Pyotr had seen many things in his life but what he had just witnessed pretty much stood above them all.
“We can’t just sit here and do nothing!” exclaimed Alexa having watched the boy being bundled into the van.
“You’re right, we can’t!” offered Pytor, matter of factly. Internally, however, he was as outraged as Alexa. “Let’s get out of here!”
“What about the boy?”
“Our orders are to observe. We can’t get involved!”
“We have to do something! We should at least call the police.”
Pyotr was a father himself. “Perhaps.”
Alexa did not need any more encouragement and dialed 911 immediately, relaying the address and what had just transpired.
As Pyotr pulled away, he caught sight of the Latino man grabbing the woman in the drive. He eyeballed him, wishing he could do more but his orders were simple. Just observe. As they exited the estate, police sirens cut through the air confirming they had taken Alexa’s call seriously. The death of those same sirens just a few seconds later left Pyotr wondering just what the hell he had become involved in and beginning to wish he had been busy when the call requesting his services in sunny Texas had come in.
“What do we do now?” asked Alexa as silence reigned again.
“I have absolutely no idea,” replied Pytor, shaking his head in frustration.
It wasn’t the first time Sean had been tasered but it certainly was the first time he had been tasered in anger. As the volt surge passed, much to the surprise of the border officers, Sean was able to stand up almost immediately, ruining their plans to have him in cuffs before he recovered. Three officers had rushed to back up the female officer. Sean knew he was an imposing figure, tall, wide-chested, muscular and, thanks to six months in the wilds, in great shape. The officers dropped their tasers as he stood up and went for their side-arms.
Sean raised his arms slowly in surrender, hoping their trigger happiness was left for their tasers.
“Whoa guys, I’m on your side,” he said calmly.
“On the ground, hands behind your back!” commanded one of the officers. His name badge said he was 'V. Suarez’.
Sean reluctantly got back down on the ground. Once he was in cuffs, they’d relax and listen to him. The boy was still his priority.
As he got on the ground, the female officer moved quickly and forced her knee with some conviction into his back while securing him in handcuffs.
Whilst the first officer covered him, the other two male officers grabbed an arm each and helped Sean back to his feet.
“A boy has been kidnapped.” Sean nodded his head towards the Mexican side of the river. “Can someone please tell the Mexican authorities?!”
Suarez looked firstly at Sean and then at the female officer. Sean’s revelation of a kidnap was not what he had expected to be his first words.
The female officer stood firm. Sean could see the look of defiance on her face and for the first time, he read her name badge, filing it away for future, 'S. Martinez’. Sean prayed she had some gender issues and would one day go through the surgery to become a man. That day would be the day he could hit the stupid bitch for what she had done. Sean’s mother had raised him well. He just couldn’t lift a finger to hurt a woman, unless of course she was a terrorist but then as far as Sean were concerned, terrorists weren’t human, let alone female.
“It’s bullshit! He just wanted to get through the barrier and as I explained, this is for commercial vehicles only,” explained Martinez with conviction and some swagger.
Sean thanked God he was cuffed. His mother’s memory was close to being disrespected as Martinez pushed him to the edge.
Suarez looked with some disdain at his female colleague before turning back to Sean. “What vehicle were they in?” he asked.
“A white E series, license number…”
“Uncuff him,” ordered Suarez, interrupting Sean.
“But the license? You’ll need it to alert the Mexicans,” argued Sean as his hands were released.
“You’re not from around here, Mr…?”
“Fox, Sean Fox,” replied Sean automatically. “ But what’s that got to do with a kidnapped child, what if it were your child?”
Suarez waved his colleagues away and taking Sean by the arm, led him back to his car. Directing him to take a seat behind the wheel.
“It has everything to do with that kidnapped child. That van you were following is a Los Zetas van.”
The blank expression on Sean’s face told Suarez he really wasn’t from the area, or anywhere near at all.
“All we can do for that boy is pray that the Zetas get whatever it is they want!”
Sean was incensed. The guy was a law enforcement officer and he had just told Sean he was going to do nothing about a kidnapped American boy. He tried to exit the car.
Suarez pushed back against Sean’s door and placed his other hand on his pistol. The message was clear. The conversation was over. Sean had outstayed his welcome. Sean looked into Suarez’ eyes and, much to his surprise, saw nothing but fear.
“Are you going to lift this barrier?” asked Sean, resigning himself to the fact that nobody was going to help and it was down to him.
“I’m sorry, Sir, you’ll have to turn back. This is for commercial vehicles only,” replied Suarez deadpan.
“You are fucking kidding me?” Sean stared into Suarez’ eyes. Again the look in his eyes was not a man being stubborn about the rules; the guy was genuinely terrified.
“I’m saving both our lives!” replied Suarez sincerely, before walking back to his office.
Sean waited a few seconds to see if they were just playing with him but the barrier stayed down. He was not getting through. He thought about the boy now almost certainly miles from the border, deep in Nuevo Laredo, the Mexican side of Laredo. A metropolitan area that spanned the two countries, Laredo/Nuevo Laredo was home to almost a million people. That was unfortunately the extent of Sean’s knowledge and that had been garnered from the local map left in the rental car. He really wasn’t from around there and had no idea what Los Zetas was. In fact, in the last ten/fifteen years, he wasn’t even really from America; eighty to ninety percent of the time, he had been on other continents.
Shot at, tasered, cuffed and witness to a kidnap. Not even his worst days in Afghanistan had been as dangerous as what had just happened. He wasn’t even taking account of the detention at the airport, DNA test and transcontinental flight. All because he didn’t go to the beach.
He started the car, selected reverse and did what he should have done to begin with, find out what exactly he was up against. Gung ho had failed miserably. First though, he needed to make a call and for that, he needed a phone. A plain simple phone.