodies.”

  “How long you been at it?”

  “Oh, about two hours, I guess. I woke up at six thirty.”

  “You should’ve woken me up. I would’ve helped.”

  “Oh no,” Nicole said with a devilish grin. “I wanted you to get your sleep so you’re nice and relaxed.”

  “For what?”

  “Another round later on.”

  Bridge laughed. “Oh. Should’ve guessed.” Bridge’s phone let out a small beep, letting him know he had a message. He went over and quickly checked it.

  “Anything important?” Nicole asked.

  “Just Eric, letting me know Cammi’s fine. She’ll be on her way home later.”

  “That’s good.”

  “So what’d you find out so far? More on, uh, what’s his name? Flores?”

  “Yeah.” Nicole looked at the notes she had made. “So it looks like Sergio Flores is definitely mixed up with some bad characters.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, after digging, he doesn’t look as innocent as he would appear from the outside.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Well, for starters, he has two brothers, both of whom are in prison right now.”

  “What’d they do?”

  “One’s in for kidnapping and murder, the other’s in on an armed assault charge.”

  “Nice family.”

  “It gets better,” Nicole said. “His father is also in prison on a multitude of charges, one of which is a trafficking charge.”

  “Drugs, people, or weapons?”

  “Drugs and people.”

  “This is definitely a family that plays together.”

  “So if Dad was into the trafficking…”

  “Then there’s a good chance he taught the business to his son,” Bridge said. “Any connection between him and Meyer?”

  “Not that I’ve found so far. Doesn’t mean there isn’t one, though.”

  “Only thing is, trafficking is a big business. Doesn’t mean they’re working together.”

  “They have to be. Cammi identified Meyer. She thought she recognized Evelyn, too. So if they, and all of the people we killed, are associated with Meyer, and they also have ties to Flores… I think that makes it pretty much a slam dunk they’re affiliated in some way.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. I guess the next thing to do is pay this Flores a visit.”

  “A visit up close or a visit from a distance?”

  Bridge shrugged. “Well, let’s start from a distance and take it from there.”

  “Should we let Eric know?”

  Bridge shook his head. “No. Not yet.”

  “Why?”

  “Listen, they’re gonna find all this out, anyway. If they run a check on the dead guys, they’ll come up with the same thing you did. They’re just doing it on a time delay. That means we got a head start on them. We need to make the most of it before they start alerting the authorities here, and they get in our way. You know as well as I do, once governments start getting involved in things, they usually mess it up beyond comprehension.”

  “Should we head there now?”

  “How far away is this guy’s place?” Bridge asked.

  “About an hour.”

  “I’d say now’s a good time. Let’s check out of here, and we’ll get somewhere closer in case we need a few days to stake Flores’ place out. I don’t really wanna be driving an hour each way for this.”

  Nicole looked at him seductively. “I guess that means you wanna change?”

  “Uh, I think it’d be a good idea.”

  “I guess if you have to.”

  “It’d be tough to chase after someone, or run away from someone, if you’re only halfway dressed.”

  “They do it in the movies all the time.”

  “Well, when we make a movie, then I’ll do it.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  “You do that.”

  As Bridge got dressed, Nicole packed their things together and put them in the car. Then after he was ready, and they checked out, they drove the hour until they got to Flores’ residence. As soon as they saw it, Bridge started chuckling to himself.

  “What are you laughing at?” Nicole asked.

  “Because I kn
ew it was going to be like this. I just knew it.”

  Nicole took another look at it. She knew it too. It was an upscale residence, with an iron gate at the front of the property with a couple of guards. They didn’t see any weapons on them, and they were dressed in suits, but there was no doubt they were packing. Nobody had guards on a property that looked like this unless they were armed. There was also a high wall that looked like it encompassed the property, meaning there were probably only a few means of entry.

  Nicole and Bridge were parked off to the side of the road, and well down from the entrance of the property, but still had a good vantage point of the front.

  “So what do you wanna do?” Nicole asked.

  “Wait until nightfall.”

  “Why?”

  “Less of a chance of being seen.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Scouting. We need to figure out the best way to get in there. Whether that’s through the front gate or alternative means. But we’ve gotta get in.”

  “I’ve got another idea.”

  “Which is?”

  “Why don’t we just wait for Flores to come out and then follow him to wherever he’s going?”

  “Then we just take him, I presume?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Don’t you think he’s gonna have guards with him?”

  “He’s got guards here.”

  “True. But what if he comes out in a dark tinted window car that we can’t see inside? How will we know it’s him?”

  “Easy,” Nicole said.

  “How you figure?”

  “He’ll be the one with all the guards around. If a car comes out with no escort, it’s not him. If there is, he’ll be in it.”

  “Your logic is simple and flawless at the same time.”

  “Either way, it’s likely we’ll have to go through some guards before we can get to him.”

  “Not if we can sneak in here,” Bridge said.

  “I’m sure this guy’s got alarms and cameras and whatnot. They all do. It’s unlikely we’re sneaking in.”

  “Let’s just try it my way first, huh?”

  “All right, all right, but I’m telling you, you’re gonna wind up saying I was right.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Unless you want me to try my utility scam again and sneak in to look at their electrical box? You remember that one, right?”

  “How could I forget?”

  “Well?”

  “I think we’ll pass on that for now. Probably shouldn’t take that out more than once a year.”

  “Unless it’s for other purposes?”

  “Can we just focus?”

  “I’m focused,” Nicole said.

  “On why we’re here.”

  “Oh. OK.”

  Bridge looked through his binoculars at the guards near the front gate, seeing a slight bulge from the side of the suit jacket of one of the guards. He knew whatever they decided, it wasn’t going to be easy. Whatever they chose, bodies were going to drop.

  12

  Night had fallen and there was an overcast sky, much to Bridge’s liking. He hated sneaking around when there was a full moon. Too much light for him. Even now was too much. There was a lot of light around Flores’ property. And cameras. Lots of cameras. They were all over the place. The end of the walls, the middle of the walls, the corners of the walls. Bridge and Nicole were both walking around the property, far enough back so they wouldn’t be seen by the cameras and beyond some trees that encompassed most of it.

  “What is it with these guys and trees?” Nicole asked. “Seems everywhere we go these days there’s trees.”

  “Provides good cover, doesn’t it? I mean, if you’re doing illegal things, you generally don’t like doing it out in the open where people can see you, right? Trees provide natural protection.”

  “Unless you’re like us and don’t mind sneaking through it.”

  “Well, if you’re trying to look, it’s not gonna stop you, but if you’re just happening by, it helps to keep out the wandering eyes.”

  Bridge continued looking through the binoculars for another minute, then sighed. He wasn’t liking what he was seeing. They’d been around the entire perimeter three times, not only looking, but also taking pictures. Maybe he’d see something in the pictures he wasn’t seeing live, but he wasn’t getting a good feeling about it.

  “What?” Nicole said, picking up on his frustration.

  “Looks like they’re guarding a gold shipment in there. Security looks tight.”

  “One way in. No back door.”

  “At least not one that we can see. Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a secret entrance, or escape, somewhere. I can’t see it, though. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t one.”

  “Yeah, most of these guys have something like that in case something happens unexpectedly.”

  “Question is, where is his?”

  After a few more minutes they went back to the car, that way they could look at the pictures they had just taken, as well as keep an eye on the front gate to see who was coming or going. It was a slow night, though. For the next three hours, there wasn’t a single car that came in or went out. It gave them a lot of time to cement their strategy. Bridge sighed again as he looked through the pictures on his phone.

  “Still not liking it?” Nicole asked.

  “No.”

  “Told you we weren’t getting in.”

  “Rub it in why don’t you?”

  “OK. Let’s just do what I wanted to do in the first place. Tail him to wherever he’s going, then take him.”

  “And what about his guards?”

  “We take out whoever’s in our way.”

  “Oh, that sounds very old west-ish. Should I get out my shotgun and six-shooter?”

  “Look, security is tight here. We’re not getting in unseen. We can get in. But he’s gonna know it long before we find out where he is in there. I mean, we can’t even see over that wall, so we have no idea what’s on the other side.”

  “We can always get some satellite photos,” Bridge said.

  “That’s still not gonna tell us where he is in there. Or whether he’s got guys on the inside. Or whether there’s guard dogs. Or whether there’s traps, landmines, booby traps…”

  “All right, all right, you’ve made your point.”

  “So we’ll do it my way?” Nicole asked.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Nicole rolled her eyes. “Why are you being so stubborn?”

  “‘Cause I hate admitting you’re right.”

  “So we’ll wait for him to come out?”

  “Even if we do that, there’s no guarantee we’re going to be able to grab him. What if he goes to some other heavily armed building? Or he has seventy-two guys around him? Or he comes out in a tank? What then?”

  Nicole grinned. “I got an RPG in the trunk. I can stop that tank dead in its tracks.”

  Bridge put his hand on his forehead. “Why do I even ask these things? Of course you do. Why wouldn’t you?”

  “I dunno. That’s a good question. Why wouldn’t I?”

  They waited for the rest of the night. Not a single thing caught their attention. Besides the two guards outside, there wasn’t any movement anywhere. The following morning, it was much of the same. Nothing at all.

  “Does this guy go out at all?” Nicole asked.

  “Relax. We haven’t even been here twenty-four hours yet.”

  “How ’bout we try a new plan?”

  Bridge closed his eyes, embracing himself for whatever was about to come out of her mouth. He knew that whatever it was, he probably would hate it. And it probably was something that was more dangerous than just sitting there.

  “Should I ask?” Bridge said.

  “You should. What if we do a diversion?”

  “A diversion? And who is diverting who?”

  “I grab the RPG out of the trunk and blow a hole through the front gate.” Bridge just shook his h
ead as she continued. “That should bring everyone and their mother up to the front. While I keep them busy, you sneak in over the fence in the back and then go in.”

  “And how am I going to exit?”

  “Well, either the way you went in, or I get in the car and ram through the crowd and meet you somewhere inside.”

  “That’s a terrible plan.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? Why? You really need to ask why?”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “What if they bring twenty people to the front? How long do you think you’re gonna be able to hold them off?”

  “As long as I need to,” Nicole replied.

  “This ain’t the movies, Nic.”

  “So you always say.”

  “We need a plan that’s not going to get us both killed. As this one would.”

  “Fine, let’s just wait here two more weeks until Flores finally shows himself.”

  “It won’t be two more weeks. Stop dramatizing.”

  “You’re too patient sometimes.”

  “And you’re too gung ho,” Bridge said. “Maybe that’s why we’re so good together. We keep each other inline.”

  “Luke, I keep thinking about those girls and what they must be going through.”

  “I know. And it bothers me, too. You know it does. And we’re gonna put an end to the nightmare they’re living in. But we can’t rush it.”

  “I just don’t want them to have to go through one more day of it. It’s just not right.”

  Bridge smiled at her and put his hand on her knee. “We’ll find them. Soon. We just gotta give it a little time.”

  “Time’s not something they have a lot of.”

  “I know. We just gotta stick with it a little longer, OK? Something will break soon. I’m sure of it.”

  Things did seem to pick up a little over the next few hours. Nothing that made them move from their position, but there were a couple of cars that went through the gate. They seemed to have been expected as they were quickly let through without much of a holdup. Both of them left within an hour. And there was still no sign of Flores.

  “Maybe we can tell them we’re the neighborhood watch and want to inspect the premises,” Nicole said.

  Bridge smiled, knowing she was joking, though he also knew there was probably a small kernel of truth somewhere in there. She probably would have done it if it meant moving things along. As it turned out, she wouldn’t have to. About two hours after the second car left the premises, the gate opened up again. Bridge and Nicole squirmed and shifted in their seats, thinking they were finally about to get some action. Since no one else had come in, someone was coming out. They were hoping it was Flores.