Free Return of the Assassin (Assassin Series 3) by Russell Blake Page B

“How will I get the booster shot if I’m in deep cover?”
    “Let us worry about that. It will give you a good reason to stay in touch with us.”
    “How about you give me a syringe, just in case?” El Rey suggested.
    Hector shook his head.
    “I’m afraid that’s not possible. Find a way to touch base, and we’ll get to you.”
    El Rey grunted and then moved to the door. “One more thing. Keep your trained monkeys away from me, or my first act as a free man will be to rip their hearts out and eat them. I don’t have anything to lose, so don’t test me,” he warned, and then stalked through the door.
    Hector’s eyes followed him with foreboding.
    This was a terrible idea.
    But desperate times demanded desperate measures.
    And in the end, it wasn’t his call to make.
     
     

Chapter 8
     
     
     
    “Walk me through this one last time, Warden. Who on your end knew about El Rey ’s transport to the court besides you? And what level of knowledge did they have?” Cruz asked patiently.
    The warden was getting irritated with the questioning, Cruz could tell. This was a man used to giving orders and demanding answers. He didn’t do well with the tables turned.
    “As I’ve explained, only I knew the whole plan. Three of the guards knew one hour in advance that the prisoner would be moved to the transportation bay. The drivers of the three vans knew someone was being transported, but only the ones who were actually going to move the prisoner knew the final destination. The others were merely assigned to go for a drive for an hour, finishing up in the vicinity of the court for the drive back. The idea was to use the same ruse when returning.”
    “And why didn’t you have ten motorcycle cops escorting the van, along with a few trucks full of armed Federales ?”
    “Because that’s not the established protocol. The cartels have more than enough power and money to match whatever firepower we would put on a convoy, so that would only attract more attention, increasing the chances of a breakout. And that isn’t my theory. It’s the approved method of transporting high profile prisoners. So it’s not like I decided to try something new, just to see how it would work,” the warden argued. He was clearly defensive now.
    “I see. Let’s switch to the communication chain. Where did you get your information from? Specifically, who gave you the instructions on when to bring the prisoner, what van he would go in, and the rest?”
    “They came from the court’s security team leader. I already gave you his name,” the warden snapped.
    “Yes, I see that here. Tell me, how often is a prisoner transported from Altiplano on short notice? Is it unusual? What’s the typical lead time you have to prepare the security with the court?” Cruz asked.
    “Normally, this sort of thing is on the docket for weeks. But apparently, the lead judge in this case made a demand to see the prisoner immediately, which triggered this whole set of events. It’s not ordinary, but it does happen. Judges can be mercurial, as you are no doubt aware…”
    “How much time did you have to prepare?” Cruz repeated the question.
    “Not much. One day. We received the notification the afternoon before. Late afternoon, instructing us to be prepared for transport the next morning.”
    “And that didn’t strike you as irregular?”
    “Of course. Look, Capitan , in this system nothing is irregular. Yes, ordinarily we would have had more time. But I hardly think that’s the problem. Obviously, someone knew about this even with the last minute arrangements and was able to mount a successful assault with minimal planning. What my staff did or did not know is barking up the wrong tree. We deal with the most dangerous prisoners in all Mexico every day – the most prominent and powerful cartel bosses, any of whom would be more financially likely to arrange for an elaborate escape attempt than this assassin. I’m talking about men with billions at