Chapter 16 - Worse Idea Ever
“You want what?” Manuel asked incredulously.
“I need to gather intelligence on the Barbosa compound,” the General whispered.
“I need to stay here with her. I’m not leaving her alone. There’s no way in hell I will leave her unprotected,” Manuel whispered fervently.
“You know I can still hear you two, right?” I whispered teasingly.
“Shit!” Both men exclaimed, forgetting to whisper.
“Busted.” I laughed quietly.
I was worried about the General going close to the compound. If this compound was anything like the one in California it was going to be hard to get close.
I walked over to my backpack looking for my maps of the region. I wasn’t sure where the compound was located in Brazil but I could let the men, who were going, know where the sentries and cameras were in relation to California.
Manuel whistled, knocked and both men walked back into the house.
The General looked at the maps on the bed. “What are you doing?”
“Where would his compound be on the map?” I asked in a low tone of voice.
The General and Manuel pointed on the map. It was closer to the Columbian drug trade, of course. So, he has a base in California and Brazil. I wondered if he had one in Columbia too.
“I need a map of the compound. I want to show you where the security is at this compound,” I murmured.
“But, you have never been to this compound,” The General pointed out.
I laughed lowly, shaking my head at dumb people everywhere. No wonder their high-end satellites never worked. “Uh, I know his securities inside and out.”
“You what? How in the world did you find out his security rotation?” The General asked bewildered.
“Because, the idiot would have me sit next to him thinking that a dumb female couldn’t read maps. What did he think I did with all my time up in my room all night, play with myself?” I whispered blushing.
“Smart. So, he would leave his maps out not knowing you could read them? How do you know it won’t be a different set-up?” Manuel asked quietly.
“He doesn’t like change. Plus, he forgets security codes and sentry duty unless it’s the same. He won’t let anyone tell him different. I figured in the next ten years he will forget everything. If he does there will be a huge vacuum in California and here.” I paused for a minute - thinking. “I know it sounds crazy but what if we got help from one of the other cartels and have them help us...no, it won’t work. The monster’s men are ruthless. They would kill to rise to the position of boss. They wouldn’t let anyone else take over. It would be a bloodbath.” I shrugged my shoulders.
The General and Manuel were pacing. I could tell they were both thinking about my words but the more I thought about my thoughts the worse they sounded. I spoke out of turn but in my defense I was only spitting out ideas. The worst thought ever - yep, that was me. But, I was trying. At least I could help with was the security and sentries.
The General stopped his pacing, causing Manuel to quit pacing with him. “Okay, first let’s see what you got.” He pulled his close up map of the compound out of his rucksack, handing to me. “Do your damage, Seri, I’ve got more of those maps.”
I pulled the map closer to me and started pin-pointing the sentry positions first. When the sentries were in jaguar form I marked them with a j. When the sentries were in the form of a man I marked them with the letter m. It took awhile but when I was finished with the sentries I moved on to the cameras, putting a letter c on those spots. I also wrote down the security codes to every building, including the jail or the place they put people to ransom. I swallowed a couple of times before I finished all the codes. The thought of what they did to their ransom victims sickened me. When I was completely finished, I handed the map back to the General.
The General and Manuel looked at the map for a few minutes and then looked at me.
“How?” The General asked.
“I have a photogenic mind. I can hear or see and it sticks forever. I started when I was a child.” I stood up and pointed to a point on the map swallowing thickly. “This is where they keep people for ransom. I can guess what they will want for him, how about you?”
“That will never happen,” someone said from the door.
All three of us jerked our heads to the door.
“Who the hell are you?” I asked.