Hard Man to Kill (Dark Horse Guardian Series Book 4)

by Armstrong, Ava

  As he turned the truck around, he glanced at the reflection of Saleh in the rearview mirror. The defiant young man walked on, without looking back. Riding back to the cement plant, Ben hoped to God he was doing the right thing. The men were eerily silent. They parked the truck, got out and tossed their gear into the Humvees. It was time to head toward the border in the black of night, never a good feeling.

  While driving toward the Pakistani border, Ben’s phone vibrated S.O.S. and he knew immediately it was Rusty. “Yeah.” The vehicle was bouncing all over the place and the men in the background were noisy. Ben cupped the phone and shouted, “Quiet!” He didn’t like the fact that Rusty was calling him. It never was good news when he got a phone call from him while on a mission.

  “Listen.” Rusty said. “Lara and Monique are being tracked by American jihadists here. They’re at the black site until further notice. Heads up -- the leak came from the State Department.”

  Ben muttered profanities, but knew being frustrated right now wouldn’t serve him well. “Protect them. I’ll be back soon. I just got some bad news about Nazmin. She was one of my best contacts in Pakistan; she was murdered. It was brutal. The bastards put it on YouTube. Can’t let this go.”

  “Damn.” He heard Rusty mutter. “Don’t worry about us. I can get the girls to a safe place. You know where I’m going.”

  “Thanks, take care you’re not being tailed.” Ben reminded him, but knew he didn’t have to.

  “Got it covered, Chief.” Rusty said plainly. “Catch you later.”

  At the end of the call, Ben felt as if things were falling apart. It was the intel leak. All of Lara’s hard work to stop it was for naught.

  ~ Lara ~

  Four hours later with no stopping, Rusty finally turned down the winding unused road leading to the black site. Lara was thankful that they were in a four-wheel drive Jeep Cherokee, as the road had been plowed by a front-end loader, but lots of snow remained, creating frozen ruts. The ride was bumpy and slow; once or twice an animal’s eyes shone into the headlights. Lara glanced at Monique, whose attention was fixed on the windshield.

  “Where the hell are we?” Monique asked plaintively, sounding exhausted.

  “We’re here.” Lara smiled. “Don’t worry.”

  “Who’s worried? I could never find this place. I still can’t even see it.” Monique replied as they got out of the vehicle.

  Rusty parked the Jeep behind the thicket and covered it with loose pine branches, as Lara, Monique and Einstein walked around outside. The hoot of an owl nearly made Monique jump out of her skin. Einstein was sniffing the ground around the steel hut, a smorgasbord of smells, Lara imagined. After stretching their legs, Alvin Nichols, the caretaker, greeted them.

  “Got some stew cookin’ in there for ya, on the woodstove….got bread, too.” Alvin gave them a toothy grin. He was at least seventy, but the old Viet Nam vet was lanky and strong with a full head of snow white hair. He held the door for them to enter, then bolted it securely behind them.

  Alvin seemed happy to have visitors. He ladled stew into wooden bowls and carved up a large loaf of bread. “Made that bread myself. Love homemade bread.” He set the table and poured spring water from a pitcher.

  Lara made herself comfortable at the worn wooden table and was amazed at the level of cleanliness in the kitchen. Alvin insisted they sit and eat while he waited on them. The stew was delicious and Rusty had a second helping.

  “What is this? It’s delicious,” Monique whispered to Lara.

  “Moose meat stew,” Alvin answered with a smile. “It’s good and lean, much better for ya than beef.” Lara caught Monique’s eyes and held them, as if telling her to be quiet.

  “This bread is delicious,” Lara said, meaning every word. The whole meal was tasty.

  After eating, Alvin took them down to the end of the hut where there were six bunks freshly made. “Here’s where ya sleep. And, the toilet is a composting one. Makes a bit of noise, but its right here through the door. Only way to wash up is in an old copper bathtub. I’ll fill it in the morning for ya. I’ve got a kettle of hot water on the woodstove. Well, I’ll let ya all get some sleep. It’s late and I’m sure you’re tired.”

  With that, he moved down to the kitchen area, where his bunk was, and shut off the gas light. The battery-powered lantern was the only light in the bunk area and it was now turned off to conserve energy. Lara was so tired, she kicked off her boots, removed her coat and crawled into the bunk. She tried her best to ignore the taxidermied heads of animals adorning the walls, staring down at her. Monique and Rusty did the same. Within ten minutes Rusty was snoring and Monique was sound asleep. Moonlight glowed around the edges of the window covered by a thermal shade. Lara took a deep breath, exhaled, and closed her eyes. Einstein was cuddled up against her back and she could feel his bull-dog breath on her. For a moment, a feeling of safety flooded over her. She imagined what Ben was doing. She could not fight the sleep that overpowered her. She hadn’t felt such exhaustion for a long time.

  Afghanistan Border with Pakistan

  ~ Ben ~

  The city of Khost, just over the border in Afghanistan, would be their last stop. Information gathered from Saleh gave Ben the hope for one more brief mission. Find this Abdul bastard that brutally and publicly murdered Nazmin. The men were hardened when they found out their friend and informant died in such a gruesome manner. Nazmin was loved by them, and they revered her for risking her life to save many others. She had been a fount of intel, but Salib Madi somehow discovered she was helping them. The intel leak revealed her name, thus making her a target for Madi and his band of marauders. But Moshe was having none of it right now. Taking out Abdul wasn’t part of the program for this trip. But Ben couldn’t get the guy out of his thoughts.

  Abdul. That was the face of the guy in the YouTube production. The one who decapitated Nazmin. But they had no idea where Abdul was now. Moshe argued they needed good intel to set up the hit. In the black of night, the Humvees split up. Seven continued toward the border as Ben’s and Moshe’s peeled off to a rural area along the Indus River. Following the dirt road for several miles, Ben located the house where Rashida lived with a Pakistani man. Although both of them pretended to be a faithful married Muslim couple, they were collecting intel for Ben in the surrounding mosques, talking with local tribal leaders, filtering everything back to the Dark Horse Guardians.

  His Humvee pulled around the backside of the house and Moshe’s followed. Elvis rode with Ben, and would stand watch. They were expected by Rashida and her fictitious husband, Timur. The side door opened and Moshe followed Ben inside. Ben asked Elvis to stay hidden in the brush near the vehicles, listening, watching.

  Only candlelight illuminated the room. Ben embraced Rashida and she smiled. Ben whispered, “We don’t want to stay here long….it will put you in danger. I need you to help me with identifying someone ~ who is this guy?” Ben held his phone up with the gruesome YouTube video and stopped it midstream. He touched the photo and enlarged it. “His name is Abdul, but that’s all we know.”

  Ben noticed the frightened stare Rashida shot at Timur. Then, she spoke, “We know him. He is the son of Salib Madi, the man who is the mastermind behind this reign of terror. Abdul is young, about twenty, I think. He’s been to the mosque whipping up the young men into a frenzy, recruiting for his father. He bragged about that video. The people here have viewed it. They’re frightened beyond what you can imagine. People are terrified to leave their homes or anger this Salib Madi in any way. They will be dragged out in the middle of the day to be tortured, beheaded, or set afire. I have photographs of Salib Madi’s sons, Ibrahim, Abdul, and Saleh.”

  As she brought the photos upon the screen of her phone, Ben studied them in the candlelight. “Damn…we had him. This Abdul guy. He pretended he was deaf and mute. We let him go. He was visiting another target we took out. Damn it, Moshe….we let this guy go!” Ben slammed his fist upon the table awash with anger and frustration.
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  “It’s too late now,” Moshe muttered. “At least we know who the hell he is and what he looks like. We will get him, eventually.”

  “But he knows what we look like. He knows where we were. All of those friendlies will pay for their affiliation with us. We’ve got to kill the little bastard….like now.” Ben insisted.

  “It’s not on our schedule. Besides, he didn’t see that much. It’s dangerous. We’re on our way out,” Moshe cautioned. “We can’t get caught up with Abdul right now. We’ll put it on the docket for next time.”

  “I’m staying.” Ben stared at Rashida. “I’ll hide by the river and lure him here somehow.”

  “Too dangerous.” Moshe reiterated. “Come on. We’re getting out of here.”

  “Wait.” Rashida whispered. “They want you, Ben. There’s a half million bounty for you. It’s a well-known fact. Don’t leave the way you came, just in case you’ve been followed. I have a good man on the river. His name is Wasem. He will bring you downstream in the night, no one will see you.”

  Moshe glanced at Ben nervously. “It’s not in our plan.”

  “I’ll do it. I need a little boat ride to get familiar with this terrain. I’m going to kill this bastard that murdered Nazmin. I want to be the one who kills him.” Ben could feel the blood pulsing in his veins, rage building, adrenaline flowing. He knew it was dangerous to lose control, but he couldn’t help the feelings coursing through him.

  “What’s the meeting point?” Moshe asked looking at the satellite map on his phone.

  “Right there.” Ben pointed to a dock about three miles south. “Call your man, Rashida, have him come for me.”

  Moshe and Elvis left with the Humvees and drove to the appointed site. Ben felt compelled to do this. But he was running on pure instinct. He left Rashida’s house in the wee hours of the morning. No sunlight yet, but he could barely discern the outline of a man paddling a skiff toward him. Soundlessly, and with the precision of a cat, Ben allowed his body to spring into the air and land on the hard surface of the boat. He shook hands with Wasem. “Three miles down to the dock.” Ben smiled. Wasem nodded and used a pole to push away from the shore.

  Unknown to Moshe and Elvis, Ben felt the eyes of someone on him. Who it was, he wasn’t certain, but Ben had a weapon, body armor, G’s and his senses. Someone was watching him. The hackles remained. He watched for movement. With the help of the G’s, he detected a man hidden on the riverbank. As the skiff glided soundlessly with the current downstream, they covered three miles in a short period of time. Wasem was a wealth of information. He knew Abdul and the places he would most likely be found. The mosque in Bhakkar was Abdul’s comfort zone. This was what he needed to know.

  As the skiff pulled up beside the dock, Ben’s G’s picked up a figure standing near a vehicle a good distance away in a dirt parking lot. The outline of the man barely moved, and Ben did not let on that he saw him. Wasem dropped him off and continued down the river. One of the Humvees pulled up and Ben hopped in. As they whisked by the parking lot, the figure crouched in the darkness.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Elvis exhaled, his exasperation obvious.

  “We’re being followed. I just wanted to make sure.” Ben answered.

  “By who?” Elvis asked.

  “I’m not sure. I wish I could stay and find out.” Ben said with a tinge of frustration.

  “You’re like a dog on a chain, man. Cool down.” Elvis sent a sidelong glance his way.

  Ben took a deep breath and realized if he was being followed, he was observed going into Rashida’s house. Not good. The same thing that happened to Nazmin could happen to her. This was his worst nightmare, putting those providing him intel into harm’s way. Ben tapped his phone and Rashida’s voice came on. “Get the hell out of there, now. You’ve been made. Someone was following me. I don’t know who the hell it is yet, but I know there are two of them, working in conjunction. I’m concerned about your safety. One of the Humvees will double back and bring you and Timur with us back to Israel.”

  Although pumped with adrenaline to hunt down Nazmin’s killer, Ben knew Moshe was right. His SEAL training taught him the same thing. His anger and rage would only serve to undermine him. The cooler head would always prevail. The Humvees made their way back to Israel. It was time to go home.

  Black Site in Northern Maine

  ~ Lara ~

  Opening her eyes at daybreak in the steel hut to a crackling fire and the smell of bacon frying was not as bad as she had anticipated. Monique and Rusty were already awake, and taking turns using the rustic bathroom. She rolled over and closed her eyes for a moment and Einstein licked her face.

  “Hey, buddy.” Lara spoke softly and rubbed his soft bull-dog fur. She knew he needed to go outside, so she slipped on her coat, her Glock, and boots and walked into the kitchen.

  “Breakfast is almost ready…” Alvin smiled. His lanky body leaned over the gas stove, as he tended to several pans simultaneously.

  “Smells delicious.” Lara smiled back at him. “I’ll take the dog out for a moment.”

  Rusty was right behind her, “Not without me.” He slipped on his coat, Glock and gloves, then unbolted the door. Stepping outside there was no sound, except for the scurrying of a few birds and a squirrel.

  “Where the hell does he get bottled gas around here?” Lara asked.

  “There’s a guy we know…” Rusty smiled. “Don’t worry. He’s a prepper friend of ours. He helped us set this place up. We take care of him, he takes care of us.”

  “I’m worried, Rusty.” Lara gazed into his eyes, searching for a sign of hope.

  “I’m not,” he assured her. “Nobody knows about this place. And, even if someone did try to do anything, we have enough guns and ammo to take out a mid-sized army. We will lay low for a few days here. I’ve been in touch with Captain Redman. I don’t trust him completely. Just want you to know. He has no friggin’ idea where we are.”

  “Yes, he’s part of the bureaucracy, or should I say the politburo?” Lara could see her breath. “Damn, it’s cold. Let’s go back inside.” Einstein was shivering, too.

  The two scurried back to the warmth of the fire. It was time for breakfast and they ate heartily. Lara realized Alvin could have been a chef, if he wasn’t a taxidermist and a black-site overseer. The man had skills. Not only that, he was friendly and intelligent. The chatter at the breakfast table made her feel normal for a moment. Afterwards, Alvin heated several kettles of water on the woodstove and poured it into the copper bathtub. “It’s all yours, Lara.”

  He closed the door as she disrobed and slipped into the hot water submerging herself. She washed her hair and soaped from head to toe. For a few minutes, she allowed herself to relax.

  When she emerged from the bath, Rusty tapped on the door. “It’s Ben. He’s on his way home. Just wanted you to know.”

  Lara’s words caught in her throat, “Oh God, thank you.” She quickly dressed and combed her wet hair. Ben had left word for them to meet him at a rest stop between Boston and Maine. It was an out-of-the-way sort of place. Lara, Rusty, and Monique got Einstein into the Jeep and said goodbye to Alvin.

  “Ben’s got some sort of plan.” Rusty said. “Or he wouldn’t be asking us to meet him.”

  “I have a feeling I know what he’s going to do.” Lara whispered.

  “Yeah, me too.” Rusty exhaled. “I’ll help in any way that I can.”

  ~ Ben ~

  Once landing at Logan Airport, Ben sent a text to Rusty. If he had this figured out correctly, he timed their meeting to coincide perfectly. He rolled his gear to the shuttle bus and was back in his beat-up Nissan heading toward the meet site. All he could think about was protecting Lara and Monique from whomever was following them. Although the police were on the case, he had little faith that they’d follow through and catch the bastards. His plan was better.

  Three hours later, in darkness, he arrived at the rest stop in Maine. It was not a well-known place. A tra
veler would have to get off at Exit 23 and the sign was not readily evident. This particular stop was in a well-wooded area with a circular dirt drive that lead up to an elevated spot. He liked this locale because of the great visibility. As he parked and hopped out of his vehicle, he spied the Jeep carrying the most precious cargo. Perfect timing.

  The moment his eyes took in Lara, he ran to embrace her. She jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Oh Ben…” he felt her whispering in his ear. As she kissed him, he felt Lara’s tears soaking his face and tasted the salt as he kissed her willing mouth. She was saying, “I missed you…”, but he could think of nothing but holding her, kissing her as a frenzied passion swept over him without warning. He needed her as a starving man needed bread. His mind was focused on her, and only her.

  Einstein was pushing on his legs, rubbing against him, wanting to be greeted. But, he couldn’t look down at the dog just yet. He could not release Lara from his arms, and he didn’t want her to see the tears welling in his eyes. He was speechless for a moment and glad that she spoke first.

  “Oh God, Ben, I missed you…” Lara choked on the words as he set her down. Monique and Rusty piled on and group-hugged him. He fell to his knees and roughed up Einstein’s fur, as the dog whined with delight.

  “I missed you, too.” he whispered. He stood in the darkness facing them. “The whole Dark Horse team is staying at Clearwater Farm. We will take turns standing watch. We’re getting intel on the guys following. We’ll kill them. It’s as simple as that. Let’s go. Lara, you come with me and bring Einstein. Rusty, I’ll meet you at the farm. The team is already there. They’ve gone over every inch of the place. There are detectives at the top of the driveway. Just tell them you’re part of the guest list; they’re expecting you.”