Tank's Revenge Ch. 02

"Morris, what exactly have I done? Do you or this detective have any proof?"

"Mark, let me be clear, when you first started this crusade, I wanted to take you down, because I didn't understand your motivation. Vigilante justice is not something we should condone here in our country." Robbins spoke with as serious a tone as Reynolds had ever heard him. "Then, I read your files, and learned what you had been through. Putting myself in your shoes I understood. I wanted to track you down to turn you to the law side, but that backfired on me."

Reynolds spoke next, "What Bobby is saying here, when we captured Espinoza, he was fired, and my boss was put on suspension. I was basically put on desk duty. We have bad people working in the agency, as we found out with both of our old partners, remember Stella?"

Looking over at Robbins, then back at Reynolds, "Are you the officer who was shot along with her?"

"I was the officer who was shot by her." The surprise in Lawson's eyes told him he needed to know more. "It seemed when I started investigating you and your family's deaths, I struck a nerve with Stella. I was at a diner where I usually would go to look over files and get coffee. She came in and shot the place up, shooting me, and killing several civilians."

Mark asked, "Who killed her?"

Without hesitation, Robbins answered, "I did."

Reynolds spoke once again. "Mark, he's telling the truth about Stella. I found a ton of inconsistencies with her files, and I even showed ASA Downey. She knew that Stella was on the take from the evidence that was presented. We both were targeted by Simmons once that came out what we knew."

"Are you still with the agency?"

Reynolds smiled. "Yeah I am, but only temporarily."

Mark lowered his gaze, "What does this have to do with me?"

"We need you to lead us against the cartel and dirty officials. We want to round them up, prosecute them or eliminate them from existence." Robbins said.

Looking at Reynolds he asked, "Your number is still the same as on the card I took?"

Reynolds looked dumbfounded. "You have my card, but, when... yes, it's the same."

"I have to go back to my hotel and talk it over with Justin, and I can text you letting you know what my answer is. I work on instinct and hate bureaucracy. The agency usually gave me a lot of latitude, so I would want the same."

"I'll clear it with the boss, but I'm sure we can agree with it." Robbins said.

Justin and Mark stood from the table, walking away from the two men. As they walked out the door, Mark recognized his SUV in the parking lot. "That damn girl," he mumbled under his breath. Getting into the vehicle, Mark looked over at the red-haired beauty. "We will speak about this later."

******

December 24th, 2018

After hitting the warehouse once again in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, the team found nothing. Somehow the cartel must have found out about the planned attack and moved their operation.

Mark and Justin already suspected the two men in tow were the source, or maybe it was the ones they were reporting to. Either way, Mark was watching them and keeping his plans to himself.

Mark jumped into his SUV, switching the door handles to fingerprint lock. He rang Maria's uncle Mario, hoping he would find more intel.

"Amigo, you shouldn't be calling me like this?" Mario said in a hush tone.

"I need your help Mario. The warehouse is empty, I think there's a mole with me. I need to find Lilly so I can lose some baggage."

Mark heard Mario cover his phone with his hand, a conversation in the background dying out as it seemed He was trying to find somewhere more private. "Chavez is suspecting Lady Espinoza and he sent his new lieutenant to question her. I need to go, but head to Los Trios. I'll call in an hour."

"Be careful Mario," Mark said before hanging up. Outside the SUV stood Robbins and Reynolds looking through the window trying to see what Mark was doing. He opened the locks and rolled the window down. "We're rolling, follow me."

Robbins asked, "I need to know where we're going. I have to report to Johnson at HQ."

Kelsey and Justin both climbed into the SUV, as Mark smiled at the former detective. "Fuck Johnson, and you can fuck off too for all I care. I'm running the show now, and if you don't like it, the border is over my shoulder."

Mark put the SUV in gear as he raised the window, leaving Robbins and Reynolds in a cloud of Mexican dust. Both men looked at each other and sprinted to their Land Rover and started to follow the Suburban.

The drive was a little more than an hour, and before they came upon the town, Mark's phone rang. "Hello Mario."

"Amigo, Lady Espinoza and I are heading to the border. There is a burdel just east of Los Trios. You will find your Lilly there, but you may not like the condition you find her in."

Mark looked over at Kelsey who was currently looking at the GPS on the computer, "Thanks for that Mario. If you can go to Oklahoma City and see Scotty or go to Gabriella in Denton."

"Si' we want to stay away from Gabriella, she doesn't need to be in danger. I hope you find what you're looking for."

Hanging up the phone, they continued into the community. Pulling over at the Del Rio restaurant, Mark hopped out of his Suburban walking back to the vehicle behind him. "I need your phones."

"What do you need our phones for?" Robbins asked.

"He doesn't trust us, isn't that right Lawson?" Reynolds spoke directly to Mark.

Mark held his hand out, "I don't know who to trust right now. It's nothing personal, really." Both men handed over their cell phones reluctantly but understanding why. They too were suspicious of how the cartel moved in such a short notice from the warehouse they hit prior. Returning to the Suburban, Mark took off further down the road until he came to a dirt road heading northeast out of town, turning on the dusty road, hoping it would lead him to Lilly.

About three miles out of the town limits, the road came to a 'T', and on the corner was a mid-sized structure, all one story. There were at least two dozen vehicles parked in front, and a few in back. The sign painted on the side said, 'Pequeno Gatito' or 'Little Kittens.' Mark and his team stepped out of their vehicles, looking for any surveillance. They noticed a couple of cameras on the front of the building to watch patrons coming in, or police coming to raid the facility.

They were just out of range of both cameras as Mark opened the tailgate of his Suburban. He reached into a small box and pulled out some glasses. As he handed them to Robbins, he told him, "Put these on, you're going in to scout the place. Justin and I will be around back, Reynolds, you have the front, and Kelsey stay here in case we need you. Stay off comms unless it's an emergency. I want the channel to be open for Robbins."

"What exactly am I looking for Mark?"

"I want you to look for any American girls being held captive or working against their will. Anything out of the ordinary. If this is just another brothel, we can move on, but something tells me it isn't." Mark was careful to say too much in front of Kelsey in fear of what she would do.

When they were all ready and in place, Robbins walked into the facility. The camera was working flawlessly, as Bobby noticed women of all ages walking around with men. There were a few girls on stage dancing naked, and a few at the door waiting to be picked up by one of the men to go in back. Mark kept watch on the camera investigating all the women trying to find his needle in the haystack.

A blonde not more than twenty walked over to Bobby. "Looking for anything special?" Bobby noticed the tracks up and down her arms and could tell by her eyes she was under the influence of something now. He could also smell alcohol on her breath, wondering if she was one of the unfortunate girls who had been trafficked.

Bobby put his arm around her back, drawing her close to him. "How much baby?" Mark was whispering in the comm in his ear to get to the back to check out the rooms.

"Twenty for a blow, and forty for everything doll face." She replied. He gestured toward the back and she led him along the small narrow corridor behind the bar. The hidden door was not easy to spot, nor was it any easier to maneuver through as the passageway was narrow and dark. Mark noticed the tiny rooms on each side of the small hallway. They were dilapidated rooms with rusted metal beds and peeling paint on mildewed walls. Most of the doorways only had curtains, but he noticed toward the rear entrance were padlocked doors, with an armed guard standing watching him and the others entering and exiting the small rooms.

They came to one of the rooms that were unoccupied, and she led him inside, closing the curtain behind her. The curtain was too small to cover the entirety of the doorway, and he was sure that was on purpose. She pushed him onto the bed, standing before him and held out her hand. "Pay now please."

Bobby heard in his earpiece, "Go Reynolds, breach!"

Robbins grabbed the girl and threw her on the bed then rolled her onto the floor covering her with the mattress. He placed his hand over her mouth, "Be quiet and whatever you hear, don't move." She shook her head, as he stood up taking his .45 out of his back holster. Pulling the curtain aside, he noticed the guard was watching the action in one of the rooms. He heard from the front commotion as the rear door kicked in. He took aim and shot the guard, exposing a hole through his chest wide enough to put your fist through.

He looked up and down the hall for anyone else coming, when he noticed two figures coming up the backstairs. He crouched and aimed, ready to fire, but noticed it was Justin and Mark. The girls were screaming at this time and most of the men had run out of the room without any clothes thinking it was a raid. Carefully Robbins found himself in the hallway, going through the hall checking each of the rooms, feeling heart ache at what he witnessed. Most of the girls were not from Mexico, but other nationalities. They had all been abused, drugged, and humiliated to where they didn't care anymore.

Mark had begun to break locks furiously opening the doors, hoping to find Lilly. While he did this, Justin went down the hall into the front bar area to greet Reynolds who had the bar owner and bartender at gunpoint. The bar owner was already soiling his pants with urine. The last door that Mark opened laid a small girl, with blondish red hair, and looked so much like Kelsey.

She had been abused and drugged. Her tiny arms were showing track marks and some looked infected. He kneeled touching her neck, felt for a pulse, but there were none. Her skin was cool to the touch and he knew she hadn't been gone long. Robbins had come to the doorway as Lawson was checking her vitals, and noticed the lone tear coming down his cheek.

That day they saved twenty-three girls working in that brothel. Unfortunately, the one they wanted to save, had died hours before they arrived. Kelsey was kept up front with the other girls, helping them as Mark carried Lilly down and put her into the Land Rover. They would take her into Texas, and give her a proper burial, and allow Kelsey to mourn. They found four cartel members, with two being fatally wounded, the other two were being interrogated by Robbins and Reynolds. This was the third hardest day for Mark, and he knew more were to come.

*******

December 25th, 2018

Simmons dialed the phone, furious at what he had heard just twelve hours prior. The voice on the other end was chipper and had no idea the lashing they were about to receive. "Merry Christmas friend!"

Simmons snarled, "Fuck Christmas, you hadn't read the news huh?"

"What news Jack. If it hasn't reached my desk, it isn't news."

Simmons laughed sarcastically, "Just because you haven't heard it yet, doesn't mean it isn't going to. A reporter in El Paso is reporting that twenty-three women have been brought back across the border from their captors in Mexico. They are saying some have been in captivity for many years. Nobody knows who saved them, and no agencies or groups are taking credit. Don't you think that is news?"

"I think it is great news for twenty-three American families who now have their loved ones back, don't you Jack?" The voice on the other end was cold. "You and I have been friends for years, you know I'm not going to let anything come back on you, so quit fretting. What you need to do is launch an investigation of your own and find out what each of them know."

Simmons was silent for a minute. "It's them isn't it? I thought you said they wouldn't be a problem. You know I have too much riding on this. I'm too deep, and the first ones they will come after is me and my family. For God's sake, they are your Godchildren."

"Merry Christmas Jack, and please don't worry it's all going to be alright." The phone hung up and Simmons slumped in his chair. He heard his kids and grandchildren in the other room eating and playing in the adjacent rooms. He picked up his handgun and contemplated what he should do. Ultimately, he was too chicken, placing it back in his drawer and going back out to the festivities.

******

January 3rd, 2019

The news eventually went national because of a journalist in Houston who picked up the story. He was an investigative journalist, and he discovered the story when a source from the Federales told him they found a brothel in Mexico with all the women gone, and the guards dead. They also found the owner and bartender barely alive missing their genitals. As he investigated, he found the story in El Paso about the twenty-three women found at the border, all saying Americans saved them.

Reynolds and Robbins were keeping low profiles in Dallas, with Robbins investigating Alex Johnson secretly, and Reynolds working at the agency under the direction of Simmons still. Maria Downey had been busy in her own right as she started a company called 'Tanque.' It was a private security firm, and she had only one employee thus far, Bobby Robbins.

As for Mark and Kelsey, they buried Lilly in the same cemetery as his family. He couldn't tell her, but he felt uneasy just being close to them. He tried comforting her, but she had become stoic, just like him. Her eyes changed from having hope, to the same look he had, death. For the past week, they hardly talked, and slept apart, mostly spending time traveling from one city to another spending a night or two in each one, until they received a call from Scott. That is where they were today.

Scott stood outside the warehouse to greet the two as they pulled up. He knew about Kelsey's sister, so he kept the mood casual, fearing he would set her or Mark off the edge. "Hey, I hope I didn't catch you two in the middle of anything when I called."

Kelsey looked at him with daggers, and Mark just made a throaty response, "Ahmm."

Scott felt his palms start to sweat, "Come inside let me show you to your new ride." As the door opened, the light shined onto what looked like the Griswold wagon on steroids. (Ok, it wasn't that bad!) In front of them stood a four door, 4 x 4, black RV built on a Freightliner business class chassis. Scott grinned from ear to ear, "What do you think?"

Mark was silent for a minute looking at the beastly thing. "Scotty, I think you might have outdone yourself this time."

"Under the hood is a straight-six Cummins diesel engine that makes 350 horsepower (260 kilowatts) and 1,100 pound-feet (1,491 Newton-meters) of torque. Power hits the ground through 44-inch tires typically found on military vehicles, and it's capable of towing 20,000 pounds (9,071 kilograms) with its conventional hitch. The bumper as you can see covers the entire grill, and is ¾' thick steel, so nothing should stand in your way." Scotty pointed to the rear of the vehicle. "There's a spare tire on the back that's so high off the ground it comes with a unique lowering winch, which I doubt you will need to use anyway."

Scotty continued showing them the vehicle as he pounded on the side of the vehicle. "One unique feature is the steel sides. Usually, RVs use fiberglass for the cab's exterior. Other features include 50- and 80-gallon fuel tanks for a total of 130 gallons of diesel fuel. Both the front and rear axle feature locking differentials, too."

Opening the door for the two to enter, Scotty kept talking like a salesperson. "There's a dinette set, sofa, kitchen top, stove, stainless-steel sink, and plenty of storage. It can sleep up to seven; however, there isn't a bed in the back. Instead, the cabin's second-row bench seat folds flat into a bed. At the rear is a bathroom that's far roomier than you'd expect in a motorhome of this size. It features three A/C units, soft-close drawers, a full-size microwave, and a state-of-the-art computer system with capabilities to switch satellites. I also installed encryption keys that will change your IP address and passwords each time you use the server."

This time it was Kelsey that spoke, "This is nice and all Scott, but we already have a vehicle."

Scott just smiled and pointed at a trailer. "This is yours too my lady. It is a Freedom 8'6″ wide x 28′ long x 9′ tall enclosed blacked out car hauler. It has a powered rear ramp door, made with ⅜" steel sidewalls and ¾" steel floors. You have triple Dexter axles able to hold 21,000 GVWR, and a Nature'S Generator Gold System, 1800w/60ah Battery Generator And Solar Kit. All lighting is DOT grade with LED exterior lights. Inside it is equipped with an e track on the floor, cabinet space, and a hidden door on the side."

Kelsey smiled, "Scotty you outdone yourself." Mark noticed the smile and thought this had been the first time since before Mexico she had shown any emotion.

Scott helped the two of them transfer their things into the 'Beast' and then Mark loaded the Suburban into the trailer. All three climbed into Scott's BMW and left the warehouse heading to Scott's house. Lorrie was waiting for them when they pulled into the drive. Their children were teens now, and Mark hadn't seen them in over ten years. He was glad to hear they were both at a friend's house.

Lorrie made sure that Kelsey felt at home, and she made friends with her fast. Mark and Scott went into his study to drink some bourbon and talk about recent events. They were in the middle of a conversation when a loud laugh came through the house. "Whew," Scott exclaimed, "She's got a pair of lungs in her. I'm sure my neighbors heard that laugh."

Mark's smile ended quickly as he remembered Maria laughing like that. It made him feel nostalgic for a minute as he heard her laugh again. Mark could feel something inside him that felt almost foreign. He knew what it was as he felt warm and calm, but he also was scared. He couldn't lose her too, like he did the love of his life.

"Scotty, would you keep her here?" Mark asked with a shaky but firm voice.

"What? You two are a team, and I know you and her care for each other."

"She needs to be with people who are not wanting to die Scotty. I'm doing things that most likely will get me killed one day. I've got bounties on my head from the cartel and gangs from across the country. She's seen and been through enough, I have to keep her safe."

"You think you're going to get rid of her that easy?" Mark knew Scott had a point, "She will kick mine and anybody else's ass who comes between you and her. You are all she has now in life. Face it Mark, you've been given a second chance at protecting and loving someone else. Just leave this life behind and go start a new one. Leave this stuff, the anger, bitterness, the vengeance behind. It won't bring Maria back."

"Fuck you Scott!" Mark interrupted him, "You don't know what I want, or how I feel. Maria was my life, and I have no life now. Why does everyone want me to forget her and move on!"