Pain tore through Gary’s knee but he didn’t have time for weakness. If The Lord got his hands on that gun it would all be over.
As the criminal reached for the weapon, Gary twisted around on the floor, throwing his chest down on The Lord’s back and head, ignoring the burn from the bullet graze, grabbing the arm that had reached for the gun, trying to hold it out straight so it couldn’t be aimed back at him.
The Lord grunted out, “I should have killed you while I had the chance.”
“That error is going to cost you,” growled Gary as his fingers squeezed the Lord’s hand. The Lord managed to push him off, elbowing him in the face.
A smarting throb tore across Gary’s face, his nose taking the brunt of it, broken for sure. Warm liquid trickled from both nostrils down into his open mouth, taking in air from the struggle. His head was pounding from the blow but it didn’t matter. If he stopped he’d die. One arm was pinned underneath him, his only option was to use his right leg as a weapon. As he saw The Lord turn on his side to take aim again, Gary kicked as hard as he could into the man’s groin.
The Lord howled, still grasping the gun, but faltering momentarily.
“I’m going to enjoy watching you take your last breath,” The Lord bit out as he screamed in pain while re-positioning the gun. It wasn’t even a second and his finger had pulled the trigger.
All Gary felt was instant, excruciating fire in his chest as he doubled in on himself. He fought losing consciousness as he grit his teeth, sucking in his breath.
Thankfully the bullet-proof vest he was wearing would stop the shot from being fatal but it still hurt like a bitch. He clutched at his chest, rolling onto his back.
The Lord had dropped his gun, and was groaning on the floor, his hand moving to the wound on his neck, obviously thinking that his shot would prove fatal to Gary.
Catching his breath for a few seconds, Gary drew his last ounce of energy from the tank, grabbing the gun, which had practically been dropped at his feet, and although in great pain from his own wounds, he pushed himself up, the agony from his shattered knee nothing compared to the intense torture in his chest. Pointing the gun between the eyes of the man he’d been wanting to bring down for years, he spat, “Say your prayers, you slimy insect!”
“Fuck you!” said The Lord, whose arrogant eyes were now lit with a sliver of fear. “Kill me if you have to but there are others to take my place. It’s not over.”
“None of your men are walking out of here alive. I don’t give a fuck who’s next in line on your throne, you piece of dog shit, I’ll keep fighting as long as I have a breath in me. Taking out you and your clones will throw your family into turmoil, but not for a while. They have to find you first.” Gary was just about to fire but thought of something else, “Oh, and another thing. You didn’t deserve the privilege of having a son. Being a father is a gift, not a burden. This is for Jake and his mother!” With that, Gary pulled the trigger, lodging a bullet deeply into The Lord’s skull, leaving a neat hole, dead center. The man went limp, eyes vacant.
Gary pocketed the gun, leaving the lifeless lump on the floor, moving to the bed where Jake was. His body lay still. Gary pressed a finger to the carotid pulse and felt the blood pumping through Jake’s veins so quickly he was sure he had tachycardia. He needed to get him out to the chopper immediately.
Hopping to the door of the cell, he opened it as wide as it would go, trying not to put much weight on the leg with the broken patella before turning and grabbing Jake’s bed, making sure he was totally disconnected from everything, including the heart monitor, and then pushing him out into the hallway. The sound of the metal door clanging shut was music to his ears, knowing that the rescue mission was almost complete. Now all they had to do was tie up the loose ends and get home.
He used the bed to help take some of the weight with his arms as he tore down towards the entrance, wincing every time his foot touched the ground, a loud, rattled wheeze sounding into the quiet from his chest wound.
The Gladiator was still holed up with two gunmen so there was no way he was leaving with Jake on the helicopter. He had to finish this.
The gurney was hard to maneuver through the prison as he turned into the large empty room with the checked tiles, almost running to the door that would lead outside. The medics would be wondering where the hell he was. He hoped they’d obeyed his orders to stay locked inside the chopper.
He still had a long way to go and was sweating all over from the exertion and injuries, trying to breathe through the lava pit inside him.
It was great to be outside in the breezy night, smelling fresh air laced with sea salt.
The stony ground made for a bumpy ride but that was the least of his problems. He wouldn’t settle until Jake was safely in the chopper and airborne.
Once he was clear of the building and heading for the helicopter, the door opened and one of the medics climbed out, seeing the gurney being rushed towards him. He ran towards Gary to assist.
“He’s in a bad way. I need to stay behind and finish what I’ve started so I need you to get this man back to La Spezia hospital pronto.”
“Yes, sir. Are you okay?”
“As okay as can be expected from being shot at.”
“You need medical attention, sir.” The medic was looking at Gary’s swollen knee, busted face, and the hole that had ripped through his shirt with the bullet lodged in the vest underneath.
The woman on board alighted then, bringing with her a bandage. “Here, sir. Let me wrap that knee for you. It will help immobilize it.”
Gary really didn’t have the time to be strapped up but nodded at the woman as she bent to her knees and started wrapping the bandage. A small splint had been placed flush against his skin at the side. It only took a minute as she secured it with a small, metal-toothed clasp.
Her eyes moved up to his chest and then face. “Sir?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, just get Jake out of here.”
Both medics grabbed an end of the bed each and proceeded to lift it into the chopper, the legs collapsing as they pushed it inside. Gary hovered, not ready to leave until he knew Jake was safe.
All military medics on Gary’s team were trained to fly helicopters in case of emergencies like this so he knew Jake was in good hands.
They were already quickly working to stabilize Jake, injecting drugs to help bring his heart rate down. It seemed to take forever, so while he was waiting, Gary make a quick phone call to Rob.
“Gary, how’s the search going?” Rob’s voice was sleepy and raspy.
“We’ve located our target and have him on board, ready to depart. ETA around forty minutes. Head honcho is taken out but I need to go and finish this. Our soldier is being held at gunpoint by two men. There’s another chopper sitting in the center of the prison, so if we need to, we’ll ambush it and meet you at the hospital when this is all over.”
“Fuck, Gary! Why didn’t you call for backup? I would have been only too happy to help.”
“I know, Rob, but to be honest with you, I’m glad you’re not a part of it. Kate needs you now. This is starting to get messy. She was right on target with her information.”
“How’s Jake?”
Gary let out a strained breath. “The guy’s been through the ringer. You need to get back to the hospital for when he arrives.”
“You have my word. I’ll be there. Just make it out of there in one piece, okay? Gary?”
“Yeah?”
“How are you? You don’t sound so good.”
“I’ve been better but I’ll live. Let’s just say I’m glad I had my vest on.”
“You took a bullet?”
“It’s not the first time, Rob, and it probably won’t be the last. Now I need to get moving so I can get the fuck off this island.”
“Go! Talk soon.”
With that he hung up and watched as the male medic closed the door to the chopper and ran to the driver’s side, igniting the rotor and gi
ving Gary a wave as they rose into the darkness.
Gary nearly dropped to the ground with relief. That was one problem fixed. Now to face the next one. He tried weight on his strapped leg and found it slightly better but not enough to put full pressure on it, so as he hobbled back into the jail, unable to bend at the knee, he reached to his chest, lifting his shirt and dislodging the bullet that still penetrated the life-saving fabric. As for his nose, well that was minor in comparison.
***
The Gladiator wondered why Gary was taking so fucking long. He needed some action and he needed it now. What sort of negotiation was taking place? The longer his boss took, the more nervous he became.
His leg was moving in a fast tempo against the sofa up and down, pumped with adrenalin.
His captors had tried to pry information out of him but he’d remained silent. When they’d hurled obscenities at him he’d nearly given himself lockjaw as his teeth ground harshly together with the need to kill. He was surprised at his own restraint but then he had been trained by the best. And while his mission was to seek and destroy, he knew when someone had the upper hand and patience was required.
In order to stop his leg from twitching he brought both feet up onto the coffee table in front, crossing one foot over the other in a gesture that screamed, “I’m not scared of you morons. I might as well make myself comfortable while I’m here.” He then brought both hands up behind his head and slouched into the sofa, placing an arrogant smirk on his face as he leveled his opponents with his icy stare.
Stavros was just about to say something and move forward when the sound of a helicopter taking off caught everyone’s attention.
The Gladiator acted on instinct, and when the two men turned towards the door, the soldier pounced in a flash towards Adriano, reefing his gun out of his hands and head-butting the side of his skull, then pulling the gun onto Stavros and firing two quick shots into his face. He dropped to the ground already dead and Adriano fell, unconscious beside him. Speed and precision was what The Gladiator was all about. He only needed one shot but had popped an extra one into Stavros’ head because he disliked that prick more than Adriano. Moving to reclaim the rifle he’d had to surrender earlier, he kicked Adriano onto his back and fired a shot into Adriano’s throat. He wouldn’t be waking up from his sleep any time soon, that was a given.
Carlos sniveled, “Please, don’t hurt me. I’ll do anything you want.”
The Gladiator turned and looked at him, knowing already that the man was no threat to him. “Get up!”
Now that two of his opponents were corpses on the floor at his feet, The Gladiator turned his attention to the helicopter he heard depart. Knowing that there had been two parked on the premises he wasn’t sure which one had gone. Considering The Lord hadn’t returned, he couldn’t help but wonder if Gary had taken to the skies involuntarily.
They needed to get moving.
The Gladiator cracked his neck and eyeballed Carlos. “Move, you pussy! I don’t have all day!” he bellowed in his most threatening voice.
When they arrived at Jake’s cell, The Gladiator stopped. He was elated to find the carcass of the third criminal with a hole in his head, staring lifelessly at the ceiling. Gary had done good. All the enemies were down, except one. The question was, where was Gary?
“Follow me!” The Gladiator grunted.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re getting the fuck out of here. First though, I need to find my boss. Make sure he’s okay.”
“What about my bag with all my stuff in it?”
“Leave it!”
As they rounded the bend a shuffling noise sounded in the distance. It was now 4:45 a.m. and the prison was starting to lighten only marginally inside but it was enough to make out a shape approaching.
The Gladiator barked out, “Stop or I’ll shoot. Put your hands up!” He’d stuffed a handgun into his pocket in the apartment so he now had two guns raised, one at Carlos and one at the person moving towards them.
“It’s Gary. Put your weapon down!”
The soldier had learned never to take chances. He couldn’t make out any features on Gary yet so he still had to assume he was an enemy. “Don’t move!”
Gary complied, dutifully following protocol.
As they neared, it became evident that it was indeed Gary, so The Gladiator lowered one weapon and walked towards his boss, who had his knee wrapped, a blood soaked shirt from his earlier bullet wound to the shoulder, a hole in his shirt at the chest, and a crushed nose.
“Sir! Are you able to get outside?”
“Yeah, yeah! As long as I’m still breathing I’m okay. What’s been happening? How did you get out?”
“Sir, all targets are down and accounted for except for this one.”
“Why is he still breathing?” Gary eyed the Carlos with some disdain.
“A little present for Rob, sir.”
Gary’s mouth upturned at the corners in an almost smile as he locked eyes with The Gladiator and nodded.
“Good work, soldier.” Gary patted The Gladiator on the back and the soldier softened slightly at the gesture, not used to compliments but happy to hear them when they were given. “Now, let’s get this shit out of here.” He looked at Carlos again as he said it before turning to leave.
“Sir?”
Gary stopped and turned. “Yes?”
“Did the patient get out okay?”
Gary looked at his watch. “He’s en route to La Spezia hospital as we speak. E.T. A around twenty minutes.”
Another mission almost wrapped up. The Gladiator nodded and then motioned for Carlos to walk in front so they could keep a close eye on him.
“Are we hijacking the other chopper, sir?”
“Yes, that’s the plan. If the pilot won’t take us willingly, we’ll have to use force. Either way we’re getting out of this dump.”
They made their way through the prison and exited into the courtyard where The Lord’s mode of transport sat, patiently waiting for him to return. Well, that wasn’t happening now.
The chopper sat in darkness and the pilot made no attempt to exit at the three men’s approach. He was slightly outnumbered.
“I’ll let you handle this,” Gary urged The Gladiator, motioning to the chopper pilot.
Upon opening the passenger side door of the chopper, taking one look at the dark hulk of a man with a rifle over his shoulder, the pilot’s eyes widened.
“We need you to take us to La Spezia,” thundered The Gladiator.
“I’m sorry, but I only take orders from The Lord.”
The Gladiator had been expecting that to be the pilot’s response so he raised his rifle to the shocked man’s head and said, “Okay, let me rephrase that. You are going to take us to the Alma Mater hospital in La Spezia or I’m going to put a bullet between your eyes.”
“Where’s The Lord?” questioned the pilot, looking alarmed.
“He’s taking a nap and won’t be joining us. Now turn this fucking machine on or I will shoot you and drive it myself!”
The pilot obeyed, obviously not happy but without a choice.
The Gladiator helped Gary into the back seat, noticing how ill the man looked. He was sweating profusely and grimacing in pain. He knew that feeling all too well so he could sympathize. “Sir, hang in there, okay? Help isn’t far away. Is there anything that you need?”
Gary shook his head defiantly, sucking in his breath at the pain.
The Gladiator motioned to Carlos with his rifle to get in and sit. “Keep your ugly trap shut or I’ll shut it permanently. You got me?”
Carlos jumped into the helicopter without a word.
They all strapped in, The Gladiator sitting up front with the butt of the rifle pointed at the pilot.
It was going to be a long, quiet trip.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Rob had briefly woken Jenny to inform her that he was needed at the hospital for when Jake arrived. She had wanted to accompany him but
Rob had flatly refused, asking her to get some more rest before meeting him there later when visiting hours started. He’d had to explain everything to her, including his brother John’s true fate. In usual Jenny fashion she’d stayed amazingly strong and held it together. God, he admired her.
As he now sat in the Emergency Department watching the comings and goings of people, he couldn’t help but fidget. Damn Gary for taking on The Organization without him. He had a personal interest in it and hadn’t spent a better part of the last five years trying to bust this mob only to sit on the sidelines while his friend and comrade broke it wide open and took out the key players. He was a hands on officer of the law and loved being in the thick of it. Sitting on the sidelines was not something he enjoyed. Waiting and wondering.
His phone buzzed on silent, and knowing he was meant to have it switched off, he walked out towards the front of the hospital to take the call.
Just the very man he was waiting to talk to. “Gary! What the fuck happened?”
“Settle down, Rob. Everything is fine.”
Rob could hear it in Gary’s voice that he was far from fine. His friend sounded different. Tired? Hurt?
“Don’t bullshit me, Gary. Where are you?”
“I’m on board The Lord’s chopper with The Gladiator. We got out of it pretty darn well, considering.”
“What do you mean, considering?”
“Let’s just say The Lord and his goons will be in prison for a very long time.”
Rob was relieved and knew his friend was downplaying his own injuries but was glad to hear that both men had escaped with their lives.
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