by H. L. Wegley
Brock blew into the air mattress, while KC stretched the other end out across a smooth, level part of the cave floor.
Brock blew in another breath, then pinched off the valve. “By the way, where's Benjamin?”
Julia stopped by the ladder with the plastic water jug in her hands. “He went out about ten minutes ago to scout the area and make sure we're still alone.”
Jeff's footsteps sounded behind her.
She turned.
Jeff pushed an M4 at her. “Here. You'd better take this … just in case.”
Julia had conceded that point earlier. She took the gun from Jeff and, as she’d been instructed, checked the safety lever.
Jeff studied her as she examined the gun. “The magazine’s full. Be careful out there. Oh, I left a rope outside. If you can’t climb down the ladder with the water, you can lower it into the cave.”
Julia nodded, put down the water jug, and stuck her head and an arm through the rifle sling. “Be right back. Almost as easy as turning on the tap.”
As she climbed out of the cave, Allie’s voice echoed from behind. “What was that noise?”
KC laughed. “It was Mr. Windbag, here.” She pointed at Brock.
Allie cocked her head. “Are you sure? It sounded more like rolling rocks.”
Julia walked out of hearing distance, looking for Benjamin, but realizing that hearing distance was at least 50 yards from the mouth of the cave, even if they talked softly. With the cave’s acoustics, they needed to whisper, especially at night.
This was where Brock had killed the rattler. She studied the bushes and rocks around her, looking for snakes before heading down to the small stream.
The brook burbled out from a wide crack in the volcanic rock.
Julia quickly filled the gallon container with the cool, clear water. This water didn't look like it needed filtering, but parasites could wreak havoc on a person’s digestive tract. In that condition, climbing a ladder and running thirty yards to the latrine—she would filter the water before anyone could use it.
Julia capped the container and stood to return. Still no sign of Benjamin, but she heard voices from the cave.
Correction—one loud, unfamiliar voice. A man's voice, harsh and angry.
She hurried back to the mouth of the cave, walking softly on the rocks as she approached it.
Whoever it was, it wasn't the army that was coming to wipe them out. But even one stranger discovering them would mean trouble.
Julia set the water down and pulled the strap of her M4 over her head. She flipped the safety lever to automatic. The mere act of preparing to fire sent her heart into a wild pounding rhythm. As she brought the menacing-looking weapon to a ready position, Julia crept toward the mouth of the cave. She peered in. No one in sight.
She pushed the lever to safety, then turned around to climb down the ladder. Having her back to the cave, though she had seen no one, made her feel like a mouse turning its back on a hungry cat.
When her feet hit the cave floor, Julia leaped behind a large lava boulder near the cave's entrance, and waited.
The angry voice returned, barking out commands.
Julia gasped when she peeked over the rock and saw two men in dirty tac gear holding KC, Brock, Jeff, and Allie at gunpoint.
One of the men she recognized. Deke.
The other must've been a survivor of Steve's RPG attack on Deke's men.
Benjamin would know what to do. But where was he? She looked up to the top of the ladder. No such luck. She was on her own.
Julia had dealt with fear many times over the past three days. But, without Benjamin, this could be—no. God wouldn’t force her to—
Deke ended Julia’s musings when he put the business end of his rifle against the back of KC's head.
He wouldn't just—yes, he would. This man would pull the trigger if it suited him.
Would stopping him be Julia’s responsibility?
Benjamin, where are you?
“Daniels, hands on your head and push your face against the cave wall … now!”
Brock took his time, but stepped up to the wall.
Deke barked out more commands.
Even if Julia could find the courage to shoot, there wasn't enough separation to avoid hitting her friends.
All four now stood against the cave wall.
Deke walked up behind KC and scanned her body from head to foot, slowly. He ran his fingers through her long, red, curly hair.
Julia shuddered. The man was obsessed with KC. This could go downhill in a hurry as it had when Abdul had become obsessed with Julia.
KC twisted her head around and looked at Deke’s face. Her eyes widened, her cheeks turned red, and she spat in the man's face.
He yanked on her hair.
KC gasped but didn’t cry out.
Julia had heard of KC’s courage in the face of danger. But was this courage or KC’s bad temper?
Deke wiped the spittle from his dirt-smudged face.
“Ms. Banning, you have no idea who you're up against or what I can do to you.”
“I’m not Ms. Banning. I’m Mrs. Daniels and I know a wuss when I see one. You're a coward, a wimp who couldn't even—”
“Kace, stop it!” Brock shuffled his feet like he might turn around. If KC didn't stop provoking this man, she could get Brock killed.
“That’s good advice coming from a man who was just about to lose his wife.” Deke turned to the other soldier. “Johnson, did you send the message?”
“Yes, sir. But Hannan hasn't replied.”
So Deke was Hannan's hand-picked man, a man like Abdul. An animal. Julia had to end this now. She pushed the safety lever to automatic and planted the butt of the gun against her shoulder.
Could she keep the powerful weapon under control when it sprang to life in her hands?
Another question blindsided her. Could these men have gotten past Benjamin if he was alive and well?
No. Her heart hammered out panic. She truly was on her own. Whatever she did or did not do, Julia Weiss would have to live with it.
Or die with it.
Chapter 33
Craig brought his men to a halt and looked down the hallway to the elevators. No one.
Blaine had already checked the study and the Oval Office.
How had Hannan gotten away so quickly? Earlier, KC had detected him online from the study. Maybe someone from the Executive Office Building warned the Secret Service agents in the White House.
Time for plan B, down the stairwell. “Cutter, Blaine, watch our six. This may take a minute or two.”
Craig faced the ground-level entrance to the stairwell. He couldn’t use the two scanning devices on the left side of the door, but the strange-looking keypad mounted on the right side of the door looked promising. He pulled the slip of paper with KC’s cypher keys on it and carefully entered the long sequence of numbers for the first door.
The door clicked and Daddy-O, the tallest member of the team, pushed it open, checked above the door, then slapped a strip of duct tape across the video camera mounted there. Security would notice, but they couldn’t see whom or how many were in the stairwell.
The team entered the stairwell leading down more than 3,000 steps to the DUCC. Their descent would be brutal.
“Sorry, men. But you're going to be sore tomorrow morning.”
Daddy-O ripped off another piece of tape. “We’ll take sore over the alternative.”
“Me, too. We need to hurry, but tell me if your legs give out. We’ll take a short break. And whenever we spot a door, Daddy-O applies the tape to the camera. Any questions?”
“Just one, sir,” Blaine said. “How long is this descent?”
“You would ask that. With a few short rests … twenty minutes.”
“Lord, help us.”
Craig smiled and shook his head. “I second that, Daddy-O. Now, let's go.”
Twenty minutes later, Craig's knees ached and his quads quivered from muscle acidity. Th
at no one had fallen was a minor miracle.
Twenty feet below, the door for level 5 came into view. “Daddy-O, we need your services.”
The tall team daddy took the lead and, a few seconds later, slapped tape over the last video camera.
By now, security would know that someone was moving systematically down the stairwell. But how would they respond? Craig prayed that he and his men could enter the DUCC before a force could be assembled and intercept them.
Craig pulled out the paper with the cipher keys on it. “Listen up,” he spoke softly between heavy breaths.
The men clustered around him on the stairwell landing.
“There will likely be guards at the door to the DUCC. They should be visible when this door opens. When it does, the loud click will probably draw their attention. I want Daddy-O and Blaine beside me. I'll shove the door open at the click. We flash bang any guards, but have your guns ready. If they make any movement to fire at us, take them out. Any questions?”
“Sir,” Cutter said. “Can you give us about thirty seconds to pay our oxygen debt?”
“Only thirty seconds. The danger of another force arriving down here grows by the second.”
Two minutes later, with Daddy-O and Blaine on either side, Craig punched in the final number.
The door clicked and he shoved it open.
Two armed men guarded a large door.
Two objects flew into the hallway.
Craig shielded his face and covered his ears.
Simultaneous explosions sent searing flashes that singed the hair on the back of Craig’s hand.
When he looked up, the two men lay on the floor.
Four Rangers rushed in and drug the two unconscious men into the stairwell, and handcuffed the guards to the railing, out of reach of the door scanners, and applied duct tape, liberally.
Craig stopped in front of a mammoth door, waiting for his four men to return.
“Remember, this is a two-step process. The DUCC is pressurized to prevent air contamination. KC said no one would hear us until we go through the second door. We don’t know how many people are inside until the door opens, and we don’t know if they know we’re coming. If you have to shoot, don’t shoot the president. Any questions?”
No replies.
Craig turned to the bulky door and keyed in the cypher. When the door unlatched, air hissed around its edges. The hissing turned to a brisk breeze when the door fully opened.
All eleven Rangers fit easily in the intermediate chamber, but thoughts of being trapped inside it sent claustrophobic impulses through Craig’s nervous system. He fought to quell them, then gathered his men around him. “The next door isn't locked. Hannan should be on the other side. Any final questions before we pay him a visit?”
Daddy-O and Blaine moved beside Craig with M84 flashbang grenades in hand.
“God bless us and God bless America, because Hannan sure won't.” With his M4 in his right hand, Craig cranked the door handle and shoved.
Chapter 34
Hannan hadn’t talked to Deke in over twenty-four hours. In their last conversation, Deke had asked for, and Hannan had granted, access to intelligence information about Brock Daniels. It was a decision that Hannan now regretted, because it made Deke a wildcard in this drama unfolding in Central Oregon.
The odds were slim, but Deke might prevail and Hannan would begrudgingly grant him hero status. But Deke could mess things up, royally.
Hannan clicked on the link to open the inbox of his comm software. At the top of the list sat a message from Deke with a date-time stamp of 6:55 p.m. Eastern, fifteen minutes ago.
Hannan opened the message and drew a sharp breath as he read it.
Entering cave where Daniels group is hiding. Will have them in custody in a few minutes. Awaiting orders for their disposal.
Deke must have contacted Wiley at NSA to get Daniels’ location. But Scott could arrive soon. If Deke botched this by allowing anyone to escape, he would destroy the whole plan.
Hannan quickly opened a window to reply to Deke, hoping it wasn’t already too late to stop an incompetent commander who’d lost his men and a top-secret chopper.
When Hannan started typing, a loud buzzer jolted him like a lightning bolt. “What the—”
A voice came over the PA system, the voice of a man breathing hard. “Code red! Code red! This is security on level 4. The stairwell has been breached. Repeat—the stairwell has been breached. Intruders are descending toward the DUCC. Keep all doors locked and remain inside a secure room until we notify you that the underground complex is secure. We have called for assistance and will update the status as it changes.”
Hannan cursed Deke. He cursed West Wing security and he—Hannan stopped.
What if this turned into a worst-case scenario? The intruders had come through at least one door protected by biometric scanning devices. As impossible as it seemed, they could possibly breach the DUCC, itself. If so, Hannan might need Brock Daniels and company as bargaining chips.
Hannan finished his reply to Deke.
West Wing breached by insurgents heading down to DUCC. Suspect defector, Captain Craig. Capture Daniels and group. Keep everyone alive, especially Daniels and Banning. Insure none get away. We may have a hostage situation here, soon.
He pressed send, then ran several possible scenarios through his mind. What if Scott’s Rangers from JBLM arrived now and decided to annihilate everyone in the cave? If Scott was still flying, contacting him may not be possible. But Hannan needed to try, anyway, or he might have no bargaining chip in what could turn into a high-stakes negotiation.
He reached for his phone, but jumped to his feet when the inner door to the DUCC flew open.
A powerful-looking man, dressed in tac gear and with his face covered, stood in the doorway holding an assault rifle.
Icy fingers squeezed Hannan’s heart, because he knew the man, instinctively.
Craig.
Chapter 35
Julia hadn’t moved from her hiding place behind the boulder near the cave entrance. The two grimy looking Rangers with their guns on her four friends hadn’t given her a chance to creep closer to them.
“Keep your hands up and your faces against the cave wall!” Deke appeared to be studying the four people in front of him, sizing them up.
What was he going to do with them? She still couldn’t shoot for fear of hitting her friends.
Couldn’t shoot? Was she actually contemplating shooting another human being? The question created a nauseating ache in her stomach.
Brock towered above everyone in the cave. She had seen how powerful and deadly Brock could be to any threat.
Evidently, Deke saw Brock’s capability, too. Deke kept his distance and kept his M4 trained on Brock. “I’m going to collect your guns. One move from you, Daniels, and I’ll shoot that freckle-faced …” Deke’s description of KC became vulgar.
Julia didn’t even know what some of the words meant.
Brock’s clenched jaw and flexing muscles told her enough.
“Getting comms, sir.” Johnson's voice.
“Inside the cave? Must be the skylight above us. Cover them, Johnson, and give me the radio.”
“It's a text message.” Johnson gave Deke the comm device.
“The DUCC might be breached by insurgents?” Deke looked up from the phone and stared at Johnson. “If Hannan is taken, do you know where that leaves us?”
Johnson snorted. “Yeah. Two soldiers without a country and with no reward for capturing these two apes … and these two delectable beauties.”
The way Johnson spoke brought more nausea. Julia tried to shake it off by focusing on the events playing out on the other side of the continent.
Craig must already be on his way down to the DUCC. But it didn’t make sense. How did Steve get there so quickly? Only one answer seemed plausible … Steve wasn’t with Craig. If not, where was he?
Julia stopped her speculation when Deke spoke again.
; “Find something to tie them up with, Johnson. We’re going to need these four, for a while.”
“Then what?” Johnson asked.
Deke’s gaze roved all over KC, again. “If things go badly, we kill the apes and the two women will have to be the reward for two soldiers without a country. And I get the redhead.”
Johnson barked a mirthless laugh. “I’ve always preferred the dark-haired …” He continued with several ethnic slurs of the worst sort as he studied Allie.
Jeff turned his head and shot Johnson a vicious looking glance.
KC’s face had turned red. She lowered her hands to her sides and turned to face Deke, glaring at him. “I will kill you unless you kill me first. That’s how it will be and that’s all you’ll get, you scrawny, little s—”
“Kace, turn around,” Brock said. “Don’t let those boneheads’ taunting get to—.”
Brock stopped when a metallic click from one of the rifles echoed through the cave.
Even Julia realized the two men would already have loaded cartridges in their guns’ chambers. The click had been for dramatic effect, and it had worked.
Maybe after Deke had tied up all four he would leave them on the floor of the cave. That could give Julia a clear shot at the two men.
The things they talked about doing to the women turned Julia’s stomach and, at the same time, brought anger as hot as the lava rock she hid behind had been when it flowed into this tube called the Skylight Cave.
She tried to shove the anger and other distractions out of her mind and focus on her goal. To save her friends, Julia had only one option, shoot Deke and Johnson. But, when it came time to pull the trigger …
Can I do it?
Chapter 36
Craig trained his gun on Abe Hannan as the would-be tyrant plopped into a chair and reached for the laptop keyboard in front of him. “Hannan … hands off that laptop, now! Freeze! If you want to keep breathing.” Craig moved the laser sight onto Hannan’s forehead.
