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  They parked the truck on a side street and walked through to Cabo's primary bar and dining zone, set a street back from the marina. The low slung concrete buildings, palm trees and wide roads reminded Mike of parts of Baghdad city. Only the streets of Cabo weren't pockmarked with bullet holes and Mike didn’t have his full team behind him and Axe by his side. He swallowed hard as images from the video popped into his mind. By now Axe’s captors could have severely injured him, or worse.

  They walked the length of the street before Ali gestured to a bright painted cantina that had a sign declaring free beer with every plate of tacos. “How about this place?”

  “Yeah, why not.”

  They took a table on the street.

  Mike watched as Ali took the mustang from her bag and checked it. He could tell by the look on her face that they'd had no luck.

  She reached across the table and took his hand. “Mike, we will find him.”

  “Yeah, hopefully TJ and Deb are having more luck.”

  Chapter Nine

  A little over eight miles away the other pair was conducting their sweep of the outskirts of Cabo. Under Deb's guidance TJ had configured the antenna array to maximize the mustang's collection footprint. So far, like Mike and Ali, they'd had no luck in locating the phone associated with the video of Axe.

  “Damn it's dry down here,” said TJ as they finished a run along a dusty road and turned back on the main route into town.

  “It is a desert,” said Deb, with her eyes fixed on the locator.

  “Yeah, the cactuses are a dead give-away.”

  “Cacti, the plural is cacti.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes, I'm a journalist, remember.”

  “Really, does food critique classify as journalism?”

  She glanced up at him. “In what world does it not?”

  “In a world where it's a cover story and not your real job.”

  “I'll have you know I won an AFJ award last year for one of my articles.”

  TJ shot her a questioning look. “An award?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Yes, an award. Is that so surprising?”

  “Not at all. I just thought someone else wrote the articles for you.”

  Deb turned her attention back to the mustang.

  He chuckled. “You won an award for someone else's writing.”

  “I edited the article.”

  TJ slowed the SUV as they arrived at the outskirts of Cabo.

  “Take the next right,” said Deb.

  “You're actually a talented writer. Remember when you used to keep a journal?”

  “I do.”

  “Used to read it to me. The words were always beautiful.” TJ turned the truck onto a potholed laneway that skirted the edge of the town.

  She looked up and smiled. “You're a good listener.”

  They held the gaze for a moment before TJ turned back to the road. “Deb, what happened?”

  “You stopped listening and spent all your time in the teams.”

  “I never stopped listening… or loving you.”

  “We're not doing this now, Terrance. It's too–” A loud beep emitted from the tracking device. “We've got a hit!”

  TJ slowed the truck. “Where?”

  Her brow furrowed as she studied the mustang. “It's behind us.”

  He spun the wheel and turned the SUV in a tight circle, jumping the curb.

  “It's approaching the intersection ahead.”

  TJ eased his foot onto the accelerator and they closed the gap with the main road. Fortunately, traffic was light with only three vehicles flashing past as TJ braked at a yield sign.

  “Should be the next car,” said Deb.

  A battered Ford Bronco appeared to their right and drove past the intersection. TJ eased them in behind and accelerated to match the speed.

  “Don't get too close,” ordered Deb.

  “This ain't my first rodeo, sweetheart,” drawled TJ in his best southern accent. “You think we should contact Mike and Ali?”

  “Not yet. Let's tail the Bronco and see where it leads. Once we've got some kind of confirmation, we'll update the others.”

  “Right on.”

  As they followed the Bronco Deb took a tablet from her bag and accessed a satellite imagery app. “Not much out here other than ranches.”

  “They're probably holding Axe at one of Barbosa's places. He's got properties spread across Northern Mexico.”

  “Not out here, well at least not that we know of. I pulled the company’s file on your boy. His operations and real-estate are mainly focused in Sonora and Chihuahua.”

  “And they haven't been hamstrung by his incarceration?”

  “Not that we can see. It’s business as usual.”

  They followed the Bronco for another five miles before it slowed and turned off the road onto a gravel track.

  “Keep going,” said Deb as she checked her tablet. “That road leads to a ranch in the foothills. It could be where they're keeping Axe.”

  TJ continued a further quarter of a mile before pulling over to the side of the road. “You want to send in the drone?”

  “Good idea. There's a trail a few hundred yards up. Leads into a small valley. It should hide us from the road and the ranch.”

  TJ followed her directions and a moment later they were parked in a dry streambed behind a low rise.

  “We've got about an hour till sunset,” said TJ as he unpacked a quadcopter from its soft case. “Probably a good idea to send an update to Mike.”

  Deb checked her phone. “I've got no cell or sat coverage.” She glanced up at the imposing mountain range to their west. “This place is a black hole.”

  “That's probably why they go in to Cabo.” He unfolded the arms of the compact drone and placed it on the hood of the SUV.

  “Have you flown one of these before?” she asked.

  “You bought me one for Christmas.”

  “Right, that may have been my assistant?”

  “The same one that wrote your award-winning article?” TJ shot her a grin and was rewarded with a faint smile. He toggled the drone's controls and sent it soaring into the sky. Deb stood next to him so she could see the screen as he orientated it toward their target.

  From two miles away they could only see a cluster of buildings in a clearing. He moved the craft forward and they slowly grew in size.

  A waft of Deb's fragrance hit TJ's nose. It was the same one she’d always worn; a subtle scent that reminded him of far more intimate times. He realized that they were standing shoulder to shoulder. It pained him to realize that this was the closest he'd been to his estranged wife in the last few months.

  “You're kidding me?”

  The angry tone of her voice snapped him back to reality. The image on the drone’s screen was blurring and distorting. TJ reversed its track and the picture cleared.

  “Is that normal?”

  “No. It's got a three-mile range. There's definitely some kind of serious interference out here. We're going to have to get closer.”

  He turned his head and found himself looking directly into Deb's eyes. There was an awkward silence before he spoke. “I'll go in for a closer look.”

  “Not by yourself you won't.”

  “It would be better if you stayed here and–”

  She cut him off with a withering look. “There are binoculars and radios in the truck.”

  ***

  TJ led Deb through thorny scrub to a position just under a mile from the ranch, where they assessed the vehicle had stopped. He lowered the backpack he'd taken from their SUV and sat under a gnarled tree.

  Deb joined him and he passed her a water bottle.

  “We've got about thirty minutes of light.”

  She took a sip and returned the bottle. TJ took a mouthful and stashed it in his pack. He pulled out the drone and set it up on a rock. “I'm going to go forward with the binoculars. If you stay here, you can use the drone for overwatch and communicate wi
th me via radio.”

  The look on Deb's face told him she wasn't happy with the plan.

  “We can't both go. If something happens, you need to be able to get back into cell phone range and tell Mike and Ali.”

  “You're right. OK, let's get this done.”

  TJ clipped a radio to his belt and inserted an earpiece. “Check, check,” he transmitted.

  “Lima Charlie,” she responded over her radio as she grasped his shoulder. “Be safe.”

  TJ set off through the scrub at a trot. He'd cover as much ground as he could before finding a position where he could observe the ranch. With any luck he'd get eyes on the Bronco and then Axe.

  The whirr of blades told him the drone was up. The noise faded as Deb sent it high to avoid detection.

  “I can see you,” she transmitted.

  “How’s the feed?”

  “Grainy, but workable.”

  He slowed to a walk as he approached a rise that he estimated was less than four hundred yards from the ranch. Crouching low he used a bush for cover and raised his binoculars.

  He spotted the Bronco parked in front of a low-slung hacienda. There were two men lifting bags from the tailgate. A third joined them to assist in carrying the supplies inside. TJ spotted a pistol on the hip of one of the men.

  “You getting this?” transmitted Deb.

  “Yeah, three men. At least one is armed.”

  “Not much of an indicator. Everyone around here carries.”

  TJ watched as the three men disappeared inside. He waited a few minutes and when they didn't reappear, he lowered the binoculars. “I'm going in for a better look.”

  “I can't get any closer. The image degrades.”

  “OK, just keep an eye on the front and let me know if they come out.”

  “Be careful.”

  “Yes, ma'am.”

  TJ slipped down the slope into the bushes that ran all the way to the edge of the clearing where the ranch was situated. He worked his way around the buildings to a weathered stockyard. Through the railings he could see chain-link fences behind the main building. They looked to him like cages. Cages like the one in the video sent to Mike.

  He crouched low and worked his way along the outside of the yards. As he approached the cages, Deb transmitted a message.

  “They're coming out.”

  TJ dropped to his stomach and slid in tight against the railing. Men's voices carried on the evening breeze as two figures appeared from the ranch house. They passed within yards of TJ as they made their way toward the pens.

  He lifted his head slightly and watched them from behind the stockyard. One of the men was carrying a bloodied plastic bag. They stopped near the cage and flung something over the fence.

  His heart skipped a beat when he heard a bark and a savage growl. He couldn't see the dog, but he instantly recognized the bark as Axe's. “He's here,” he whispered into the radio.

  “TJ, you need to get out of there.” Even masked by the radio, he could hear the concern in her voice.

  The men stood talking near the cages and then turned and walked back toward the hacienda. TJ lowered his head as one of them looked in his direction. He hugged the earth as the men's voices got closer.

  “Don't move,” transmitted Deb.

  Savage barking filled the air and one of the men yelled out at the dog.

  “Crawl back,” said Deb.

  TJ scrabbled backward along the edge of the stockyard into the cover of the scrub and rose to his knees. A glance over his shoulder confirmed that the men had moved to the edge of the yard. One of them looked to be studying the spot where TJ had been lying. As the man crouched to inspect the ground TJ backed further into the bushes, turned and ran as fast as he could.

  “They're on to you,” transmitted Deb. “The third guy just left the building armed with a submachine gun.”

  “Deb, head back to the truck. I'll meet you there.”

  TJ heard a shout from behind, spurring him on. He found his tracks in the sandy soil and followed them between thorny bushes and cacti. It took him less than three minutes to reach the ridge where he'd left Deb. The only sign of her was the footprints leading back toward their SUV.

  “I'm at the truck,” she transmitted as he jogged after her. “All three men are following you. They're about two hundred yards behind.”

  She must still have the drone up, he thought as he dashed through the scrub. A thorn bush snagged his arm as he brushed past it. The long spines tore into his skin, but he pressed on. Finally, with lungs heaving, he burst from the bushes onto the track where the SUV was waiting with the passenger door open. He leaped into the cab and slammed it shut as Deb gunned the engine.

  The SUV took off like a startled horse, she struggled to keep it centered on the sandy track. “Close call,” she said as they hit the main road and gained speed. She wore a smile as she turned to TJ. “Well done, old man.”

  “You did well, Mrs. Smith.” He chuckled, referring to the action movie starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

  TJ checked his phone for messages as they drove back into town. He kept one eye on the wing mirror, checking for anyone following. “Mike and Ali just got back to the villa. We can update them when we arrive.”

  “Sounds good,” replied Deb as they reached the outskirts of Cabo.

  “What happened to the drone?” TJ asked.

  “I sent it over the mountains. It should be running out of batteries real soon.”

  “Good thinking.”

  “Not just a pretty face.”

  “That's why I married you.”

  He glanced sideways and caught an ever so slight smile on her lips. For the first time in months, he felt a glimmer of hope that he could save his marriage.

  ***

  TJ bounded up the stairs and into the living area of the rented villa where a glum-looking Mike sat at the dining room table. “I think we found him,” he exclaimed.

  Ali appeared from the door to their suite at the same time that Deb entered the room.

  “We got a hit on the phone and tracked it to a ranch outside of town,” TJ continued.

  “And you saw him?” said Mike.

  “No. I heard him.”

  Mike took his phone from his pocket and pushed it across the table to TJ. A video was playing on the screen. The SEAL Chief positioned it so he and Deb could see. It was another video of Axe being poked through a chain fence with a stick. The dog was wide-eyed with his teeth bared and his fur matted with blood.

  “Does this look the same?” asked Mike.

  “The cage looks like a match. We spotted three men on target. I can confirm that at least one is armed.”

  “We need to hit the place tonight,” Mike said in earnest.

  “I agree.” TJ swallowed. “Our recce may have been compromised.”

  “They saw you?”

  TJ shook his head. “No, they saw my tracks.”

  Mike rose and stared out the windows at the sun setting over the ocean. “If they think someone's onto them they'll move him.” He turned back with a look of steely determination. “Deb, what can you do about hardware?”

  “No can do. You get caught with guns in Mexico and you're screwed. You'll do five to ten in one of the worst prisons on earth.” She grabbed a black pelican case from the floor and opened it. Inside was a pair of night-vision goggles and a number of innocuous looking devices that included a phone, camera and a flashlight. She took the items from the case. “The phone, camera and light contain Tasers. They will be our last resort.”

  Mike frowned as he grasped the camera. “We're going to go up against Barbosa’s sicarios armed with Tasers?”

  “It's doable,” said TJ. “We lure them away from the ranch, grab Axe and get back across the border.”

  “It's our only option. You thinking a distraction?”

  “Yep.”

  “What can we do to help?” asked Ali.

  TJ nodded. “We're going to need to find a hardware store.” He
checked his watch. “We'll raid the ranch in the early hours of the morning.”

  ***

  Rick’s brain throbbed as he sat on the edge of Junior’s bed and attempted to distract the wailing toddler with his favorite stuffed toy. A glance at his watch confirmed it was just past midnight, meaning the toddler had been crying for two hours straight. Rick had no idea where the kid found the energy.

  “Mom, mom, mom, mom,” Junior chanted between sobs.

  “I know bud. You’re mom’s going to be back soon with dad and Axe.”

  At the mention of the dog's name, Junior looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “Axe,” he murmured. “Where Axe?”

  “He’s looking after your mom and dad.”

  That seemed to appease the boy and he raised his arms toward Rick. The hulking SEAL picked him up and the toddler wrapped his tiny arms around his neck.

  “Axe look after mom,” Junior said.

  Rick’s heart nearly broke as he cuddled his godson. “Yes, he will.”

  As he comforted the boy, he reflected on the message that TJ had sent him. They’d located Axe and would be attempting a recovery within the next few hours. With any luck, Junior would be reunited with his buddy in no time.

  “Oh you definitely pass the husband selection course,” whispered Jenny from the doorway.

  He glanced up at his fiancée. There was a smile on her face and her dark eyes shone brightly. “Huh?”

  “He’s asleep.”

  Rick turned his head slightly so he could see the boy sleeping against his chest. “Isn’t this the dad selection course?”

  She stepped into the room and kissed his shaved head. “One step at a time, big guy. Have you heard from TJ?”

  “Yeah, they should be back tomorrow.”

  “They’ve got Axe?”

  “Not yet. In a few hours.”

  Mike made to lower the boy into his bed. Junior mumbled something incoherent and clung to him like a baby koala. Rick sighed and made himself comfortable. “I guess I’m sleeping here tonight.”

  Jenny kissed him again before snuggling in alongside him. “We’re both sleeping here tonight.”