Across the Border

By Troy Reed

A police chief with an agenda. A man on a mission. A young man that can't stay out of trouble. Their worlds all collide in Across the Border. For Bill Reynolds, what is supposed to be a routine mission goes terribly wrong when three of his closest friends are captured and sent away to a place known as the Dungeon. Alvin Fisher is the chief of police in San Diego, California. He is also in cahoots with an unsavory character by the name of Larry Morgan. Together, Fisher and Morgan will do whatever they have to do in order to keep their operations flowing smoothly. Corey Duncan is a seventeen-year-old heading on a continued downward spiral. Having no meaning or purpose in life after losing his father, Corey turns to tagging and the streets. He is also at odds with his mother and her new love interest, Randy. One fateful night will bring all three of these men together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781642149050

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Across the Border

Troy Reed

Copyright © 2018 Troy Reed

All rights reserved

First Edition

Page Publishing, Inc

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 978-1-64214-903-6 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64214-905-0 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Part 1

Chapter

1

El Centro, California

The Desert Spring Tavern

He watches the tumbleweeds just roll by. This is 2016. You would think there would be more around here than just this dusty tavern, the run-down liquor stores, and the godforsaken service station just around the corner. It is 115 degrees, and somehow it feels even hotter than that. Sometimes he wishes the CIA would do their own dirty work. Of course, he knows why he’s here: no traces. Basically, he’s an insurance policy. If this goes sour, the CIA can deny he ever existed. If it goes great, he gets $100K. That makes meeting with rogue characters like Bill Reynolds worth it. In the meanwhile, he doesn’t know which is worse, the unbearable heat or the dump where this meeting is to take place. He has met people in shady places before. When he was in Nam, places like this were the norm. His mind shifts back to some of those places where he and the rest of the boys would go blow off steam and make out with the local ladies of the night. This dump makes those places look like the Holiday Inn.

He slips on his shades, double-checks the holsters on both sides, and makes his way inside.

Incredibly, the place looks even worse on the inside. The stares he is getting aren’t that comfortable either. He slowly slips his hand on his sidepiece as he heads to the counter. Hopefully, the bartender is nicer than the patrons.

I’m looking for a guy named Bill Reynolds.

Down the walkway there and to the left.

You got rooms in this place?

People come here to do more than drink, you know.

He takes a quick look around the tavern. He can believe it. Thanks.

The time has come to get to work. On the way to the meet-and-greet with Bill, he passes a room where two people are definitely doing more than just drinking. There is also a helplessly drunk person just sitting in the walkway. He just keeps moving on toward meeting with Bill. Moments later, he is face-to-face with Bill.

Bill, Bill Reynolds?

You are?

Tom.

Who sent you, Tom?

The CIA sent me, Bill.

Ooh, this must be big.

Do you always meet with your clients in crap holes like this?

Hey, I didn’t invite you, you came looking for me. This is where I happened to be hanging out.

Yeah. Look, the CIA has a job for you.

What’s that?

Tom opens his jacket and removes a folder. He places the folder on the table. Bill doesn’t open the folder; he just continues to stare at Tom.

That’s a file on Ramiro DeLeon. He is one of South America’s most dangerous drug and illegal weapons kingpins.

And the CIA wants to make the world a safer place, quips Bill.

No, he is in the way of some ‘business’ that is going on, and they want him out of the way.

Basically, the CIA has gotten in good with someone else and doesn’t need him anymore.

I’m just the middleman.

"Do you know where he is now?

We have good reason to believe he is in Laredo, Texas, right now.

And you want to get him before he crosses over into Mexico.

Two points for you.

If this goes haywire or south—

I think we both know what happens in that regard.

Just thought I’d ask.

Tom again reaches into his jacket and pulls out an envelope this time. He doesn’t release the envelope. He holds it firm in front of Bill’s face.

The CIA is willing to pay you one million dollars. Half now, if you choose to take the job.

Why can’t they hire a hit man to do this?

That’s where you come in.

Yeah.

I’m going to be in town for a couple of days. My superiors are expecting a response from you in two days. If not, they’ll pass this on to someone else. Here’s my card. Nice meeting you, Bill.

Bill doesn’t respond. He looks at the card on the table. He’s a little uneasy about this one. Normally, he does this kind of work for people like DeLeon. Never for an agency like the CIA. He pulls out his cell phone and begins to dial.

Yeah?

Dell, we may have another gig. Gather up the guys and get me all the info you can on a Ramiro DeLeon.

I’m on it.

See you in a little bit.

Yeah, he has a file on DeLeon, but the stuff Dell can dig up is even more comprehensive than classified government files.

He makes his way outside and to his truck. It looks like another adventure is coming. He has been in this line of work for over thirty years now. It definitely isn’t the way he thought his life would go. The time in Vietnam changed everything. He was one of the lucky ones. He went, did his two tours, and came home relatively sane and intact. Many of his friends weren’t so lucky. Originally, AFSR was created for the purpose of helping bring POWs home. Somehow, along the way, the mission changed. He began to take jobs from people looking to have their dirty work done. One job turned into over a hundred. And he’s still going. Along the way, he’s gotten his friends involved. The only reason you’re successful in this line of work is that you have people you can trust. Dell, Rooker, Green, Samuelson, and Jordan are the only men left on earth that he truly trusts. He is careful about every job he takes. Before, he didn’t care. All he saw were dollar signs. It all changed when his friends came on board. He can’t just worry about himself. He has to worry about him, them, and their families. Thank the Lord that he’s never lost anyone. That’s a streak he hopes doesn’t change.

He has arrived at the compound. The compound was originally just abandoned airport hangar. He and the guys got together and transformed it into a base of operations. It doesn’t look like much from the outside—that’s the point. Keeps the snoops away. The guys operate by one rule: no one talks about AFSR. Officially, AFSR doesn’t exist. Not to the outsiders, anyway.

He makes his way into the meeting room. The guys are all there. Dell, Green, Samuelson, Jordan, and Rooker. Bill makes his way to the center of the room.

"Guys, we may have a gig. I’m saying may because I am a little leery about this. We are being contracted by the CIA. You know what that means. We’re on our own if we take this one."

What do we have to do? asks Jordan.

Dell will fill you in on that part. Dell?

Dell flips on the projector and moves next to Bill. A large picture of Ramiro DeLeon fills the screen.

Ramiro DeLeon is our target. A weapons and drug smuggler out of South America. Head of the DeLeon Cartel. His cartel is responsible for rapes, kidnappings, murders for hire, you name it. The information I was able to gather places him in Laredo, Texas. His home base, if you will, is an infamous place of horrors known as the Dungeon, which is located just across the border from Mexico in Guatemala. It is also believed that he has people imprisoned there. More importantly, that is where he stockpiles his weapons and where his vast drug supply comes in and moves out.

So what is our plan of action? asks Bill.

If we decide take to take the job, we have to get to Laredo quick. His movement patterns show that he is never in one place too long.

What’s in Laredo? asks Jordan.

He has business and family interests in Laredo, replies Dell.

Thanks, Dell, says Bill. Bill cuts off the projector. He looks at the guys. This is the moment. Okay, you guys know the drill.

How much is it paying? asks Rooker.

One million.

A million bucks! exclaims Jordan.

Yeah, even split six ways, that’s still a lot of cash. But that’s not what I want you guys to focus on. I want you guys to focus on the question of whether or not we can do this safely and efficiently. I thank God every day that none of us has bit the bullet yet. That is what is important to me. Screw the money. There will always be other jobs. You guys have seen what we’re up against. Can we do this or not?

Bill, we got this, says Green.

Okay, all in favor …?

All hands in the room go up.

All opposed …?

Bill, I think we have our vote, says Dell.

All right, I’ll let our contact know we’ll take it. Here’s the deal, we’re outta here at 0600 hours in the morning. Be sure your weapons are locked and loaded. Handle everything you have to before it’s time for us to move. Tell your wives and kids that you love them.

Bill makes his way out of his room and into the hallway. He pulls out the phone and begins to dial.

Hello.

We’ll take it.

Bill?

Yeah.

All right, where do I wire the $500k to?

I’ll send you the instructions.

Nice doing business with you.

Yeah.

Bill ends the call and makes his way back into the meeting room. The guys are silent, just watching him.

Okay, we’re on, fellas. See you at 0530 hours. We’re out at 06:00. Dell, try to pinpoint an exact location for the target. Got better things to do than spend a whole day driving around Laredo, Texas.

Bill turns and leaves the room. Another mission is upon them. He’s nervous. Then again, he’s always nervous. He meant what he said about the money. He doesn’t care about the money—well, he does care, but that isn’t the most important thing anymore. Chasing money, that next job was what cost him Heather and Christine. Now he’s a middle-aged man that goes home to a dingy apartment every night and meets strangers in an even dingier tavern on the edge of town. Sometimes it’s good to remember what is important in life. It just sucks for him that he remembers it too late. Oh, well, can’t undo what’s been done. Time to go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

He is home now. It has been a very long day. Sometimes he opens the door with the hopes that Heather and Christine will come running to greet him after a long day. Hasn’t happened yet. One day, it will. Maybe.

He plops down on the couch and flips on the news. After a few minutes, he turns it off, after finding himself more depressed than he was when he turned it on. He just stares around the apartment. What happened to his life? Where did the left turn come from? It just seems like he made a wrong turn one day and has never been able to get back on the right road. He got into this line of work to make a difference. And he has made a difference. Unfortunately, that difference has been for everyone else but himself. The one difference this line of work has made in his life is turn him into a lonely middle-aged man. The money, the action. That was what happened. It was like his war never ended. Being a husband and dad wasn’t exciting enough. He needed action. All these years later, he is paying the price.

He’ll never forget the day he came home to find Heather and Christine gone. Christine was just a baby then. Two or three years old. Didn’t even hit him at first that his wife and daughter were gone. Nowadays, it hits him every day. Christine is a big girl now. Sixteen. At least he’s been able to salvage some sort of relationship with her. He made it a rule not to talk to her before an assignment. Only after.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a picture of Christine when she was ten. He wishes things were so much different. That’s just the way life plays out sometimes. Of course, there will be plenty of time to lament about his state of affairs when the job is over. Right now, there is a job to prepare for. On to the next one.

05:35 a.m.

AFSR Headquarters

The band is all here. He’s kind of surprised. Usually, you have some stragglers. Not this time. They are all here and ready to go. Now, if Charlie would hurry up. Bill pulls his truck on the dirt road alongside the other cars. Time to do what he does best.

I see we’re all here.

Yeah, we’re all ready and just waiting for Charlie, says Dell.

You get a better idea on where this guy is?

This is a shot in the dark, but we have intel on a relative’s house that he is known to frequent. That is probably going to be our best bet.

All right.

Anything else?

Round ’em up.

The morning sun still hasn’t come into play yet. It’s still somewhat dark. It’s starting to feel like go time. The guys form a circle on Bill. The time has come.

All right, you know the objective. Let’s get it done. On three. One … two … three.

Let’s go!

Within minutes, Charlie finally arrives. The guys grab their gear and begin loading it onto Charlie’s van. The 1,225-mile trip will take them the better part of two days to complete. With any luck, they’ll find him and be back on their way home quick, fast, and in a hurry.

Laredo, Texas

Two Days Later

There is always an uneasiness that comes over him when he is on US soil. Which is strange, since so many of his customers are from right here in the USA. He’ll feel better when he is on his way back to Guatemala. He is only here because his beloved Abuela is not doing well. In fact, she may go any day now. That is the only reason he has dared to make this trip. He knows he is vulnerable to his enemies while he is here. He can only bring so many of his security detail here. He must remain alert and cautious. That is why his trip will be short. He will stay one more night and then depart.

He rises out of bed and picks up his phone. He