by Blake Hudson
“Gregory check that fucking container and kill any fucker in there!” Harris barked in a tone that told Knox he was already bearing the weight of this cluster-fuck of a mission.
“Sir…you have to come and see this," Gregory yelled over to them both. Knox got up and motioned to Harris to stay put. Knox got to the container and looked at the confused expression on Gregory’s face. Opening the door wider on the container and using a flash light next to his now reloaded hand gun, Knox looked inside the unit.
The container was all but empty bar one thing! And it was the last thing that either man ever expected to find.
“What the fuck?!” Gregory said voicing Knox’s own sentiments exactly as they both looked at the man sat tied, gagged and lying at the bulkhead. Knox looked harder then it dawned on him as he jumped up and rushed into the container.
“Knox?!” Gregory shouted but Knox took no notice, not now in sight of who he saw in front of him.
His friend and old Delta Force comrade…
Mac.
Chapter Thirteen
Old Friends
Back at T.I.7 Knox, Gregory and a patched-up Harris sat looking fatigued and flat. Carter walked into the briefing and everyone stood up in an instant.
“At ease, men," Carter said in a tone Knox was not expecting, calm and mild mannered. Was he not concerned about the ‘in Knox’s eyes’ a total fuck up of a mission, empty trailer, two of his soldier’s dead and one of them playing for a different team? On the bright side, one of his team had been found, if not a little worse for wear.
“Harris, I want a full report on my desk by the morning.” Carter looked to his Major with a look that said he was not impressed.
“Sir, may I ask, how is McCarthy?” Knox jumped in.
“He will be okay, they had given him a beating and they took off two of his fingers. He is resting up now, he has said he would be up for a full debrief tomorrow,” Carter said with a look and tone of relief, as he had resigned himself to the fact Mac was dead.
“They took two of his fingers? Bastards… sorry, Sir." Knox replied sickened at the thought. It was a favourite torture method of the cartel. They would start at the first knuckle and work their way down the finger. The pain of the possible ten cuts to take all your fingers and thumbs was bad enough but the thought of it becoming twenty-eight as they chopped down each knuckle at a time, brutal.
“What Captain McCarthy did say was Malcolm Howard is the major player, doing all the donkey work for his father-in-law, Pérez.” Carter looked to Knox as he spoke.
“With the Major injured and considering other events this evening, I am looking to you Knox, to take the lead," Carter spoke in a tone that told Knox he didn’t have a choice.
“I will do my best, Sir,” Knox said secretly dreading what that may involve.
“We need to pull in Howard and soon, Captain McCarthy picked up that he was being sent to meet up with a container ship coming into Malaga Port,” Carter said, and Knox nodded as he thought ‘tell us something we don’t know’.
“This container ship will have the arms, drugs and cash. We need to pull Howard in when we locate him to gain the intel on which ship it is,” Carter said as he turned to the tactical display board. He flicked through lists of container ships reported as sailing in the Med or within two days of the Port of Malaga.
“Sir, if I may, I have another option,” Knox said, making Carter and the rest of the room look at him with baited breath.
“Go on Captain, we are all ears.” Carter looked at Knox with an inquisitive look.
“What about Howard’s computers? He must have information on them that can tie down which ship has the cargo to incriminate the whole Pérez operation? Hack it?” Knox said looking at the room as if to say, ‘look at all this tech surveillance you have, how about we use it’.
“Believe it or not Captain it had crossed our minds. We have, in fact, already searched through every computer of his and every staff member of the Pérez company.” Carter said as he looked to Knox with sympathy, as he had thought the same.
“The only possibility is Howard has sent a number of emails from a computer on a private network server,” Carter said as he showed images and blueprints on the tactical board.
“Is that what I think it is?” Knox asked.
“Yes Captain, the Pérez yacht has a work office that has major computing power, the server room alone could run his whole company.” Carter pointed out with a laser pen on the blueprint before pulling the diagrams out to show the impressive mega yacht.
“So why can’t we… hack it?” Knox asked again.
“No hard wire, no WiFi and no satellite connection to any network. It’s a full off grid setup. It has a sophisticated system that allows selected information to be sent out when a user manually security verifies it.” This was all said by Rose as she walked in.
“It is simply one of the most private secure computer systems money can buy,” Rose said with excited geek envy.
“Thank you, Miss Rose. So, you see Captain, our only option is bringing Howard in. When we have his location, I want you to bring him in.” Carter turned to Knox as he gave him the order.
“Yes, Sir,” Knox replied, as he thought to himself maybe this time things could be done his way and fewer people would be killed.
“Right team get some rest, we will be in contact when we have eyes on Howard. Harris, stay behind please,” Carter said as he switched the tactical board off and closed the files on his desk. Knox wasn’t going to hang around the NEST, not with Harris getting bollocked. Also, Knox for one had to get back to the ladies before they killed each other. And Knox’s Triumph hadn’t been ridden in a few days, so it was time to take the steel horse out for a ride, one he needed after all the shit. But before he could do that, he had an old friend to see.
“Can I help you, Captain.” A quiet almost breathless female voice spoke out in the dimly lit medical unit set up in a tucked away area of the massive warehouse that T.I.7 had taken over. Everything about it reminded Knox of mobile field hospitals, a place in truth he never wanted to have a reason to visit for obvious reasons.
“Hello, Lass. I am looking for my old friend Captain McCarthy. Be a love and point me in his direction,” Knox said after looking in the direction of the voice. He found a young medic sat behind a counter out of sight. She was dressed in camo fatigues and a rather tight fitted t-shirt that showed off her assets nicely. Her fatigues shirt was hung on the back of her chair and in this repressive heat who could blame her.
“Sorry Captain, no visitors… Brigadier’s orders,” she said with a smile and a look that told him that had she found something interesting when looking him up and down.
“Ahh… that’s a real shame, you see we go way back and well, the guy saved my life a few times. I think I would cheer the lad up, don’t you think. Seeing an old friend and all." Knox leant over on the counter as he looked the young girl in the eyes with a cheeky grin. He didn’t know if he was coming across as charming but he gave it a go.
“I’m sorry orders are orders… unless.,” the medic coyly said.
“Unless?" Knox asked with a big smile on his face, which the medic reciprocated.
“I could be persuaded to go for a smoke break if you would happen to go see your friend when I am away and you are gone before I come back, who would know?” The medic said with a sweet smile that turned to a cheeky grin.
“And what would persuade you, may I ask?" Knox asked trying to keep his cool when inside he was thinking shit I hope she's not a bunny boiler. The Medic stood up and stretched purposely showing off her curves, she picked up her smokes before placing a post-it-note in front of Knox.
“Your number,” the medic said as she walked around pinching Knox’s arse as she walked out. Knox laughed to himself at her ballsiness.
“Improving with the fairer sex I hear, Knox, you old dog, you!” Mac strained out as Knox lifted
the heavy canvas sheet at the entrance to the recovery tent.
“Look at you, you look like shit! How did you know it was me anyway?” Knox sat down next to Mac punching his leg, Mac winced a little bit as he smiled.
“I would recognise your skirt-wearing jock voice anywhere,” Mac jibed at Knox.
“Listen, lad, if I hadn't told you enough times before…" Knox said but was cut short by Mac.
“Oh hell… like I could forget…” Mac half laughed as Knox now interrupted him.
“We have to wear kilts as our fucking balls are too big for our pants… ay, pal!" Knox said grabbing Mac's face as he pushed it.
“Shit… Knox I don’t want to be thinking about your balls,” Mac stressed as he pushed the mental image out of his head.
"Sorry, pal didn't mean to get you jealous. That can't be good for your recovery. What’s wrong with you anyway, you gone soft, you Yankee pussy?” Knox taunted as he smiled waiting for a reaction.
“Fuck off!” Mac laughed.
The two of them caught up. Knox talked about a few of the paid contracts he did after leaving the regiment and Mac told Knox all about getting recruited into T.I.7 after becoming disillusioned with Delta. Knox knew he was pushing his luck on time so called it quits on their reunion. That or he knew there was a possibility he would get back to Dani and find her currently in the middle of trying to dispose of a dead Isabella in the bathtub.
“As good as it is to catch up pal, there is only so much I can take looking at your ugly mug,” Knox said and as he was about to get up, Mac grabbed his wrist.
“Well if you’re going to fuck off, can you do me a favour?” Mac whispered to Knox, not that anyone could hear him.
“Ay pal, what do you want?” Knox said as he looked at Mac with a grin, baffled and waiting to hear what banter was coming his way.
“The medic…” Mac said as he nodded his head in her direction.
“What about her?” Knox questioned.
“Are you going to give her your number?” Mac looked serious as he asked.
“Nah… I would break her,” Knox scoffed, and Mac pulled Knox closer.
“Oh yeah, got someone at home I reckon, that’s what your face is telling me!” Mac may not have seen Knox for a long time but he still remembered how to read him. Knox smiled and it gave him away. If Mac had any uncertainty he didn't anymore.
“Come on Knox, spill. Brunette, Redhead, Blonde…” Mac said watching Knox’s face like a hawk. And as soon as he said blonde he saw Knox react.
“Blonde it is, you dirty dog. Serious or is she a fuck buddy?” Mac said as he pushed Knox, getting him back for his piss taking.
“A gentleman never kisses and tells, you know that Mac. Well, no you wouldn’t but we can’t all have your low morals,” Knox cut back at Mac.
“Fuck off Knox, I will have you know my morals have raised.” Mac looked at Knox, chin up and proud.
“Oh, right, you don't say," Knox said trying not to crack up at the bullshit he was listening too.
“Yeah, now if they’re married I ask them to take the rings off.” Mac laughed.
“Oh nice, I take it back… you have definitely hit the giddy heights of morality. You crazy git, I dread to ask if you have been caught yet.”
“Knox, you know me. I specialised in evade and capture,” Mac said turning serious. Knox couldn’t help but chuckle as he shook his head, his sides starting to hurt a little. Mac had a thing for married women. Knox didn’t particularly agree with Mac’s immoral code, but as a Dom who liked nothing more than to tie his women to his bed and sexually torture them, then really, who was he to call another man’s kinks. Besides, he knew that for some soldiers who could never settle down, for obvious reasons, being with married women meant one important fact…unattachment.
Personally, Knox didn’t know why people just didn’t do the sensible thing and meet in a bar for a one-night stand…at least that way, you weren’t fucking with anyone’s marriage. Of course, this then questioned how many of his own ‘one-night stands’ had simply taken a ring off for the night? It was a sad fact to face and one of the reasons Knox himself had never married. Because if he couldn’t see himself spending the rest of his life with just one woman in his bed, then for him marriage was never on the cards. But if this was the case, then why had Dani’s face just appeared in his mind’s eye?
“Back to the medic, can you ask her to come in and see me,” Mac said straight faced.
“Yeah sure, are you in pain, mate?” Knox looked a little concerned.
“Yeah… yeah, my balls are blue and it’s been months. Tell her I need my bed bath!” Mac burst into laughter, as did Knox.
“Right pal, I am off. Good luck with getting that one!” Knox said as he walked out.
“See you around, you old Scottish bastard!” Mac yelled as Knox dropped the canvas sheet.
The young medic was sat waiting, with a look that said she wasn’t too impressed that Knox hadn’t left his number.
“Sorry Lass but I don’t have a phone, I’m a dinosaur,” Knox said feeling upbeat from his chat with Mac. The girl sighed and Knox motioned back towards Mac.
“My pal McCarthy did say he was feeling a little unwell,” Knox said with deadpan seriousness.
“He did?” The medic asked, who at first wasn’t sure if Knox was joking.
“Yeah… he is a bit embarrassed. I said you are a professional and he shouldn’t worry. But you know what guys are like, right?” Knox held his hands up and shook his head.
“Yes, relics like you can be a pain to care for.” The medic smiled as she stood up.
“Yeah… too true Lass, too true.” Knox held his chin as he agreed with her.
“So, Captain what is his problem?” The medic said waiting with arms crossed.
“Well… he has lots of problems but we won’t go there. I think you will need to be tactful regarding his current issue.” Knox strung it out.
“Spit it out, Captain,” the medic said as she was losing her patience.
“He is bleeding,” Knox said and winced.
“Badly?” The medic started to walk to Mac, Knox stopped her.
“Yes, Lass… he is bleeding from his anus. The daft git has been hiding it. They really tortured him badly,” Knox said and somehow kept a straight face as he acted a little upset, and with that, he patted the medic on the shoulder and walked off with a grin he couldn't stop from slipping out. The medic pulled a face that said ‘eww’ as she picked up a pair of rubber surgical gloves.
Knox's good mood from catching up with Mac was short lived as we walked past the hospital trolley with Thomas's covered up body lay on it. Knox walked over and stood beside the black body bag and took a moment as he murmured some words as he placed a hand on the body before walking away.
Taking the long scenic route back to the Gran Hotel Miramar, Knox took in the Mediterranean Sea air along the coastal road, air that was still warm even though it was approaching midnight. Knox needed to ride, like sitting and disassembling and reassembling a weapon calmed and relaxed him, so did getting out on the road, the wind in his face, Knox and the machine working as one. This ride, however, didn’t work out like that. This time he couldn’t empty his mind… Mac, Ellis, Howard and the container ship all of it on fucking replay.
What was Ellis’s angle, who was she really working for? Knox couldn’t put that one together. Did she know Mac was in the container? One thing Knox knew it was going to be interesting hearing what Mac had to say in the debrief. Knox wasn’t going to bring it up with him tonight. Knox knew he may have been a joker, but he was a fully committed soldier and he wouldn’t have said anything. This train of thought led Knox onto his other niggle, why did they let Mac live? Why was he in an empty container and more importantly, who was he being sent to?
Knox would have to push his thoughts to the back of his mind for now as he had to deal with what he may find in Dani’s penthouse suite. Would
it be a bloodbath, Knox smirked at the thought of Dani losing it with Isabella. Then for a second, his face dropped at the real possibility.
“Nah, don’t be stupid Knox,” he said aloud to himself, as a young Spanish guy on a moped looked over at him. Knox was sat at the first red light of the ride and that was the end of his fun. Knox was now entering Malaga city.
Pulling up just outside the Gran Hotel Miramar on the main road, Knox wanted to have a smoke before he went into the hotel.
The hotel was relatively quiet, as was the city at this time. Knox took off his helmet and pushed the kill switch on the handlebars which cut the engine and the rumbling burble faded away. Knox lit his smoke and as he enjoyed the first deep inhale he admired the architecture of the 1926 building. It looked more like a palace than a hotel. Bathed in bright white lights that only made the white stone seem whiter. It was a hotel of pure Mediterranean elegance and beauty.
