“Should we kill them once we find them?” a security man asked.
“Leave your guns here,” Youssef quickly ordered. “Use only your knives. You know how upset the master gets when we mess up his palace. I don’t want to risk destroying any of his antiques.” Youssef had been reprimanded for breaking some of Fasi’s possessions before. It was the reason that he had only three fingers on his left hand.
“Then how will we kill them? Should we use our knives?” the security guard asked.
“You won’t,” Youssef responded with finality. “Flush them out into the open courtyard. The men on the wall will pick them off and kill them. It will be a simple matter to clear up the blood on the stone floor then and we will have protected the master’s possessions. Now go.” Youssef screamed.
Before they reached the door, they heard multiple rounds of rifle fire outside. It was coming fast and steady.
“There must be more intruders in the garden,” Youssef exclaimed. “I’d better go to the wall to help you.” It caused him to forget that no one would be manning the monitors and thus making Fasi’s fancy security system useless.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Mandy knew she was in a desperate situation. Her only hope of survival was to keep away from the much bigger Asian man until help arrived. Unlike the other women on Banyon’s team, she was not a good hand to hand combatant. Instead she depended on using stealth and taking advantage of her quickness to avoid trouble. She was a top rated shot with a gun, but she had damaged her gun while attempting to hammer the padlock which protected the entrance into the generator room. The pieces of the gun lay on the ground. It was useless. The Asian man noticed and displayed an evil grin.
He stood in the middle of the alleyway and said some words in a violent language Mandy didn’t understand. He then reached behind his back and ceremoniously withdrew a long Samurai sword while adopting an attack position. He looked fierce and determined.
Before he attacked, Mandy had time to survey the dead end alleyway. There was nothing to help her stop his attack. No rocks, pieces of iron or anything to throw at him. She did have the night-vision goggles complete with a US government issued metal helmet attached and the sack across her shoulder with two grenades in it. But, she knew that she would never have time to grab a grenade, pull the pin, and toss it at him before he chopped off her arm.
She slowly pulled the sack from her shoulder and held it like a sling. She brought up the helmet to use as a shield. This is David verses Goliath, she thought, Or more correctly, a Christian against an armed gladiator in a Roman amphitheater.
She was pretty sure she was quick enough to fend off his initial sword attack, but was also equally sure that the Asian was an expert with the dangerous sword. He would have planned several counter moves and attacks. Mandy knew that she could not hope to anticipate his additional moves. She considered that her life might end with blood spilling out from deep cuts everywhere on her body. She watched in horror as he began to spew out animalistic cries and attacked.
The Asian man started running then leaped into the air and headed straight for the tiny frightened woman. He drew the long gleaming sword back over his head with both hands. He knew that when he landed and brought the sword down with all his strength the blow would all but cut the stinking infidel woman in half — the long way.
Mandy did the only thing she could do and raised up the helmet in a desperate attempt to deflect the blow. The sword was very sharp and powered by the full weight of the Asian ninja, but the helmet was strong too. The sword slid off the side of the rounded helmet and crashed into the rock floor. Mandy was knocked to the ground and lay sprawled at the feet of the now off-balance attacker. He leered at the body of a young woman spread-eagled on the rough stone floor. Visions of lust filled his mind, murder filled his eyes.
It gave Mandy the few seconds she needed. She regained her feet and retreated to a nearby corner before the Asian could continue his attack. He screamed more unintelligible words and stomped after her like a Godzilla.
Her position in the very corner of the building made it harder for the ninja to get at her. He couldn’t slash at her, he could only thrust his weapon. Of course the sword was long and he had long arms for his size. The situation looked bleak.
But Mandy had extremely fast reflexes. The Asian man tried several times to thrust his long sword into her gut, but she was too quick and either batted away the sword with the helmet or moved to the side. The Asian ninja was becoming more and more furious and frantic because he was unable to put out the fire in the little insect of a woman. He was also tiring from all the posturing and attacks and Mandy could see it. His exaggerated aggressive fighting style consumed vast amounts of energy. His chest heaved as he gasped for air.
Suddenly they both heard multiple shots being fired close by. As the ninja turned his head to locate the possible threatening source, Mandy charged and swung the sack carrying the two grenades. She connected right between his legs. He froze in place for a second and then dropped his sword as he went to the ground. She stepped forward and viciously kicked him in the face. Then she turned to run.
A hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her leg pulling her down. She tried to kick the hand away using her other leg, but it was no use. He was too strong. When she looked at him she saw a wounded animal bent on revenge. His other arm had gone to his side arm and now his gun was pointed at her. He was about to shoot her in the head. She knew there was no way out of his grasp and prepared to die.
She had just closed her eyes and was waiting for the bullet that would end her young life when she heard what sounded like a pop. Instead of pain, she felt the hand that grasped her leg slip away.
When she opened her eyes, Heather was standing over her with her smoking, silenced, gun at her side. She had put a bullet into the Asian’s brain. He was dead.
“Heather,” was all Mandy could say.
“Come on kid,” Heather barked. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Adrenaline kicked in and Mandy sprang to her feet. She then began jogging behind Heather towards the courtyard. She no longer had a firearm, but she still had the grenades and the helmet. Most importantly she was still alive.
“Stay behind me,” Heather ordered.
***
“I think I got one,” Previne shouted excitedly to her sister. “He was standing in one of the windows and firing a machine gun from his hip.”
“This is so surreal,” Pramilla replied. “Their machine guns don’t have the range to reach us, but they are really doing damage to Fasi’s garden and we are doing damage to his Kasbah walls, but no one is getting hurt.”
“This is kind of like the arcades we used to visit as children,” Previne said to her sister. “You know, where a little man popped up in a window and we shot at them.”
“Well take time out from your fun and set some explosives on the gate. We may need to blow it to get our team out,” Pramilla suggested.
“But the bag is by you,” Previne whined. “You do it.”
***
Heather and Mandy stuck close to the walls as they cautiously jogged towards the courtyard. They had no idea if any of the security guards could see them, or if Chase was in the courtyard and even alive. All they knew was there had been some gun shots fired earlier in the courtyard. Other than that, all the shooting was outside the building.
The satellite phone that was strapped to Heather’s shoulder by velcro, suddenly beeped. Heather and Mandy ducked into a doorway as she answered it.
“There are two security men coming up behind you,” Colton Banyon said calmly. “They intend to drive you into the courtyard where the shooters up on the wall will fire down on you. They are only armed with knives.”
“Got it,” Heather responded in an angry whisper. A plan was already forming in her head. “Is Chase alright?”
“He has been shot, but is alive and hidden under the Ferrari in the courtyard.”
Heather had one more question b
efore she ended the call. It took several nervous seconds before she received her reply from Colton Banyon.
Heather turned to Mandy and whispered in her ear. “There are two guards behind us. Follow my lead, and for god sakes get Chase’s second gun when we get to the courtyard. We’re going to need it. I only had three bullets left,” she explained.
“What?” Mandy questioned as she realized how little firepower they had left.
“I shot out the cameras on the way to your location. We may need to find a place to hole up if this doesn’t work.”
“Oh!” Mandy exclaimed.
Two seconds later, in a very bold move, Mandy and Heather stepped out into the alley. Heather began running, but Mandy turned and yelled. “Hey, guys, we’re over here.”
The two security guards appeared with their knives flashing in the air. They started running towards Mandy.
Mandy quickly caught up to Heather as they raced towards the courtyard. The two guards sprinted after them.
***
Up on the high wall of the Kasbah, Youssef stared in shock at the dead body of his friend and fellow security man. A shot from outside the compound had taken his life, blowing a huge hole in his chest. He had only two mercenaries and one security guard left on the wall with him. He had no idea where the stupid Asian mercenary had gone. He knew that two guards were tracking the intruders and three mercenaries guarded the gate directly below him, but he had seen a man charge into the courtyard and had gotten off several shots before being gunned down. Youssef couldn’t see the body as one of Ahmed Fasi’s expensive cars blocked his view and he didn’t know the condition of the men below. He decided not to yell out and give his position away.
He was confused, and concerned, but mostly he was scared of what Ahmed Fasi would do to him when he returned. Youssef knew that in the eyes of Fasi he had screwed up and needed to redeem himself. So when he heard someone yell that the intruders were coming, he cocked his machine gun and opened fire as soon as he saw the shadows of two people entering the courtyard.
“Get over here,” Youssef roared at the two mercenaries and the one security guard who were covering the outer wall.
***
Heather and Mandy lay hidden under the big Rolls-Royce in the courtyard. The two women had skidded to a stop just before the alley opened up and dove unnoticed under the big car. Youssef was the only one covering the courtyard at that moment and he was distracted by his friend’s death.
Heather had asked Colton Banyon how to say “they’re coming” in Arabic while on the satellite phone with him. She used her huskiest male voice to shout out the warning.
The two security guards came sprinting into the courtyard in pursuit of the women and were raked with a volley of bullets from Youssef’s machine gun. Both men died before Youssef realized his error. The Arab let out a maniacal scream.
“Allah, what have I done?” He wailed. “They were both devout Muslims. They followed the teachings of the Koran as interpreted by their Imam. They didn’t smoke or drink, they didn’t touch any filthy pig meat and they prayed every day. Why them?” Of course, Youssef forgot to mention the killings, the rapes, the stealing and the beatings of infidel women the pair had inflicted. After all, they were warriors of Allah.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Heather now turned her head and saw Chase grinning at her from under the nearby Ferrari. He was lying on his belly. She asked several questions in rapid succession.
“Did you get the weapons?” she asked first.
“Yes,” he responded.
“Why didn’t you use your earpiece to tell us what was going on?”
“I took it out. I needed to hear the tumblers inside the safe. It’s in my pocket.”
“Not smart,” Heather commented.
“I was kind of in a hurry,” he responded.
“Are there any guards holding the gate?”
“There used to be, but not anymore,” the West Point graduate responded proudly.
“Explain,” Mandy interrupted.
“When I got here, I had one of my guns out and in my hand. One of the assholes ordered me to drop it on the ground. So I did, but I didn’t bother to explain that I had two guns. They’re all dead now.”
Her third question was, “Are you wounded?”
“Yeah, I caught one in my right side. I’m not able to walk right now,” he said semi-seriously.
“Hmm,” Heather responded. “That will complicate things. Can you toss your second gun across to Mandy? She lost her gun earlier.”
“I can toss it to her, but it’s out of bullets,” Chase explained. “I used them on the mercenaries.”
“Where’s your other gun?” Heather quickly asked.
“Out in the court yard somewhere,” Chase said with a grimace. It was clear that the wound was bothering him more than he admitted. “I told you that I had to drop it.”
A look of shock formed on Heather’s pretty face. She only had three bullets left and there were four guards with machine guns above them. Things looked very grim for the team. Heather decided that she needed more help.
“We’ve got a big problem here,” Heather said into her earpiece. She explained their precarious position. “Anybody got any ideas?”
“As a matter-of-fact, I do,” Previne replied calmly. “But you’ll have to fire your last three bullets.”
***
Back up on the wall, Youssef had bloodlust in his heart and the fire of hell in his eyes. He needed to avenge his dead security men. It was the intruder’s fault that he had killed them.
“They are hiding under the cars,” he told the three remaining men. “We are going to go down the stairs firing at the ground under the cars. When we reach the bottom, I want the two mercenaries to continue to fire at ground level. Even if you don’t kill them, you’ll send them running to the gate where the two of us will be able to mow them down.”
“I’ve only got two clips of ammo left,” one of the mercenaries complained.
“Then only shoot one bullet at a time until you can fire under the cars,” Youssef responded. “Now let’s go.”
They began moving in a single file towards the stone staircase that was attached to the inner wall of the courtyard. They kept their guns trained on the ground around the three cars and slowly began their descent.
***
“Can you crawl?” Heather called out to Chase. “Or do I have to come and pull you over here?”
“You’ll never make it between the cars,” Chase said. “They’ll cut you down as soon as you show your head.”
“So that means I need to drag you then,” Heather replied with little concern. “Can you at least crawl to the edge near the car your under?”
“I’m on my way,” Chase said gamely and began to move. She noticed a grimace on his face as he dragged himself along the ground.
Heather then explained Previne’s plan to Mandy through her earpiece.
“I’m a better shot anyway,” Mandy declared. “Give me the gun.” Heather handed it to the much smaller girl.
“We go on three,” Heather announced.
Mandy crawled out from under the back of the car and waited in a crouch until Heather said to go. She then tossed her helmet and goggles into the air. It landed on the trunk of the expensive Maserati on the side away from the car where Chase hid.
The men on the steps detected movement and opened fire, unleashing a barrage of bullets.
As soon as Heather heard the gun fire she slipped out from under the Rolls-Royce and opened the back door of the big car. She knew the door was unlocked because Previne had told her. Previne and Pramilla had checked it earlier when they were in the courtyard. It was part of a backup plan.
Heather then began dragging Chase into the plush car while Mandy suddenly stood up and fired the remaining three rounds at the men on the steps. The suppression fire worked and the men dropped down on the steps to avoid taking a bullet.
Mandy dropped the now useless gun and bolted
around to the open rear door of the Rolls-Royce. She dove inside just as Heather athletically slid into the driver’s seat.
“I’m in, lock the doors,” Mandy screamed. She immediately went to help Chase sit upright.
Heather hit the lock button and then began rummaging around under the dashboard with her hands. She was looking for the ignition wires.
She took a second and pressed her earpiece. “Suppression fire,” she ordered.
Outside, on the outer wall, Previne and Pramilla switched targets from the upper windows to the open entrance of the Kasbah. They couldn’t see the gunmen, but they could see part of the stairway. They began firing at the steps as rapidly as they could.
Realizing that continuing down was sure death, Youssef screamed. “Jump off the steps and stay out of a direct line with the entrance. They have snipers outside.”
The four killers leaped off the steps and were soon standing in the courtyard. They knew that the three intruders were cowering inside the expensive car. An evil grin appeared on Youssef’s face. The intruders were trapped and all he had to do was blow them to hell.
“Fire,” he ordered.
***
“Hurry up,” Mandy screamed from the back seat. “Get this thing started.”
“I’m going as fast as I can,” Heather responded with irritation. “This isn’t like jacking an American car.”
Suddenly the sound of four machine guns firing filled the air. The three people in the car instinctively ducked, but it didn’t matter.
Previne and Pramilla had noticed the Rolls-Royce was a Phantom model. The car cost half a million dollars, but was worth the money. It was completely bullet proof.
The bullets just pinged off the car’s exterior and could not penetrate the heavy glass windows. The gunmen moved towards the car thinking that concentrated firepower on a window would eventually break through. And they were right. They poured round after round into the luxury automobile.
The Society of Orion Book Six: The Moroccan Affair: Colton Banyon Mystery Page 8
