Havana Five

Fuego reached forward and patted his knee. “You’re a good and loyal man, Lazaro. I hope you never lose those qualities. They are what made you more than just an employee to my husband. They are why you were so valuable to him and why you are valuable to me now.”

“Thank you.”

“If you feel the Americans pose a threat, then I trust you’ll find them and dispose of them properly. I don’t want to know about it. It distracts me from more important matters.”

“Understood.”

“Is that all?”

“For now.” San Lujan rose and signaled Bustos to follow.

When the two men were gone, Fuego gestured for a servant to bring her the satellite phone. She had paid a pretty penny to make sure any conversations were totally secured. While she didn’t feel much of a threat from officials within the Cuban government, there were other ears belonging to the less discreet. Some of them were foreign ears working for espionage agencies in places like Mexico, Colombia and particularly the U.S. Fuego dialed a twenty-five digit number into the phone and there were several clicks and bursts of static as the communications system kicked in to encrypt the carrier wave. Fuego knew exactly where that signal led: to a similar phone of the National Liberation Army commander who oversaw the training force on Juventud Island.

He answered on the second ring. “Yes?”

“Hello, Ignacio. How are things proceeding with the new clothing line?” Despite her confidence in the secure satellite communications, Fuego had advised the leader of her private army that they would maintain ambiguous communications. They had even developed their own private language style so that each phrase had particular meaning. To anyone listening, and particularly if the communications had to go through a translator, it would sound as if they were conducting simple daily business.

“Well, thank you, ma’am. I believe we shall be ready to deliver your goods within a few weeks.”

“And you will meet the quota specified in our supplier’s contract?”

“I think so,” he replied. “In fact, I believe we shall probably exceed it.”

“That’s excellent news, thank you. I will inform the board of directors at our next meeting. Please don’t hesitate to call me should you need additional resources.”

“I understand.”

“Good day, Ignacio.”

“Good day, ma’am.”

Fuego hung up the phone and could barely suppress a shudder of excitement. They would be ready to commence operations against Havana Five within three days, the “few weeks” Colonel Hurtado had actually referenced during their conversation. He also wouldn’t need any additional men. His confirmation of delivering the “goods” had actually meant that the weapons and other explosives she arranged to deliver to him were in place and had passed inspection to Hurtado’s satisfaction. With the last of the pieces in place, Fuego realized she would have her revenge soon.

Yes, she would make them pay for the death of her beloved Natalio at long last.

“WE’VE BEEN COMPROMISED,” Mack Bolan told Brognola.

“Lay it out for me,” the big Fed replied, and Bolan did.

When he’d finished listening, Brognola said, “How’s the pressure from the brass at Guantánamo Bay?”

“They’re concerned,” Bolan replied. “But without hard evidence to tie Melendez’s death to the attempt on me, the Provost Marshal doesn’t have much to go on. The base commander did take the PM’s recommendation that I not be allowed off base without official orders from the Pentagon.”

Brognola grunted. “That’s no tall order. I can have that in five minutes, if need be.”

“I have a better idea,” Bolan said.

“I’m listening.”

“I was thinking maybe I could use a little help on this one,” Bolan said.

“Sounds like a plan. Hold on while I get Barb on the line.”

There was a long pause and then suddenly Barbara Price’s voice broke through. “Hey, Striker. What’s up?”

“I was just saying that some help would be nice on this. What do you have going on with Jack and Rafael right now?”

“Nada,” she said. “In fact, Phoenix Force just got back from a mission, and the guys have been in downtime for the past three days. I think they’re all starting to go a bit stir-crazy.”

“Why not let me take a couple of them off your hands?”

“Sure,” she replied. “Hal told me what’s happened down there so I can fill them in.”

“Do it,” Bolan said. “I’d suggest you don’t send them through official channels. Is Hal still on with us?”

“I’m here,” the head Fed replied.

“Don’t worry about getting me those orders,” Bolan said. “It’s best I make tracks under my own steam. If we start waving too many official documents under the noses of the brass down here, we’re likely to create a whole lot of suspicion.”

“Understood.”

“By the way, Bear’s here with some information on Havana Five that might shed some light on the present situation there.”

That didn’t surprise Bolan in the least. What a single bullet had taken away from Aaron Kurtzman, the man had conquered with intelligence coupled by an indomitable spirit. Bolan had never met anyone better with computers and cybernetic intelligence than the Bear. Kurtzman’s body might have been confined to a wheelchair, but his mind knew practically limitless bounds. The man kept things running in the information field for Stony Man and he’d served tirelessly, feeding the intelligence to the field teams whenever they needed it.

“I think you’ll find this interesting, Striker,” Kurtzman said in his customary booming voice. “Havana Five has quite a history in Cuba, as I’m sure you know. But about seven years ago they had quite a shake-up. One of their alleged members, one Natalio Fuego, was killed by Cuban authorities when he attempted to flee the country illegally. The story was that they caught him dealing in drugs, but nobody could actually prove that charge.”

“Any survivors who might have an ax to grind?”

“Yeah, as a matter of fact. His widow, Inez Fuego.”

“I talked to one of our CIA contacts in Havana, Striker,” Price cut in. “It seems Fuego left his missus quite well to do. On the surface, she’s a respected socialite and entrepreneur but under all that beauty and charm she’s apparently a shrewd and ruthless businesswoman.”

“But she didn’t take her husband’s place on Havana Five,” Kurtzman continued. “In fact, there are rumors that she’s actually on the outs with them.”

“But she’s still making money off her late husband’s operations?”

“Yeah,” Brognola said. “Apparently, Havana Five has a share-and-share-alike philosophy. All profits are supposedly split equally. But make no mistake about it. They’re still the largest single crime syndicate ever known to operate in a country that size.”

“Given the fact Melendez made it a point to mention Havana Five to you before he died,” Kurtzman said, “we thought this little fact might be of interest.”

“It is at that. I’ll be sure to follow up on it. Now I’d better run. I have an escape to plan.”

“We’ll get Jack and Rafael airborne as soon as possible,” Price said. “We’ll probably have to fly them into Havana. Will you meet them there?”

“No,” Bolan said. “I have a very specific place I want to start looking. Melendez mentioned it. I think he ran into your missing DIA guys there. Tell them to pick up some wheels and meet me in Matanzas. We have a jail to find.”

CHAPTER THREE