Stark Resolution (Stark Trilogy Book 3)

by C. D. Bradley

  “Viper One, are you ready?” Colin’s voice over the headset brought him back.

  “Viper One, ready,” Stark responded, taking the side panel off the generator. This would have to be done extremely carefully, so that he didn’t electrocute himself. He located the main utility disconnect and opened it, “Viper One, ready for your count.”

  “Viper Three, power is about to go down. Ready your NVGs and check your tape,” Colin called over the mic.

  “This is Viper Three. We are in position to take the overwatch when the power goes down. NVGs functional and tape visible. Viper Five is on the move to your position,” Miller responded.

  Stark checked his NVGs (Night Vision Goggles) and double checked the infrared reflective tape on his chest, legs, arms, helmet, and equipment. In the dark, the tape was invisible to the naked eye, but with the infrared NVGs, they could easily distinguish each other from the enemy.

  “Viper Two, this is Viper Five. I am closing in on your position,” Sergeant Reed called over the mic.

  “One … ready your night vision … two … three,” Sergeant Colin whispered out.

  On three, Stark turned off the main utility disconnect and opened the main line circuit breaker. Once it was partially dismantled, he turned off the generator leaving it impossible to turn back on without repair. Stark placed a small C-4 charge, so that if they tried to repair the generator tonight, the whole world would know. That would keep them busy for a while. Immediately, the compound fell into complete darkness. Even the moon seemed to have turned its back to the dark corner of the world, as it sulked behind the clouds.

  The compound erupted with new chaos as shouts of fear and screams filled the void. Stark turned on his night vision, and moved quickly to the rally point in the large bird of paradise tree at the corner of the house where he waited for Colin. He could hear enforcers shouting to one another, calling over their radios. Some fled, some began moving toward the generator, and others moved into the house. Shouts and screams came from inside the house. God, Kira please. I would give anything to keep you safe. Live, just fucking live.

  Stark could see Colin moving across the compound. “Viper Two, watch your two o’clock. There are two enforcers headed toward that generator. They are struggling a bit in the dark, but they are coming toward you.”

  “Roger,” Colin responded in the whisper that can only be heard with a throat mic.

  Within minutes, Colin was at his side. They slipped down the wall to a side entrance. To enter and clear a building with only a two-man team was not ideal, but they had done it before.

  Stark and Colin had walked through every corner of hell together. Stark had no doubt that his brother had his back. They moved tactically and silently, staying in order, and avoided any unnecessary movements. The door was unlocked, opening with ease. Stark and Colin stacked at the door. Stark took everything to the left and Colin cleared everything to the right. Methodically, they moved in, as they cleared the entrance, then a small hallway that led to a kitchen. The house opened up to a large central space. They continued clearing and moved to the stairs. The office where they had taken out their targets was on the second floor. Stark noted blood on the steps. His heart rate sped up, but he maintained control. They would find her. He was not giving up.

  He fought the urge to run down the hall as they crested the second floor landing. Four doors down on the right, lay the love of his life, possibly bleeding to death from a wound he gave her. He regained focus. He had to keep a clear head. Her life depended on it. Their lives depended on it.

  Carefully, they moved down the hall. When they reached the fourth door, Stark’s mouth went dry. The door was open and all was silent inside. They began clearing the room.

  Amibel, the terrorist leader, lay dead half slumped out of his chair. The damage from Colin’s high velocity rifle left a combination of initial impact and explosive effect. The force pushed the brain to the side of the skull, fracturing it from the inside out. One target, one confirmed kill.

  Two top enforcers lay on the ground. The living, injured, and dead, must be searched to ensure that they no longer pose a threat. Colin covered the room while Stark searched the two enforcers. They were both dead. Three targets, three confirmed kills.

  They both bore the same scorpion tattoo as the man who had taken Paige. The same man had followed Kira, breaking into her home. Stark knew this was more than a coincidence. How the hell was all this related? He was desperate for answers, but more desperate to find Kira. Everything else would come later. At that moment, he just needed to see her face and feel her breathe.

  He turned his attention to the desk by the large window. Broken glass covered the desk and surrounding area. A partially torn drape hung awkwardly, piled onto the floor. Next to the desk, he could see the body of Gerson Galvez. One of the most powerful and notorious cocaine traffickers in Peru’s history, lay crumpled on the tile. His eyes were still open, but his crisp white shirt was stained crimson. The chest wound was non-survivable, indicating that he died within seconds. Stark checked his wounds. Four were confirmed. Where was the fifth? Where the fuck was Kira? Panic began to rise in him. There were five people in this room. He knew he had hit her. He saw the pink mist as the bullet exited her. When he pulled back the chair, he gasped. In the pool of crimson on the floor lay a bloody, but empty burqa.

  STARK ABANDONED ALL rational thought for the moment, and frantically searched the room. He turned over the sofa to see if she crawled under.

  Colin turned off his mic. “What the fuck are you doing? You are making more noise than a cheerleader on crack.”

  “She has to be here. Where the fuck did she go?” Stark ran over to the closet.

  Colin saw what he was doing, and moved in position to cover the closet door and the door to the room. Stark jerked the door open and began looking inside, throwing out books and papers. There was nothing, like she just vanished.

  “Stark. You need to calm down. Think. Maybe someone moved her. Maybe it wasn't even Kira. That burqa isn't exactly revealing,” Colin offered.

  Stark did a perimeter search of the room, looking under each piece of furniture and in every corner. He found nothing. “I know it was her. I’m not leaving this house until I find her.”

  He walked back over to the computer, retracing in his mind the last time he saw her. She had been sitting at the computer, her back to him. Gerson had been standing to her side, while they were looking at something on the screen. What the hell were they looking at? Stark looked the computer over, but with the power out to the entire complex, there was no way to know. He looked down at the console and saw the USB drive still in place. Stark pulled it out and put it in his pocket. He would find out when they got back to base. For now, his mission had one objective. Find Kira.

  “What about the blood we saw on the steps?” Colin suddenly blurted out. “All of the other targets are dead in this room. That blood had to come from someone. Mabey, she crawled out, or someone dragged her.”

  Stark’s mouth dropped open. How could he have been so stupid? Of course, that blood had to belong to Kira. What the fuck? We may have run right past her. God, damn it. He was moving back out the door before Colin could say another word. Moving down the hall in rapid protocol, Stark and Colin cleared the other rooms as quickly as possible. Stark didn’t want to pass her up again. When they came to the stairs, they came across the blood from earlier. It was fresh. Closer examination revealed droplets and smearing. She was either being carried, or was walking with assistance.

  As they came down the steps, a frightened Peruvian woman with a rolling pin jumped up from behind the steps swinging the pin, cursing vehemently. Her body shook with sobs and fear. Stark disarmed her swiftly, doing his best to calm the woman. Anyone else would have been shot on site, but this woman was so much like his Rosalea.

  “Se calme mi amor. No queremos hacerte daño,” he spoke soothingly, like wrapping up in a warm blanket. The woman visibly softened. If she could see the armor-cla
d figure holding her in the darkness, she would most likely faint. “Sólo quiero encontrar a la chica y salvarla. ¿Has visto a la chica americana?”

  She hesitated, looking at Stark, her eyes squinted and brows furrowed, with deep skepticism. He could hardly blame the woman. He had just turned her world upside down. He gave her hand a little squeeze of reassurance, as Rosalea had always done for him. The woman’s eyes flew open wide at the gesture. A half smile crossed her trembling lips, and tears brimmed her eyes. He could tell that she had a small boy she raised and loved. Perhaps, it was the one lying dead upstairs. He was lucky she wasn’t trying to kill them all.

  “Sí. Javier la tomó por ayuda y se está muriendo,” she started quietly, “si los encuentras me prometes que no harás daño a Javier. El es un buen chico. Sólo está tratando de ayudar a esa chica.”

  Stark swallowed hard. Dying … Kira was dying. He had to get to her fast. Promising this woman that they wouldn’t hurt this Javier boy, was like promising to keep snow from melting. At this point, he would promise his soul to the devil to save Kira. If this boy was helping her, then for the time being, they were on the same team.

  “Te prometo que no habrá ningún daño para Javier. ¿A dónde fueron?” Stark soothed, pleading with the woman.

  Colin stood watch. From this position, they were exposed to the great entrance, the kitchen hall, and the opposite hall. Enforcers could come from any direction.

  “La tomó de esa manera. Pueden estar en una habitación o quizás en la enfermería estable. Él corrió por ese camino con ella y me envió para towles y agua hirviendo. Entonces las luces se apagaron y todo el mundo empezó a gritar. No escuché el resto.” The woman began sobbing. When the hacienda went dark, she had been unable to see to help Javier.

  Stark squeezed her hands again, gently. “Gracias, mi amor,” he said, easing her to a cushioned bench on the landing. He then turned to Colin.

  Stark pointed down the hall that she indicated. “A boy named Javier helped her down this hall. This woman is his caregiver, and was going to get towels for Kira when the lights went out. She is unsure if they are in one of those rooms, or if they went to the stable infirmary,” he blurted, descending the rest of the steps two at a time.

  “Slow the fuck down. Keep your head. You still don’t know if it’s Kira we are chasing. If you go off half fucking cocked and get yourself killed, you won’t be saving anyone,” Colin reminded him, sweeping the great room as they passed through.

  BOOM! A large explosion was followed by complete chaos outside. Guards and enforcers were shouting and running all over the complex.

  “Viper One, Viper Two, you guys ok?” Miller called over the earbud. “Looks like they found your little surprise, Viper One. They are going to be calling for back up soon. This guy is in tight with the government here.”

  “Viper Three, this is Viper Two. We’re moving into the lower hall of the south wing. There is a lot of chatter just outside the house. Do you have a visual?” Colin called into his mic.

  “Viper Two, you’ve got activity buzzing all around out there. The parking area is crawling with guards. Watch your six,” Miller warned. “The generator and surrounding bushes are on fire. I dare say, they won’t be restoring power anytime soon.”

  “Roger that, Viper Three. Let us know if they start coming in,” Colin replied.

  Stark and Colin moved to the south hallway, clearing the rooms one by one. Time was ticking by … time that Kira did not have … time they did not have. Daylight, was the ultimate game over. If they didn’t make it to the extraction point by dawn, they were dead.

  The first room was moderate sized, with a bed, two end tables, and a leather chair. It was nice, but nothing personal, like a hotel room. It felt staged. Stark wondered if it could be a guest room. They swept the room and closets, moving down the hall. They found nothing. Every second that ticked by caused Stark physical pain. The second room largely resembled the first. They found two young Peruvian girls, maybe fifteen or sixteen, cowering in the corner. Based on their heavy makeup and scant dress, Stark guessed they were prostitutes, or had been taken into the slave trade. Stark and Colin quietly backed out of the room. Speaking to the girls, or trying to get them out of there, would compromise their entire mission. He wished like hell they could save every kid they found. There are some sick fucks in this world. He was happier than ever, knowing that Galvez and Amibel lay dead on the floor upstairs.

  Stark prayed that this Javier boy was helping Kira hold on. Please let him know how to put pressure on a wound and stop the damn bleeding. If he knew enough to take her to an infirmary, maybe he had some first aid training. Stark pictured him like a Peruvian boy scout, scared and doing his best.

  As they approached the third room, Stark could hear moaning from inside. Pain and confusion resounded in the muffled voice. They opened the door carefully, exposing a room void of furniture. They cleared the room, finding a man in civilian clothes, hogtied, with a hood over his head. Even with the limited visibility of the night vision goggles, bruises and whelps were evident on the man’s arms and legs. They checked the hostage to make sure he was not armed or covered with explosives, then Stark removed his vomit spattered hood.

  “Holy fucking shit!” Stark blurted out. He could not believe his fucking eyes.

  “You speak English!” the beaten man replied. Though his hood was off, the complete darkness prevented him from being able to see Stark, or Sergeant Colin. “Who are you? What the fuck is going on?” he wailed, terrified beyond belief. The urine stains on his Bermuda shorts indicated he had either been here for a while, or had been terrified out of his mind.

  Stark still couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was the little shit. What the hell had he and Kira gotten involved in? They were supposed to be collecting bugs, God damn it. “State your name soldier,” Stark spoke gruffly to him. Colin turned to Stark in surprise.

  The little shit looked puzzled at first, then answered, “My name is Liam Holt. Captain, United States Army.” His voice was trembling, “Please God, don’t kill me. If you’re after a ransom, my family will pay it, but you have to keep me alive. Just please, don’t kill me. You can have anything you want.”

  “Captain Holt, we are friendlies. We are here to take you home,” Stark began “Are any other soldiers being held here that you know of?”

  “I’m not sure. Captain Kira Riley was taken also. We were together, outside a nightclub in Iquitos, when they pulled us into a van. I fought back, but they knocked me out. I haven’t seen Kira since. When I woke up, I had been bound and hooded. Where are we? I can’t see anything,” he explained, trying to move, but his arms and legs were still tied up. Sergeant Colin knelt, and began cutting him loose.

  “You have to get me out of here,” Holt continued, his voice high pitched and tight.

  “You need to calm down. You are in the home of Gerson Galvez. We just need to …” Stark began calmly, but Holt cut him off.

  “The drug lord? Gerson Galvez, the drug lord? Shit, we are going to die! This guy is bad news! He’s the real fucking deal!” Holt’s voice came out so high, it almost squeaked.

  “Wow, Captain, you’ve got a stunning grasp on the fucking obvious. Yes, drug lords tend to be bad people, but I assure you, he’s not going to be a problem. The horde of men outside are another story, so you need to …”

  “Please, you have to get me out of here. Fucking Kira! I warned her about hanging out with that playboy brother of his. Now look at this shit! How did you find us? Was it the tracker that command gave me? Thank God for that. This whole mission is fucked up, beyond all recognition,” Holt began severe diarrhea of the mouth. The adrenaline pumping through his veins was causing every random thought to spew right out.

  “You need to square your shit and fall in line, one step at a time. We will get you out alive, if you calm down and do exactly as we say. First, we need to find Kira.” Stark wanted to put the little shit in an interrogation chair, find out exactly who this playb
oy brother was, and why the hell he had been given a tracker. Something was off about this whole damn thing. Calm … relax … breathe … Stark maintained his composure, and helped Holt to his feet.

  “Viper Three, this is Viper One. We have located and secured one male hostage. Hostage verifies that there is one more friendly onsite,” Stark reported over the mic.

  “Roger that, Viper One. What is the condition of the hostage? Is he able to walk out?” Miller responded.

  “Affirmative. We are moving down this hall, but have report that the other hostage may be in a stable from your vantage point. Are you able to see the stables?” Stark asked, hoping they would be able to direct them and save some time.

  “Copy that, Viper One. There are four main stables, one hundred yards east of the hacienda. There are multiple guards and enforcers on the southern and western sides of the house. There is very little movement, or light, in the courtyards behind the hacienda to the east. We do see some flashlight activity in the second stable, back on the north end,” Miller reported.

  Sergeant Colin and Stark looked at each other. “The stable infirmary,” Stark said aloud.

  “We don’t know that for sure,” Colin cautioned, “we need to check these final rooms as quickly as possible before heading that way.” Stark knew Colin was right. Usually, he was the one keeping Sergeant Colin in line, but this mission had gotten to him. Stark had to put his desperation aside, and stay focused. Kira’s life depended on it.

  “You are right. Let’s go,” Stark agreed.

  “Wait, oh God, wait, don’t leave me here!” Holt wailed, and reached out into the darkness to grab one of them.

  “Jesus fucking Christ. Get yourself together,” Stark snapped. “We will not leave you. You are going to have to calm down, and listen to every word we say. You need to follow our orders exactly. You are going to have to come with us to find Captain Riley.”