Seals Don't Lie (Book 2)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

John’s POV

            The guys and I spent two days walking around the property and getting to know the security team. They were pretty good, but Tommy, Ian and I managed to slip in and out of the house ten times without them knowing we were there. We showed them the holes in their grids, and helped them tighten the security. Twice I felt someone watching us, but never saw anyone.

            A week later, Ian stumbled on a few tracks in the woods just east of the house, along with a few cigarette buds. There had been a small part of me that was hoping this job would be simple, but I was still curious about that woman I had seen when we first arrived. Letting Tommy and Ian know I was going into to town to have a look around. Taking a camera with me, I find a well hidden place to watch from and wait.

            After waiting for three hours, I was rewarded when I saw her slip into the Diner. Carlos wasn’t with her this time. Keeping the camera trained on the door, I was able to get several clear shots of her face when she came out. She walks towards the edge of town and I follow her, making sure that I stay several cars behind. The woman pulls into the drive way of a nice small cottage like house, and I take more pictures.

            As I drove away, I caught a glimpse of several men standing in the woods. But when I looked again, they were gone. When I get back to the ranch, I download the pictures onto my lap top and call Diageo. “Boss.”

            “Did I call at a bad time Diageo?”

            “No, no John. What do you need?”

            “I’m sending you some pictures of a woman here in town and I want you to run her face. Find out who is she and let me know. Have you found out anything else about that Carlos guy?”

            “Yeah. Besides selling Ace’s Last Shot to the military, he invested several million dollars from the sale into some small time companies. By the end of three years, his investment made him billions. And he owns several large apartment buildings in Houston that he rents out for little to nothing to families who are in need.

            “I got the pictures boss. It might take a few…” His voice fades and I could tell that something was wrong.

            “What is it Diageo?”

            “We might have a problem boss. The pictures you just sent me, are they accurate?”

            “They are. I just took them. What’s the problem?” I ask curiosity eating at me. “I thought it would take a day or so to find out who the woman is, but the facial recognition software found a match in the military database. But John…There’s no way that this could be possible. The computer says that the mystery woman is a match to one Abriella McKenna.”

            “That can’t be right Diageo. Rerun the pictures.”

            “I did boss, several times. And each time I run them, the computer says they’re a match to Ace. How is that possible?”

            “I don’t know Diageo. I always had doubts about her death because the Ace I knew would have put up more of a fight than what the evidence showed at the cabin. And then at her funeral, I thought something was off about her body.” Tommy waved at me and I nodded. “Hey Diageo, I have to run. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll talk to you later.”I hang up and walk over to Tommy. “What’s up?”

            “Ian caught sight of three men last night circling the compound, but when he started towards them, they managed to spot him and escape. Looks like the old man wasn’t completely paranoid about someone watching him.”

            “Alright, tell his security team to double the rounds outside the house, and add more men inside the house. If they make a move to kill him, we’ll be waiting. Tell Ian to widen his perimeter around the house.” He nods and starts heading towards the guard house. Pulling out my phone, I quickly dial Sam’s number.

            “Hey John, I was just thinking about you. What’s up?”

            “Sam, I just received some news that…That can’t make since at all. I sent some pictures of a woman here in town to Diageo to run through facial recognition for me. We thought it would take several days to get any results, but he had a match just a few minutes after running the picture.”

            “So, what’s the problem John?”

            “The problem is that the person that the pictures match too is dead. And I know that because I was at the funeral.” Sam didn’t speak, but I knew he was still there. “You’re talking about Ace aren’t you?”

            “I am. Diageo said that the woman was a 100 percent match for Ace. And she was seen in town with one Carlos Caballero.”

            “Even though we saved his life, I doubt Ace would hang out with a man like him John.”

            “I know. But let’s say that your life was in danger and someone placed a bounty on your head. Carlos comes around to claim the bounty, but then decides against it. Instead, he fakes your death and helps create a new life for you. Now let’s say that you knew who Carlos is and what he did for a living. What would make you agree to the plan of faking your death and leaving without saying a word?”

            “I know why Ace would agree to do it John. She would agree to fake her death if she thought it was the only way to keep the people she loved safe and alive. If she believed that they were in danger of being hurt because of her in any way, she wouldn’t hesitate to do something like you suggested.” I hear a few voices in the background. I recognized Jason’s voice.   

            “Sam, don’t say a word about this conversation to Jake or Jason yet. I would like to confirm if it’s her first before I get their hopes up alright?”

            “I won’t tell anyone John. The second you know if it’s Ace or not, or if you need my help with anything, you have my number.”

            “That I do Sam. I’ll talk to you later.” My mind was so occupied with thoughts of Ace being alive that I didn’t notice a man slipping out of the woods towards a black SUV parked on the side of the road. Once he slid into the passenger seat, he picked up a phone and hit one number. “Jefe, tenemos un problema. El sello sabe que está viva, y él está con ganas de confirmación que es ella. (Boss, we have a problem. The Seal knows she's alive, and he's wanting confirmation it's her.)”

            “Gracias Jorge. (Thanks George.)” The van pulls away and everything is silent.