Double-Back (Jake Waters Book 3) (31 page)

Nate had called in indicating he was back in position.  He explained that there appeared to be more activity than the evening before, but couldn't judge whether it related to them or not.  Jake updated him on Susan and Norm's trip to the city, and then they all sat back to wait, the hardest part of any action like this.

Saturday Afternoon, May 21

"How do you think they might approach coming after us?" Jim asked, as he, Jake and Eric sat around the dining room table.

"We are somewhat isolated out here, so they have a little time before any help could arrive," Eric said.  "I'd guess they'd take out the local cellular tower and cut the land lines in an attempt to isolated us."

"They'd probably be more likely to jam the cellular frequencies," Jake suggested.  "That wouldn't alert the cell companies to a problem, and it would take away our cell coverage as well."

"Would that affect Tony's special units?" Jim asked.  "I thought they operated in a slightly different frequency band."

"I don't know," Jake admitted.  "We'll have to ask Tony, not that it matters.  Who would we be calling?  Outside of our group, we have no one linked to those units."

"Shaun, maybe?" Jim suggested.  "If we needed to get word out for some reason."

Jake checked his watch.  Susan and Norm should be back before much longer.  Nate hadn't reported any significant changes at the estate, and Tony continued to watch the two remaining spotters outside.  He had reported their sniper had set up in one of the spots he and Eric had identified, and could easily be taken down from Tony's current hidden position.  The bad news was that their sniper was well enough trained that he kept a watch on more than just the house, forcing Tony to stay put, and making it difficult to impossible for Eric to move into position to support or relieve him.

Jake's special phone hummed softly, indicating an incoming call.

"It's Nate," he said, informing the others.  "Jake here," he said into the unit.

"Something is happening," Nate said as he continued to watch the estate from a little over a block away.  He wasn't in the ideal position, but he hadn't wanted to keep parking in the same location, and the best spots had all been taken when he arrived.  "Three Hummers just drove into the gated area of the estate.  These aren't fancied up vehicles, but show signs of rough use.  I think they are planning something."

"Can you see who is in them?" Jim asked.  Jake had put the call on speakerphone so that Jim and Eric could participate.

"No one I could recognize, but each vehicle had three or four men in it.  I'm guessing they stopped here to pick up our friends and maybe more support, and will soon be headed your way.  Of course, this could be for something unrelated, but somehow I don't think so."

"Keep an eye out for Miss Rineri, and let us know when they leave," Jake said.  "She's the one we need to get a shot at."

"What do you think?" Jake asked.

"It sounds like they have decided to come after us," Eric concluded.

"Why are they coming in such a large force?" Jim asked.  "They have to know we'd see them when they approach, and that you could simply escape by Back-Tracking."

"Perhaps they plan on leaving the vehicles down the road and coming in on foot.  There's enough cover they could make their way into the area unseen, especially if they wait until it gets a little darker.  By the time they arrive it'll only be an hour or so until sunset."

"We need to alert Tony," Jake decided, and placed a call.  He knew that Tony's unit would be on vibrate and he'd be listening through his earpiece.  He'd reply via text rather than speech to minimize any sounds he'd make.

Jake had just finished bringing Tony up to speed when they heard the sound of an approaching vehicle.

"It's Susan and Norm," Jim said after checking the window.

When the two agents had parked in the garage and made their way inside, they were quickly made aware of what Nate had observed.

"This doesn't sound good," Susan observed.  "We have little to gain by an all out engagement.  We had hoped at a chance to make a move against Miss Rineri.  If we get in a firefight, a lot of people could get hurt, and she might not even be among those involved.  It would be easy enough for them to outnumber us, and we are not maneuverable here in the house.  It also makes no sense to call on reinforcements.  There is no explanation we can give the Bureau as to what we are planning."

"Once the battle begins, it's almost a given that Jake would need to Back-Track so we can avoid it," Norm added.

"Since that's the case, we should probably avoid the encounter from the beginning," Jake said.

"What are you suggesting?" Jim asked.

"If Nate is seeing the formation of a large force that intends to engage us, we have nothing to gain by allowing the confrontation.  We should simply leave so they find this place deserted when they arrive.  We'll have to think of another way to pursue Miss Rineri."

"Where do we go?" Norm asked.

"My place to start.  They don't know who I really am, so it should be safe enough.  Once there, we can plan without the pressure of time how to proceed."

"Tony and I were talking this morning," Eric said.  "I think we missed the ideal opportunity.  We know that four of those who arrived on the plane in Livermore are not their Back-Tracker, which means it is almost certainly this woman.  We were situated in a spot that was easily within sniper range, and she was open and exposed when she exited the plane.  It's a time and opening we know about, and were even in place had we simply known in advance what to expect.  Perhaps Jake should Back-Track and we could plan to take a shot at her then.  All of this could be avoided, and we might have our confirmation she's who you are after."

Jake listened with interest.  He hadn't seen the setup himself, but if Eric and Tony considered it a viable option, perhaps that would be the way they should proceed.  He was about to suggest discussing it with Tony when his phone buzzed again.

"Jake, they are on the move.  There's a lot of them.  In addition to the three Hummers, a pair of Ford SUVs are coming, and a couple of passenger vehicles.  I have no idea if Natalie Rineri is among them, but I spotted her brother in the passenger seat of one of the Fords.  What do you want me to do?"

"Follow them, but stay well back and don't let yourself be spotted," Jake warned unnecessarily.  "We need to discuss what we want to do.  I'll call you back in a few minutes."

Jake hung up and looked at the others.

"It appears they are on the way.  Nate says there are even more of them than we expected.  Jeff Rineri is among them, so I'm certain we can expect Paul Martin as well, but there's no assurance that Natalie Rineri is coming.  She wouldn't be of any use in a gunfight, and would only be here if they felt her ability was beneficial and easier to use if she was on hand.  If they cut off cellular service, depending on how they do it, she might be left out of contact if she's back in the city."

"We should go," Susan said.  "There's nothing to gain by this kind of a fight, and I like Eric's idea a lot better.  How long before they get here?"

"It's about forty-five minutes if there is no traffic," Jake said.  "Let me alert Tony, and we should pack up and go."

While the others set off to get ready, Jake made a call to Tony.

"Send Eric out with the other rifle and a couple of the small explosives I showed him last night," Tony texted.  "You can make enough noise to get the spotters attention that he should be able to get here without being seen.  I can take their sniper out if he spots Eric.  We can make sure they don't follow you when you go, and we'll hike out the back way where we have the other car."

Jake explained to the others what Tony wanted.  Eric headed off to get the rifle and remote controlled bombs.  Susan and Norm had each grabbed an AR, while Jim had one of the short-barreled shotguns that Tony had provided.  He handed an AR to Jake with a small bag of magazines.

"We hopefully won't be needing these, but just in case we should leave well armed," he said with a grimace.

"Let us go out and start loading the cars," Norm said.  "We aren't the target their sniper is looking for.  They want a shot at you.  They would have to think shooting one of us would give away their presence."

"We'll be alerting the convoy that we are leaving," Jim said.  "The spotters will almost certainly tell them what they are seeing."

"Won't matter," Jake said.  "They can't get here any faster, and it's only ten minutes maximum for us to get from here to the 280 freeway and head south."

"Keep your head down," Jake said to Eric as he prepared to go out the back door.  Susan had already opened up the garage, which should have caught the attention of the watchers.

"Tony will cover me, and if it goes bad, you can Back-Track and we'll try it differently," Eric said with confidence.  "I'll see you at your place."

Jake watched as his friend slipped out the door and made his way quietly away from the house.  Jake couldn't help holding his breath as he waited for a shot that would indicate Eric had been spotted, but it never came.  Long minutes passed before Tony sent a message.

"Eric made it without incident.  When you start to go, he'll take out their sniper.  I'm making my way down the hill to plant the explosives in their vehicles.  Given me ten minutes.  We'll blow them at the same time Eric takes out their shooter.  Then we'll follow."

He had just read the text when Nate called again informing him that the caravan was definitely headed south.  Jake told him to break away and head toward San Jose.  They'd meet up there.

"We have ten minutes for Tony to be ready, then we move," Jake warned the others.  "We want to be well away from here when they reach the turn-off for Half Moon Bay."

Jake received a text from Tony eight minutes later indicating that he was ready. 

"Let's go," Jake told the others.

As the foursome headed for the garage, Jake heard the single sharp crack of a rifle as Eric took down their sniper.  There was no reason to wait and risk him making a lucky shot into one of the cars as they drove away.  Almost at the same time, two sharp explosions signaled the destruction of the two cars hidden off in the trees.

Moments later they were on their way, speeding down the driveway and onto the road, turning east toward the freeway.

Tony and Eric watched them go.

"How about we wait and provide our visitors a bit of a surprise?  There's the small chance that Miss Rineri will be among them, and she might even show herself if they believe everyone is gone.  We can slip out the back easily enough afterwards."

Eric grinned and nodded.  Maybe they would be able to conclude this after all.

Late Saturday Afternoon, May 21

Natalie looked out the window of the square-shaped Hummer in which she rode.  Hers was the second vehicle in the string that made up their convoy.  Paul was on her right, and Jeff on her left, but she could still see outside easily enough as the rugged vehicle made its way onto the freeway and headed south out of San Francisco.  She didn't know the name of their driver, a hulking man with a heavy beard.  In the front passenger seat, Thomas, their host and a close friend of Paul's despite their being associated with different families within the Organization, spoke softly with someone in another of the vehicles.  Thomas was about the same age as Paul.  He had thick black hair cut short, with piercing gray eyes.  He was not in any way handsome, with an oversized nose and a grim expression, but he'd been remarkably helpful since their arrival.

Supposedly their Hummer was lightly armor plated, and would resist any handgun fire as well as most rifle fire.  It was the only reason that Paul had consented to her coming along, even though she'd made the point that being on hand might be useful in case something went wrong which she might have to Backslide in order to correct.  Paul had been intent on keeping her hidden away where she'd be safe, so this was the first time she had been out of the house where they had been staying since their arrival.  The scenery intrigued her, and she tried to catch glimpses of as much of their surroundings as possible.  She had never been to San Francisco before, and would have liked to visit some of the more famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge. 

"Do you really think this will work?" she asked Paul softly enough she doubted that Thomas or the driver could hear her.  "Trask will be able to loop back and they'll be prepared for our arrival."

"He'll be our primary target," Paul promised.  "Him and that other one we haven't identified as yet.  It'll be dark, so they won't see our men when they sneak up on the house.  We'll disable both the cell tower and their landline, and with luck we can release the gas into the house so they'll be groggy and not responding normally.  Once those two are taken out, we can resort to normal tactics, and we far outnumber them."

"What if the person we want isn't either of them?" she asked.

"It has to be.  They are the only two unknowns that we have spotted.  We know that the others can't be their Backslider, and they wouldn't risk being exposed without that person being on hand.  Not until their problem with us is resolved.  Our spotters haven't seen anyone else around the house where they are staying."

"I still don't see what they hope to gain by coming all the way to the West Coast and hiding out like this," Natalie noted.

"I think they are attempting to stay safe until they can unravel who among us is able to Backslide," Paul said softly.  "I have had reports that they have agents in your old college town, and others are probably watching each of our homes."

Jeff was about to speak, when Thomas cursed unexpectedly. 

"Move to a safe location and keep an eye on the place," Thomas directed whoever he was speaking with.  Then he hung up angrily.

"Problems," he said looking over the seat toward Paul.  "Your friends have help we didn't anticipate.  They had someone hidden away outside the house, and whoever it was made a very long shot and killed your sniper.  At nearly the same time, they triggered some explosives they somehow planted on the two vehicles we believed were safely hidden from sight.  Neither vehicle is useable."

"Why would this happen now?" Natalie asked.

"Coincidence?" Jeff suggested.

"Impossible," Thomas spat.  "They must have known our people were watching them all the time, and simply allowed us to believe we were unobserved.  They must also have had someone watching the estate, and know we are coming for them.  How else would they know to act just at this moment?  My men said immediately after the shooting and the destruction of the two cars, your friends in the house drove away in their cars."

"They're escaping?" Paul asked unhappily.

"Those in the house have already left," Thomas explained.  "We don't know about whoever was hidden on the hillside watching.  They might still be there, or they might be working their way to a vehicle they had hidden away."

"If they had someone watching the estate, could they be following us now?" Natalie asked.

Tomas spoke briefly with the driver. After a moment he ordered, "Check with the other drivers."

Thomas looked back at Natalie.

"He says there was a tan sedan he was curious about which followed us onto the freeway, but it pulled ahead and disappeared shortly afterwards.  He hasn't seen it since then.  It was the only other vehicle that drove onto the freeway at the same time we did."

The driver said something softly to Thomas, and he nodded, then added to what he'd told the passengers a moment before.

"None of the other drivers have seen the sedan since it pulled away.  If it looped around and was attempting to follow, those in the back would be aware."

"There's no point in going to Half Moon Bay," Thomas said.  "Not if they're gone.  We've lost the element of surprise we thought would help us even if they hadn't fled."

"We'll have to hope they are going to the house in San Jose," Paul said.  "We'll shift the operation to there.  They won't be expecting us to know about that place."

"And if that's not where they are going?" Natalie asked.

"Then we have lost them," Paul said.  "Then we might as well go home.  They know about us, and we know about them, and it'll be a stalemate until we can plan something else.  For that, we might as well be back on our home ground.  We have more resources there.  I'm willing to bet they are going to the home of this Trask fellow, or Jake Waters I guess we should call him."

"You don't think they might be going to Reno?" Jeff asked.  "Your uncle says that's where this Waters used to live and we saw the Reno plates on the one car they had."

"It's something we'll look into if we don't find them here," Paul agreed, "but that would be a long drive for them to embark on tonight."

Paul had to hand it to Uncle Carlos.  Whoever he had in the Bureau providing him information had found the clue that might make this work out in their favor.  The consultant Bob Trask was somewhat of an anomaly, and had worked with the Carlson woman on a number of occasions.  No one knew much about him, but his uncle's contacts recalled him being addressed by another name.  A bit of checking had turned up links to a Jake Waters who now lived in San Jose after moving into the Bay area from Reno a few years earlier.  More checking had provided a driver's license with a familiar photo.  They had checked deeper, finding he had a wife with a young daughter, but both were currently missing.  The house was dark and quiet, and the daughter hadn't been to school for more than a week.

"San Jose then?" Thomas asked.

"It's our best shot," Paul agreed.  "We'll have to park on nearby streets and walk into his neighborhood.  This many cars coming in, especially after dark would alert all of the neighbors."

The convoy continued past the 92 turnoff that would have taken them west to Half Moon Bay.  The men waiting there would have to be patient until someone could be sent to pick them up.  Thomas made a call, then concentrated on what lay ahead.  He was less happy about an assault in a populated neighborhood.  The chances of the police getting involved were far greater than they would have been in the more rural area they'd been planning to attack.

"You are certain your man was able to defeat the alarms at the house?" Thomas asked.  If those they sought had gone there, and the alarms alerted them to the arrival of Thomas' men, then they would be unlikely to be able to complete the takedown before the police arrived.  That was something that couldn't be allowed.  They'd have to break off and leave rather than risk arrest.

"Aaron says the unit he installed this morning can be remotely activated at any time he wishes," Paul explained.  "It will provide us entry without alerting those inside, and if they attempt to reconfigure the system in any way from the master panel, their entire system will crash."

"How did he manage to develop all of that in the brief time he had access this morning?" Thomas asked.

Thomas had sent a team to watch the house the evening before and they had found the place deserted.  Early this morning Paul had sent Aaron along with several of Thomas's men to investigate the house.  That was when the electronics wizard had made his discovery regarding the type of alarms system being used, and made his modifications. 

"He didn't.  He was familiar with the type of system he found, and knew from something he had read a few months ago how this kind of system could be breached.  Apparently the government is aware of the weakness and has been quietly upgrading their systems, but this place hasn't gotten the upgrades as yet.  He simply had to tap into the system and insert the proper codes."

"Let's hope he's as good as you say.  If we trigger the alarms attempting to get in, we will have to pull out.  They'll know we know, and I don't know how you'll proceed after that."

"We have a solution if the alarms are triggered," Paul said, looking at Natalie.  Thomas didn't know about her ability, and they had no intention of telling him, but if the alarms were triggered, she'd be ready to make a quick Backslide and stop them from making the attempt to get in.  Paul didn't know how they'd get in if that happened, but hoped that Aaron would be able to come up with something.

"Once we get their door open without alerting them, we'll set the gas canister inside and let the air-conditioning circulate it through the house," Thomas said.  "It'll probably work even better than at the house we were planning on hitting, since this one has been closed up and is probably stuffy and warm.  The AC will be running full-time trying to cool it down and will circulate the gas more effectively."

The GPS unit in the Hummer led them unerringly into the neighborhood where Jake lived.  The convoy split into three components and parked on several side streets.  The men quietly climbed out of the vehicles, their long guns left behind.  Even in the dark there was enough light that the weapons would be easily distinguished by anyone who happened to look out their windows.  The handguns each man carried would have to be sufficient tonight, but given the expected element of surprise and the fact they far outnumbered their intended victims, they should prevail easily.

Aaron led the way to the house.  The three vehicles that had brought the agents from Half Moon Bay were parked in the driveway.  A quick check verified the hoods of the cars were still warm.  The man who checked nodded at Paul, and Jeff pointed to the Nevada plate.  Once the group was located in the copse of trees that bordered the street in front of Jake's place, Aaron triggered the small unit that should cause the alarms inside to fail to detect the opening of the door adjacent to the driveway.

"It's done," Aaron said, monitoring the display lights on his unit.

"Jeff, help Murray put the gas canister inside," Paul ordered.  "Listen carefully for any alarm or indication that they are aware that the door has been breeched.  We should be prepared to pull back if they have."

When Jeff and Murray returned, they indicated that Aaron's efforts had been successful.

"How long for the gas to do its work?" Paul asked.

"We'll give it ten minutes," Thomas said.  "There isn't enough to put them under, and given the way it's being distributed we can't be certain how effective it will be.  At the very least it should make them groggy, and slow down their response to our break in."

Impatiently, Paul monitored his watch.  Finally, he sighed and said, "Okay.  It's time.  Natalie stays out here on the cell phone until we indicate it's clear.  The prime targets are this Jake fellow and the guy from Reno.  Either might be the one we need to neutralize.  No shooting unless absolutely necessary until they are down.  Even suppressed, these folks will know that they are hearing weapons fire.  I'd like to take the others alive so we can ask questions, understand?"

Moments later fifteen men moved quietly through the door that Aaron had neutralized.  He waited outside with Natalie, ready to respond to any call that Paul might make based on what they found inside.  Natalie stood behind a stout tree, just to ensure that no one had a shot at her.  She was very much aware these people were seeking her, just as they were seeking the FBI's Backslider.

Paul wasn't certain where the people might be inside the house, but he expected they would all be on the lower level.  The upstairs was probably a family area, mostly bedrooms and play areas for the kid.  They wouldn't be retiring this early, especially after the events at Half Moon bay, so somewhere downstairs was most likely.  Aaron had looked through the windows when he had been here before, and they had a rough idea of the layout of the lower level.  Paul guessed they would be in the living room, which would be to their left as they entered, or in the kitchen in the back and on the far side of the house.  Aaron had noted a closed room with double doors which probably indicated a study, but Paul doubted that was large enough to hold the five people they expected to find here.

As Paul moved into the house, his gas mask in place and his suppressed Glock held ready, he noted the lights in the back of the house.  The living room was only dimly lit, which suggested there was no one there.  Jeff and Thomas stepped in immediately after Paul, and a dozen others followed after them, all with weapons ready.  Paul turned right deciding he wanted to pass by the living room to be certain it was empty before converging on the kitchen area in back.  Thomas directed five of his men to circle to the left, coming at the area from the opposite direction.