Return of the Assassin (Assassin Series 3) by Russell Blake

asked.
    “I’ll be giving the president instructions within the next twenty-four hours. A list of Los Zetas strongholds we know about. I want to see the army take them out, and then I’ll believe that our errant lamb has found his way back to the path of the righteous. I’ll give him a week to execute, and if he stalls, or if there’s no action, I’ll start sending him pieces of the girl in a box. That will get his attention. And if he’s willing to sacrifice her so he can keep his backstabbing deal with Los Zetas, then my trump card is to alert the media about the entire scheme – his agreement, my support in getting him elected, the kidnapping, and his allowing his daughter to be butchered in favor of a double-cross that’s all about money.” Aranas paused, savoring the idea. “They’ll run him out of the country on a rail, and the government will have no choice but to be more equitable in which cartels it goes after. We’ll still take hits, but so will everyone else, and it will be a return to business as usual. Then we can focus on crushing Los Zetas once the dust settles.”
    “No matter how it plays out, we win,” Paolo echoed.
    “Exactly. And more importantly, this will be the beginning of the end for Los Zetas. They’ve become too brazen for their own good, and they forget who the Godfather handed the reins to originally. They didn’t even exist back then. It will be very satisfying to teach them to respect their elders…” Aranas smiled at the thought. “Gentlemen, the reason I asked you to join me for the day is to ensure we have our strategy mapped out, as well as to have a little fun. We’ll put in at Curaçao, have a party, and then you can return to business tomorrow. I’ll get the helicopter to take you to the Caracas airport by noon, so you can be back in Mexico in time for cocktails.”
    Rodrigo raised his mimosa and toasted their patriarch. “I’ll drink to that. To the Don !”
    The men hoisted their glasses aloft, a sense of triumph lingering in the salon. The head of the Sinaloa cartel had done it again.
    It was only a matter of time until they were back on top and navigating tranquil waters.
     
    ~
     
    “What have we learned, people? What’s the plan?” Cruz scanned the faces of his subordinates before settling his eyes on Briones.
    “There’s obviously something going on at the site besides manufacturing cleaning products. The one building at the far edge of the property does indeed look suspicious. We’ve spotted a few men coming and going in SUVs, but that’s hardly conclusive. At best, it confirms that it’s not just a storage building or equipment repair hub. But I’d be hard pressed to go on the record saying that it’s a meth lab. We just don’t have enough data,” Briones reported.
    “I don’t see any way around a frontal assault. We’ve studied the layout, and there’s no other solution. If we had a few more days…” Ricardo cautioned.
    Cruz shook his head. “I’ve talked with General Obregon, and he’s preparing a support group as we speak, to go in tonight. We’ll have armored backup, two platoons of soldiers, a company of fifty GAFE commandos and as many Federales as we require. The soldiers will be responsible for surrounding the facility. The GAFE will work with our strike force during the actual assault. Ricardo, how many men do you think we’ll need?” Cruz asked.
    Ricardo considered the question carefully. The GAFE, Grupo Aeromovil de Fuerzas Especial de Alta Mando , was the most experienced and lethal special forces group in the Mexican armed forces. Specially trained in counter-terrorism and urban assault, the GAFE was the equivalent of the U.S. Delta Force crossed with the SEALS. A rarified group of less than a hundred men, the commandos were rumored to have a license to kill without question – the legendary ‘white card’. If they were going to be part of the assault it was being taken extremely seriously at the highest level of