36
Juárez, Mexico
Dawn broke over the treetops east of the city. The convoy of federal police vehicles sped nose-to-tail along the dirt roads, the morning still cast in darkness.
Yet the sun dared stick its head out over hilltops for another day of combat in the troubled city. They had to move fast.
Pope rode on the back of a pickup in full, black SWAT uniform, balaclava and helmet. Armed with a CZ BREN assault rifle, he steadied himself against the grab frame of the Ford F150 truck.
It rumbled over rough terrain, the third of eight vehicles, including three other pickups. To the front was a tank-like armoured MRAP and to the rear, a pair of tactical unit vans carrying men and equipment.
As Rios stood alongside him in the same federal police garb, Pope couldn’t deny it felt good to b
