The Sean Wyatt Series Box Set 4

by Ernest Dempsey

After Reece brought the ingredients to Sean, he disappeared into the house.

  Curious as to what he was doing, Tommy went in after twenty minutes had passed and found Sean cooking up a strange concoction in a big frying pan.

  "What are you doing?" Tommy asked.

  Sean poured the thick mixture into a cardboard cylinder he'd taken from the battery pack of an old drill and then dipped a piece of string into the batter.

  "Wait," Tommy said, "are you making fireworks or something?"

  "Sort of. These are smoke bombs. They'll last about half a minute or so. Long enough to buy us some time if we need it."

  "How'd you make the fuses?"

  "Dipped them in a weaker variation of this stuff."

  Tommy pouted his lips and nodded. "I'm impressed. That one of the things the government taught you to do?"

  "No. I learned this on YouTube."

  Before Tommy could ask his friend if he was serious or not, Sean set the six smoke bombs on a baking tray and then covered them with aluminum foil. "We should be going," he said as he picked up the metal sheet.

  "It's gonna be dark soon. Should we stay here for the night?"

  "Maybe," Sean said. "But seeing how this place has already been shot up once, I'm thinking a night in a few tents might be a better option. You know, in case they come back."

  "Fair enough."

  "Plus I don't want to waste any time. We get there, set up camp tonight, we can get up early tomorrow and get to work."

  Sean's idea made sense, no matter how tired they all were of being in a car.

  "At least my truck's got air," Reece said to the two Americans when they returned to the driveway.

  "That's a relief," Tommy said.

  "Yeah, it's not ice cold, but it's better than old Rick's truck. Should take us little over four hours to get there. I know a place that's not far from those petroglyphs where we can camp. We'll blend right in with all the other campers."

  The three men watched the sunset on the western horizon from the road for the second time in twenty-four hours. The drive was mostly made in silence, just as the previous one. Conversation only happened when they needed to pull over for gas or bathroom breaks. On the four-hour journey, that only happened once.

  They arrived well after dark at the Flinders Ranges. The big, jagged mountain peaks were bathed in bluish white moonlight against the backdrop of stars.

  Reece steered the SUV down a gravel and dirt road into a camping area littered with tents and caravan-style campers. He passed plenty of vacant spots in favor of getting away from the family outings and tourists. Setting up camp away from everyone else would keep innocent people safe in case bullets started flying. It also gave the Americans and their Australian friend plenty of space to see or hear any approaching threat. Campgrounds tended to be loud, full of people singing or talking loudly around a fire. That wouldn't help anyone.

  They found a place just three minutes past the last tent. It was a flat area about forty feet off the road, tucked between a few rocky mounds.

  "That'll do," Sean said, pointing at the camping area.

  Reece turned the wheel and guided the truck into the spot. The men got out quickly and took a look around. They were just out of earshot from the other campers. No lights impeded the incredible view of the stars. Sean stared up at them for a long moment, thinking of the times he and Adriana had sat under a sky like that nearly all night. The celestial bodies were so prominent now, he felt like he could almost touch them. A novel idea popped into his mind that maybe, just maybe, it was some kind of sign that he was doing what he was supposed to. He shook his head and refocused on the thing that was driving him. Revenge.

  "You sure about this location, Sean?" Tommy asked. "Don't you want to have the high ground?" He pointed at the two mounds.

  "In a fight, yeah. When you're trying to hide, no."

  "What's your plan?" Reece asked.

  "We've been cautious, so there's no way they would have tracked us with our credit cards the last few days. That doesn't mean these guys aren't going to show up here. We might as well plan on that happening."

  "If they found the stone cube and were able to figure out its meaning, that is definitely possible," Tommy said. "Still, I think it's unlikely."

  "We deciphered it," Sean said. "Remember what I always say: Plan for the worst. So put it in your heads that these guys are either already here or they're on their way."

  Even in the darkness, Sean's steel resolve shone through in his eyes. "Keep the lights low. Try to do as much as possible in the dark. The fewer people know we're here, the better.”

  The men spent the next half hour setting up two tents and laying out a mattress in the back of the truck. Reece volunteered to sleep in the SUV. Sean wouldn't hear of it. He insisted the big Aussie sleep in one of the tents because he'd have more leg room. After a few minutes of coaxing, Reece finally acquiesced.

  When Tommy and the Australian were in their tents, Sean crawled into the back of the truck and lay down on his back. He stared at the SUV's ceiling for more than a half hour while tears trickled down his face. While he was distracted, the reality that Adriana was dead seemed like fiction. He could push it away for short bursts of time, convincing himself that it hadn't really happened. Then the truth came crashing down on him again, and the cycle started over.

  "Why her?" he muttered to himself. "Why?"

  Sean considered himself a believer in a creator. Raised in a Christian home, he grew up with a firm foundation in spiritual teachings. Through the years, those beliefs changed and morphed into something he thought transcended religion.

  Early on in his role with Axis, he'd struggled with taking lives of evil men. Then he came to realize that sometimes, the forces of good had to use weapons to protect the innocent.

  The way he saw it, he was a sword of God.

  He used to pray every day, usually just for a few seconds to give appreciation for his life and the things in it. Over time, he'd gotten so busy that a day or two slipped by where he simply forgot.

  His spiritual life had taken a backseat.

  Now, as he lay in the back of Reece's old SUV, surrounded by the smell of old upholstery and metal, he prayed again.

  Sean didn't know what good it would do. He knew there was nothing that could bring Adriana back. She was gone. Really, he just wanted answers. Everything he'd ever learned about God was being challenged now.

  Maybe that was justice for all the years of killing he'd done. All the lives he'd taken as judge, jury, and executioner drifted by his mind's eye. Judgment was upon him now.

  He wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Is that what this is? Repayment for what I've done?"

  Outside the open tailgate of the SUV, the desert was still, almost perfectly silent.

  "Some kind of sign would be good," he said. "Or at least some comfort."

  None came.

  He waited another five minutes in silence and then said, "If you're there, I just wish you'd fix this for me."

  Then he remembered back to a time when he was in training, only weeks before he became a full-time Axis agent. One of his superiors put him through a drill that seemed almost impossible.

  It was meant to be difficult as a way to weed out the lesser recruits. In fact, it was so strenuous, only 3 percent of people in the training program made it through.

  "Are we going to encounter anything this tough out in the real world?" Sean asked.

  His trainer stared through him into his soul. The man never blinked, never cracked a smile as he spoke. "You will experience much more difficult things than this out in the field."

  Sean had found that difficult to believe at the time. "Tougher than this?"

  The trainer nodded. "Far worse. We put our recruits through this for two reasons. One, to test mental and physical fortitude. If you're captured in the field, you have to be able to resist torture of both kinds: mind and body."

  "And the other reason?"

  "We are higher beings," the man
said. "We cannot depend on luck or external forces to help us. You have been given a conscious mind that determines your fate every single moment of every day you will live."

  Sean considered the man's words. "So what you're saying is, don't hope for a miracle."

  "Not at all," the man shook his head. "What I'm saying is, don't hope for one to come from somewhere else. Everything you need is readily available to you at all times."

  Sean's mind snapped back to Reece's SUV. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Outside, a light breeze rolled across the outback and blew cool, dry air into the truck. Sean wasn't sure if it was the sign he was looking for, but he'd take it.

  Utter exhaustion took hold of him and pulled him down into the darkness where emotions no longer held sway. His eyes closed, and Sean fell into a deeper sleep than he'd had in a week.

  32

  Flinders Ranges

  South Australia

  Tommy woke up at the sound of his phone vibrating on the nylon floor next to his sleeping bag. He reached over and took a look at the screen. His eyes were still blurry, and it took a moment for them to adjust before he could read it.

  "Voicemail from Tara," he said. "Can't believe I have service out here."

  He tapped the button and listened to the message.

  "Hey, Tommy, it's Tara. Just wanted to let you guys know that we kept digging around but couldn't find out any more information about the people behind the credit card tracking. Sorry we couldn't be more help."

  "That's disappointing," Tommy muttered.

  He pressed his finger to the screen to listen to the second message from Tara.

  "Oh, I almost forgot. The one piece of information we were able to obtain was that the credit card company recently went through a big merger. They were acquired by an oil company based in Australia. That company was also in the news lately for a major tragedy. Apparently, the entire board of directors was killed in a horrific elevator accident a few days ago. Only one of the men survived because he stayed behind to get some work done in his office. Now he controls pretty much everything. Seems a little fishy to me. Not sure if it helps, but his name is Bernard Holmes. Might want to check it out if you get the chance."

  A rush of excitement coursed through Tommy's veins. It was a reach, but at least it was something. Up until now, they'd had nothing to go on.

  If Tara's hunch was right, though, they may have just found the man behind it all.

  Tommy thought about it again. Holmes's company acquires credit card company. Tara didn't say when exactly that happened. However, if this Holmes character was one of the principal owners, he'd have access to people who could put tracking tabs on certain cards.

  The fact that twelve men from the board of directors were killed recently—while Holmes was left unharmed—also smacked of conspiracy. Was it a coincidence that when the entire board died, he got everything? Couldn't be.

  Tommy would need more information. He tapped the screen again to return the call to Tara. A warning appeared on the screen. He was out of service. He should have noticed a moment before that he only had one bar. Out here in the bush, cell service would be spotty at best.

  Still brimming with the new information, Tommy unzipped the sleeping bag and then the tent entrance. He slipped on his shoes and then unzipped the vestibule. He couldn't contain what he'd just learned and started yammering before he climbed out.

  "Sean, Reece. Wake up. I just got a voicemail from Tara." He nearly shouted as the words spilled out of his mouth. "She seems to think some wealthy oil guy named Bernard..." Tommy stopped in mid-sentence as he stood up from the tent and realized he was not alone.

  He looked around the campsite at the strange faces.

  Six men wearing tan military-style gear with assault rifles surrounded the tents and vehicle, covering every escape point. Two of them held Sean and Reece at gunpoint. One of the six was standing next to Reece's SUV. He had a different look than the rest, cleaner. Tommy immediately identified him as the leader.

  A second later, that suspicion was confirmed when the man spoke. "You were saying?"

  Tommy didn't respond.

  "Seems like you said you knew who was behind all this. That's unfortunate. Mr. Holmes would much prefer to keep his identity anonymous with this little operation. Not good for public relations."

  The guy spoke with a sharp Australian accent. He had an athletic build, probably a former athlete turned goon because of a past injury.

  "I see you met my friends," Tommy motioned to the others.

  "Sorry, Schultzie," Sean said. "I don't know what happened to me. I never sleep like that."

  Tommy couldn't believe these guys got the drop on Sean. He must have been completely exhausted for that to happen. Sean was always up early, and he was a light sleeper—something that Tommy assumed he'd picked up during his time working for Axis.

  "If you would be so kind as to join your friends over there," the guy in charge said, "we were just about to execute them."

  Tommy trudged over to where the other two were standing and took his place next to Sean. He didn't say anything to his friend about sleeping late into the morning. He'd just lost the most important person in his life. Tommy knew what that felt like. Those same emotions had racked his body for weeks after his parents were killed.

  One of the other men stepped over and raised a pistol to the back of Tommy's head.

  Right about now would be when Sean pulled some kind of miracle out of his rear, putting his super spy skills to work to take out all six of the bad guys, Tommy thought. His friend, however, didn't move. He just stared straight ahead with a blank look on his face.

  "I know you," Reece said as he glared at the man in charge. "You're Jack Robinson. I used to cheer for you back in the day when you played rugby."

  Jack fired a cynical smile at Reece. "Well, it's always nice to meet a fan. Unfortunately, those days are long gone, and I have to kill you now."

  "What was it that happened?" Reece tried to keep the conversation going. "Blew out your knee and never recovered, right? ACL injury to the left knee?"

  "That's right. After that injury, I was never the same. Luckily for me, I picked up some other work. And it pays much better. Now, as much as I appreciate this trip down memory lane, we have to be killing you. There's a treasure to find, and our employer is quite intent to get it soon." Jack turned and stepped away to keep from getting splattered with blood.

  Tommy felt the muzzle press into the back of his skull. A hundred different ideas zipped through his brain. He grabbed one and ran with it. "You kill us, you'll never get that golden boomerang for your boss."

  Jack cocked his head to the side with a quizzical look on his face. "Why would you think that? We have the cube. And we know exactly where to look."

  "Yeah. But do you know how to decipher the petroglyphs?"

  Jack paused for a second, which told Tommy everything he needed to know. The guy was in the dark.

  "You're about to kill the only people in the world who can help you decode those ancient circles," Tommy lied. There were plenty of people who could do that, but he was betting this former rugger had no idea. He was out of his element. "You kill us, and you'll never find that boomerang. Then what will happen? I imagine someone like Holmes has enough money to replace you pretty easily. In fact, some of these guys working for you would probably be happy to take your place."

  Jack's eyes narrowed. "So, you're going to throw empty threats at me in hopes of living a few more minutes?"

  "I was thinking hours would be good," Tommy said. "Call it a survival instinct."

  "He's serious," Sean finally spoke up. "Without us, that boomerang is as good as lost to antiquity. You said you have the cube. But what you don't have is what I found while we were in Kings Canyon."

  Jack took a cautious step forward. "Ah, so the great Sean Wyatt speaks. I gotta say, mate, you don't look all that tough to me." He stopped a few inches from Sean's nose.

  "Me? Oh, I'm not tha
t tough. Not tough enough to play rugby with a guy like you."

  Jack towered over Sean by three or four inches. Sean's instincts were to grab him and put Jack between himself and the gun in his back. In the two seconds that move would take, the gunman could easily put a round through Sean's spine. Part of him didn't care. Another part—the well-trained agent deep inside—knew he'd have to wait for the opportune moment.

  "Speaking of tough," Sean said, "you always kill women by shooting them in the back?"

  A puzzled look filled Jack's eyes. "What are you talking about?"

  Sean searched the man for a lie, but there was none to be found on his face or in his voice. "You killed her," he said through clenched teeth.

  Then it hit Jack as to what Sean was referring. "Ah. The girl. Yes, she is dead. But I'm not the one who killed her, mate. One of my men did," he said with a cheerful smile on his face that begged to be punched. If Sean hadn't had a gun in his back, he would have knocked that grin into the gorge.

  A short snicker escaped Jack's lips. "If it makes you feel better, I heard she died quick."

  He met the fury in Sean's eyes with a hollow stare and then stepped back. Jack looked down the line at each of the three men. "Very well. Let's see what you blokes know. I'll let you live for a few more minutes, at least." He turned to two of his gunmen. "Bring the trucks around, and load them up. We're going over to the rocks to have a look."

  He twisted around and put his hands on his hips, staring at the three friends. "You try anything funny..."

  "Yeah, we know. You'll kill us," Tommy cut him off.

  "Right."

  An SUV and a four-door pickup truck came around the bend three minutes after Jack's henchmen trotted down the road. The two Americans were forced into the truck bed first, followed by Reece. Two gunmen sat in the back with them, keeping their weapons trained on the prisoners while the driver steered the vehicle down the bumpy dirt road.

  The drive from the campground to the petroglyphs only took fifteen minutes or so. It was still so early in the morning, they were the first vehicles to arrive at the heavily frequented site.