Locked and Loaded by Alexis Grant Page B

informs us that the top five distributors in Salazar’s camp will be coming together to take the product right before Mardi Gras—and it appears that the Salazars are also assisting Assad with brokering some weapons holding locations up in Canada through his northeast network. Salazar is in this waist-deep with Assad. So our agent is going to have to introduce you in Miami within the next day or so to get you inside,” Hank said. “Are you ready?”
    “Affirmative,” Anthony stated flatly. “My chain of command is already aware of the unusual circumstances and I have clearance to proceed.”
    “Good,” Hank replied. “Nice to have the army on our side going after this bullshit.”
    As soon as Anthony disconnected the call with Hank Wilson, he phoned his team, driving hard toward the airport.
    “I need a bird out of Miami International and I need an eleven-man unit on the ground in New Orleans. Copy?”
    “I copy, Captain,” Lieutenant Hayes said. “Will get a bird cleared and a drop team ready to rock and roll. Will also position a tractor trailer in both locations with portable choppers from the 160th Airborne.”
    “Roger that. Also put our MI eye in the sky on a private Gulfstream III, ID—Alpha, Charlie, Tango, three, five, niner—copy?”
    “I copy. Will send sat images to your encrypted cell phone and laptop. Should be able to give you a time of landing, debark, and will do our best to track where their vehicles are headed, sir.”
    “Their destination has got to be somewhere near the docks. Our partner agency’s target has warehouses there and I’ve been informed that’s where the party went. There’s a high probability that’s how they’re gonna bring the product in—by shipping containers. But position our unit at NAS and the Joint Reserve base to be ready for a boots-on-the-ground assault backed up by a couple of Apaches.”
    “Your contact at DEA confirmed New Orleans as a new target site?”
    “Affirmative. High probability that contraband coming in will be done on false shipping manifests. Weapons going out in that large a quantity are going to have to pass through shipping manifests, too. Could be headed toward Mexico en route to Canada—it just can’t happen on the ground by truck, if it’s coming from a US source. Trucks are too easy to search and seize. Large vessels are a search nightmare and are practically safe once in international waters where maritime law applies. But cash can be as simple as a wire transfer or as old school as loaded in car trunks.”
    “Any word on a weapons source yet, Captain?”
    “Negative. Inform chain of command that our blind spot is the fact that we do not have a lock on the weapons buy yet, which can happen in Europe or anywhere in the world from old Soviet stockpiles. We have a lead link to Canada—and DEA is positioning my entry into that scenario as we speak. Remember our mission is to not only apprehend our primary target and disrupt the deal, but to also find out the source of his weapons buy and to seize his cash. Relay our updated intel to the commander via chain of command, Lieutenant.”
    “Roger, Captain. Rendezvous in New Orleans. Hoooah!”

CHAPTER 6
     
    Sage slid onto the bar stool at the Ritz Carlton and exchanged air kisses with Special Agents Andrea McCoy and Cheryl Whittaker, aka Jacqueline Perez and Suzanne White. Strategically positioning herself so that her back was to the men guarding her while facing her friends, Sage ordered a club soda and lime. The setup allowed the two female agents to keep an eye on Bruno and his men while she appeared detached.
    Soft music was playing at the piano bar, which was a wondrous relief to the mild headache that still intermittently nagged her. Doing a nightclub at this point was completely out of the question. The throbbing music and tight crowds within a South Beach hot spot would have been like driving a railroad spike through her temple. The less chaos the better.
    To Bruno and his