Edge of Mercy (A Kate Reid Novel Book 11), Robin Mahle [freenovel24 .txt] 📗

and whoever else volunteering. And now you say there’s a killer looking to finish off victims?” He shook his head. “That will be a top concern for the officials.”

“Then we agree?” Fisher asked.

“We do, so let’s roll.”

26

Dawn had broken through the clouds and the sky was a watercolor painting in hues of orange and purple. The city was waking up and the team was about to begin their hunt for a killer.

SSA Ruiz had arranged for one of the Mexican Guardsmen, the man who had escorted the team from the airport, to assist in the effort. Alejandro Perez now waited in the room that had been dubbed the Ops Room inside the American Embassy.

Fisher and his team prepared to depart on the flight organized by Ruiz. Several charter jets were at the embassy’s disposal and it would take an otherwise 6-hour drive and turn it into an hour’s flight. Given the time constraints, it was the best plan.

“It’s time,” Fisher began. “We have communications set up. Perez and Brewer will be accompanying us. We need to get him, and we need to get him now.” Fisher started out of the room and toward Ruiz’s office. “We’re ready.”

Ruiz joined him. “I’ll take you to the airstrip.” He snatched his keys and waited for the others to meet up in the lobby. “You’re riding with me, folks. Time’s wasting.” When everyone arrived at the meeting point, he started outside. “I would suggest you try to close your eyes for the duration of the flight. I know you all have been up the entire night. I’m sure your teammates would feel better knowing you weren’t making life and death decisions going on no sleep.”

Ruiz jumped in his SUV and fired up the engine. When the rest piled inside, he pulled away from the curb. “Aside from Agent Brewer, the rest of you should know that Guadalajara is a lot like Mexico City. You got your really rich folks and your really poor folks. The earthquake’s epicenter was in El Centro. That, my friends, is where a lot of the poor folks live. And what I mean by that is, the surrounding structures will probably be in rough condition. The damage there, I haven’t seen it myself, but I did get word from the Red Cross that it is substantial because the existing infrastructure was in bad shape to begin with. All’s I’m saying is watch your back. You start tracking down your boy and find yourself in some abandoned building, you best count your blessings it don’t collapse on you.”

“What are the hospitals in the area like?” Kate asked. “Bishop is smart enough to get a name badge and a doctor’s coat and make his rounds. If security is lax, we should be aware of that.”

“Security?” Ruiz glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “You come across any security, you let me know.”

Perez was in the far back row. “I’d like to say something, here, Agent Ruiz. The people in that neighborhood, they are good people. They don’t have much, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t human.”

“My apologies, Perez. I meant no disrespect. I’m just trying to give these people a sense for what awaits them. Hey, Mexico City is my home. It’s a good, safe place to live.” He turned right. “We’re here.”

The door flew open and Walsh jumped out. He waited until everyone stepped out and closed the door. “Where to now?” He asked Perez.

“Through this building and to the back. We’ll board immediately.” Perez looked to Ruiz. “I’ll take care of them from here, sir.”

Nick took Kate by the arm and fell behind the others. “I know how much you want Bishop, but it would be best that if he’s spotted, you don’t approach him. We don’t know if he’s armed. We don’t know anything.”

“Are you going to mention that to the rest of the team?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I don’t want you to single me out, Nick. I know how to approach a suspect. I risked my life in Rio with Quinn. I’ve risked my life plenty of times. We all have. I know you mean well, but I need you to give me some breathing room here.”

“You’re right. I just keep replaying the events in Rio. For God’s sake, here we are again in another country.”

The small 15-seater jet sat alone on the runway with a set of stairs pushed against the door. Perez was the first to board and summoned the captain’s attention while the others walked onto the plane. Moments later, the engines started, and the staircase was pulled away from the aircraft. Perez returned to the front of the cabin. “We’ve received clearance. Prepare for takeoff.”

The flight was short and allowed for a few members of the team to get in a power nap, but Kate couldn’t shut down her thoughts of Theo Bishop and the people with money and power who had protected him.

Perez had arranged for another member of the Guard to pick them up from the airport in Guadalajara and drive them to the community of El Centro. The team was divided into two vehicles and as they neared the site of the earthquake’s epicenter, the more severe the damage had been. The community clearly struggled but now appeared to be utterly devastated. It hadn’t made major news in the US because it hadn’t affected enough people. The collateral damage wasn’t nearly enough to make the headlines.

But Kate knew that Bishop would be there. He had nowhere else to go that could feed his desire to be seen as a hero and a god. It would have taken him time to produce the type of documents he would’ve needed in order to get a job as a paramedic or EMT, or whatever the equivalent was in Mexico. Not only that, but it seemed highly likely Carol Whitman, Theo’s mother, would’ve warned him they were coming.

She looked on with the others at the devastation. Rubble in the