by Beth Abbott
“Is Alex entirely focused on getting back into uniform?” Gregor frowned. “Is he one of those guys that would be lost without the military?”
“I don’t think he’d be lost, exactly.” Sophia admitted. “But he talks about his step-dad all the time, and how proud he is to be wearing the Marine uniform the same as Major Tucker did. I think his ambition is to be someone his step-dad would be proud of.”
“That’s only natural, I guess.” Gregor nodded. “But for what it’s worth, I think Tuck is already extremely proud of Alex. And I think that has very little to do with him wearing the same uniform. Alex is strong and capable, but from what I’ve seen and heard, he’s smart and caring too. An altogether good guy.”
“Well, I’m glad you said that.” Sophia chuckled. “If I’d have said it, you’d probably have accused me of gushing over the guy because he was responsible for rescuing me. But, for what it’s worth, I’m in complete agreement with you. He’s most certainly one of the good ones.”
“So how are you liking Ms Jordan’s house?” Gregor asked. “Is it what you’d expect a famous singer to live in?”
“Oh my God, dad! You have to get one of these places!” Sophia squealed. “It’s a log cabin, but the word cabin doesn’t really fit, except that it’s built of wood. It has every possible luxury you could imagine, including a hot-tub out on the deck that would fit a football team. There’s underfloor heating, a kitchen that Marcy would kill for, and all the digital age gadgetry that you’d expect. But the views! Oh, dad they’re spectacular. You can see the mountains and the valleys, and the place is so private. It’s miles from anywhere. It’s freakin’ awesome!”
“So, you’d like me to buy one, hmm?” He chuckled. “Just like that?”
“Well, not ‘just like that’, obviously.” Sophia laughed. “But Leo was telling us that there’s a place on the other side of the valley that’s almost as good as this one. And it’s going up for sale in a couple of months, when the owners get back from travelling.”
“And who is this Leo, that knows so much about Ms Jordan’s neighbours?” Gregor wondered.
“He’s Carolina’s chauffeur. He’s utterly adorable and has to be seventy if he’s a day.” Sophia laughed. “According to Hannah, her mom treats him like one of the family, and has already paid him a lump sum so he could retire to a luxury villa in the Caribbean and live like a king for the rest of his days. But apparently, he loves driving for ‘Miss Carolina’ as he calls her, and has been with her almost thirty years, and until he retires of his own free will, she refuses to have anyone else drive her if she’s in the States. Isn’t that sweet?”
“It’s very sweet.” Gregor smiled. “But what exactly would I do with a cabin in the mountains? Go and live in it like a hermit? I’ve already moved my business once, to the annoyance of many of my staff. I don’t think they’d follow me again.”
“No, I guess not. But it would be a great winter holiday home. We could all come and stay with you.” Sophia argued.
“Sophia, who are this ‘all’ you refer to?” Gregor wondered. “You and Serge? We’d hardly need a huge log cabin for the three of us.”
“No, but other people could come as well.” Sophia was being cagey, but he guessed she was thinking of Alex already. “I mean, you’ve suddenly acquired a whole new bunch of friends through Tuck and Candy and their extended family. Not to mention Yuri and Kris-cross. I bet they’d love to do a bit of snowboarding.”
“I’ll bet!” Gregor laughed.
A beep in his ear interrupted his attention, causing him to glance at the screen.
“Honey, I’ve got Tuck on another line trying to get through.” He explained. “Can I call you this evening to check in, and you can tell me all about these wonderful views.”
“Sure, I can chat to you from the hot-tub?” Sophia laughed.
“Only if you’re the only one in it.” Gregor cautioned. “If anyone else was in there with you, it would feel a tad uncomfortable!”
“Ok, dad. Talk to you later.” Sophia chuckled. “Love you.”
“I love you more, sweetheart.” He smiled. “Talk later.”
Gregor tapped the call button on the screen, and Tuck’s voice came on the line instantly.
“Thank holy fuck for that! I thought you were never gonna answer.” Why did the man sound so breathless? “We’re on our way to you, and there’s another team on their way from the safe-house, as well as the Feds and the PPD.”
“Why?” Gregor sat up straight. “What do you know?”
“We know that on the western side of your property, on the other side of the adjoining wall, there are three vehicles that look like they have armour plating, plus at least thirty men.” Tuck explained. “They look like they’re about to attack.”
Gregor was out of his chair in a heartbeat and running down the hall, yelling for Kris and Yuri.
“Get everyone back to the house, we’re about to come under attack from the neighbour’s property to the west. Get men up in the attic on the guns. We should have a clear view when they come through.” He instructed.
“How long until we get reinforcements?” He barked into the phone.
“Ten minutes, give or take.” Tuck responded instantly. “We’re already on our way, but the PPD may get there first.”
“Ok.” Gregor acknowledged. “I’m going to go and make sure all my men are safe, and none of them tries to be a hero. I’ll see you in ten minutes.”
“You will.” Tuck assured him. “Stay safe, my friend. I was just starting to like you.”
Gregor snorted a laugh.
“Ditto, pal.” He ended the call and ran to check the front of the property.
Not in his wildest dreams had he ever believed it would come to this, but now it had, Gregor was going to make sure nobody else got hurt. Not protecting him at any rate!
“Kris!” He yelled after his friend. “Get me a fucking gun!”
Chapter 42 – Jesus
Jesus had been waiting impatiently for the instruction to come through to move in through the front gates, the three-vehicle convoy he was a part of parked less than a half a mile away from the Russian billionaire’s property, down a tree-covered lane.
Their front vehicle was almost ten tonnes in weight and had been fitted with armour plating and ramming bars, so even if Diminov had a reinforced gate, there was no chance it would hold up to the truck travelling at around thirty miles an hour.
Once the truck had cleared the way, the other vehicles would pile through, taking out any security guards who bothered to put up any resistance.
Experience had taught Jesus that security guards were mostly just for show, and that when the shit really hit the fan, nine times out of ten, the wannabe heroes just ducked for cover.
“How much longer, man?” DJ whined. “Is the bitch stopping to get one of her infamous ‘massages’ before we go in? Has she found another ‘lady friend’ to help her out? Now, that I’d like to watch!”
“Firstly, quit your bitchin’, would you? You only got here an hour ago. Some of us having been hanging around waiting for days.” Jesus growled. “Secondly, you do know she ain’t really into women, doncha? She’s just gotta make do, cos that asshole brother of mine threatened to fix her face for her if she ever went with another man, even though he knows he ain’t getting out for at least a couple of decades!”
“Course I know she ain’t into women.” DJ grinned. “I seen the way she looks at me when y’all ain’t around! That woman likes cock! No doubt about it.”
“Tell me you’re fucking joking, and you haven’t been messing around with Lucky?” Jesus demanded. “Cos Hector wasn’t kidding when he threatened her about messing about with other men. And if you think what he’d do to Lucky is bad, you don’t want to hear what he has planned for any guy who touches her!”
DJ burst out laughing.
“Do I look fucking stupid to you, coz?” He grinned. “But let’s face it, the woman can’t be blamed for looking, can
she? I’m a walking fucking sex god!”
“You’re a walking fucking asshole is what you are!” Jesus grinned. “Now shut the fuck up about Lucky and get your head in the game. I don’t want anybody getting shot because they weren’t paying attention.”
They waited in silence for another five minutes before Jesus’ phone buzzed.
“You go through the gate on Lucky’s signal, and get their attention, and we’ll go through the side wall a minute after that.” Pedro’s voice confirmed the agreed instruction.
“Got that.” Jesus confirmed.
Lucky’s voice came through the speaker next, giving the order to attack.
He immediately pressed another contact name and the ringing tone came through.
“Yep?”
“Go. We need to hit those gates hard and fast!” He ordered.
“About fucking time!”
Ok, so he and DJ weren’t the only ones chomping at the bit.
The convoy moved off as quietly as a convoy including an armoured truck could, and they headed the last half mile as though they were on a Sunday outing.
As they approached the entrance, the truck picked up a little speed, before turning sharp right and ramming through the gate.
Every man in each of the vehicles was heavily armed, not only with automatic rifles, but also grenades as well as a couple of rocket launchers.
They’d come in meaning business, and as much as he could ready himself in the limited confines of the vehicle, Jesus had his rifle to his shoulder, ready to fire at anyone offering resistance.
Only no one was offering resistance. Not a single soul.
Jesus cracked the window a little, looking to get a better view.
Was there even anyone at home? He wondered. Wouldn’t that be funny if they’d spend all this time waiting to attack, and the fucking Russian wasn’t even at home!
The lead truck had taken the gate out with minimal effort, and once it’d pushed the damn thing out of the way, the cars followed it through, and down the long driveway.
Damn! Jesus almost whistled his appreciation as the house came into sight.
Back in Mexico, their family home was almost a fortress, thanks to the constant need for security, so there wasn’t the room to have a beautiful garden, and wide-open spaces. They were all crammed into the same space, with very little privacy in the main house, even for himself and Lucky.
This place was gorgeous, and a tiny part of him longed for the ability to live some place like this, without the constant presence of dozens of sweaty assholes getting in his face.
He stared ahead, looking for signs of life, but so far there was nothing.
He dropped the window a little further, so he could get a better view.
Absolutely no sign of life, whatso…
Boom!
The sound of Pedro’s crew hitting the dividing wall between the two properties, could probably be heard in three counties, along with the roar of the vehicles making their way through the rubble.
The first gunshots seemed to be such a long way off, Jesus wasn’t sure if he was actually hearing them properly.
The second burst of gunshots sounded a lot closer, and it quickly became apparent that it was not the cartel members doing the firing, when he heard the rapid ‘ting, ting, ting,’ of the automatic rounds hitting the side of his vehicle.
Jesus ducked back in and raised the bulletproof glass window, as the convoy swept to a halt in front of the house. He glanced up to see a number of shooters pointing automatics at the vehicles, and by the number of rounds they were sending down, they weren’t exactly suffering from a shortage of ammo.
He slid to the opposite side of the vehicle and opened the door.
“Return fire!” He yelled, clambering out and ducking low to safely move himself to a decent firing position.
DJ followed, as always at his side, and they started to send back some fierce return fire. Jesus almost cringed at the sound of glass windows shattering everywhere. It was just such a damn pity to have to destroy such a lovely home.
Between bursts, he could hear the firing on the far side of the house, and it sounded like Pedro and his men were giving a good account of themselves. He was waiting for Lucky to make her move on the other side, as once she did, the Russian wouldn’t have a hope in hell of getting out alive.
Jesus fired off a few more rounds before ducking behind the car to reload.
DJ was grinning his ass off as he pulled another clip from his vest.
“Feels like old times, don’t it?” DJ grinned. “Like when we were kids, and Hector would send us out to take down the small gangs who were trying to move in on his turf.”
“Yeah, except back then, nobody could afford the bulletproof vests, and you were lucky if the shit guns you had didn’t explode in your face!” Jesus chuckled before turning to let off another barrage of bullets.
“This is gonna sound like a dumbass question, but have we hit anyone yet?” He glanced around the end of the car to get a better view.
There was glass everywhere, all over the drive, but no sign of any bodies. This wasn’t like the movies, where when you shot someone they always fell forward out of the window, plummeting to the ground.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen any guards through the smashed windows, even though the bullets kept on coming.
As he watched, Jesus finally spotted a movement up at roof level, and within seconds, he noticed the rifle poke from under the eaves.
Whether or not the person holding the rifle could see what he was shooting at was unclear. What was clear was that they didn’t need to see to be able to find their target with a high degree of accuracy, as the bullets hit the vehicles in huge numbers, taking out the tires, which caused the vehicle to drop significantly, and whilst not smashing the windscreen, they certainly left it unusable as a window.
Jesus and DJ ducked lower, crawling along the ground to hide behind the next vehicle, as it seemed to be receiving less attention from whoever was manning the guns.
“Fuck this.” Jesus grumbled. “We’re gonna have to wait for them to run out of bullets at this rate.”
Jesus glanced around DJ to try and see the men from the front truck.
Spotting the driver reloading his weapon, he yelled at him.
“Get the fucking rocket launcher and take out the front door.” He pointed around the vehicle. “After that, take out the attic windows.”
“I thought Lucky wanted the Russian taken alive.” DJ pointed out. “She’s gonna be pissed if you wipe him out before she gets here.”
“Then she should’ve made damn sure she got here with the first attack, shouldn’t she?” Jesus shrugged.
He glanced to the third of their vehicles, only to see one of their men lying on the floor, blood spurting from his mouth with every twitch of his body.
A second man was sitting with his back to the car, his hands lying limp at his side. He appeared to be resting, until Jesus noticed the drops of blood running through his hair, where a bullet must have caught the top of his skull.
“Mother-fucking bastards!” He growled. “Fire that launcher, now!”
The first rocket whizzed past him before he’d finished yelling, and the whole of the front door and surrounding brickwork was blown in, leaving a jagged gaping hole where it had once stood.
The bullets kept whizzing down on them from on high, and Jesus and DJ wisely kept their heads down.
Jesus’ phone buzzed, and he yanked it out of his jacket pocket.
“What?” He demanded.
“Why the fuck are you using rockets?” Pedro demanded. “Lucky said…”
“Lucky said, did she?” Jesus yelled into the phone. “Well, unless she’s here to say it again, I’m going to use every fucking rocket I have until I level the place. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll do the same. Otherwise, we’ll still be here popping off singles when the cops show up.”
Two more rockets went off, this time aiming for th
e attic space. Jesus expected the firing to stop, but although it was somewhat reduced, still the bullets came at them.
In the distance, he heard several more booms, and figured that Pedro had finally gotten with the plan and was expediting matters on the far side of the house with a few rockets of his own.
Lucky could bitch all she wanted, but if she was going to give him hell for bringing out the artillery, then she’d have to turn up fast to do it. At the rate they were going, the house would be rubble inside five minutes!
Chapter 43 – Candy
Candy stood in the doorway, watching the men pile into vehicles and head off at breakneck speed down the drive. As the last vehicle stopped at the gate, the security guards appeared, wearing Kevlar vests, and hopped in the back of the last car. Her husband was taking no chances and taking every able soul with him.
Since all of the security they employed had military backgrounds, this would be almost a routine mission for all of them.
Tuck had given her a quick kiss and a tight hug before he’d run out the door, and she knew that he’d meant the last glance back at her and his smile to be reassuring, but…
Something tight was constricting her chest, and she suddenly had a terrible sense of foreboding. What if something went wrong? What if someone got hurt? What if…?
Candy wouldn’t have been nearly so worried if she’d been going in with them, shoulder to shoulder with her husband and friends. This staying at home shit really sucked!
As the last vehicle shot through the gate and out of sight, Candy turned and closed the door behind her.
Hannah would keep tabs on what was going on everywhere, so she was going to have to listen to all of it through a speaker in her husband’s office, as there hadn’t been time to set them up with body-cameras.
“Candy? Is everything alright?” Tulli’s voice made her jump.
