Read Online Ghost Sniper by Scott McEwen - Free Book Online

here has already explained the reasoning behind that—at least he has to me.”
    Ortega wasn’t interested in making eye contact with Crosswhite. “Then Mr. Crosswhite is privy to information that hasn’t been made available to me.” Crosswhite offered no explanation because Ortega wasn’t cleared to know about the ATRU. Ortega turned his gaze on Mendoza. “Agent Mendoza?”
    Mendoza leaned forward, pressing his palms together. “The PFM agrees this is very, very important,” he began in Spanish. “We’ve suspected Serrano for some time, but there’s never been any evidence against him before now.” He looked up at Vaught. “The PFM is pleased with what you’ve done. You’ve helped to shed light on the corruption inside the Federal Police, and you’ve given us our first real evidence against Lazaro Serrano.”
    Vaught always knew when his balls were being buttered. “Yesterday you were pissed I’d blown your cover. What’s changed?”
    Mendoza sat back. “My point of view. Yesterday I had just killed five men. I had never killed anyone before, and I was very affected by it. The true purpose of a deep-cover operation is to obtain information, to obtain evidence, and had you not taken action yesterday, I never would have been in a position to witness Serrano order a murder with my own eyes. That action alone proves he is far more than complicit—he is an actual decision maker within the cartels. This is very significant information. Also, if not for you, I would not have been there to confirm the existence of the gringo sniper. Until now, this man has only been a ghost—always rumored, never seen. So today it is obvious to me and to my superiors that you have done Mexico a service.
    â€œNow we must plan together how best to use this information to our mutual advantage. It is true we can arrest Serrano for ordering your murder, but he has powerful allies, and our word might not be enough to gain a conviction on this charge alone. Our court system does not work the same as in the US—there are no juries, for example—so it would be best to draw Serrano into a trap; to find a way for the PFM to catch him in the act of conspiring with known cartel members.”
    â€œAnd exactly how do you plan on doing that?” Vaught asked.
    â€œRight now we have two distinct advantages,” Mendoza went on. “One, he has no idea that we now know for certain what he is. Two, he thinks you’re dead. Tomorrow the PFM will announce that your body was found in a building along with the bodies of five knowncartel members. No one will be sure of exactly what happened because a grenade blast will have left the crime scene impossible to decipher. This will put you out of Serrano’s mind. Then, when the time is right, after he has forgotten all about you, you can magically reappear—but only at a moment when he has begun to feel vulnerable in other ways. The idea is to scare him into making a mistake.”
    â€œSo you’re planning to apply pressure in the meantime,” Crosswhite said.
    Mendoza grinned. “Yes. Pressure creates stress, and men under stress are prone to making mistakes at crucial moments. Up until this point, Serrano has lived a stress-free existence, with little more to worry about than which woman to take to bed on a given night. With your help, Agent Vaught, we’re going to change that.”
    â€œAnd the gringo sniper?” Vaught asked.
    Mendoza turned to look at Crosswhite, saying in slightly accented English, “I understand you’ve had some experience in this area, Agent Crosswhite. Or is my information incorrect?”
    Crosswhite looked around the room, chuckling under the collective gaze. “Well, hey, I’m just here to provide the beer on this one. I’m not going operational.”
    Paolina was staring hard at Mendoza, her eyes like brown