I don’t know what kind of target area we’re looking at. Hopefully the kid can get us a general location and the Colombian can give us the rest. This could be a hit and run or it could be an all-out war. If this is Cordoba it could be nasty. Last chance to back out, guys.”
Mike and Robert never flinched or hesitated. They simply returned to the task of ensuring the maximum effectiveness of their weapons. They knew Joey D. and they knew that if the situation were reversed, he would be checking the weapons before heading out on the mission.
It was early evening before Goat returned to the motel. He was excited and breathing heavy as he closed the room door and sat on the bed. He began speaking rapidly in Spanish, just as he had when he notified Seven of the kidnapping. Colt bent down in front of the boy and consumed the information that was being provided. Seven was able to make out several of the words rapidly exiting the boy’s mouth. One word in particular captured Seven’s attention as he heard it repeated over and over again “Cordoba.”
It was the worst-case scenario as predicted by Colt. Word had filtered back to José Cordoba that a large Italian man had popped up in Matamoros asking questions about drugs coming out of the El Toro Negro distribution center. The information was most likely provided by one of the interviewees. Seven assumed that Diego Montenegro, the man so willing to discuss the drug trade and name names with Joey, was also willing to notify the Cordoba Cartel of the gringos snooping around town. He was sure that the cartel paid better than the Americans.
Colt grabbed the yellow legal pad on the table and began making notes. Mike and Robert watched Colt interrogate the boy but did nothing else. They were foot soldiers in this war; Colt was the leader. Colt spoke with Goat for more than an hour. He repeated many of the details over and over again, ensuring that nothing was overlooked. Cabra had spent the day on the street working every contact he could locate. Cartel activity in the town of Matamoros had never been secretive; there was