“High-risk extraction from hostile territory with potentially deteriorating weather conditions.” I stretched, working out the tension that always built during client calls.
Ty shook his head. “Do we have any advantages since it’s single-cartel control?”
“Predictable patterns,” I replied, settling into the familiar rhythm of tactical planning with guys who’d watched my back through multiple missions. “We know Diego Silva’s playbook—territory markers, patrol schedules, response protocols. But it also means absolute authority. If they decide we’re a problem…”
“They throw everything they’ve got at you guys,” Ethan finished. “Which is why you’ll have to be ghosts on this one.”
Jace pulled up satellite imagery, his screens lighting up with tactical overlays. “Speaking of ghosts, check this out. Silva patrols run through the valley twice daily—0900 and 1700 hours. Consistent as clockwork.”
“Diego’s old-school,” I said, studying the patrol routes. “Likes his schedules.”
“Old-school’s predictable school,” Ty observed. “That’s good for us.”
“Any direct surveillance on the clinic?” I asked.
“Negative. Basic presence patrol, not focused monitoring.” Jace highlighted the patrol routes in red. “If we time it right, we’ve got clean windows.”
Ethan clicked on the map. “All right, here’s how you’ll play it. You’ll go in as a meteorological team, studying weather patterns ahead of this hurricane.”
“Please tell me I don’t have to pretend to understand barometric pressure,” Ty said.
“You’ll be the muscle pretending to be a graduate student,” Jace replied with a grin. “Just carry the equipment and look confused. Shouldn’t be much of a stretch.”
“Cool. Let me run addhuman luggage rackto my résumé.”
“Boys,” Ethan interrupted, though I caught the hint of amusement in his voice. “Focus. Cover story gets you legitimate clearance to fly in and out. But it means you go slick.”
I already knew what was coming. “How slick?”
“Concealable pistols, couple extra mags each.” Ethan’s expression turned serious. “One submachine gun for emergencies, but it stays hidden unless everything goes to hell.”
“That’s optimistic,” Ty said. “When do our ops ever go according to plan?”
“Hey, remember Prague?” Jace offered. “That one went perfectly.”
“Prague ended with you hanging from a hotel balcony by your fingertips.”
“But the client extraction was flawless.” Jace grinned.
“Gentlemen.” Ethan’s voice carried just enough edge to bring us back on track. “Light loadout means if things go sideways, you acquire weapons from enemy combatants.”
“Ah, the oldkill them and take their stuffstrategy.” Ty nodded approvingly. “Classic.”
“Concealment over firepower,” I said, understanding the tactical calculus. “We’re betting on stealth and speed.”
“Seems like the best bet in this situation,” Ethan replied. “Remember, priority is getting all four doctors out without anyone knowing we were there.”
“Four scared civilians, light weapons load, hostile territory, and an incoming hurricane,” Jace summarized cheerfully. “Just another Tuesday at Citadel Solutions.”
I shook my head. “Right now, we’re dealing with general instability and criminal violence. But cartels are paranoid organizations. They might interpret our extraction as evidence that the medical team has been providing intelligence to outside authorities.”
The silence that followed was heavy with understanding. We’d all worked extractions where our presence inadvertently escalated threats against civilians we were trying to protect.
“All the more reason to use the meteorologist cover,” Ethan said finally. “Weather team flies in, takes some readings, flies out with a few passengers who want to evacuate in case a storm is coming. All right, people. You’re wheels up in six hours. I’ll be monitoring from here. Get your gear sorted and grab some sleep if you can.”
As the team began to disperse, the familiar banter fading into focused preparation, I remained seated, studying the satellite imagery. The clinic looked isolated and vulnerable, but I’d extracted people from worse places with worse odds.
The difference was, I’d never done it while pretending to be a meteorologist.
