Duty Bound (1995)

by Leonard B Scott

  Ashley rose. "Can't chance somebody closing them.

  Cover me." She broke into a run, jumped over the bodies, passed through the gate, and flattened herself against the outside wall next to the gatehouse door. She took in a deep breath and was about push off the wall when Faraday rushed past her and entered the gatehouse in a shooter's crouch.

  She followed him inside. Both had their weapons held in both hands and turned left and right, searching for a threat.

  Ashley looked past the dead men sprawled on the floor and nodded to the open door leading to another room. Faraday nodded, motioned to himself, and whispered, "Cover me."

  He entered slowly and seconds later backed out. "It's clear . . . one body. It's the security room."

  Ashley nodded to a closed door leading out into the estate grounds. "They'll have to come through there to-"

  The door suddenly burst open and a khaki-uniformed man holding a pistol rushed inside. Ashley screamed, "Freeze! FBI!"

  The startled guard turned to fire, but Faraday fired first and kept firing until the guard fell. Shaking, Ashley watched the man in disbelief as he squirmed on the floor, making a sickening gurgling sound. She looked up, raised her pistol, and fired at a second guard who appeared in the doorway.

  Lifted off his feet, he fell backward with arms extended, like a kid making a snow angel.

  Faraday pushed Ashley out of the way, kneeled in front of the door, and yelled above the sound of an explosion:

  "They were trying to get out of here! They must be losing the fight!"

  Inside the house, Eli held Raul's arm tightly as he walked him down the upstairs hallway. "Is anybody with her?" he asked in a whisper.

  Raul pointed ahead. "There . . . she's in there. Arturo is guarding her."

  Eli lifted his pistol. "You're going to yell toward the door, `Arturo, take the woman to the dock; we're escaping.' You got that?"

  "Yes."

  "Good. Now once you yell it, back against the wall and squat down. I'm going. to be right behind you, so don't try anything funny. Okay, yell it out."

  "Arturo, bring the woman; come quickly, we're escaping . . . take her to the dock!"

  Several long seconds passed, then the door opened. A large man holding a machine pistol stepped out and froze, seeing Eli pointing his pistol at him. "Don't move!" Eli said.

  Arturo tried to duck back inside but Eli's bullet tore through his cheek and out the back of his jaw. He fell backward while spasmodically jerking the trigger of the machine pistol. The spray of bullets ripped into the hallway ceiling, the doorjamb, then the bedroom ceiling as he collapsed on his back.

  Eli stepped through the doorway while putting a single bullet into the bodyguard's forehead. Looking up, he saw her sitting up in bed, staring at him in disbelief. For a split second he didn't recognize her; she seemed to have aged twenty years, and her upper lip was blue-black, split, and swollen to the size of a golf ball.

  With tear-filled eyes Stacy raised a trembling hand and spoke. "I . . . I thought you were dead."

  "Me, too," Eli said as he hurriedly strode toward her.

  "Come on, let's get out of here."

  A metallic click sounded behind him. Eli spun and fired.

  Raul jerked back and fell on his buttocks with a stunned expression. The machine pistol of the dead bodyguard thumped to the floor, and Raul slowly lowered his eyes to his own chest, to the small hole in his left breast. He tried to lift his hand to touch it, but toppled over on his side, his head on the carpet, his open eyes fixed and lifeless.

  Eli took hold of Stacy's arm. "Come on, get to your feet."

  "I . . . I can't," she said, beginning to sob.

  He leaned over, propped her on his left shoulder, and rose. "We're going to make it. I promise. Hold on tight to the back of my trousers . . . we're goin' home."

  In the gatehouse, Ed Faraday canted his head. "About damn time! That's sirens I hear."

  Ashley turned and looked out the back door. "They're coming through the first gate. . . . I'm goin' out and show my ID and stop them from going in. They'll need a Tac Team to go in."

  "Have 'em keep their sirens on," he said.

  Glenn heard the sirens and turned to Ted. "We have to get out of here right now!"

  Ted spoke into his mike. "Tanner, where are you?"

  On the first floor at the bottom of the stairs, Eli spoke into his mike. "I've got her. You all get out. I hear the cop sirens . . . we'll be okay. Get out."

  Ted said, "We still got that deal?"

  "I made you a promise," Eli said. "Go."

  Ted rose and barked, "Glenn, you and Virgil get to Ramon . . . I'll cover."

  Glenn shook his head. "I'll cover! You and Virgil go."

  Virgil yelled: "Bullshit, you squids go. I'll cover!"

  "Fuck it! We're all goin'!" Ted said, pulling the pin of an incendiary grenade. He tossed it into the cab of the truck and broke into a run.

  Glenn and Virgil fired off the rest of their magazines toward the guards' quarters and broke into a dead run, following their leader.

  The police officer lifted his megaphone mike. "This is the Dade County police! Throw down your weapons and walk out of the smoke toward the front gate! You are surrounded!

  This is the Dade County police. . . ."

  Faraday stood back from the officers and looked at Ashley. "Are you the praying kind?"

  Ashley nodded and closed her eye.

  Faraday lowered his head. "Me, too."

  As Ramon saw Ted and the others running toward him, he glanced over his shoulder toward the bay and froze. No.

  Mother of God, no!

  Out of breath, Ted came to a halt beside the kneeling Cuban, who pointed toward the distant yacht anchored in the bay. "I just saw it-it's heading for Bonita."

  Glenn and Virgil halted by the gate as Ted grabbed Ramon's sniper rifle. A cigarette boat was racing across the water toward The Revenge.

  "Oh, Christ, where'd it come from?" Glenn asked.

  "It came from the other side of the yacht," Ramon said. "I never saw it until it-"

  Ted fired.

  Virgil shook his head as he pushed Glenn forward. "Ain't gonna hit nothin' at this range. Come on, let's get to the dock and get us a cigarette and stop 'em!"

  Glenn, Virgil, and Ramon were already running down the covered walkway as Ted resignedly lowered the rifle. The cigarette was within fifty yards of the cruiser, and he could see puffs of smoke coming from the weapons the three men on board were holding.

  The green smoke had turned to a fine mist as members of the SWAT team cautiously moved forward. Ahead of them a fire roared and sent flames skyward, where they were lost in a thick black boiling cloud. Ashley moved to the right. Her line of sight no longer blocked by the SWAT team members, she saw that it was the panel truck burning. To her right lay the bodies of four guards. The windows of the guards' quarters were shattered, and SWAT officers were escorting khaki-clad men in handcuffs. To her left the entry of the huge main house was open and other officers were leading out staff members, maids in white uniforms, and men dressed in black trousers and white shirts. She paused and searched their frightened faces for a moment before spotting Faraday at the door. His look made her lower her head.

  He stepped up beside her. "They've cleared most of the house. Doesn't look like they're in there, but there's two dead guys upstairs . . . both from gunshots. One is in an expensive suit; his ID says he's Raul Antonio Ortega. The other was ID'd by a maid as one of Mendez's bodyguards.

  They found blood on the pillow and sheets in the bedroom where the bodies were found--the blood was dry and didn't come from the dead guys. Maids weren't allowed upstairs this mornin' so they don't know who was in the room."

  Faraday paused, took a breath, and let it out. "There are more bodies ahead but they're too close to the burning truck to check out. We'll have to wait until the fire department gets here." He put his arm around her waist. "I'm sorry, Ashley, I--"

  "Hey, that's my partner!
Get your rib-eating paws off her!"

  Ashley and Faraday looked up at the front door. Eli smiled tiredly as he followed a SWAT officer down the short flight of steps. Behind Eli another officer held Stacy in his arms.

  Ashley wiped the tears from her cheek and strode toward him. "You're a bastard, Tanner! Why didn't you yell or break a window and wave a sheet or something to tell us you were all right? Huh? Why didn't you?"

  "My hands were full, Sutton."

  Ashley glanced at Stacy as a paramedic took her from the officer's arms. "She all right?"

  "No, but nothing time won't heal." He stepped closer, patted Faraday's shoulder, and took Ashley by the arm. He whispered, "I got a story cooked up. You two haven't seen me till right now. I was moved here with Stacy from the yacht last night . . . got it?"

  Faraday glanced around before replying in a whisper:

  "How you goin' to explain what happened?"

  Eli shrugged. "I don't know what happened . . . I was locked away in the greenhouse when I heard shooting. The two guys guarding me ran out, and I went looking for Stacy.

  That's all I know. Must have been competitors of Mendez that made the hit . . . decided to take him out. Lucky for Stacy and me, huh?"

  "What's Stacy know?" Ashley asked.

  "Nothin'. She thought I was dead . . . she didn't see a thing except me deal with the two guys upstairs. I'm goin' to say I snuck up on 'em and took one of their weapons. I did good."

  "Yeah, a regular hero," Ashley said, glaring at him. "You done now, Tanner? You finished with your duty?"

  Eli looked toward the burning truck. "Yeah, Sutton, I'm done."

  A police officer walked up to Ashley and pointed skyward. "Agent Sutton, our chopper has spotted two boats behind the estate in the bay not far from the docks. The spotter says there are bodies in the water by one of the boats."

  Ashley asked, "What kind of boats are they?"

  "A cruiser and a cigarette, ma'am. The spotter says he sees three bodies in the water. We've cleared the grounds, so if you want, you can walk down to the docks. The rear gate is back there about forty yards. Just make a wide detour around the burning truck . . . it's hotter than hell even within a hundred feet of it. Coast Guard is on the way to pick up the floaters."

  Eli had already broken into a run toward the docks.

  A Bell Ranger helicopter settled down to within a few feet of the shoreline, and Agent Howard Parker jumped from the skid to the beach. The chopper immediately lifted and shot forward over the bay. Parker walked up to the pier and stopped beside Ashley and Faraday. "Where is he?" he snapped.

  Ashley motioned to the approaching small Coast Guard cruiser. "He went out to check the bodies. They found a survivor."

  Parker saw the waiting paramedics standing by and looked out at the bay. "I heard the report about there being two boats. . . . I see the cigarette but I don't see the small cruiser."

  "It sank," Faraday said. "Happened just five minutes ago.

  Tanner and a couple of the Coast Guard guys were on board and got off just before it went down."

  Parker stepped closer to Ashley. "How'd you know Tanner was here? And don't give me that crap about it being intuition."

  Ashley shrugged. "I had a hunch, then."

  "That's not going to cut it, Agent Sutton. I want answers."

  "You've heard the best answer you're likely to get, Agent Parker. Back off. You know I never believed this was a Colombian deal."

  Parker turned as the Coast Guard cruiser bumped against the dock tire bumpers. Standing on the deck, Eli squatted down and picked up a wet dog wrapped in a blanket. He stepped onto the pier, holding the limp animal. "He's been hit in the back," he said to a paramedic.

  The medic shook his head. "We don't take animals."

  Eli growled, "You will this one. He's a material witness.

  Get him to a vet. Now!"

  Parker flashed his ID to the still skeptical medic. "Do it.

  Get going and call the FBI office when you get there. And it'd better be quick."

  The paramedic took the animal as Parker smiled and patted Eli's shoulder. "Sure good to see you . . . I thought I'd never see you alive again."

  Eli returned the shoulder pat. "Good to see you, too, Howie."

  "What did you find out there?"

  "Three of Mendez's guards," Eli said. "I figure they were from the yacht and when they heard all the shooting got in their cigarette and took off to see what the problem was in the estate."

  "What about the cruiser that sank?" Parker asked.

  "Howie, this is pure speculation on my part, but I think at least a part of the crew that made the hit on Mendez was probably trying to make good their escape in the cruiser.

  The guards in the cigarette saw them and fired them up.

  When we got to the cruiser, she was about gone, but we did see blood on the deck; the guards sure hit somebody. We were about to reboard, but I heard a whimpering and found the dog in the cabin, barely able to keep his nose above water . . . poor mutt was in the middle of it. I'm thinking there was another boat with other hitters who came to the rescue of the cruiser crew. The cigarette was shot to hell and so were the bodies. By the number of shell casings in the cigarette, it must have been some shootout. Obviously the rescuers won--they killed Mendez's people and got their dead or wounded off the sinking boat."

  Eli turned and scanned the bay. "There must be five, maybe six hundred boats on the bay right now. . . . We're not going to find the hitters anytime soon."

  Parker stepped closer to Eli. "Can you describe any of the hitters?"

  "Didn't see any of them." Eli kept his eyes on the bay. "I was being guarded by two of Mendez's boys. When the shooting started, the guards left me to go protect their boss.

  I got the rope off they had me tied up with and went looking for Stacy. By the time I found her it was over and they were all gone. At least I think they're gone . . . maybe they left some dead behind in the estate, I don't know."

  Parker motioned to Ashley. "Your partner says she had a gut feeling you were here--you were lucky."

  Eli faced Ashley, looking into her unbandaged eye. "I've always considered myself lucky having Agent Sutton as a partner--she's the mother-hen type . . . tries to keep me out of trouble."

  Parker patted Eli's shoulder again. "I'm going up to the house to take a look at those bodies and see if Mendez is one of them. Stick around; I want to ask you some more questions later."

  Ashley waited until Parker was out of hearing, then lowered her head. "You think the guys in the speedboat killed Bonita?"

  "I don't know." Eli shook his head. "But it doesn't look good for her. There was blood all over the deck, and she wouldn't have left the dog if she'd been conscious. I figure Ted and the others got in a cigarette and went out to exact some revenge on the shooters. They got them, all right, but it was a helluva fight."

  "You think Ted has Bonita's body?"

  "She wasn't on that boat. I checked. I saw the dog in the cabin but he appeared dead. Only when we were about to leave did I hear him whimpering. The water must have revived him when it flooded the cabin."

  Ashley looked at the billowing dark cloud forming over the estate before lowering her head. "Poor Bonita . . . I guess Mendez won after all."

  Eli shook his head. "Nobody won . . . everybody lost."

  Faraday placed his hands on Eli's and Ashley's shoulders.

  "Talking about losing reminded me of something. Agent Sutton, I know somebody you made a promise to. I think you'd better get goin' . . . you wouldn't want somebody else to do it."

  Ashley's eyes narrowed. "Thanks for reminding me. . . .

  See you two later. I have business to attend to." Setting her shoulders, Ashley strode up the walkway.

  With a loud pop the smoking motors stopped. His hands sticky with blood, Glenn let go of the wheel of the shot-up cigarette and looked out at the open sea. Virgil patted his shoulder. "You tried, Glenn. How's your arm?"

  Glenn gl
anced at the bullet gash across his forearm and turned, looking at the two men lying on the deck. "I'm okay.

  How're they doing?"

  Virgil lowered his head. "They'd both make it if we could just get 'em to a hospital. I stopped Ramon's sucking chest wound . . . lucky for him he's unconscious now. Ted's just lost too much blood. He should have never helped us search for Bonita."