by C. G. Cooper
“I’ve discussed that with Travis and we’re both in agreement that it’s the risk we have to take. We don’t have anything else to go off of. Besides, if Daniel’s right and some unknown group is out there watching us, that probably means it’s worth it for them to keep tabs on us. I don’t think they’d do that if he was already shipped overseas.”
Trent wasn’t so sure, but he didn’t disagree. They all had to hope that they could reach their friend in time.
+++
Neil rubbed his sore leg for maybe the thousandth time. The pain was getting worse, which meant his captors would be bringing him his pain meds soon. He’d kept a mental time clock since waking in the small cell. At regular intervals a large man with a black mask would silently open the door, place a plate of food along with two pills on the floor just inside the room. There was no need to worry about the prisoner attacking the guard. Without the use of his foot he was effectively immobilized.
After the first delivery, Patel had refused to eat the food or take the medicine. An hour later his jailer had returned as Neil lay shivering and pain-wracked on his small cot. The large man forced Neil’s mouth open with one hand and shoved the two pills down his throat with the other. It was impossible for Patel to resist.
Within minutes the pain had receded. Neil had learned his lesson. Take the pills or live in excruciating pain.
As he counted down to his next meal, Neil thought about his friends. He knew they’d be out looking for him. Would there be any clues left to find?
Deep down he knew it was his fault. For years Travis and Todd Dunn had hounded him about taking along security when he went into public. They’d said he was too valuable an asset to lose. Cal had one day said he was, in fact, a prime asset. He’d always shrugged off the worry. As fate would have it, his father had once been kidnapped and murdered while travelling on business overseas. Would he endure the same fate? Something told Neil that wasn’t the case. They had something in mind for him. Why else would they go through all the trouble of taking care of him?
He wracked his brain thinking of possible ways he could escape, or at least figure out what they wanted from him. Neil knew they would tell him soon. His sixth sense told him it wouldn’t be pleasant.
+++
Upstairs Nick Ponder went over the latest email from his buyers. They’d accepted his counteroffer with some conditions. The mercenary was ecstatic. Pretty soon he’d be rich and never have to worry about petty little jobs again. But first he had to have a little talk with his prisoner. It looked like the buyers wanted to run a test to see that they were getting what they paid for.
Ponder cracked his knuckles as he thought about the coming session. It would be good to be rich again.
+++
Neil’s cell door opened and a huge man with a shaggy black beard and shaved head walked in. Patel knew the boss had arrived.
“You and I need to have a little chat, Mr. Patel,” Nick Ponder growled in baritone.
“Is this where you tell me I get to go home now?”
Instead of answering, Ponder walked across the small space, grabbed a handful of Neil’s hair with his left hand and clamped his right hand around Patel’s neck and started to squeeze. With barely any effort, he lifted the smaller man off the cot and up against the wall.
“Now you listen here, you little shit. I’m someone you don’t want to fuck with. If you’re looking for God, I’m him. I could squeeze the life out of your pathetic little raghead body right now.”
Patel didn’t doubt the man. No longer able to breathe, he fought to maintain his consciousness. This guy was incredibly strong.
Without warning, Ponder dropped Neil back on the small cot. Patel screamed as his stump hit the floor. His captor laughed.
“Like I was saying, I am God to you now. Whatever I say, you do. Understand?”
Through gritted teeth and watery eyes Neil nodded. He didn’t have much of a choice. Even at full strength he was no match against the large man.
“I’ll be back in a couple hours with some things for you to do. Get your mind right, and you might leave here in one piece.”
Without another word Ponder left the room. Neil was left to wonder what the sadistic man had in mind.
Chapter 9
Teton Village, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
5:15pm, September 27th
“Everybody ready to go?” Cal asked the sixteen men. Needing to blend in, they were all attired in varied hiking and casual clothing. Each man carried a small arsenal under his coat. Cal had his trusted double-edged blade strapped to his left wrist along with a pistol in his waistband.
They’d agreed that Cal and Trent would be the bait. The Mangy Moose restaurant had an outdoor seating area where the two Marines would grab a table and have a leisurely dinner. Briggs was certain that the enemy would find them soon in the small ski village.
The small teams set off at staggered intervals. Some left in groups of four, others left in groups of two or three. Briggs was the only man to go out alone. The sniper they called Snake Eyes was already making himself comfortable across the quad on the pool deck at Hotel Terra. It afforded a full view of the common area. All the other teams would take up positions at various points in and around the Mangy Moose. The only thing left to do now was wait.
+++
Trapper and his partner sat at the outdoor restaurant attached to the large ski lift. They’d searched Cal’s hotel room earlier in the day and found it completely empty. Ponder had already recalled the other contractors because of the storm. That left Trapper to coordinate the search in Teton Village.
The wiry man kicked himself for not taking out the two Marines when he’d had the chance. It would’ve been so easy that first night. Now it seemed that his quarry was on to them. To make matters worse, the rest of the sixteen man team Ponder’s guys had already confirmed landing at the Jackson Hole airport had also disappeared. Trapper wished someone had listened to him when he’d suggested putting a couple tails on the arrivals after they left the airport. Ponder was so confident that the SSI men would start the search in Teton Village that he’d ignored the suggestion.
Trapper was a veteran of the Army’s military police. He’d gained his nickname by being able to track and trap anyone. There wasn’t a man or woman that he couldn’t find. The only reason he hadn’t stayed in the Army was the ‘questionable’ methods in which Trapper had used to detain his captives. In the end, there had been allegations of abuse and torture. While Trapper knew they could never prove anything (he was also a master at manipulating evidence and witnesses) he felt the writing was on the wall. Certain senior officers had made it their patriotic duty to see him drummed out of the service.
Instead of going out their way, Trapper decided to take early retirement at sixteen years and head to the civilian world. Not long after he’d contacted his old friend Nick Ponder. They’d partied over booze and drugs, all the while lamenting the Army’s decline as a military force. The next morning over Bloody Maries, Ponder offered him a job with what he’d affectionately dubbed ‘Ponder’s Misfits.’ It didn’t take Trapper long to find out that the majority of contractors hired by the Ponder Group were indeed misfits. Released from active duty for an assortment of reasons, Ponder snatched them up willingly knowing that they had nowhere else to go. As a result, they were only too happy to do his dirty work.
Trapper glanced at his watch. “Five more minutes, and let’s take a walk around.”
His partner nodded silently and finished his coffee. Trapper paid the waitress and minutes later the two men were strolling downhill doing a surveillance sweep toward The Mangy Moose.
+++
Briggs spotted the two men right away. It was hard to forget their mismatched faces. They looked completely nonchalant as they walked down towards Cal and Trent.
Daniel pulled out his cell phone and texted the rest of the team: 2 TARGETS HEADED TO THE MOOSE.
Once he got confirmation from the team leaders, he slipped the pho
ne back in his pocket and stood up. It was time to see who these guys were. He slipped out of the pool deck quietly and headed to the stairwell.
+++
Trapper spotted Stokes and Trent as soon as The Mangy Moose came into view. He nudged his partner. The man looked up and nodded. At least they’d found them again. Now it was time to take up a position and watch.
The two contractors veered to the right and found a spot on one of the outdoor tables maybe a hundred yards away. Trapper casually pulled out a pack of cigarettes and sat down. While he wished there were more people around, at least the darkness would give them some cover. Stokes, on the other hand, was sitting in a well-lit area that afforded Trapper a perfect view.
He and his partner were so intent on their targets that they never noticed Briggs watching them from behind.
+++
Daniel extracted the two pistols from his voluminous coat pockets. He’d have to make his shots count. It was something the sniper was used to. Briggs never missed.
+++
As Trapper took another drag off his cigarette, he sensed movement to his left. He turned to look and felt a stabbing pain in his neck. He reached up, grabbed the dart and yanked it out while staggering to his feet. His partner was doing the same. Trapper had just enough time to register that it was Briggs approaching when he fell to the ground. The powerful tranquilizer quickly rendered both men unconscious.
Daniel rushed to check on them and waived for the other team members to come help. Four SSI men materialized out of the darkness and swiftly picked up the two men and carried them to a waiting vehicle.
Briggs was scanning the area to make sure nothing was left behind when an older couple walked up concerned.
“Excuse me, son, but is everything okay with your friends over there?” the old woman asked.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Daniel answered politely. “My buddies just had a little too much to drink over at the Moose.”
The husband smiled knowingly. “You tell them to take it easy on the booze at this altitude. Had a bad go of it myself a few years ago.”
“Yes, sir, I will. You have a nice night.”
Briggs walked away and breathed a sigh of relief. His silly little plan had worked. Now it was time to find out what these guys knew.
Chapter 10
Teton Village, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
7:02pm, September 27th
They’d put the two men in separate rooms. Briggs had recommended they start with the big guy first.
Cal had disagreed. “I really think we should start with the guy with the beak nose, Daniel.”
“Don’t ask me why, but I get the feeling that he’s gonna be a hard nut to crack. It’s something in the guy’s eyes.”
Cal knew better than to question the sniper’s judgment. In the short time he’d known Briggs, the Marine had never been wrong. “Okay, let’s do it your way. What did you have in mind?”
+++
Lance Upshaw wasn’t a bad man. He just wasn’t the brightest guy that ever walked the Earth. What he lacked in mental ability he more than made up for in strength and skill. Since his first day in the Marine Corps even his drill instructors had taken to calling him ‘The Swede’ after the character in Clint Eastwood classic Heartbreak Ridge. Upshaw had excelled in all physical aspects of boot camp. He’d continued his growth training in the fleet. His large athletic frame, honed from years on the football and baseball field was perfect for the Marine Corps. It was his ability to be manipulated that became his final downfall.
They’d given him an Other Than Honorable discharge from the Marine Corps because of a certain hazing incident he’d been convinced to participate in. Upshaw’s fire team leader, a skinny sadist named Cpl. Kliner, had taken offense to the ‘tone’ of one of his new PFCs. The kid was a college drop-out who’d instantly incurred Kliner’s wrath. After a few drinks at the Enlisted Club on Camp Pendleton, and under Kliner’s direction, Upshaw methodically beat the young ‘college boy’ within an inch of his life.
Something in Upshaw knew that what he’d done was wrong, but it had been an order from his fire team leader. Wasn’t he supposed to follow orders? That’s what his DIs had said at Parris Island.
Upshaw remembered sitting in the courtroom in complete shock as the officer read his sentence. How could the Marine Corps send him away for following orders? He loved the Corps.
Sitting in his cell months later, he’d welcomed the visit from Nick Ponder. The man understood his situation and even admitted going through a similar episode years ago. Once Lance served his year in the brig, he happily took a position with The Ponder Group. After all, they knew what it was like to be misunderstood.
Lance Upshaw shook his head as he regained consciousness. He didn’t remember how he’d ended up in the room. Where the hell am I? His arms and legs were hogtied behind the wooden chair someone had strapped him to. He couldn’t feel his hands and feet.
As his vision cleared, he finally made out a figure standing in front of him. The man was around six feet in height with a blonde ponytail. Lance thought that he had kind eyes. Despite his lack of brainpower, Lance knew the difference. He’d seen evil in many of the men he’d met in jail.
Daniel pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the large captive. “What’s your name?”
Upshaw wasn’t sure he should respond. He remembered something from boot camp about only giving out your name, rank and serial number. “Upshaw, Lance. Seven, three, three, two, nine, eight, one, two, one.”
“So you were in the Army?” Briggs asked kindly.
Upshaw made an almost disgusted face. “Marine Corps.”
Briggs smiled. “Me too.”
Upshaw didn’t say anything. He’d learned to keep his mouth shut. Daniel let the silence linger. This guy looked liked a perfect candidate to handle a medium machine gun but would never be found planning a raid. He had the hard look of an abused animal.
“Look, I’m a little short on time so I’m just gonna get to it. That cool?” Daniel asked.
Upshaw still didn’t know what to say. The last thing he remembered was sitting next to Trapper and watching the guys Ponder had sent them after. He was just the muscle sent along to help his partner with any heavy lifting. He’d always been told to not saying anything in the event he was captured or questioned.
“I’m not gonna hurt you, Lance, but I need to know what you and your pal were doing following us.”
Options swirled in Lance’s head. He knew Trapper and Ponder would kill him if he said anything.
“I’m not supposed to say.”
Daniel wasn’t surprised by the response but happy that he’d at least validated his initial impression. These guys were on SSI’s tail. Without saying another word, he got up from his chair and went to find Cal.
+++
Nick Ponder was starting to think it’d been a bad idea to send his guys to watch the crew from SSI. He’d known there was always the chance they might be spotted. That’s why he’d sent Trapper. The guy was a one-man surveillance machine and mean as a snake. He was Ponder’s kind of guy.
He tried calling Trapper’s cell phone for a fourth time. Sometimes the signal was crappy up in the mountains. He figured the gathering storm wouldn’t help much either.
For the fourth time Ponder got the error message trying to connect to Trapper’s phone.
“Shit,” he grumbled.
Half of his men were already back. He’d need to bring the rest home soon. The helo wouldn’t be able to fly in the coming blizzard.
Where the hell were Trapper and Upshaw?
+++
Trapper regained consciousness slowly. He looked around the room then tested his arms and legs. They were bound behind the dining room chair he was sitting on. The former military policeman was pretty sure he could get out of the restraints as long as he could force some blood flow back into his limbs. There were benefits to being somewhat of a contortionist. The problem was he didn’t know what he was up against. He
was sure his captors would make an appearance soon enough. Meanwhile, he’d bide his time, work his arms and legs, and figure a way out.
+++
“This guy’s not the smartest is he?” Cal asked Daniel as he continued to watch the live video feed from both holding rooms.
Daniel shrugged. “He’s smart enough to keep his trap shut. At least we know they were keeping an eye on us. You okay with me laying into him a little more?”
Cal looked up from the video screen. “If it gets us closer to Neil, do it. I’d prefer not leaving any marks on these guys…”
“I don’t think it’ll come to that. I’ll be subtle.”
“Do what you need to.”
Daniel nodded and headed back in to talk to Upshaw.
+++
Daniel took his seat in front of Upshaw and stared at the man for a minute. To his credit, Upshaw returned the stare without flinching.
“Where are you from, Lance?”
Upshaw hesitated. He didn’t remember anything about not talking about his personal life. There couldn’t be anything wrong with that, right?
“I’m, uh, from Dallas.”
“You play football down there?”
Upshaw’s eyes lit up at once. “I did,” he said with pride and almost puffed out his chest before remembering that he was tied to a chair.
