McDonald Array - Divide and Conquer

As events unfolded and lives progressed, Surkov’s Sean had become surplus to requirements. His life became a mirror of the real one, with no real purpose. Surkov should have seen it coming but was too busy with his other projects. The excitement of Sean’s real life was too much for Surkov’s Sean and he had escaped the confines of Grebnevo and fled. Surkov had always loved Sean like a son and had been devastated by his loss but relieved that the secrets of Grebnevo would remain protected. Until three months earlier, he had remembered Sean fondly. The realization that he could still be alive had rocked him to the core. With just about every block having fallen perfectly into place, a project only dreamt of over six decades earlier was becoming a reality.

Surkov’s move in eliminating the Governor’s wife would be a clear sign to his Sean that Surkov’s crazy plan was actually about to go into action. Sean Fox and the wife had to be killed. Whether it was his Sean or not, it was the other’s wife. By elimination, either it was Surkov’s Sean or it was his wife. It had to be one of them, either way, one of them would be aware of what was happening.

Surkov picked up his communication device and sent a message to the one woman he knew had never failed at anything she was ever tasked with, Katherine. She would find out once and for all if Borodin had succeeded and if not, deal with it once and for all. He hit 'Send’ and went to bed. It was going to be a very busy morning and the beginning of a new dawn was just on the horizon.

Sean crept through the shrubbery that circled the base of the hill that led to the ranch. So far, Luis had been truthful. The pressure sensors were there and had he not known about them, he would have most certainly had the cartel’s foot soldiers crashing down the hill towards him. He reached the point as described by Luis that offered the best approach and again it seemed to be correct. Luis was a little more ruthless than Sean had realized. He obviously wanted to rule the roost and Sean was his key to doing it. Sean checked his watch. Luis should be arriving and insisting they leave immediately.

Luis did as Sean instructed. He raced his car into the forecourt and ran into the house. Drama would sell urgency. Urgency would make them move first and think second.

Luis brushed past the crowd of guards who were desperate to know where their friends were. Luis decided against explaining he had chopped them to pieces and sent them to the bottom of a lake and instead opted for the sullen silent approach as he pushed through. The noise had alerted El Jefe to Luis’ arrival and he stood at the main entrance to the ranch, Juan by his side.

“Luis, where is your friend?” asked El Jefe putting a menacing emphasis as he said friend.

“He is not a friend uncle but he has arranged for us to meet the men we need to meet?”

“We do not need to meet anyone,” announced Juan to the men that were watching the interaction and scoring a point with El Jefe.

“Of course, forgive me, he has arranged for a meeting with the men that wish to meet with us!”

“Excellent, when will they arrive?” he made a show of checking his watch.

“I am to take you to them,” explained Luis his resolve was beginning to falter; this had not gone anywhere near as easily as Sean had suggested it would.

“Surely they come to me?” announced El Jefe, strongly and received a cheer from his men.

Juan watched as Luis squirmed. He knew there was no way on earth the men would come to them.

“May I speak with you privately, Uncle?”

“Whatever you have to say, you can say to my men!” he announced to another cheer.

Juan leant into El Jefe’s ear and whispered something to him. Luis did not hear but a nod from El Jefe resulted in Juan walking to Luis and pulling him aside.

“OK, what is the plan?” he asked quietly.

“I’ve to get El Jefe and yourself into the car and we will be given directions to the meeting. Once you are happy with the contacts, we have to release the boy and then after the meeting, if we are happy, the woman.”

“We both know there are at least two problems, the boy will be dead in sixteen minutes and myself and El Jefe will not be getting in your car.”

“But they have got your contacts for you?” pleaded Luis.

“And I gave them a deadline, I will not renege on a deal, I never have and never will,” he smiled. His word was his bond.

Luis hadn’t discussed the prospect of failing to get both in the car with Sean but figured if it was going to be anybody, best he removed El Jefe.

“Well I better get going, I have a deadline to keep too,” smiled Luis. “I’ll just grab El Jefe,” he moved to go past Juan.

Juan stepped in front of Luis. “El Jefe!” he shouted. “I will go with Luis and meet with these men that wish to deal with us!”

El Jefe waved in agreement and received another cheer from his men.

Luis walked back to his car. Juan turned to one of his men and whispered in his ear, the man listened and ran off at a sprint. Juan ignored Luis’ offer of the front passenger seat and instead opened the rear door and took a seat in the back.

Luis was being put in his place.

As Luis took his place behind the wheel, Juan leant forward. “Not so fast, we have another passenger coming,” he said as Katie came into view and was torn away from her son, James, before being thrown, kicking and screaming, into the back of the car, next to Juan.

“You don’t want us to hurt him, do you?” suggested Juan menacingly, sending a very clear message to Katie to calm down. She did instantly but her tears and whimpering did not.

As they began to pull away, Juan tapped Luis’ shoulder indicating for him to stop. He indicated for his man to come to him. The message he passed on was simple but deadly. “Five o’clock exactly!” Juan said, before tapping Luis’ shoulder once more.

Luis looked at the little boy crying for his Mommy and couldn’t think but wonder what the hell he was doing with these people.

Sean checked his watch, ten minutes to go. The cheers from the courtyard ahead had been good cover and allowed him to make better than expected progress. He was almost at the back of the white barn.

He had watched the car disappear down the hill. Three bodies were inside which was encouraging; it seemed Luis was coming through. He pulled out the cell and hit the dial button.

“Are you on your way?”

“Yes,” replied Luis.

“Put me on speaker,” demanded Sean. If they were on speaker it would sound like Sean didn’t trust Luis.

“No,” replied Luis, they weren’t on speaker.

Perfect. Sean could talk freely “Have you got them both?”

“No!”

“But there are three in the car.”

“Yes,” replied Luis.

Sean thought quickly. He couldn’t ask too many questions otherwise he’d expose Luis.

“Male or female.”

“Did you say first and then second exit?” confirmed Luis.

Male and a female. It had to be Katie. At least he knew where she was and wasn’t being used in one of the cartel’s whorehouses, as so subtly suggested by Luis earlier.

“Your uncle.”

“No, sorry, I didn’t catch you the lines not great.”

“Juan?”

“OK, yes, got it.”

Juan being with Luis was not great news. He would see through things far more readily than El Jefe. Thank God the meetings were real thought Sean. How they had managed, he didn’t know but he had a lot of thanking to do if he managed to get out of this alive.

The noise from the courtyard had died and the men that guarded the ranch house had returned to their milling around or the barracks that housed them while on duty. Sean squatted by the white barn, just out of sight. The small outbuilding that housed James lay just to his right but there was no way to get to it without exposing himself. Time was not on his side, two minutes to five.