Dangerous Pursuit (OSI Dark Ops #3)

CHAPTER FOUR

“What do you mean, you can’t find them?” Rafael Triano sat forward in his big leather chair.

“They were sent to Palomino to retrieve a girl four days ago and have not been seen or heard from since.” Lorenzo Marroquin stood in front of Rafael’s desk. He was responsible for the personnel who worked in what was fast becoming the most lucrative segment of the Triano business holdings. “And their cell phones appear to be dead.”

“If I am not mistaken, that brings the total to ten men who have gone missing in the past fifteen months.” He set his forearms on his desk and laced his fingers together to keep from wrapping them around Lorenzo’s fat neck. “Are you not capable of keeping track of your own people, Lorenzo?”

“Mateo and Ignacio Alcarez are my two best facilitators—they would not have left on their own.” He didn’t bother to comment on the other eight who’d vanished .

Facilitator was the euphemistic term Lorenzo came up with for the thugs who went out and gathered up girls and young women to be sold.

“Do you think they have suffered the same fate as the other eight men who have disappeared?” A disturbing trend, to be sure. “Surely, they have not all decided they no longer want to work for you.”

“No way. My men are very loyal and happy doing what they do. For some of them, it’s all they know how to do.” He leaned forward and set his knuckles on the front of the desk.

Rafael’s gaze fell to the man’s hands and slowly traveled up to Lorenzo’s face.

He took the hint, straightened, and tucked his hands in his front pockets. “The only logical explanation is that someone is targeting my people.”

“Have you any guesses as to who this mysterious someone might be?” Rafael would not tolerate anyone screwing with his bottom line.

“Not yet.” Lorenzo rubbed a hand across his chin. “The Alcarez brothers were last seen stumbling into some dive bar in Palomino. A place called Locals Only.”

Rafael sat back with a long, disappointed sigh. “So, they were getting drunk when they should have been bringing in the girl. Is that correct? ”

“I’m not sure, but I’m headed there first thing in the morning.” He straightened. “I’m going to flash some money around the bar and see if anyone saw anything.”

“You are to proceed with extreme caution.” Palomino was fast becoming a popular vacation destination. A guy as sketchy-looking as Lorenzo, with his pockmarked face, patchy beard, and stained teeth, would stand out among all of the fair-skinned American and European tourists. “It would be a very big mistake, were you to draw any unwanted attention to me, my family, or my organization. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir. I understand perfectly.” He waited to be dismissed.

“You may go.” Rafael watched him walk out of his office.

If Lorenzo could not do his job, he would become a liability. And Rafael would not tolerate liabilities within his organization.