She slowed as she approached the first range of foothills, scanning the sky for any drones or worse, military helicopters. Hunter parked her pickup in a shallow wash and trotted up the hill on foot. She carried a small pair of Zeiss binoculars, and this time she had entered Mexico armed. She hated to do it, and knew that if arrested, they would throw the book at her and she could spend years in a Mexican prison, but the boys made her decision imperative. The compact pistol was a Sig Sauer 229 in .40 caliber and she carried it in a concealed holster that fit inside the waist of her jeans, hiding the pistol, but allowing for easy access.
Moving to the top of the hill, Hunter lowered to her knees and crawled the last few feet to the top, making sure to keep her head behind a spindly clump of tobosa grass struggling to survive. Easing her eyes up beside the cover, she immediately saw David and Lonny. They were too close to the top on the second range of foothills. Lonny continually bobbed his head above the ridge, reminding Hunter of a skittish turkey, David lay behind some prickly pear with his head going to the side, then back.
Hunter studied the terrain and saw a path to the boys. Sliding backwards off the hill, she rose to her feet until low enough and made her way to them.
David jumped when Hunter reached them without being heard. Lonny said, “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
Hunter said, “What’s on the other side of this hill? I see lots of dust in the air, and I hear vehicles.”
David said, “That only started about an hour ago, before that, everything was quiet.”
“How did they catch Carlos?”
Lonny said, “He was stupid, thought he could sneak down and look in the big warehouse. That was when everything was quiet.”
“Where is he now? You said you saw him.”
David took a small stick and drew in the dirt, making one large rectangle, a mid-sized one and further away, a much smaller one. “The big one is where the drones are. We saw them moving some in and some out. The mid-sided building is where most of the people are, and some of the vehicles. They have guns, too.”
He tapped the smallest drawing, “This is whe
re they took Carlos. We heard him scream once, but nothing since then.” David’s eyes were large when he said it.
“How many men took him in there?”
“Two. They’re still there.”
Hunter eased up by the prickly pear and used her binoculars to study the basin. Men moved equipment from several buildings, and some drones as well, loading them in large tractor-trailer rigs.
She studied the small wooden building and saw there was one small window in the rear wall, away from all the activity. She said, “Okay, I need for you to make a diversion when I give the signal.” She pointed at their personal drones ten feet from them, “Those should do it. I need for you to have everyone look away from Carlos’ building, but only when I tell you.”
They nodded, faces serious. David said, “Do you want us to buzz them?”
“I think that all you have to do is fly your drones in the air like you’re observing, which you will be doing, and let them see.”
“Okay,” the boys said together.
‘I’m going to sneak down there, and when I’m ready I’ll give you a sign like this, so be watching.” She held up her arm, fist clenched, then pumped it up and down twice. She scanned the far horizon, and then used her binoculars to do the same. Far to the west, two specks flew in the air, appearing to head their way.
Her heart thumped. Helicopters. She said, “When the copters get close enough for you to see or hear, you run. Don’t wait a second longer, you hear me?” They nodded. She hurried off the hill and found the trail she wanted, pushing through the mesquite and yucca in the draw, passing through the foothills and out to the opening into the basin.
She checked all the activity and moved in a circle until the small building blocked her from anyone’s sight. Taking a deep breath, Hunter ran across the open area half-crouched and watching the single window in the building.
The building seemed old and rickety, with gray, unpainted wood for the sides. She reached it, and raised her head to use one eye at the bottom corner of the frame to peer inside.
Carlos sat on the floor against the wall. His lip appeared puffy and he had a half-closed left eye that was already turning purple. The two men sat in wooden chairs across from him. One played with his phone, while the other drank from a bottle of tequila.
She heard the faintest whop-whop-whop sound. There was not any time left. She gave them the sign and watched as the two small drones lifted into the air and flew like darts to the opposite side of the clearing, where they hovered at a hundred feet, moving slightly left and then back to get the attention of the men below.
It worked. People scrambled in every direction.
Hunter peeked into the window again and saw the two men open the cabin door, stepping outside.
She tapped on the glass. Carlos looked, his eyes widened when he saw her. She motioned him to the window and he rose, trying to be quiet, and opened the window. Hunter helped him out just as the man with the phone turned to look inside.
He yelled at the other man and both started around the building.
The Helicopters were clearly audible now, and she saw them coming low, the noses leaning forward and the tails slightly higher, in attack mode.