Failed State (A James Winchester Thriller Book 1) (James Winchester Series) James Samuel (best book clubs txt) 📖

“That’s the problem. She doesn’t want to go back to her brother, she wants to stay here –”

“What the hell has gotten into you, Winchester?” Blake’s anger radiated down the phone. “I don’t give a damn if you have to take her by the neck. Get her out of there.”

James pressed his finger to the volume button with a frown. “That’s the thing. She told me Quezada comes here every so often and he only brings three men with him, including the driver. We could end this right here if we wait.”

Blake didn’t reply.

“Blake?”

“I heard you. It’s a risk. If he finds out you’re in the hacienda, he’ll throw everything he’s got at us.”

“But think of the possibilities. Taking her and then trying to find Quezada could take months. She told me that he doesn’t look like the file anymore. He’s had plastic surgery.”

“I see your point, Winchester. Let me call Wood and see what he has to say about this. This may need to be authorised.”

James rolled his eyes. “Authorised? When has anything ever had to be authorised during a contract?”

“Just stay where you are. I’ll drive the car down in a few hours. Make sure the gate is open.”

James ended the call and looked back at Jessi.

She reclined seductively on the bed, before finally looking into his eyes. “So, are you going to stay with me?”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Little taquerias and shops selling indigenous souvenirs imported from a warehouse in Mexico City punctuated the heart of Yuriria. Blake stood at the hood of his car with his arms folded as Sinclair got off the bus.

Blake approached him with a wave of his hand. “Wood, things have taken a turn. Winchester found Montoya. No guards. Only the aunt keeping her there.”

Sinclair gave a relaxed shrug. “Where is she now?”

“Still in the hacienda by the lake.” Blake vibrated with rage. “That worthless bitch won’t go nowhere. Winchester thinks it’s a smart idea to keep her there and wait for Quezada to show.”

Sinclair’s eyebrows knitted together as he thought it over. “That’s interesting. Very interesting. So, let him. This is our chance to wipe him off the board, you might say.”

“You don’t understand.” Blake pushed his sunglasses tight against his face. “How will we destroy the cartel if we take Quezada out now? Winchester believes this contract is only about Quezada.”

“I see your point, but you made it more complicated than it had to be.”

Blake grimaced. “Winchester will declare the mission complete if he kills Quezada now.”

Sinclair nodded. “Then he needs to know the truth about what the client wants. He must know what’s about to happen or we’re going to lose him. You know what James is like.”

Blake agreed with a gruff hock from the back of his throat. He knew James only too well, and it would cost them if he found out the truth at the wrong time. The client wanted the entire Santa Maria cartel taken out. If they killed Quezada now, another leader would rise and consolidate. They needed to slay all the heads, which meant all of Quezada’s lieutenants first.

“So, those are the facts. Did you try explaining to him why it would be better to leave the hacienda?”

For a smart man, Blake couldn’t believe how Sinclair could ask such stupid questions.

“Ah, I understand,” said Sinclair. “It should come as no surprise. We don’t really have a leg to stand on. The greatest possible chance of success is to wait at the hacienda for Quezada. How long has he been there?”

“A couple of hours. I said I would join him later.”

“Then, we need to let this play out,” said Sinclair. “Reasoning with James wouldn’t work as he knows as well as we do what the best option is. All we can do is wait and see.”

“Wait and see?” Blake spat the words. “And what happens if Quezada dies?”

Sinclair took a deep breath. “Come up with a Plan B, Blake. You were sent here by Gallagher. It’s up to you to manage this. Not my problem.”

Blake bit his lips. “Then that’s what I’ll do. You keep in touch with Winchester. I need to make sure Quezada stays alive, for now.”

Chapter Forty

Aunt Camilia, a friendly, doddering old woman seemed content to continue about her business without a care for the gringo in her home. The first thing he noticed was the hacienda didn’t have a phone and the old woman didn’t own a cell phone. She still lived in the previous century and appeared happy to continue doing so.

Blake arrived to check out the hacienda and ensure they were stocked and supplied for weeks to come. He displayed a coldness that revealed exactly what he thought of the plan. James didn’t agree with it, either, but he wasn’t about to drag Jessi out.

James found himself a room next to Jessi’s. Like most of the rooms, it had little of any note, other than sagging bed and some furniture that had seen better days. It would have to make do.

“It’s a big gun,” said Jessi.

James lowered his Colt AR-15 that Blake had delivered, along with a few boxes of ammunition. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

He turned around in the armchair that he’d heaved upstairs. As part of the terms of remaining in the hacienda, James had banned Jessi from going downstairs. He had moved the entire living quarters to the second floor. The risk of Quezada ambushing them if he got wind of what had happened was too high.

“Do you know how to shoot?” asked James.

“Me? No, no, no.” Jessi backed away. “I never had anything to do with my brother’s business.”

James looked over the masses of ammo Blake had unloaded from his car. They had