by Wolf Wootan
Coffer said, “They left the balcony door open; that’s good. But there are at least two of them. I don’t like that, Hatch.”
“I’ll have the benefit of surprise. I don’t anticipate any trouble. If I run into something unexpected, I’ll let you know and you can come down with your MP-5 and hose the place,” chortled Hatch, knowing that was exactly what Coffer would like to do.
“Ready?” asked Coffer.
“Let’s do it,” responded Hatch.
The Chief Engineer opened the floor hatch and checked the rope that ran over the pulley and into the opening.
“Take her down, One,” said Coffer to the pilot.
Hatch pulled on his thin leather gloves and checked his grip on the rope as Shadow-4 descended to just above the building. Hatch put his right foot in the loop at the end of the rope.
“Put me on the balcony, Sammy,” said Hatch to the Engineer.
Sammy nodded and turned on a switch. Hatch descended slowly through the opening and in seconds was on the balcony. He stepped out of the loop and gave a thumbs up. The rope slithered back into the opening as the invisible Shadow-4 climbed to 1,000 feet to await further orders.
Hatch took his silenced SigPro out of its holster and switched the safety off. He had already levered a round into the firing chamber. He entered the room silently and stepped to the right of the door. The room appeared to be a den. Bocca was sitting on a small couch and was talking English to a man leaning against the far wall. The man answered in heavily-accented English. Hatch detected a Russian accent.
Must be one of their Russian connections, thought Hatch.
“Don’t move, gentlemen,” Hatch said in English, his weapon pointing between them.
They both looked up, startled. The Russian’s right hand started to move, then relaxed as he saw he had no chance to get to the weapon under his left arm.
“Where the fuck you come from?” asked Bocca in accented English.
“Put your hands on your heads, please. Now!” ordered Hatch, ignoring Bocca’s question.
They both replied quickly.
Hatch switched to Russian and said, “Too bad you’re here, comrade. My business is with Bocca. Now, take your left hand and slowly take your pistol out of its holster and put it on the carpet.”
The Russian showed surprise on his face and replied in Russian, “Your Russian is very good. Are you Russian?”
“The gun, comrade,” repeated Hatch, paying no attention to the question.
The Russian did as he was told.
“Kick it over here,” Hatch continued in Russian.
Hatch picked up the Glock 9mm semiautomatic, made sure the safety was on, and shoved it under his belt.
“Face the wall, comrade, and lean your hands against it. Stay still, and you may survive this meeting. Try anything, and you will never see Moscow again.”
“I’m hardly a ‘comrade’ in Moscow. I never believed in that shit. I hate to share. I am a pure capitalist!”
“Bully for you. Just don’t aggravate me or you’ll share Bocca’s fate—which is not a good one, I’m afraid.”
Hatch moved to his right so he could face Bocca and still watch the Russian. He switched to English.
“Now you, Signore Bocca. Are you armed? Don’t lie to me or you will regret it.”
“No,” was Bocca’s curt answer.
“Stand up and turn around.”
Bocca did as he was told and Hatch patted him down, watching the Russian out of the corner of his eye. In Shadow-4, Colonel Coffer could hear Hatch’s conversation, so he knew everything was going smoothly so far, but he was ready if he was needed. Hatch had Bocca sit back down on the couch.
“Now, asshole, if you haven’t guessed, I was sent here by Don Corleone to resolve this nonsense about you and your associates killing one of the Don’s nephews, and attempting other murders. Didn’t that fucker Guido tell you this?”
“Who’s Guido?” Bocca snarled.
Hatch put a bullet in Bocca’s left knee. The Russian jerked his head around when he heard Bocca scream and saw blood flowing from the wound, soaking Bocca’s pant leg.
In Russian, Hatch said, “This doesn’t concern you, comrade!”
The Russian faced the wall again, wondering who this dangerous man was and how he got into the room. He figured he would not leave this room alive.
“Wrong answer, Bocca!” Hatch said, switching back to English.
Bocca was holding his knee, trying to stop the flow of blood, and whimpering in pain.
“I want to make it quite clear to you and your boss Lucchese that Don Corleone will not tolerate any more attacks against Castello di Bragno or any of its people,” lectured Hatch.
“Who’s Lucchese?” groaned Bocca.
Hatch shot him the right knee.
“You’re a slow learner, shithead. Do you understand the consequences of any more attacks? Even a dirty look? As you can see, I can find you wherever you are.”
Bocca was groaning and bleeding. The Russian was in a panic and wanted to curry favor with the madman. He switched to English so Bocca could understand what he was about to say.
“You’re too late, whoever you are. They sent a team of men to hit the castle,” said the Russian without turning around.
Hatch clamped his jaw tight and glared at Bocca.
“Is he right, you bastard?” Hatch screamed at Bocca.
“Lucchese sent them, not me!” moaned Bocca.
“When?” asked Hatch, his chest tightening, visions of Syd floating before his eyes.
“A couple of hours ago,” answered the Russian. “Lucchese sent his enforcer—a guy named Tony—to organize an assault on the castle.”
“Coffer, they sent a group to the castle. Warn Gunny now!”
“I know. Gunny just called! They’re there now!”
“Get ready to pick me up! Tell Gunny we’re on our way!” said Hatch.
Hatch looked at Bocca with contempt, then looked at his watch. It was 5:59 P.M.
“Get Lucchese on the phone, now!” he yelled at Bocca.
Bocca picked up the cordless phone from the end table and dialed.
“Marco! Sal. There’s a man here wants to talk to you,” he said in Italian, then handed the phone to Hatch.
“Listen, you piece of shit! I’ve just learned that you sent a force against my castle. Big mistake! I would talk longer, but thanks to you, I have to leave now. I’m going to punish Bocca, then go take care of your Tony and his band of assholes. Then, I’ll come for you, Lucchese! Count on it!” Hatch yelled.
He stuck the phone back in Bocca’s bloody hand.
“I’m leaving now, Bocca. Convince your boss that I’m a very serious man!”
Hatch switched his gun to his left hand, then drew the Russian’s Glock from his belt. He walked over to the Russian and hit him on the head with the gun. The Russian dropped to the floor like a sack of wheat. He turned back to face Bocca, who was jabbering in Italian into the phone. Hatch pointed the Glock and shot Bocca in the left shoulder. Bocca dropped the phone as the force threw him against the cushions. The sound of the unsilenced gun would bring people running, and send a message to Lucchese.
“Maybe your cohorts will get here before you bleed to death. If they do, happy wheelchair, you miserable, crippled fuck.”
Hatch stepped out onto the balcony, dropped the Glock over the railing, holstered his SigPro, and put his foot in the loop of the waiting rope.
“Beam me up, Scotty,” he said into his mike.
• • •
Earlier, at 5:30 P.M. at Castello di Bragno, Sara and Syd met in the small dining room for a cocktail. After their time at the pool, they had had lunch, then took naps. Now they fixed themselves vodka and tonics and sat down at the dining room table. Hatch and Carmelo were not back yet, but then, Syd had not expected them to be.
I hope Hatch is all right! He could have least let me ride along in Shadow-4—be there in case he needed me, thought Syd as she took a pull
on her drink.
At that precise moment, Tony, Sonny, and four handpicked catenari thugs were approaching the west side of the castle in the moat in a Zodiac rubber boat. They had entered the moat from the lake which fed water into the moat. Tony had bribed an official at the Historical Renovations Department and had received a copy of the plans of the castle. His plan was to enter the castle through the door that led to the large dining room, secure the castle, and search for the letter—torturing people if necessary to get them to reveal its whereabouts. He knew there may be some Sicilian Mafia guys in there—and some hit woman from America—but he figured he could handle them. Especially with the element of surprise. What he did not know was that the castle was being protected by high-tech equipment and extremely well-trained commandos.
Tony and his crew were armed with handguns with silencers. One man, called Becco, was armed with a Russian AK-47 and stayed with the boat to cover their escape. Tony crept through the garden outside the west door. He placed plastic explosives in strategic places on the door at 5:56 P.M. Gunny and Lexus Six were in their Jeep in front of the castle, hidden in the trees, when Gunny saw the flash on his portable display.
He spoke into his boom mike, “Lexus Two, this is Lexus One. I just got an alarm in Sector G; that’s the west door that leads to the large dining room. Could you check it out?”
“Roger, Lexus One. I’ll take a look,” replied Lexus Two as he crept slowly from his position at the northwest corner of the castle.
As Lexus Two moved to check the alarm, Syd was talking animatedly with Sara and accidentally spilled her drink on her blouse.
“Shit!” she exclaimed. “I’m so clumsy! I’ll run upstairs and change. Be right back.”
“OK. Nothing worse than soggy tits,” laughed Sara.
She dashed upstairs and slipped off her blouse and bra and was washing the vodka and tonic off her chest when she heard the explosions which blew down the door. It was 5:58 P.M.
When he heard the explosion, Lexus Two rose up and saw five men rushing toward the gaping hole where the door had been. He also saw a man near the moat holding an assault rifle. He relayed this information to Gunny as he raised his MP-5, pointed it at the group, switched to automatic fire, and squeezed the trigger. The leading four men made it through the opening, but the last man was flung into the bushes by the force of the stream of 10mm slugs. Becco, the catenari guarding the boat, raised his AK-47 and pointed it at Lexus Two, but he was too slow. The bullets from the MP-5 tore him nearly in half and threw his body into the rubber boat.
Lexus Two reported, “Two down, but four made it into the castle. Sorry, Gunny.”
“OK, Lexus Two! Seal that door off! Don’t let any of those assholes out alive!” yelled Gunny.
Gunny called Coffer aboard Shadow-4 at 5:59 to report what was happening.
“Hang on, Gunny. Let me tell Hatch so we can get him on board and get to the castle,” said Coffer.
A minute later, Hatch called Gunny and said, “Gunny! Call Sara on her Blue Phone and warn her. She and Syd are in there—probably wondering what the fuck’s going on! We’ll be there in six or seven minutes if we haul ass. Seal the exits, then go in and protect the women!”
“Wilco, Hatch.”
Gunny gave orders to his crew to seal off the castle, but to stay alert for other intruders in case there were more of them. He called the Lexus compound and asked Carmelo to bring Lexus Seven and Eight to the castle. He ordered Lexus Six to monitor the alarm screen, then he dialed Sara’s number. She answered on the first ring.
“What the fuck is happening?” she exclaimed into the phone, guessing that someone was calling to brief her on the explosion.Gunny briefed her quickly.
“Shit! How could this happen, Gunny? I thought this place was sealed off tighter than an old maid’s cunt!” yelled Sara.
“Sorry, Major! I think they came in on the moat, and they blew the door just as we detected them!” replied Gunny.
“OK, Gunny! What’s done is done. Syd went upstairs a few minutes ago. I don’t know where Teresa is—probably in her room. Gina and her crew are probably in the back section in their quarters. This sucks, Gunny! If there are four of those fuckers in here somewhere, I’d better get moving! I’m going to the comm room. I’ll get a headset so I can stay in touch. There’s a weapons storage case in there so I’ll arm myself. Tell everyone that Syd and Teresa won’t have direct communications with Lexus, so be careful who you shoot. I’ll be in touch.”
She hung up, ran to the door, and looked down the hallway. She didn’t see anyone, so she made a dash down the hall toward the Communications and Computer Room.
Syd had no idea what was happening, but she quickly dried her chest, put on a clean bra, then pulled on a black tee shirt which said “HARVARD” on the back in gold letters. She didn’t know what the explosion was, but remembering the sniper attack, she assumed it could be an assault by the catenari. She decided to be cautious until she knew for sure exactly what was happening. She wished she had a weapon, but she didn’t. She opened the door and peered out, looking up and down the hall, seeing no one.
• • •
Tony, Sonny, Primo, and Roberto had made it safely into the castle after the door was blown. Rocco and Becco had not been as lucky. Lexus Two had taken care of them. Tony was still stunned at the sudden appearance of the man with the automatic weapon. He would have to find that letter quickly, then shoot his way back to the boat. Lucchese would not allow failure, and Tony had never failed him. The letter had to be found. Glancing at his plan of the castle, he told Sonny to go to the second floor and search the east wing, Roberto to the second floor west wing, and Primo to go to the first floor east wing. He saved the first floor west wing for himself. If they were fruitless in their search, they would go to the servant’s quarters next. They split up and began their search.
• • •
Sara reached the Comm/Computer Room and opened the armory cabinet. The first thing she did was don a headset and establish contact with the Lexus team. She put a military utility belt around her waist, and as she hung equipment on it—two stun grenades, a holstered .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, ammunition clips—she dialed Syd’s room phone. There was no answer.
“Shit! Where are you, Syd?”
• • •
Syd had slipped into the hall and moved toward the stairs at the north end of the hallway. She stayed against the east side of the hall, slipping around each suit of armor and waiting a bit before preceding to the next gap. She did not hear the phone ringing in her chambers. She had progressed by three suits of armor when she saw Roberto’s head appear in the stairwell. She tried to become paint on the wall as she hid behind a suit of armor. Her heart was pounding so loud that she was sure the man who emerged into the hall could hear it.
Shit, shit, shit! Now what do I do? I don’t think he saw me! I need a weapon! Anna, help me! Where is Dr. Z. when I need her?
She took a shallow breath and moved her head slightly to the left. It came into contact with something on the wall. She moved her eyes as far as she could to the left, but couldn’t see what the object was. She turned her head slowly and saw the dagger in its jeweled scabbard attached to the wall.
Can I get that without divulging my location? I have to try! It’s certainly better than no weapon at all!
She raised her left arm, sucking in her chest as much as she could, and got a hold on the handle of the dagger and pulled outward. It popped off the wall, making a snapping sound. She took in a deep breath and held it. Roberto stopped in his tracks and listened, looking down the dim hall. He didn’t see anything except the ghostly forms of the armored knights of yore.
“Who’s there?” he yelled in Italian.
As his voice echoed down the hall, Syd slid the dagger from its scabbard, hoping it was not a movie prop. It had a seven inch blade, sharp on both sides. It was not a fake! She pushed the scabbard under her belt and took another shallow breath as Roberto started down the hall a
gain. Sweat had formed on her brow and under her arms, and she was trembling. Her wet, black shirt was sticking to her body.
I must do something fast or I’m dead! Can I make a dash for the secret door at the south end of the hall without getting shot? I could dodge in and out of the suits of armor, using them for cover. Then I could get into the secret passage. There are some handguns in the cabinet at the top of the tower. Otherwise, I have to face this guy with just this knife! Even Anna Klein always had a gun as backup!
She heard the man yell something in Italian again. He sounded closer. She heard a door close. He was searching the rooms as he came down toward her. She moved slowly to the left toward the next suit of armor. The shield on the wall scraped her back and she felt a sharp pain as she tried desperately to remain unseen as long as she could. She glanced back to her right in the direction of the approaching stalker and did not see him yet. The hallway lights were on, but they were, fortunately, very dim.
Think of something, Syd!
• • •
Sara hung up the phone, wondering where Syd was.
She must have heard the explosion! She hasn’t a clue as to what’s going on! I’ve got to find her and give her a weapon!
Sara added some night vision goggles to her belt and stuck a 9mm Beretta under her belt to give to Syd if she could find her. She opened the door and peeked into the hall, the MP-5 at the ready, 3-shot mode selected. The hall was empty so Sara slipped into it and moved quickly to the south stairway, the one that led up to the tower. She went quickly to the first landing and checked the next flight of stairs. They were empty. She slowly ascended to the second floor and checked again for intruders. Still no one in sight.
I’ll go check the west wing and see if I can find Syd.
She spoke quietly into her boom mike, “Gunny, Sara. I’m on the second floor, east wing, top of the south stairs. I haven’t seen anything yet. I’m going to see if I can find Syd. She didn’t answer her fucking phone.”
“Roger, Major. The castle is sealed up and I’ve sent for backup. Carmelo and Lexus Seven and Eight are on their way here from the compound, as is Shadow-4 from Rome. I’m on the first floor, east side. Oops, I see something!”
