Don Pendleton - Cartel Clash

A warning yell from the dark-haired woman drew Bolan’s attention. He turned and saw the first guy reach for something tucked into his belt. He saw the dark outline of an autopistol rise. Stepping to the man’s blind side, Bolan delivered a brutal kick to his head. The hard impact drove him facedown on the dusty ground. Leaning over, the soldier picked up the pistol and jammed it beneath his own belt, under the black leather jacket he was wearing. He checked their pockets but found little except tight rolls of paper money. Bolan took them. Cash was sometimes a handy way of smoothing over complications.

Then he bent over the slim form of the woman, gently grasping a bare arm. She resisted, still dazed from the attack, but there was not a lot of fight left in her.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Bolan said. “Just want to get you away from here. ¿Entiendes?”

She looked up at him, brushing black hair away from her pale face. A thin line of blood seeped from the corner of her soft mouth.

“Yes, I understand English.”

“Good,” Bolan said, “because my Spanish isn’t always that clear.”

He helped her to her feet. She swayed a little, then steadied herself. She still clutched the bundle to her.

“Let’s go,” Bolan said.

She hesitated, her eyes wide and cautious.

“Go where?”

“Somewhere away from these people.”

She stared at him for long seconds, and Bolan sensed her mind was whirling with thoughts. He understood her suspicions.

“You were a friend of Don Manners?” A quick nod. “Then we’re on the same side. Now let’s get the hell out of here in case those two have backup.”

He took her slim hand in his and led her back toward the street, across to where his 4x4 was parked. Bolan saw her into the passenger seat, then climbed behind the wheel and fired up the engine. He eased along the street, heading for the center of town where there were more people, light and his motel.

The young woman had slumped back in the seat, her face turned away from view, hugging the bundle she carried. The way she held on to it was working on Bolan’s curiosity. He didn’t ask her about it. There was time for that once he had her off the street.

It was close to eleven p.m. The town’s main drag was crowded. The street was busy with traffic, so it took Bolan a while to reach the turn for the motel. He eased through the pedestrians, cleared the town. It was quieter here, the street almost deserted. The motel was a half mile along the strip of road. Bolan drove into the courtyard through the adobe arch, angling the truck to a stop outside his room. He cut the engine and stepped out, then circled the vehicle to open the passenger door.

“Best room in the house,” he said. “I promise.”

The woman climbed out. Bolan guided her to the door and unlocked it. He pushed the door open and stood back to let her go inside. She stood in the center of the room, staring at her surroundings. Bolan quietly closed and locked the door. He shuttered the window blind and put on the main light, leaving her alone while he went into the bathroom and ran warm water in the basin. He chose a small towel and soaked half of it in the water, squeezing out the excess. When he got back in the main room, the woman was sitting on the end of the bed.

“For your face,” Bolan said, holding out the towel.

She took it and held it against her mouth. Bolan noticed she had placed her mysterious package on the bed next to her. He ignored it, crossing to the armchair facing the bed. He sat, giving her time to tend to her injury. A bruise was forming on her lower cheek, discoloring her tawny complexion.

In the room light he could see she was attractive, her face dominated by large brown eyes and softly plump lips. Her shoulder-length black hair was thick and shiny. Beneath the soft cotton shirt and faded jeans, her figure was lithe and feminine.

“I’m Matt Cooper,” he said.

“You are a friend of Don?”

“We never met.”

“But you said…” Her eyes sought the door, her body tensing.

“I said I was on the same side. I came to find out what happened to him.”

“He was killed.”

“And why do you think that happened?”

“If you knew who he was, then you should know why Don was here.”

“He told you?”

“He told me many things.” Her face crumpled as she failed to hold in her feelings. “He was going to take me with him when he was finished here.”

“It was like that?”

She nodded, drew in a breath and regained control.

“We didn’t seek what happened. It just did….”

“Were you helping Don?”

“A little, sí.”

“Against Benito Rojas?”

“Sí. Against Rojas and Dembrow.”

“Tell me who you are.”

“Pilar Trujillo.”

“I told you I came here to find out how Don died. That’s only part of the reason. I’m also here to put a stop to Rojas’s business.” Bolan saw the sudden gleam in her eyes. “You understand that?”

“Yes. Rojas trades in drugs. And other things. But mainly in drugs. I know that is why Don was here. To gather information for the DEA. He had found out Rojas was waiting for an important cargo. Some new weapon he will use to fight the Americans. It was this information that got him killed. He made a slip, and it exposed who he was—an American DEA undercover agent.” Pilar fell silent. Her eyes mirrored the torment she was struggling to contain. She stared directly at Bolan. “Don was exposed and betrayed. That is why they did what they did to him. To show the Americans you cannot stand against the Rojas Cartel.”

“Pilar, do you know how it happened? Who betrayed Don?”

Pilar’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Sí, I know. It was one of Rojas’s lieutenants. His name is Tomas. Tomas Trujillo. He is my brother.”

“Your brother works for Rojas?”

“He works for the Rojas Cartel, which also includes Marshal Dembrow. It is something I am not proud of. If our parents were still alive, they would disown him. Tomas is now the head of the family.”

“What about the pair who attacked you?”

“They are Mexicans who are part of Dembrow’s crew. They have been following me for some days, watching me because they believed I had more information Don left behind. I think they were waiting to see if I went to get it. Tomas has gone back to Mexico, to Rojas’s ranch. Since Don’s death, Rojas is suspicious of everyone. Even Dembrow.”

Bolan filed that away. It was an interesting development, maybe something he could play on to give himself some leverage.

“So, do you?” he asked, picking up on Pilar’s earlier remark.

“What?”

“You said Dembrow’s men believed you had information Manners left behind.”

“Sí,” she said.

Bolan pointed at the bundle on the bed. “In there?”

“No. That was simply a distraction. I hoped they would snatch it from me and run. Give me time to get away. Foolish, maybe, but it was all I could think of at the time.”

She unrolled the bundle and showed Bolan the contents, which were personal items from Manners’s room.

“This is what they should have been looking for,” Pilar said, sliding her hand from a pocket of her jeans and showing a much-used silver flint lighter.

Bolan took it from her. Turning it over in his hand he slid the outer casing from the lighter. The wad of absorbent material came free when he tugged at it. Bolan pulled it apart and found a thin, tight roll of clear plastic. He unrolled it and extracted a narrow strip of paper. The strip held a single line of neat writing—figures, and a name. The figures looked like a telephone number: a country code, followed by a local code and the number itself. The name on the paper was Calderon.