Retribution Road by Jon Coon (e reader comics .TXT) 📕

why hadn’t he slept since the incident at the submarine base?

He put his brandy glass down on the bedside table and sat on the bed beside Lareina. Ten feet above the bed, a life-sized portrait of her in a sheer wrap smiled down at them. The highly paid artist had done his best, but the magnificent work failed to fully capture her beauty.

“I may have to leave for a few days,” he said looking down from the painting into her dark eyes.

“I know you haven’t been sleeping. What’s going on?”

“We’re getting ready to send another caravan to the Texas border and at the same time send the subs. It will be our biggest shipment, and we need the money. We can’t continue feeding the camps and funding the caravans if these shipments don’t get through. The Americanos are killing us every time they intercept our boats or our people.”

“I will never forgive what they did to my family,” she said and put down her book. “Their DEA killed my father like he was a snake.”

“I know, my love. And we’ve made them pay many, many times.”

“It will never be enough. Never.”

He took her hand and gently rubbed her palm with his thumb. “I’ve been worried about this shipment. It could be nothing, but it’s been too long since our raid on the Ranger’s house. I know he’s planning something. It may have been that disaster at the sub base. But until I know, I think you and the kids will be safer if I go to one of the other villas.”

“All right, but you’re going to miss me.”

“More than you know, my love. More than you know.”

“But you’re here tonight. Let’s not waste it.”

She turned off the reading light and rolled into his arms.

“Who is this guy, El Patrón?”

Tom and Gabe sat under the massive live oak’s picnic table at the edge of the lake. The sounds of tractors and hammers—workmen building the new house, tractors continuing to clear the debris—disrupted the normal tranquility of life on the ranch. It put everyone on edge, especially the horses.

“The locals down there protect him like he’s some sort of Robin Hood. Even after we took out that villa, no one knows who owned it. Or who built it. Or that it ever existed. The guy’s a stone-cold killer and they treat him like a saint.”

“You must really miss Maria.”

“Hell yes, I miss Maria. And there’s nothing I won’t do to get the guys that killed her. Nothing.”

Gabe thought about that. How could it, how would it ever end? How could that much hate be answered? He simply couldn’t see a peaceful resolution. That hate, it was just going to keep growing, keep killing until there was no one left. He wanted to talk to Tom, ease his pain, find another way, but he knew the minute he suggested an alternative, even if he could find one, Tom would turn his back and refuse to let him help—with anything, and that might include pushing him away from Carol and the kids. It was not a risk Gabe was willing to take. He would wait and pray something would change.

“Henry, it’s good to hear from you,” Tom said, sitting in his command center office, staring at an untouched bourbon glass and wondering if it really was five o’clock somewhere.

“Hello, Tom. I just wanted you to know the airship mission is a go. It’s loaded on the C-130 and will be ready to make the flight to Mexico City by Thursday. The crew will wait there for your instructions. Weather is good and we have a full crew. That includes you and your friend, of course.”

“Good. Hopefully we’ll have narrowed down the search area by the time they arrive. Will it take them long to get her inflated and ready to fly?”

“Forty-eight hours or so. They’ll need to set up a base and get the helium tanks off-loaded. But they’ve done this so many times, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Thanks again, Henry. I feel like we’re finally making some progress.”

Carol waited in the office doorway for Tom to put down the phone. She came in and sat in front of his desk when he did. “How’s it going?”

“Good. Everything is falling into place for us to use the airship to track Maria’s earrings. The government down there went for the documentary pitch, hook, line, and sinker.”

“Assuming you find them, Dad, then what?”

“Remember who we’re talking about, honey. They destroyed our home and tried to kill all of us. That makes this right personal, don’t you agree?”

“I know all that, I just don’t want you to get killed going up against unwinnable odds.”

“Is this going to be another Don Quixote lecture?”

“Not exactly. Just a reminder. In his own mind, Quixote never doubted what he was doing was right, but he still ended up dead.”

“And didn’t he become a legend? That counts for something.”

“You’re already legend enough. You don’t need to become a martyr just to satisfy your ego. Texas has enough of those without you adding your name to the list.”

“If you’re gonna have your name on a list, that wouldn’t be a bad one.”

“Oh, give me a break. You’re impossible.” She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry.

“It’s about love, Carol. I love you, I loved Maria, and I love our country. If I don’t do something, I could lose you both. We saw that right here. And that cannot go unanswered.”

Jimmy the Geek interrupted Tom and Carol’s conversation with a loud knock. He stuck his head in the door. “We’ve got something, Chief. You need to see this.”

Carol got up, kissed her dad. She left the room while Jimmy entered and handed Tom a stack of maps and papers.

“Senator Benson got us feed from the Keyhole satellite yesterday, and this morning the images show a lot of activity in the camps by the Guatemalan border. Our guys estimate there could be thousands of refugees there.