V4 Vengeance
Page 27
Martinez snapped to attention and saluted. “Thank you, sir. I will make sure I am worthy of these.”
“Oh, you’re worthy already, son, you were going to be promoted on your record anyway, and this mission has just brought that forward a little.” The President turned. “That’s my man seen to, at least for now. So your turn,” he said to the two men waiting directly behind him. “Lieutenant Commander, I think you ought to introduce me to your team.”
Martinez led the President toward the staircase leading up to the saloon where the SEAL team were getting ready to disembark. The Secret Service moved to go with him.
The President stopped and said, “No need for you, gentlemen. I can’t think of a safer place for a president than in the middle of a highly effective SEAL team.”
The Russian President was the first of the rest to move forward to grasp Andrei’s hand. Out of politeness to his hosts he spoke in English.
“Well done and I am glad it was you that shot Romanov, however that happened. The message to the Mafia at home has already been received and our police teams are moving while they are still off balance.”
Andrei nodded, but did not speak. Instead he turned and pointed behind the bar. The Russian President’s jaw dropped for just a moment as he turned.
“Can it be true? The one from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, after all these years?”
Andrei nodded and the two Russians clasped each other in a bear hug like two old comrades. Jim saw the tear in the eye of a President who was famous as a hard man.
“There are more icons in the cabin above us. I think the Hermitage Museum will be having a new exhibit of recovered art that the Nazis looted and sold.”
The two Russians moved off together to examine the other icons on the higher deck, both wearing large grins. The Prime Minister stepped up to Jim.
“I do hope you don’t expect any such displays from me?” he said.
“No sir. I don’t expect anything from you.”
The Prime Minister looked him in the eye and said, “I suppose I deserved that. The cutbacks in the manning in the Armed Forces were driven by politics and my hands were tied. Plus, they were handled badly and discharging you and your team from the Army was wrong. The mobilization for this crisis has allowed me to correct that. I apologise to you.” He held out his hand.
Jim took his hand. “Big of you to say that, sir. I appreciate it.” And he meant it. “So how much trouble are we actually in, sir?”
“A damn sight less than you deserve. The US Justice Department has determined that you are liable for prosecution on some pretty serious charges. However, in gratitude for the actions of HMS Huntingdon and a fisherman from the British Cayman Islands, President Barker has given all three of you an executive pardon. The German government has decided not to press charges so as not to publicize that war crime in the Kiel base and the Russians are keeping quiet so they can deal with their internal Mafia problem. So you three need to keep your mouths tight shut and you owe the skipper of the Huntingdon a beer or two, I think.”
“Thank you, sir. May I show you some of the things we found when we took this yacht?”
They walked toward the bar and joined the two Russians who had returned and were admiring the glowing paintwork of the triptych behind the bar.
The US President came back into the cabin and took over again. “You three stay, but the rest of you give us the room. The President and the Prime Minister and I need to have a serious talk with these men.”
He waited until the room was cleared, with the Secret Service standing guard outside the doors.
“Before we go any further, is Sergeant Peters available? We have someone who would like to see him.”
Jim walked to the bottom of the staircase and called up for Geordie, who trotted down the stairs and followed Jim back into the saloon. By the time they got there a very attractive young woman was standing between the President and the Prime Minister. She saw Geordie and ran across the deck into his arms. They clung together for a few seconds and then started to walk out of the saloon together. They paused in the doorway and Geordie looked at the President over his shoulder.
“Thanks, Boss” he said.
The President had a smile on his face as he said, “We found that young lady working as a volunteer in one of the temporary first aid stations in the middle of Manhattan.”
Jim turned to the President. “That was a nice thing to do, sir. Geordie has been worried sick about Sam, though he tried not to show it.”
The President smiled, then turned to include the others. “Gentlemen, with all your adventures I suppose you are a little out of touch with what has been going on in the world. Now, as I expect you recall, the attack on the World Trade Center by Al Qaeda caused a mixed reception around the world. Our allies and friends sympathized and helped with the reprisals. Others rejoiced that we had been hurt. This attack has been differently received. A chemical attack on innocent civilians by an organized crime syndicate has revolted many people. Others were revolted by the use of Arab stooges to try and throw the blame on the Middle East again to try and damage our relations with the Muslim world. In any event, the huge support we have received from almost every country has been a significant step forward. Many nations have a problem with organized crime undermining their governments and victimizing their people. This attack will allow us to join forces and to take these people down, once and for all. We are forming a multinational task force to take the fight to the gangs wherever they are and we would like you to be the first three members of that task force.” He looked at the three of them. “Well?”
“Yes sir, whatever you need,” Martinez replied.
Andrei said, “If I can help them of course I would be happy to be part of this.”
The Russian President patted his shoulder. “But not as a Special Investigator, you are now a Police Commander.”
The Prime Minister looked at Jim with a raised eyebrow, but did not speak.
Jim said, “If I can bring my two men with me, then of course I’m in.”
The Prime Minister said, “Conditions? Very well, they are in too. By the way, I know your two companions here have been promoted, but I suspect the German government would take a very dim view of me promoting people who tried to steal their property, even if it was out of date. Plus, I had a word with the Commander Royal Engineers before I left the UK and he told me that if we promoted every Royal Engineer officer who did an exceptional job in difficult circumstances, he would have nothing but Generals in his Corps. You should be grateful to the President for issuing an Executive Pardon for your part in this, otherwise you could have been in very deep trouble.”
He paused and looked Jim in the eye.
“However, I do have plans for you in addition to the task force the President is setting up. So you will get some exceptionally interesting jobs when you get home and so will your two pirates.”
The Titles of Nigel Seed
Published by Astor and Blue Editions
V4 Vengeance
Desperately seeking employment, recently discharged Royal Engineer Jim Wilson takes on an impossible challenge with the help of his former army mates, Ivan and Geordie. Hired by a Russian museum, they are sent to the Baltic coast of Germany to find a rumored World War II U-Boat base. Their discovery is beyond shocking: not only does the base exist—it contains secret submarines full of V2 rocket bombs. And they are not working for a museum. They are at the mercy of a notorious group of Russian mobsters, the Romanov Gang.
Golden Eights
In 1940, the British army was in a state of disarray following the evacuation from Dunkirk, and invasion seemed imminent. As a precaution, the government sent the bulk of the national gold reserves to Canada via ships that ran the gauntlet of the U-boat fleets. Much of this treasure was hidden in England, only to vanish in the fog of war. Now, a clue has finally emerged that might lead to the treasure’s long lost hiding place. Needing the gold back in order to prevent a massive fi
nancial crisis, the government tasks Major Jim Wilson with finding it. Wilson and his team start the search, unaware that there is a traitor watching their every move.
160 Degrees East
The fourth military adventure in the Jim Wilson series finds military mates Jim, Ivan, and Geordie in a battle against climate, political corruption, and U.S. Marine secrets. The Prime Minister of the U.K. has sent the three men on a bootless mission to Kamchatka, Russia, where they are to look for an experimental Marine vehicle. Quickly realizing they've been duped as a false recovery team, they enlist the help of the Russian President, who directs them to the remote and rugged Pacific coast of Canada. Arriving on a Russian trawler, Jim, Ivan, and Geordie obtain aid from a group of local natives to track down the vehicle and then hunt down the murderer of the two U.S. Marines who guarded it.
Two Into One
The Prime Minister’s behavior has changed following his return from Washington, and Major Jim Wilson is called in to investigate. Wilson’s discovery threatens the peace of the world, and the major must find a way to put things right. With little time left, Wilson and his team set out on a dangerous quest that takes them from the hills of Cumbria to the Cayman Islands and Dubai. All the while, there are others watching and playing for high stakes.
One More Time
In the fifth adventure in the exciting Jim Wilson series, Jim and Ivan have retired from the Army and are making their way in civilian life when they are summoned back to the military by the new Prime Minister. Control of two hidden nuclear weapons has failed and they have been lost. Jim must find them before havoc is wreaked upon the world by whoever now controls them. It is soon apparent the problem is far bigger than originally envisaged, and there is a race against time to stop further weapons falling into the hands of an unscrupulous arms dealer and his beautiful daughter. The search moves from Zimbabwe to Belize and on to Norway and Spain, becoming ever more urgent and dangerous as the trail is followed.
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