“The problem is this,” Wolf started. “I believe you know where the Deliverance talisman is located.”
“It’s in Siberia,” Banyon interrupted. “That is a problem for me. I can’t think of a way to retrieve it by Friday. What can we do about it?”
“I don’t think there is anything we can do. I’m afraid the mercenary Michael Orlov is closing in on the location. He will have it in a couple of hours. There is no way to stop him. But there is yet another problem.”
“What?”
“The Imagination talisman is located within a mile of the other talisman.”
“How can that be?”
“When the polish nobleman activated the Deliverance device, he held the Imagination club in his hands. He expected to build his house as soon as the land was cleared. Instead, the fireball killed him, and sent the club flying. It landed about a mile away. It has sat there on open ground for all these years. It is also out of reach. You could never get there and back in less than three days.”
After a few seconds, Banyon spoke. “Maybe it shouldn’t be recovered by me,” Banyon replied coyly. “It may be out of reach for me, but not from everyone,” Banyon continued. “I have given some thought on what to do about the Deliverance talisman. We can add the Imagination talisman to my plan. I believe I have an idea. Want to discuss it?”
“Tell me what you have in mind?”
“I propose we use Wilk to lead Michael Orlov to the second talisman. Let’s let him bring it to us. I know it is risky, but it is the only plan I can come up with that could work. What do you think?”
“Your big risk is Michael Orlov,” Wolf said. “He is a loose cannon. He knows the chants to activate both talismans. If something goes wrong, he could bring huge devastation on you and protect himself at the same time.”
“I understand, but he has turned mercenary, Wolf,” Banyon argued. “He wants the money promised to him by Wilk. It might be a little tricky when he gets here, but I have an idea about how to prevent him from using the talismans too.” Banyon explained his idea. “Should we implement the plan?”
“It seems like the only viable plan possible,” Wolf agreed.
“We need to also keep Albin Wilk at bay,” Banyon replied liking the plan better and better as he thought about. “I’ll scare him at the same time. It will keep him away from us until this ends,” Banyon reasoned. “Do you have anything I can use to scare him?”
“As a matter-of-fact, I do.”
“Tell me.”
“Remember, two of the mercenary groups he sent out to collect talismans have failed. Both leaders lost all their men and are very angry because they think they were ambushed. It was setup by Wilk. They are returning to Warsaw and both intend to collect their promised money. They have already called Wilk on his cell phone tonight and threatened to kill him if he didn’t pay them by Friday.”
“That’s right!” Banyon exclaimed and pounded his fist on the steering wheel. “One mercenary from the farmhouse and one mercenary from the castle escaped. Wilk must be very scared right now. He’ll want to find a new ally to save his own skin. Am I right?”
“You understand how his mind works,” Wolf commented. “I’m sure he will do whatever you tell him to do to save his skin.”
“That’s just what I’m going to do. I’ll call him now.”
Both Wolf and Banyon underestimated Albin Wilk.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Albin Wilk sat on the ground. He leaned against the bunker in the desert. His shirt was off. He was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He and the professor had dug in the sand for several hours and hadn’t found the talisman. He was pissed, but was also very concerned. His grandiose plan was not coming together. In fact, it was falling apart. He was becoming desperate, especially since he had received two threatening calls in the last couple of hours. Suddenly his cell phone rang. He saw it was Colton Banyon.
“Banyon you double-crossed me,” he roared into the phone. “The talisman is not here in the desert.”
“I know,” Banyon calmly replied. “But it was there earlier.”
Realizing Banyon had the talisman he screamed, “How did you get it?”
Banyon’s next response sent a chill down Wilk’s spine. “You didn’t think I came here to Warsaw without some friends, did you?” Banyon’s lie was meant to frighten the fake leader. “They collected the Reflection talisman before you got there.”
“You have people helping you here in Warsaw? How many?” Wilk demanded.
“How I operate is my business, not yours.”
Wilk was now worried. He was concerned that Banyon had people watching him right now. He looked around into the darkness, but could not see anyone besides the now confused professor. Panic and paranoia began to creep through his body. He knew he could no longer trust anyone, especially Colton Banyon.
“I also possess the Time talisman and I’m having The Magic Belt flown here tomorrow. There are only three left to acquire.”
Wilk quickly surmised Banyon intended to collect all the talismans on his own.
“Why have you kept me out of the loop?” Wilk asked angrily.
“Well, there are two reasons, my friend,” Banyon said in a sinister voice. “The first is you are going to pay me a lot of money to recover them. I want to maximize my return, you understand.”
“Right, I am paying you,” Wilk responded after hesitating. He had no interest in sharing the money he was going to collect, but for now, he had no other option but to agree. “What is the second reason?”
“We have encountered mercenary groups at the location of each talisman,” Banyon baited the short man. “These are violent men. We have had to kill some of them. They may be after you,” Banyon said understanding that Wilk already knew that fact.
“How is that possible?” Wilk stuttered.
“There seems to be a leak. I suspect Professor Orlich. You should keep an eye on him,” Banyon said sincerely.
“I will,” Wilk responded while glancing at the professor.
“You should not go back to your home either,” Banyon continued.
“I understand,” Wilk replied.
“Where will you be on Friday when I turn over the talismans?”
“Ah, I’ll let you know,” Wilk replied.
“Until then, if I were you, I’d stay well hidden,” Banyon said sincerely with a smile Wilk couldn’t see.
“Yes, yes, that sounds like a good idea,” Wilk replied nervously.
“I’ll bring all the talismans I have found to you then.”
“What do you mean? Are you saying you can’t find some of them?” Wilk quickly squawked as he read between the lines.
“Oh, I know where they are alright, but have no means to collect them. They are too far away in a very remote part of the world.”
“You’re talking about the Deliverance talisman aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Banyon said sadly. “As it turns out, the Imagination talisman is less than a mile away from the Deliverance talisman. Too bad, we could collect both talismans at one time — if we had access.”
“You have the exact coordinates?” Wilk asked with growing excitement.
“Of course, but it won’t do us any good,” Banyon said.
“Text me the coordinates,” Wilk demanded.
“Why?” Banyon bluffed.
“Ah…so…I can record them. Some day we will set up an expedition to retrieve the talismans after you are gone,” Wilk responded like a bureaucrat.
“Alright,” Banyon agreed. “I’ll send you both coordinates. I have no use of them anyway.”
Soon Wilk said. “I’ve got them.”
“I’ll talk to you soon then,” Banyon said with a chuckle and hung up. He pulled off the road. It was Loni’s turn to drive.
***
Wilk quickly turned to the professor. “He gave me the coordinates to both of the talismans in Siberia,” he exclaimed with joy. “I need to call the Russian. Then make some other
calls. Let’s head back to the car.” Wilk’s plan was now back on track.
He thought.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Michael Orlov was sitting on a log. He was cleaning his machine gun. It had recently been used to eliminate the remaining competitors who were after the rock. The five dead men were about five feet from where he sat. He had killed them execution style. I’m beginning to enjoy this, he thought.
Orlov was not only a scientist; he was also an outdoor enthusiast, expert hunter, and a trained survivalist. To him, trekking around the wasteland of Siberia was as good as it got, especially since he was able to practice his hunting and killing skills. The sun was already high in the sky. He expected to find the rock today. He was in a good mood. His satellite phone suddenly rang.
“Who is this?” Orlov demanded. Only a few people had the number.
“It’s Albin Wilk,” the voice replied. “I’m calling you with some good news.”
“And what would that be?”
“I’ve got the exact coordinates of the rock.”
“How did you get them?”
Wilk ignored his question. “In fact, I’ve got the coordinates of another talisman. It’s called the Imagination talisman.”
“Yes,” Orlov replied as he remembered the story about the nobleman.
“Can you pick up that one too? It’s not too far away.”
“Time is tight. I have a boat waiting to get me to the airport. If I miss the flight, I won’t be able to get to Warsaw until Saturday,” Orlov negotiated.
“Make time,” Wilk demanded. “I’ll add another ten million for the second talisman if you deliver it on time.”
“Make it twenty million and you have a deal.”
“Okay,” Wilk quickly said. “Here are the coordinates.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Loni was now driving. She could see the brightening of the sky. Morning was on the horizon. She quickly checked her watch. She calculated they would get back to the hotel with time to spare. They had stopped for gas and a quick snack, but worried it would delay them. Fortunately, Banyon had made good time while driving; all she had to do was keep up the pace. They would have time to shower, eat, and maybe something else. Danger was like an aphrodisiac to her.
Before he closed his eyes, Banyon had told her about the people coming from Dewey & Beatem and what he needed them to do. He also told her about the success of the ferret, who was on the way to Poland too. He had then told her about the sting he had implemented on Wilk. He said he put a scare into him. They discussed the remaining talismans and she had volunteered to go with Eric to the aunt’s home to retrieve it.
But Loni wasn’t thinking about any of that now. She was thinking about Previne and Mandy. Loni was insanely jealous. Both women were a temptation to Colt. She didn’t want to deal with today. She had often thought of breaking both of their necks, but decided Colt would probably not take that very well.
She did know of one other way to keep them away from her man. She intended to implement her plan in the shower at the hotel. Keep him satisfied, and he won’t be tempted, she thought. The prospect of having sex made her wiggle in her seat. A warm glow was now spreading inside her. She realized she couldn’t get sex out of her mind. She still had an hour to drive and fantasies were already bouncing around inside her head. She briefly thought of taking him right there in the car, but couldn’t quite figure out the mechanics and still be able to drive. Her thoughts only brought out more fantasies. She was getting desperate when she realized she needed to make a phone call. It was the one assignment Colt gave her.
“Timmy,” she said into the phone in a hoarse sex-filled voice.
“Hey, dudette, you sound different, kind of sexy,” Timmy acknowledged. Loni could hear another woman in the background. She was asking him why another woman with a sexy voice was calling him this late at night. It was around eleven o’clock at night in Chicago. My God, he’s probably in bed with his new girlfriend, she quickly thought.
She cleared her throat and was able to speak normally. Her sexual frenzy had waned when she realized she was interrupting someone else’s pleasure. “I need you to do something for me,” she said clearly.
“Right now? I’m kind of in the middle of a task right now,” he pleaded.
“Not right now,” she agreed. “But I need you to delete all the postings about the Orion weapons on the internet at exactly nine o’clock in the morning, Warsaw time, on Friday. Can you do it?”
“Okay, I’ll do it. I’m the world’s best hacker, you know,” he quickly said. “That’ll be around the time the North Korean muckety muck will be landing in Warsaw.”
“Thanks Timmy, I’ll let you get back to your business now. Bye.” She hung up the cell phone.
She now wondered about the North Korean. Colt had not told her what he intended to do about him. He has been a bad boy. I may need to spank him. She chuckled to herself. Suddenly, her fantasies came roaring back.
“Oh, damn,” she yelled and banged the steering wheel.
Part Three
Additions
Chapter Twenty-Six
At that very moment, Oh Sok, the Minister of Agriculture and Weapons for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, also known by most as North Korea, was tidying up his desk. He was about to leave for a week. He believed he was about to embark on a glorious mission for his country. The fact that none of the other ministers in the government — nor the leadership — knew anything about his plans didn’t bother him. He was sure they would all be praising him with glory when he returned. Although, he was only twenty years old, and had never left the country before, he considered himself smart and worldly. He believed he was far superior to any person of Slavic origin.
He had taken a huge risk by moving his entire year’s budget to the Swiss bank account, just as the peasant Wilk had required. He had memorized the password which he would turn over to Wilk once he had the weapons in hand. Wilk would only have the money for a short while anyway, then it would be returned without anybody knowing, and Oh Sok would become more powerful than his cousin, the Supreme leader.
He was bringing two bodyguards to watch his back. They were members of the North Korean State Security Department, the secret police. He knew no one would mess with his men. They would recover the money before he left Warsaw.
He reminisced about how he had read the article about the Orion weapons over four months ago. At first, he thought it was too impossible to be true, but found postings on the internet which said the weapons were real. Stupid Westerners, he thought. We would never post anything true on the internet. When he replied to one website, he met a man who laid out the entire plan for Oh Sok. That man was now his spy. His name was Izaak Orlich.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Colton Banyon had just finished wolfing down a hardy breakfast of eggs and bacon in his suite at the hotel. It was the first real food he had eaten since lunch on Wednesday when he and Loni had lunched at the bistro on the way back from the Banyon Arcades. It seemed so long ago. The food was satisfying, but he had also been thoroughly satisfied by Loni earlier in the shower. She had attacked him as soon as they entered the suite. He hadn’t resisted very much. He could hear her singing in the bedroom now as she readied herself for the today’s events. He knew she was very satisfied too.
He glanced at his watch and figured he had about ten minutes before the Patel clan would arrive. He set about the task of picking up their clothing. They were strewn all over the main room. Loni did most things fast. Undressing when she was excited was like being in the middle of a category one hurricane. He also asked Wolf for an update and was surprised by some of the news. He immediately went to work on plan changes.
“Ta-dah,” he heard from the doorway as looked over towards her. Loni posed in the opening with her bare arms spread wide and one pretty leg slightly forward. She was dressed in a fashionable cotton sundress which didn’t reach her knees. The dress had delicate colors and shapes in pastel
s. Two over-the-shoulder, thin, straps kept the flimsy material from falling to the floor. He skin was bare down to the slight rise of her breasts. Her shoes were the same red ones she had worn yesterday. She turned to show him the back of the dress while giving him a pouty smile. Other than the straps, there was only creamy naked skin down to her waist. She looked over her shoulder. She searched his eyes for a reply.
“You look absolutely beautiful in that dress,” he said sincerely. He understood she was dressing up to out-shine the Patel sisters.
“I thought you would like it,” she giggled as she ran over to him. She twirled with delight. Her dress fanned out giving Banyon a glimpse of her well-toned legs. He noticed she had curled her hair slightly and wore some makeup. Her lipstick was red.
“But aren’t you a little overdressed to go to recover a talisman?” Banyon had on jeans and a blue pullover golf shirt. “What if a strap breaks?”
“Don’t worry, silly. I’ll change into something else when it is time to go out,” she replied, and batted her almond shaped eyes.
“Well, you look simply amazing. I can hardly take my eyes off of you,” he said as a compliment.
“That is the plan,” she answered seductively
“I know,” he replied knowingly.
***
Their moment was broken by three knocks at the door. “I’ll get it. It’s probably the Patel clan.” Loni announced and scampered off to the entrance in her sexy outfit.
Banyon still had their clothes in his hands so he went into the bedroom and dumped the items on the floor in the bathroom. When he returned all he could see was six mocha-colored woman’s legs. They were long and sleek.
***
The three Patel sisters stood in a line waiting for him. They were dressed in white shorts which hid none of their long legs. They wore identical cut-off yellow tee shirts which ended above their navels. Their long auburn hair shimmed in the light. Like always he could not tell them apart. All three stood there smiling at him like runway models.
The Polish Discovery: The Society of Orion 1-3 (Colton Banyon Mystery Book 17) Page 21
