Livewire

Chapter 39

Leon pulled the van to a stop at the side of the road, a hundred metres or so back from the compound. The Aguila Logistica facility was just outside town, in a small industrial area, hiding in plain sight among legitimate businesses.

Leon turned in his seat and held out two lanyards. "These are your ID badges. They should get you inside."

Kyle took them and inspected the cards. They looked real enough. He handed Jorge his pass and put his own round his neck. They climbed out of the van and walked towards the gate. A single security guard stood at the pedestrian access, leaning against the fence.

His heart was racing inside him while they approached. Jorge walked up to the gate first and the guard looked at him with suspicious eyes.

The guard held up his hand. "Pase."

Jorge pinched the corner of the ID pass and lifted it to the guard, to give him a good view. The guard took up a small hand torch and shined it onto the pass, examining it with scrutiny.

He waved Jorge forward. "Entran."

Kyle followed up next and repeated the process exactly. The guard shined his torch on the pass, then flicked it up to Kyle's face, dazzling him. His eyes squinted for a moment then he returned the torch to the pass.

"Entran."

Instant relief. The first hurdle was over, but many more still had to be passed.

Inside the facility were only a few trucks, with the cabs parked separately from the trailers. Jorge led the way, strutting over to the warehouse to find the office. In the forecourt was a truck cab, hitched up to a trailer with a container. Behind the truck was the office.

Jorge pushed the door open while Kyle stood back. He knew his Spanish was not up to the task. The foreman turned to a cabinet with lots of little draws, then pulled out a key from one of them. He then grabbed a clipboard and passed it to Jorge with a pen. Jorge scribbled on the paper, presumably signing for the keys.

They left the office and walked toward the truck on the forecourt. This was their vehicle. Jorge was calm and walked up to the vehicle. He unlocked the doors and climbed into the cab. Kyle followed suit.

There was another clipboard inside with more paperwork.

Jorge picked it up and looked it over. "This is for the cargo, to be signed at the port on delivery. I'll do a quick once round the truck, then we'll get on the road."

Jorge climbed back out of the cab and started to walk round the truck. Kyle watched him in the wing mirror going down the side, checking the tyres and looking at the trailer. When he'd done a full circuit he checked all the lights worked, then got back into the driver's seat.

"Ok, let's go."

The engine rumbled a deep throaty growl when he turned it on. Pneumatics hissed and the truck pulled forward. Jorge was in his zone, a seasoned professional. They pulled out of the warehouse and turned a perfect arc towards the gates, stopping in front of the closed, road access gate.

The same security guard walked up and opened one gate at a time to let them pass through. The engine growled while it idled, then roared when Jorge pulled forward again. The truck pulled out onto the road, sweeping to the left and the gates were shut behind them.

They drove past Leon in the van, who then pulled away, following on behind. Phase one of the plan was complete. Phase two was about to begin.

The refinery was some way out of town and took half an hour to reach from the truck compound. The roads were deserted and in the darkness there was an eeriness. Leon stopped the van where the second truck and forklift were parked up and Jorge and Kyle continued alone on to the refinery.

White noise burst from the walkie talkie. "Van crew in position. Marta is here on the bike too. Over."

"Thanks Leon. We'll confirm once we're en route with the cargo. Over and out."

Jorge pulled to a stop outside the refinery gates. The cartel security was already waiting for them, armed with their submachine guns, slung over the shoulder. Jorge wound the window down and held up both their ID badges to the guard. The guard pointed to the gates and an electric motor whirred, then the gates slid apart.

The truck rolled forward and one of the guards inside directed them towards the loading bay. Jorge manoeuvred the truck with ease, swinging it forward then reversing it back. The reversing alert sounded off and while the truck inched backwards. There was a man in a dayglow vest behind them, guiding them back, waving his hands in short flicking motions towards himself.

The guide held out his palm to signal them to stop. Jorge put on the hand brake and the pneumatics hissed.

"We'll leave the guns inside the truck." He reached down and tucked the pistol into the door pocket, out of sight.

His hands were sweating and shaking. He wiped them on his trousers then took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "Let's do this."

They climbed down out of the truck and walked to the back. Again, Jorge did the talking and Kyle got the back doors of the container open. There was a small gap between the loading stage and the container, so they positioned a ramp to span the distance.

A roller door opened up at the back of the loading bay to the refinery beyond. It was noisy inside, with grinding and banging noises. There was an orange glow reflecting off the walls, probably from the furnaces. The heat from inside was noticeable on the air he breathed and the smell of fumes was distinct.

Beyond the doors he saw the gold stacked onto pallets and covered in canvas. The orange glow glinted off the shiny surface of the bars not fully covered by the canvas. His eyes widened. He'd never seen so much gold before. Thousands of bars were stacked onto the pallets. It took all his effort not to let his mouth gape open.

Jorge jumped onto a forklift and got to work loading the pallets into the container. He stayed calm and handled the forklift with great care. It was vital they didn't rush. Any out of place action could give the game away. Kyle stood back and watched each time Jorge approached a pallet, lifted it on the forks, then drove it into the container.

The forklift then reversed out and repeated the process for the next pallet. Each time Jorge backed out of the truck he could feel his anxiety building. He wanted to get out of there, but he needed to be patient.

Finally the last pallet was loaded. Once the forklift had backed out, he walked up and removed the ramp, then closed the container doors and secured them shut. Jorge approached and Kyle nodded to him. They walked down the loading stage toward the cab.

"¡Detente!"

He froze to the spot. A shiver washed over his whole body. It was like the blood drained from him in a wave.

"Stop right there."

The voice was all too familiar. Pepe.

Kyle turned slowly to face him. He didn't want to believe it but when he saw Pepe's face, he felt instantly sick. Behind him were several guards, all pointing their MP5 submachine guns at Kyle and Jorge.

Pepe pointed at them. "Detenerlos."

Kyle's hand rested on the walkie talkie in his pocket. Through the fabric his fingers found the speak button.

"Hello again Pepe. Didn't expect to see you here."

Pepe walked over to him with a blank expression on his face. He stared Kyle in the eyes for a second, then from nowhere, thrust his fist into Kyle's gut.

He bent over coughing his guts up and his eyes were watering.

It took him a moment to catch his breath. "That's no way to greet a friend."

"One more word and I'll cut out your tongue." Pepe turned to his guards. "Bring them into my office. I'm going to have some fun tonight."

An evil glint flashed across his eyes. The butt of a gun was pushed into Kyle's back and he was forced to walk forward into the refinery. The sound of banging grew and the heat became more intense when he stepped across the threshold of the roller door.