by Dirk Patton
The side door slid open and Major Black, accompanied by four Marines in full battle rattle jumped to the pavement. A moment later, Admiral Packard leapt down and strode directly toward us, the security detail forming up around him.
“Not exactly,” I said. “Regardless, you probably don’t want to bring his wrath down on your head.”
“Why is this man in restraints?” the Admiral barked even before he had reached the spot where I was standing.
The cops were nervously eyeing the heavily armed Marines as Packard came to a stop with his face only inches from the police Lieutenant’s. He stared directly into the man’s eyes.
“I didn’t hear your answer, officer.”
The Lieutenant looked like he’d rather be anywhere else at the moment, but to his credit he didn’t turn away.
“Sir, this is a civilian police matter and you have no authority here. I must ask you to leave.”
Packard stared at him for a few moments, then a dangerous smile spread across his face.
“Officer, I’ll extend you the courtesy of asking my question again. Why is the Colonel handcuffed? Is he under arrest?”
“No, sir. Not at the moment. But he did shoot several people so we have to conduct an investigation.”
“Is that right, Colonel?” Packard asked me without looking away from the Lieutenant. “You shot these men?”
“Yes, sir. Right after they started shooting at me and my family. Turns out they’re Russian bounty hunters.”
“There you go,” the Admiral said to the Lieutenant. “Enemy combatants attacked one of my officers. That makes it a military intelligence matter and as of right now is classified. Remove the Colonel’s cuffs, Lieutenant.”
The cop looked into Packard’s eyes for nearly a minute before nodding his head. Turning away, he signaled for the big Samoan to release me. Before the cuffs could be unlocked, there was an indignant shout from across the street.
“Do NOT remove those handcuffs! The military has no authority here!”
The judge, still wearing a robe and slippers was coming towards us and he had up a full head of steam.
“Judge Humphreys,” the Lieutenant muttered just loud enough for the Admiral to hear. “He witnessed the gunfight.”
Packard gave the quickest of looks to Major Black who immediately stepped away and mumbled something into his radio. Puffing and red in the face, the judge barged in between the Admiral and the cop and flapped a piece of paper in Packard’s face.
“This is a signed warrant for the arrest of this man,” he nearly shouted. “He is being charged with aggravated assault and first-degree murder. You will NOT interfere, or I will have the officers arrest you as well.”
The muscles in the Admiral’s jaw bunched as he clenched his teeth. I could tell he wanted to snatch the warrant out of the irate man’s hand and shove it up his ass, but he displayed a remarkable degree of restraint.
“Judge, is it?” he asked in a voice that belied his irritation.
“William P. Humphreys,” he answered in a pompous tone.
Everyone paused and looked around as three more police cars pulled up. I idly wondered how many cops they thought they needed. It wasn’t just more muscle that stepped out, it was brass, too. Four more street cops, a captain and some hawk faced guy with as many stars on his collar as the Admiral had.
“At last,” the judge said, sounding slightly relieved.
The man with all the stars walked up, gave me a quick glance after looking at the bodies on the ground, then stood facing the Admiral and the judge.
“Here’s your warrant, Chief,” the judge said, thrusting it at the man’s chest.
He took his time reading it before passing it on to the captain.
“We have a duly executed warrant,” the Chief said to the Lieutenant. “Why isn’t this man already on his way to an interrogation room?”
“Because this is a national security matter,” the Admiral interjected. “And Colonel Chase is coming with me.”
“That’s not going to happen, Admiral,” the Chief said, eyes narrowing. “Not until all of this is sorted out.”
Packard stared at him a moment, then nodded. A big smile of satisfaction spread across the judge’s face and he crossed his arms as he looked between the two men.
“Major,” he called to Black. “Remove the Colonel’s restraints, please.”
“Yes, sir,” Black snapped as he stepped forward.
On a word from the Chief, the cops quickly moved between me and the Major. He came to a stop with a scowl on his face.
“Do not escalate this,” the Chief said. “You will not win.”
Packard looked back at him, silent for a few beats.
“Sure about that?” he asked, receiving a deep frown in response.
No doubt he could hear what I was hearing. Approaching engines. Several of them. And nothing sounds quite like a Humvee when it’s being pushed hard.
A moment later, six of the hulking vehicles turned onto the street and came to hard stops. Four Marines piled out of each and ran forward, encircling the group of cops who had me at their center. In what I thought was a particularly nice touch on Major Black’s part, a Super-Cobra roared into a hover only a hundred feet in the air. The police found themselves staring at the business end of its weapons.
“Let’s go, Colonel.”
Packard turned his back on the judge and Chief and moved to Rachel with his arm extended. She placed her hand in the bend as he escorted her toward the Sea Hawk. Dog and Mavis fell in step with them. Turning my shoulders sideways, I slipped between the Lieutenant and the Samoan to follow.
“Want me to take those off?” the giant cop called.
I stopped and turned back, giving him a grin. Rolling my shoulders, I flexed and snapped the short chain that linked the cuffs together. Hands free, I broke each manacle off my wrists and tossed them onto the ground at the judge’s feet.
5
Dumping his gear and weapons, Strickland set out after Igor. The big Spetsnaz soldier was in trouble, flailing in the rough surf. If he’d been able to see Irina and had to choose between the two, the SEAL would have gone for her, but he was yet to see her head break the surface. Making the only decision he could, he went after the one person he knew he could save.
Strickland was a strong swimmer. He’d competed at the national level in high school but had turned down several college scholarships to enlist in the Navy. Going through the grueling selection and training to become a SEAL, there were men who were stronger and faster. Better shots. Smarter. But none of them could match his abilities in the water.
Using the current to his advantage, Strickland passed through the narrow opening from the lagoon to the open ocean. Where Igor had gotten in trouble was when he tried to meet the force of the waves head on. Strickland knew better, diving beneath the surface and taking advantage of the undertow to help him avoid being battered and slowed by the surf.
Igor’s head was under water more than not when Strickland reached him. In a panic, the Russian reached for him, flailing for a grip, but the SEAL slapped his hands aside and moved behind him to circle an arm around his thick chest. Treading with his feet, he pulled back on Igor until the bigger man’s face was above the surface.
As Igor’s body expelled partially inhaled seawater with a series of racking coughs, Strickland checked the area where he’d last seen Irina. The boat was gone, either broken up by the waves and carried to the bottom or pulled out to sea. He didn’t think there was any way she could have survived, but as soon as he could pull Igor to safety he intended to search for her.
“Irina!” Igor called in a harsh voice.
“Don’t know where she is,” Strickland said.
He turned his head to check the beach for infected but had to refocus his attention when Igor began struggling against his hold.
“Stop, goddamn it! You’ll drown,” he grunted.
“Find Irina!”
Igor kept struggling, finally
using his superior strength to break away from the SEAL. He immediately went under, the current starting to pull him farther away from land. Strickland dove, grabbing his collar and dragging him back to the surface. Igor blew water out of his nose and mouth as he continued to struggle.
“I can’t save her if I’m wasting time fighting with you!” he shouted in Igor’s ear.
After a few seconds, his words reached some part of Igor’s consciousness and he ceased trying to break free. Strickland checked the beach, his heart sinking when he saw over a hundred females waiting at the water’s edge.
“Boat!”
He turned at Igor’s shout, surprised to see the hull of the capsized boat only a few yards away. Somehow, he’d missed it earlier. The highest point was only a foot above the surface, so perhaps it had been in a trough between wave crests. But none of that mattered.
Dragging Igor behind him, he swam toward the boat. It was only through sheer determination that he was able to make progress. His body was complaining loudly and wanted to quit. Waves battered him and the cold was rapidly leeching away his strength. But he knew that to quit would mean surrendering to death.
He was so focused on swimming just one more foot, it came as a surprise when his hand slapped against the slimy bottom of the boat. Hauling Igor around, he continued to support the big Russian until he found a hold.
“Can you hang on?” Strickland shouted in his face.
“Find Irina!”
Keeping one hand on the hull, Strickland turned a slow circle and saw nothing but churning water. Cursing, he tried to haul himself up onto the boat’s bottom to gain some elevation, but a thick coating of algae made the hull feel like it had been greased. Understanding why he was struggling to make the climb, Igor reached out and grabbed the back of Strickland’s belt and lifted. After several failed attempts, the two of them finally succeeded and the SEAL rose to his hands and knees on the rocking hull.
“See?” Igor asked immediately.
Strickland was still searching. Slowly turning his head to scan the ocean’s surface, then beginning to carefully spin his body around. He nearly leapt off the boat when there were several hard bangs on the hull directly beneath him. Frozen for a moment, he smiled and pounded on the surface three times with his fist. A second later there were three answering knocks and he didn’t hesitate to jump back into the ocean and dive beneath the waves.
Coming back up beneath the stricken boat, he could see Irina’s legs in the water. Following her body up, he suddenly surfaced in a small pocket of air that had been trapped when the craft capsized. Irina had a death grip on a cleat bolted to the deck and her free hand was bloody from pounding on the hull.
“Can you hold your breath?” Strickland asked, taking her in his arms.
So cold she was unable to speak, Irina nodded, though it was more like a series of shivers. He had to pry her fingers from the cleat, then pressed his face to hers.
“Look at me. Irina! Look at me! You have to hold your breath. I’m going to dive down so we clear the rails, then up to the surface. Understand? Hold your breath!”
Irina looked at him with confusion in her eyes, then they cleared and she nodded again as her teeth chattered. It took three attempts to draw a deep breath, and the moment she did Strickland dove, pulling her with him. A few seconds later, they surfaced next to Igor and he grabbed her collar, pulling her to him and supporting her weight with one arm as he held on to the boat with the other.
Strickland found a grip next to them and looked at Irina. Her lips were blue and she was very close to slipping into hypothermic shock. Checking the beach, he dismissed that option when he saw the number of infected had increased while he was saving the two Russians.
Glancing at them, he paused when he saw Igor looking at him. After a beat, he slowly shook his head. There was nowhere for them to go.
6
“Wow, that was cool!”
This was Mavis’s first time in a helicopter and she was enthralled with the entire experience. It didn’t hurt that Admiral Packard had taken to her and she had gotten to visit the cockpit and see out the windscreen as we pounded our way to Pearl Harbor. They had just returned to the cramped troop compartment and with no seats open, she ended up on the Admiral’s lap.
Dog was sitting on me and I leaned back against Rachel’s legs, making room for Major Black and the four-man security detail that had accompanied him. The noise was nearly deafening so we all sat in silence for the short ride.
It was only a few minutes later when I felt the pilot slow the big aircraft, then we descended rapidly until the landing gear bumped the ground. The Marines were instantly in motion, sliding the door open and jumping out to scan the area. Black followed, then I shoved Dog off my lap and he leapt down.
We’d landed on a large grassy area near the Admiral’s office and if the big Sea Hawk helicopter hadn’t drawn enough attention, I sure did when I jumped out wearing nothing but a pair of work out shorts. Captain West was waiting patiently for the Admiral and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in surprise at my appearance.
Turning back to the door, I gently lifted Rachel and placed her on her feet, then Mavis dropped to the grass at my side. I took her arm and leaned close to her ear.
“Do not EVER go toward the back of a helicopter,” I shouted in her ear as I pointed at the spinning tail rotor.
Her eyes got big for a moment before she nodded understanding and moved to be with Dog. The Admiral came out of the helo like a man half his age and we all stepped clear as it lifted off.
“We need to have a conversation,” the Admiral said. “First, you need to find a uniform.”
“Sir,” Captain West interjected. “The VIP suite at the VOQ the Colonel used the last time he was here is available.”
He was referring to the Visiting Officer Quarters.
“Good,” Packard said with a nod and turned back to me. “Get changed and come to my office, Colonel.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, but he was already gone, his ever-present security detail sticking with him.
“Bad morning?” Captain West asked as we headed for a parked Hummer.
“Had worse.”
“Remember where you stayed last time?” he asked as we reached the vehicle.
I nodded.
“Good. Go get your family settled. I’ll have someone along shortly with everything you need.”
“Thanks, Captain,” I said, but he waved it off and broke into a trot to catch up with the Admiral.
“Are we going to stay?” Mavis asked.
“Yep,” I said, waving everyone into the Hummer and getting behind the wheel. “Got a place Rachel and I used a couple of months ago. It’s nice.”
Everyone was quiet for a few minutes as I got us moving in what I hoped was the right direction.
“When can I learn to surf?” Mavis asked suddenly.
Rachel and I exchanged a look. I wasn’t sure what to say. As usual, she did.
“John’s going to be busy with the Admiral, so why don’t we ask around. There has to be someone on base that surfs.”
“That would be so cool! And maybe I can get my own surfboard?”
“Maybe,” Rachel said with a smile. “Let’s take it a step at a time, okay?”
I pulled into the parking lot for the VOQ before Mavis could ask any other questions. We got out and went through the entrance. Senior Chief Wilkins was behind the reception desk, which didn’t surprise me. I didn’t think he ever went off duty.
“Welcome back, sir. Ma’am. And you still have your therapy dog, I see. And a young lady!”
“I’m Mavis.”
She stepped forward and stuck her small hand out, the Senior Chief shaking it and giving her a smile.
“Good to see you, Senior Chief. There’s supposed to be some necessities on the way for us.”
“Yes, sir. Just got word from Captain West’s office. They had to send a runner to Schofield Barracks to get some Army uniforms, but it won’t take
long. Anything else I can get you while you’re waiting?”
“We’re good,” I said, nodding my thanks when he handed me a pair of keys.
I led the way down the hall, unlocked the door to our suite and stepped back after pushing it open. Dog trotted through with Mavis right behind him. She apparently approved of the accommodations, running in and out of each room to try out the furniture and beds. After a few minutes, Rachel sent her and Dog out through the sliding door to play on the park-like lawn that surrounded the building.
“Okay, what the hell?” she asked as soon as we were alone.
“Barinov still has a bounty on my head,” I answered with a shrug.
“I get that. What I don’t get is how the hell they found us. It’s not like we announced our return from Australia or that we were getting married.”
“Russian Mafiya.”
I moved to the door to check on Mavis and Dog. True to form, he’d managed to find a stick and she was throwing it for him.
“So?”
“Just like all criminals,” I said. “They have eyes and ears everywhere. People who tell them things for money or favors or because they’re indebted to them or... hell, just because.”
“You seem awful calm about this, John. They came to our house! What if something had happened to Mavis? Or...”
Tears sprang from her eyes and I folded her into my arms.
“We’re safe here,” I said, holding her close.
“How can you be sure? How can we ever be sure?”
“Well,” I said, gently turning her around and pointing out the window. “I feel pretty good about it.”
Half a dozen Marines were slowly strolling around the lawn, keeping an eye on Mavis without seeming to.
“Major Black’s doing,” I said, glad to see Rachel take a deep breath of relief. “Now, I’ve gotta shower before my clothes get here. The Admiral wants to see me in his office.”
Leaving her standing there, I went into the bathroom and cranked the shower on. At the counter, I ran a razor over my head and face, then stepped under the steaming water. I was rinsing soap off my face when I heard the bathroom door click.
