Banyon continued. “The internet postings started to attract buyers who were offering huge amounts of money for each weapon. Wilk realized he could make a bundle by packaging all the talismans together. He had Orlich put up a website, mostly because he is computer-literate, and started a bidding war. The North Koreans contacted Professor Orlich directly. He helped them bid the highest so they would win the auction. They promised to pay him a small sum of money. A transfer is scheduled for tomorrow morning at the Arcades. But Orlich plans on double-crossing both of them.”
“So, is Professor Orlich a good guy?” Maya asked as she scratched her head.
“I didn’t say that,” Banyon emphasized. “He still wants all the talismans found, that’s true. But his goals are way different from Albin Wilk.”
“That’s confusing,” Loni announced. “So does he want the North Koreans to get the weapons?”
“Actually, he does,” Banyon replied sincerely. “He is spying for the North Koreans and will help them get their money back from Wilk. They don’t intend to let him have it for very long.”
“Why? It doesn’t make sense? What’s in it for him? He would make lots of money from the sale.” Previne said as she flapped her arms in despair.
“Professor Orlich wants to be recognized for his contributions to humanity. That’s his goal. He wants to be world famous. Does that help?” Banyon said while he searched the blank faces that stared at him.
“No,” they all replied at once. They looked at each other in disbelief.
“Okay,” Banyon back-tracked. “Let’s say the North Koreans get all the talismans. What do you think they will do with them?”
“They’ll threaten to go to war,” Eric quickly responded. “Maybe blowup some town or make it vanish to warn the world they are superior.”
“Correct,” Banyon said as he pointed to Eric. “Soon every government in the world will be looking for someone to stop the weapons. Professor Orlich intends to be that man. He has the chants to stop each weapon.”
“I get it,” Previne exclaimed. “And he’ll turn off all the weapons, saving the world from destruction. He wants to be a super-hero.”
“He wants to turn them off — one at a time,” Banyon corrected her. “His legacy will be even greater then.”
“But that means the North Koreans will use each of the weapons at least once before he turns them off,” Maya blurted out.
“And there will surely be some collateral damage. Whole towns could die each time they activate one of the weapons,” Previne exclaimed with horror
“The man is an egomaniac. He’s a monster,” Maya yelled. “We need to stop him.”
“He’s pulling a double-cross on Wilk to help the North Koreans, and then intends to double-cross the North Koreans. All because he wants to become a hero,” Loni summed it all up in one sentence.
“That’s why we are going to stop him too,” Banyon explained. “We will collect the books as well as all the talismans. We will then hide them forever.”
“But why didn’t Wolf tell you about the second book before today?” Eric asked curiously.
“Good question, Eric,” Banyon agreed. He nodded his head. “This case has been so large and broad we have literally used up all of Wolf’s capacity. When he originally researched Jakub’s journal, he wasn’t looking for a second journal. Jakub Banyon had put the first journal in the wall two years earlier than the journal describing the talismans. When we finally cleared up enough windows, Wolf researched Professor Orlich. He found the second book and his plot. That was just this morning.”
“Has Wolf been able to research everyone involved now?” Eric asked. “I’d hate to run into some more surprises.”
“As far as we can tell, we have the back ground on everybody. But we think Wilk still has some mercenaries out there who we haven’t been able to find. He does everything by phone or text. As you know, Wolf can’t track phone, computer or text messages. He needs a person, a time and a place to start his research.”
“So, should we expect more surprises?” Eric asked.
“Keep your cell phones and weapons near you at all times,” Banyon answered. “As soon as Wolf uncovers anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Our weapons are in our room,” Previne commented. “We should go there to collect them.”
“But I still have one question,” Loni said thoughtfully.
“What’s that?” Banyon replied.
“Why do the talismans have a turn off chant?” She asked.
“Huh, I don’t know,” Banyon replied truthfully.
“I think I know,” Previne announced. She was a scholar on ancient history and mythology as well as an archeologist. “I believe there were two reasons actually.”
“Okay, let’s hear them” Loni asked.
“Poseidon, Orion’s father, was a wise God. The first reason involved Orion’s well-known furious temper. His father wanted a way to stop him from using the weapons if he became enraged and started killing people indiscriminately. The second reason, I believe, has to do with the Insight talisman.”
“Explain?” Loni demanded with her hands on her hips.
“Poseidon did not want any mortals to be able to use the gifts. So he gave Orion the Insight talisman to track any weapons lost during a battle or stolen. Remember there are over a hundred of them. But even Orion was not immune to their powers, so he gave him an off switch so Orion wouldn’t be hurt going after them.”
“Huh,” Loni uttered. “That makes sense.”
After a minute, Banyon asked. “Are there any more questions about this case?”
“I have just one,” Previne noted. “What should we wear tonight for dinner?” Banyon quickly understood she didn’t like being upstaged by Loni, who still had on her pretty pastel sun dress. She intended to come dressed up.”
“It will mostly be a planning meeting for the Friday morning showdown, but wear what you would like,” he replied.
“Good,” she said seductively. She winked at her sisters.
“Now let’s get going. We have a lot of ground to cover today people,” Banyon said and clapped his hands.
“Oh!” Loni exclaimed. “I have to go change. I’m sure Eric wouldn’t want to see my dress fall off if a strap broke,” she said in a flirty voice. Steam was coming out of Previne’s.
“What?” Eric wondered.
“Eric, you and Loni need to go to Josephine Wilks house. You need to pick up the two things we discussed. Albin Wilk is not there, he is holed up in a hotel across town. We have a rental car downstairs.”
“We’ll be back in a jiffy,” Eric replied confidently.
“And you girls have your assignments, right?” Banyon turned to the sisters. “Where’s Pramilla?”
“She is still on the phone,” Maya informed him. “We’ll just have to wait for her.” She plopped down on the couch.
A few minutes later, Loni emerged from the bedroom dressed in skimpy white shorts and a grey pullover that didn’t quite cover her navel. She smiled at everyone. Her attire was very similar to what the three Patel sisters wore. Previne and Maya looked at each other. They communicated like only sisters can. They immediately decided to not change clothes for their mission.
“Pramilla is right behind me,” she announced as she thumbed over her shoulder.
“You look lovely, darling,” Previne said coldly. Loni sauntered up to Previne, made eye contact, and placed the guard’s gun in her hand. “Please return this,” she said calmly.
“Can I use it first?” Previne asked sarcastically.
“Eric and I need to get going if we want to get back by lunchtime.” Loni said as she grabbed Eric’s arm.
“I need to go to our room first,” Eric explained. “My gun is there.”
“You won’t need it,” Loni responded. “We can protect each other.”
“Okay,” he said. “Oh, look, here’s Pramilla.”
Everyone turned as Pramilla slowly walked out of the bedroom looking a
little fatigued and haggard. When she noticed everyone watching her, she stopped. She brought up her hand with a two fingered victory sign.
“I even negotiated a one percent finder fee,” she said.
“Good job,” Banyon gushed.
“I hate talking to diplomats,” Pramilla said with a sigh. “They can be almost as stubborn as I am.”
“But you’re a diplomat too,” Maya reminded her and giggled. It got her a frosty stare from her sister.
“Okay, are we ready to go do some damage?” Previne called out as she took charge of her sisters. “Let’s go.” They went out the door to head for their suite. They didn’t bother to say goodbye to Banyon because he was already talking to Wolf.
Chapter Thirty-One
Get back,” the mercenary whispered urgently to his three men. They quickly shuffled back into the stairwell. He had heard the lock on the suite door turn and knew someone would come out of the door soon. The mercenary leader opened the stairwell door an inch. He watched as a tall blond man and another good looking Asian woman came out. They headed up the hallway. They were walking arm in arm and chatting.
“That means the other chicks will be on their own,” one of his men said salivating.
“Just remember to get the trinket first,” the leader replied. “What you do to the women after that, I don’t care. But keep them quiet. Make sure they are dead before we leave,” he said over his shoulder.
The four mercenaries stood in the small space. They all were armed with pistols and knives. They looked like ordinary workmen and didn’t have any hoods or masks, so the women had to die. The leader had a master key he had stolen from a bell boy who they had mugged. They stuffed him into the laundry chute. They were running out of time. He would soon be discovered, so the leader was getting nervous. He considered rushing the suite, but didn’t know how many people were in there.
Suddenly he heard the door lock open again. “Here they come,” he said excitedly.
They watched the three women through the small window in the doorway. They casually walked up the hallway towards them with their hips swaying. They tossed their long hair and ran their fingers through it as they headed for their suite. The mercenaries had to duck down as the women passed the stairwell.
Suddenly a phone rang. One woman answered the phone just as they reached the suite door. She turned her head both ways and then inserted her key card while still on the phone. She let the door slam behind her.
“We go now,” the mercenary ordered gruffly. His men ran to the door.
End of book two
The
Society of Orion
The Deception #3
A Colton Banyon Adventure/Mystery
By
Gerald J. Kubicki & Kristopher Kubicki
The Society of Orion
Book Three: The Deception
Part One
Winning
Chapter One
Pramilla was standing in the main room of her suite with her back turned when the mercenaries came through the door. They had opted to use their knives rather than their guns so there would be less noise. They brandished the knives to ensure intimidation. The leader was pretty sure they could overwhelm the thin women without using any weapons. They were still in a bunch by the doorway when Pramilla casually turned around. She held the gun given to her by Loni in her hand. She pointed it at the men.
“You shouldn’t enter a lady’s room without knocking,” she said evilly. “Now please be good boys — and kneel down with your hands on your head, would you?”
“We want the trinket,” the leader announced in English. He and his men had been part of a Polish United Nations contingent sent to keep peace in the squalor of Haiti a few years back. He had learned English then.
“No,” Pramilla replied dismissively. “You can’t have it.”
“If you give it to us now, we won’t harm you,” the mercenary negotiated.
“Somehow, I don’t believe you,” Pramilla replied with a laugh. “I’ll give you one more chance to surrender.”
“Then what?” the leader roared with fake laughter as he nervously searched the room for the other two women. “Any of my men could hit you with a knife from here. Your pretty little outfit would get all bloody. We will still take what we want.”
“It won’t matter to you as you will be dead from my bullet,” Pramilla threatened. “Now get down on your knees,” she screamed. She thrust the gun forward.
“I want this one,” one of his men said. “She is feisty. She would put up a little fight. I can’t wait to hear her beg for me to stop.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t want one of my sisters?” Pramilla asked in voice devoid of concerned. “They are both just like me.”
“Where are they? Hiding under their beds?” another mercenary joked.
“No, they are right here,” Pramilla replied. Both Previne and Maya suddenly appeared in the doorways of their bedrooms. They both held lethal looking guns aimed at the mercenaries. They stepped into the main room and stood there in a firing position with their legs spread. Both hands were on their guns.
“Now, will you surrender, please?” Pramilla asked in a pleading voice. “We don’t want to mess up this clean room.”
“These women don’t scare me,” the leader blustered to his men. “They probably couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn,” the mercenary told his men. He then began to point.
“Don’t bet your life on it,” Pramilla threatened.
“You two go after the one on the left, I’ll take the one in the center, and you take the one on the right.” The men slowly inched forward. They were only a few feet from the three sisters now.
A shot rang out. The leader suddenly lost his knife as Maya shot it from his hand. “Oh, my, what a lucky shot,” she said sarcastically.
Realizing the sound from the discharge would bring hotel people to investigate, the mercenary decided there was no time left. He roared with rage and sprang forward. His men did the same.
He was in midair when a strong arm came out of nowhere. It grabbed him by the throat, pulling him back around. Eric then hit him with a powerful overhead punch to the face. “That’s my wife. I can’t let you hurt her.” The mercenary went down. He was unconscious, blood spouted from his broken nose.
Loni suddenly appeared. She attacked the two mercenaries on the left. She caught one attacker with a leg whip to the back of his knee. He howled in pain. He grabbed his leg as he dropped to the floor. Before he could recover, Maya stepped close. She kicked him in the face. The second attacker grabbed hold of Maya’s long hair and tried to pull her to the floor. But Loni was behind him. She planted her foot squarely between his legs. His eyes bulged out and he let go of Maya. Loni finished him off with a karate chop to his neck.
Previne didn’t have any help. The mercenary hit her on the fly slamming her against the wall. The force of the impact took her breath away. She was in a desperate situation. She was not built for close quarter fighting. She dropped her gun, but threw out her long leg. He blocked the leg kick with his arms and countered with a punch at her head. She ducked the punch. It went right through the wallboard behind her. She fought back frantically. She placed a well-aimed jab to his ribs. It didn’t slow him down at all. She knew if he got a grip on her, it would be over quickly. He went for her neck, but she managed to pull back. Instead, his hand closed on the fabric of her top and he pulled. The top and bra ripped away exposing the creamy mocha flesh underneath and her perky breasts. She had no time for modesty as she was fighting for her life. It looked like she would lose. The mercenary planted a punch to her exposed midsection. Previne began to see stars. She was about to go down. Suddenly, the mercenary stopped fighting. He dropped to the ground. His image was replaced by Colton Banyon who held the butt of the gun he had used to whack the man on the head. Previne smiled weakly.
“What a nice surprise,” she mustered and fell into his arms.
***
About five minu
tes later the four unconscious men were trussed up with gags in their mouths. Banyon had asked Wolf about security and had been told they were all in the basement investigating the mugging of one of the bellmen. No had reported the shot. Previne was prone on one of the couches, but was coming around. Her upper body was still completely exposed, but they had all seen her naked before.
“Good thing you talked to Wolf and he told you the men were in the hallway,” Maya commented to Banyon. “Previne did a good job of acting when you called her.”
***
“I’m glad Eric and Loni were still in the area,” Banyon replied.
“What should we do with them?” Loni asked as she pointed a gun from man to man.
“They are on our list of people to contact,” Pramilla commented. “They are marked as unknown mercenaries.”
“I didn’t know their names,” Banyon said with a shrug.
“We need to make them forget,” Pramilla responded.
“We’ll need to get them out of this building first,” Maya noted. “But how?”
“I think I have a way,” Eric commented. “I’ll be right back.” He dashed out the door and returned a few minutes later. He pushed a big laundry basket. He had a bellman uniform draped over his arm. “There is a closet just up the hall,” he explained.
“It’s a little bit risky,” Loni said. “But we’ll make it work.”
“Somebody will have to dress up in the uniform. It is too small for me,” Eric explained.
“I’ll do it,” Previne croaked from the couch. Everyone turned to look at her. She was sitting up. Color had returned to her face.
“Are you sure you are up to it?” Banyon asked sympathetically.
“I have to go. I’m the only one who can make them forget,” she explained.
Eric quickly reminded them that none of the women looked European. There were very few non-Europeans, besides tourists, in Poland. Previne could not wear the uniform. Neither could any of the other women. They all looked decidedly Asian. He then turned to Banyon. “But you don’t,” and handed him the uniform.
The Polish Discovery: The Society of Orion 1-3 (Colton Banyon Mystery Book 17) Page 23
