GUARDIANS: Mission To Rescue Innocence (Beauty 0f Life Book 7)

by Laura Acton

  Mason applied pressure to Panin’s throat and choked him out as he tried to speak. As he dropped the corpulent bastard, Mason turned to assist Blondie with the royal ass. Taking a step closer to Dom’s girls, Mason said, “I’ll sweeten the deal. You can have Panin and all his assets. We’ll give him to you as a gift to do with as you wish, but we are taking these little girls.”

  “I think …” Fakhir started to say, but the door burst open at that moment.

  Ripsaw entered and surveyed the room as he leveled his automatic rifle at the unarmed men he did not know. Without preamble, he tossed a pack towards Mason and Blondie. “We gotta go.”

  “Good to see you. Give us a minute.” Now that they had another armed man, Mason gathered the clips from the dead men’s weapons, knowing they couldn’t carry all the guns but not wanting to leave them for Fakhir’s men.

  Mason stepped over Panin’s inert body, opened the gear bag, and tossed in all the cartridges before retrieving his combat knife and attaching the sheath to his belt. He grabbed his secondary weapon, a Makarov pistol, and shoved it in the side of his waist. After tugging out four Kevlar vests, two quite tiny, he set three down and donned the largest one. The last item he removed was his primary weapon, an AK-12 assault rifle.

  Fakhir continued to stare at the armed men. Although prone to violent outbursts when angered, he had time to rein in his temper from earlier. His head cooler now, though still fuming, he judged the situation rationally. Odds were against him at present.

  Before the door opened, he had been about to say ‘I think you might kill one or two of my guards, but you’ll be dead when I reach you.’ But now with three armed and those assault rifles, Fakhir figured the better course of action would be to appear docile, live, and then regroup and eliminate them.

  Noting the rivulets of perspiration, blood, and paleness of the false Maks, he addressed him. “Seems Panin is up to his old tricks. He likes to control people with drugs. I do not possess the means to kill you at the moment. Therefore, there is nothing I can do to stop you from leaving.” He laughed.

  Mason picked up the three other vests and crossed the distance to the leather chair in three long strides. He handed Blondie his Kevlar. “Put this on. I’ll cover you.” Mason aimed the assault rifle at the sheik.

  Fakhir sneered, “Vests won’t save you when I decide to come after you.”

  Dan and Mason ignored the comment, and Dan lowered his gun to don his protective vest. He latched the buckles as fast as he could with fingers which didn’t want to cooperate. After cinching the straps tight, he dabbed his sweaty forehead dry with a sleeve and aimed his acquired pistol at Fakhir again.

  When Blondie finished, Mason handed him the AK-12. “Here, this is better in your hands. I got the girls.”

  Keeping both the rifle and handgun trained on the men in front of him, he covered Mason while he secured a vest on each girl and hoisted one in each arm. Unless they presented a threat, Dan would not fire on the unarmed men. As Mason headed for Ripsaw who remained at the door keeping watch, Dan began backing towards the exit.

  Sharp pain seized his gut causing Dan to bend over and wince. Nausea surged again, and his head spun. In the brief moment his eyes closed, one of the sheik’s men decided to go on the offensive. With slightly blurry vision, Dan reacted as the robe-garbed man lunged for him, firing without hesitation.

  As his sight cleared, he was relieved to find his aim true and on target … he pegged the idiot smack dab between the eyes. Turning a hard gaze on Fakhir, Dan reiterated, “Told you, I never miss. Don’t move a muscle, stay in this room, and no one else dies.”

  Fakhir leered at Dan. “Perhaps I will not kill you. You’re too appealing. Much better uses for you … unarmed and tied to my bed of course.”

  The intent of the words all too clear to Dan, raw memories of the rapes he suffered swam in his head. Dan’s sapphire eyes turned to ice as his brow furrowed into a death glare and his voice became a deadly growl, “If I ever set eyes on you again, I promise, you’ll be dead.”

  “Blondie, you’re on point We need to go,” Ripsaw urged.

  Mason interjected. “He’s not up to taking point. He’s been drugged with something we’ve never heard of.”

  Dan tamped down on the horrific memories Fakhir dredged up. “I got point. Ripsaw, you watch our six.” He stopped at the doorway long enough for Ripsaw to zip up and sling the now almost empty gear bag over his shoulders. “Ready?” Receiving two nods, Dan yanked open the door.

  Stepping into the hallway, Dan opened fire with a short burst at four men using a Corinthian column for cover. Two fell as the others continued to shoot and retreat toward the foyer. With single shots, Dan felled both. Mason shifted the girls into one arm and pulled out his handgun before joining Blondie.

  The trio made their way down the long hall. They stepped over the plethora of dead bodies and removed the ammo clips from the weapons as they went. Behind them were Fakhir and his men. They had been unarmed, and the guys wanted to ensure they stayed that way. Nearing the end of the corridor, a hail of bullets greeted them.

  All three dove for shelter behind double pillars and a five-foot-wide ceramic pot containing a dwarf cherry tree. Mason set the sleeping girls against the wall and shielded them with his body as Ripsaw and Dan shielded Mason and faced outward covering both the front and back of them.

  Cherry Club – Fifth Floor – Foyer

  Panin’s security force entrenched themselves behind the overturned food tables in the lobby. The unit’s exit was effectively blocked. With the number of guards and weaponry they possessed, the odds of getting everyone across the expanse unharmed were next to nil. Protecting Dom’s kids was primary, and they needed a strategy.

  “Damn, they cut off the route to the dumbwaiter. That would’ve been the safest exfil for them,” Ripsaw groused.

  “Dumbwaiter?” Mason asked.

  “Yeah, see the little box in the wall by the ripped curtain? That’s how I got up here unnoticed. If it were accessible, the girls could safely be lowered directly to Blaze and Winds in the kitchen,” Ripsaw explained.

  After Dan wiped the sweat from his eyes and the dripping blood from his nose, he bent over in pain, and a soft moan escaped unwanted. His insides burned, and he needed to puke, but he swallowed the bile and excess saliva again. Withdrawing the key from his pocket, he handed it to Mason. “I’ll draw their fire so you and Ripsaw can exfil with Dom’s girls.”

  “Blondie, you’re in no shape to do that. And … there is no way I’m leaving you here alone,” Mason growled.

  Dan glared at Mason. “I can’t carry them. You must get them out of here. Don’t let me fail.”

  Noting Blondie looked like shit, Ripsaw played peacemaker as he offered, “We won’t fail. I’ll keep them busy while you go with Mason.”

  “I’m overwatch! This is my job. I’m not weak. I can do my damned job!” Dan challenged then wiped at his bleeding nose and grit his teeth as a new wave of searing pain assailed him.

  Mason stared at Ripsaw. He didn’t like this situation one damned bit. As senior man here, he took a moment to think. The guards, most likely believing they held the upper hand by blocking their exit, only fired occasional potshots. Mason spotted Ripsaw’s com-link and realized in his haste to leave he failed to retrieve his and Blondie’s. “Give me my headset.”

  Ripsaw shifted his backpack, reached in, and retrieved two com-links. He handed them to Mason and Blondie then switched to channel one.

  Mason inserted his earpiece and said, “Blaze, you there?”

  “Yes. Sitrep.”

  “We’re pinned down. At least thirteen heavily armed targets blocking our path. Got a bunch of unarmed hostiles behind us too. You need a key for the elevator to get to the fifth floor. If Winds can maybe override the controls, we could hit them with a two-pronged approach.”

  Winds snorted. “Can I override it? Does a cow have teats?”

  Blaze chuckled despite the situation. “Hold tigh
t, on our way.”

  Unable to control the urge anymore, Dan bent over and hurled. Nothing more than watery bile came up. When he finished, the acid in his throat burned like fire. Beads of sweat gathered and rolled down his forehead and into his eyes, stinging them. He felt like crap. His hands trembling, Dan clenched them to hide the fact just as Mason’s hand landed on his shoulder. Dan turned his gaze to the gentle giant seeing the unveiled concern. “I’m okay, Gorgeous.”

  Mason gave him a sad smile. “You aren’t, but you will be, Sunshine. Rest.”

  Dan leaned back on the planter and drew in a breath, attempting to slow the rapid thudding of his heart using sniper breathing.

  His eyes filled with worry for Blondie, Ripsaw silently observed as the kid struggled to hide the pain he was in. This mission sucked from start to finish. Steeped in deception, treachery, and death. After a few minutes, he nudged Mason. “We should give Patch a heads up about Blondie and the girls.”

  After a quick nod of agreement, Mason took Anna-Marie’s and Nicolette’s vitals. “Patch, we have two issues. Dom’s girls appear to be sedated. No idea with what, when, or how much. Nicolette’s pulse is seventy and breaths per minute is twelve. Anna-Marie’s pulse is seventy-six with seventeen BPM.”

  Patch said, “Pulse rates are normal, but Blaze, avoid using smoke grenades. Their respiration is at the low range of normal … somewhat compromised.”

  “Roger,” Blaze whispered from his hidden position. “Hate not being able to conceal your crossing, but we will lay down cover fire from both directions to keep the guards engaged. Mason, what’s the second issue?”

  Turning back to Blondie, he squeezed his left bicep, Patch’s signature move to communicate care. “Blondie’s not doing so hot. Panin drugged him with a concoction he put in a glass of cherry liqueur. I have no idea what was in it, but the bastard said he used something called tetrodotoxin and diquat.”

  “Symptoms?” Patch asked.

  Mason eyed Blondie wanting him to answer.

  Hating the long list of symptoms which made him appear weak, Dan truthfully answered knowing lying might mean death. “Elevated heart rate, sweating, nausea, excessive spit, burning pain in my throat and gut, bloody nose, tingling in my hands and legs, my lips are numb, headache, and dizzy.”

  Ripsaw gaped at the kid. “Shit!”

  “He puked once already … well, twice, but once before he was drugged, once after,” Mason added.

  In the van, Patch pulled out his phone as he said, “Never heard of either of those. I’ll see what I can find out.”

  Dan clenched his hand to hide the tremor and pushed it into his stomach trying and failing to stem ever-increasing agony. As a cherry blossom floated down from the tree above into his lap, he muttered, “I hate cherries.”

  Firefight on the Fifth

  35

  May 29

  Alley Behind Cherry Club

  Brody did not like what he overheard. Dan had been drugged. He and Patch had their com-links muted so they did not distract the guys inside. Through the open window of the van Brody asked Patch. “What the hell are diquat and terodot … whatever Mason said?”

  Frustrated with the slow data connection as he attempted to pull up information on his phone, Patch ground out, “Don’t have a damned clue. Never heard of either before, but one is definitely a toxin … tetrodotoxin. He isn’t drugged, he’s been poisoned.”

  “Poisoned?” Anastasia said as her eyes widened. She nearly jumped out of her skin the next moment as Patch exploded.

  “Goddammit! Hell no!” Patch slammed his fist down on the steering wheel multiple times as the information he read scared the crap out of him, and he connected dots.

  “Patch?” Brody yelled. “What the hell’s wrong?” Dread roiled in Brody as he peered over at the other van and witnessed Patch coming wholly unglued.

  Waves of fear, fury, and guilt crashed over Patch making him seasick as he sought to rein in his emotional reaction and cloak himself in medic mode. Gaining the upper hand, Patch said, “Tetrodotoxin is a potent neurotoxin. Comes from pufferfish. We should’ve killed that delivery guy.”

  “What delivery man?” Mike asked.

  “A damned white truck pulled into the alley after you went in. Blaze said a Chinese man made a delivery of a small packet and received payment. A pufferfish was painted on the side door.” Anger surged, and he slammed his palm on the wheel again.

  Anastasia reached out to stop him. “Patch, what about diquat? What are we dealing with here?”

  Guilt-ridden eyes turned to Anastasia. Her calm demeanor and touch steadied him, allowing him to refocus on his phone and search for diquat. After several minutes of reading, his voice came out flat, “It is a nonselective, fast-acting desiccant herbicide.”

  He turned, seeking Brody’s eyes, his expression dark and brows furrowed with concern. “Blondie is in deep shit. Both can be lethal. Depending on the amount he ingested … there is little I can do, especially with field medicine. He needs a hospital, but we can’t …”

  Swallowing the hard lump of fear, Brody stated the obvious and asked, “We can’t take him to a local hospital. How much time does he … will he make it back to base?”

  Steel infused Patch’s body as he returned to the details and researched treatment options. I must find a way to save Blondie. I refuse to lose him now after he fought so damned hard to make it back to us. I won’t fail him again.

  Brody read Patch’s determination. He was the best-damned medic in Special Forces. If anyone could keep Danny alive, it would be Patch. Not wanting to interrupt Patch’s concentration, he remained silent and sent up fervent prayers pleading for divine intervention for his brother.

  After mentally building a list of everything he didn’t possess but required as he reviewed symptomology and treatments for both chemicals, he sucked in a deep breath and released it in a rush. “I don’t have what I need to treat him.”

  Brody shifted his gaze to Mike. “We gotta find whatever Patch needs.”

  “Agreed. Fastest course is for me to contact Dom.” When Brody gave a slight nod, Mike called Dom. He succinctly explained before addressing Patch. “He needs to know what you require to direct us to the right kind of place.”

  “Tell him to find me the closest pharmacy, clinic, or hospital … anyplace that has medical supplies. Time is critical. I must start treatment as soon as possible, or he will …” Patch couldn’t and wouldn’t say die out loud.

  While Mike waited for Dom’s response, he began rethinking the plans. If Dan was in trouble medically, they should fly directly to Kandahar instead of France as they planned. After Dom provided him directions, he hung up and relayed the details. “Dom says a clinic is only a half mile southwest of our position. Since you don’t read Russian, Patch, I’ll go with you. You tell me what you are looking for and I can find it.”

  “Let’s go.” Patch twisted in his seat and grabbed the pack which previously held Anastasia’s and Mike’s gear and dumped the remaining contents out then slid out of the driver’s seat.

  Anastasia shifted over to the vacated seat. “What if they come out before you return?”

  Halting near Brody’s van, Patch said, “The vehicle with Blondie in it needs to meet us. I must begin treatment immediately. The other van can proceed to the rendezvous point, and we’ll follow.”

  “Got it.” Brody gripped the wheel so hard his knuckles turned white as Mike and Patch raced off into the darkness towards the clinic. Realizing he needed to make Blaze aware of the situation they faced, but not wanting to scare the hell out of Dan, Brody reported, “Blaze, Patch and Galahad have gone to gather necessary supplies to deal with the agents Blondie ingested.” He couldn’t help adding, “Rapid exfil would be best.”

  “Roger,” Blaze whispered.

  Brody flicked his gaze to the Cherry Club, muted again, and stared at the door, willing them to appear. He listened to Blaze’s and Winds’ quick dialog, which a few moments later resulted in explos
ions. He turned to Anastasia, “Button up, Lioness. We may have a flood of people exiting soon.” Brody closed the window and picked up his weapon, preparing to fend off anyone who might try to overtake them and commandeer the vans.

  Cherry Club – First Floor – Main Club

  Winds and Blaze stealthily made their way from the kitchen to the main room, intent on arriving at the elevator unseen, but halted and hid when Brody spoke. Although Brody’s voice had been calm, both understood the meaning if Patch needed to procure supplies and Brody’s comment to exfil on the double told them Blondie was in real trouble.

  Glancing at Winds, distressed over Blondie’s plight and situation overall, Blaze said, “Stealth is no longer an option. Unless they’re deaf, the gunplay upstairs will put the rest of Panin’s security force on high alert. To move fast, we need to confuse and distract all these guards.”

  “Agreed.” Winds was already on the same wave-length and busy pulling out flashbangs, smoke bombs, and two masks. He handed one mask to Blaze. “We can’t use these upstairs, but they’ll suit our purposes down here.”

  Blaze smiled with relief. “Ripsaw thought ahead. Gotta love the guy.”

  “He sure does love things that go boom.” Winds chuckled to cover his increasing anxiety for the kid’s well-being.

  After donning masks, they pulled pins on diversionary devices, lobbing them in multiple directions. The ensuing cacophony of blasts, bright flashes, and dense smoke sent the club’s occupants in a chaotic scramble for exits.

  The two moved quickly through the panicked people, continuing to toss smoke grenade and flashbangs. Making it to the elevator just as it opened and several guards stepped out, they dispatched the men to the hereafter and entered the lift. Blaze pressed the button to close the doors.

  Kneeling, Winds went to work on the controls. He pried off the panel and traced several wires. After snipping them, he swiftly rewired the leads. As he stood, he smiled and pressed number five. “On our way to you.”