Rogue Trilogy: Parts 1 - 3

by Jade Dean

  Even above the intermittent gunfire, Ryan heard Dale curse softly through his earpiece. “Talk to me, Jackson,” he said to his temporary team member.

  “Multiple targets are fleeing the house in all directions. There’s too many to keep track of them all.”

  “Keep your eye out for Tatiana,” Abby advised. “She’ll be with Montoya.” Looking for one blonde woman among a crowd of men should make it easier for him to track their quarry.

  “I see her,” Dale said a few seconds later. “She’s heading with a group of men towards the boathouse.” His tone held grim satisfaction. Seconds later, they heard a distant explosion through their earpieces. Matt’s bomb had just been triggered and anyone that’d had the bad luck to be in the boathouse would now be in pieces.

  “Move in and verify that Montoya is dead,” Ryan said.

  “If there’s anything big enough left to identify him,” Holt smirked. He’d rigged the small speedboat to blow big time.

  “I’ll have to wait for the building to stop burning first, boss.” This time, Jackson’s tone was slightly disapproving. Matt was always over enthusiastic when using his explosives.

  Eventually, the gunmen decided it was too risky to continue to fight the force of three in the depths beneath the mansion and scattered back upstairs.

  Ryan led the way back through the underground passages towards the helipad. He’d prefer to fight on the surface rather than in the tunnels. They were halfway back down the first hallway when Doran spoke.

  “We have a problem,” Josh murmured. His next words were drowned out by fresh gunfire.

  Ryan broke into a run and Abby and Matt were right on his heels as shouldered the heavy metal door open and burst out into the open. Several banditos were firing at Doran, who was using a tree for cover. Four bodies lay unmoving on the ground. Another went down with a bullet to the brain, courtesy of Jackson, wherever he was shooting from.

  Cutting the men down, silence descended again. Cocking his head to the side, Ryan frowned at a faint buzzing sound. “Is that a boat?”

  Josh shrugged his massive shoulders. “We were played. Whoever it was that was blown up in the boathouse was sent there as a diversion. I’m pretty sure Montoya and the crazy Russian woman just got away.”

  “Not if I can help it,” Dale muttered. A shot rang out and he made a sound of satisfaction. “I’ve just tagged their boat with a tracker.” The vessel had still been within his range, but only just.

  “What direction are they heading in?” Ryan asked.

  “North.”

  “Then Rio isn’t their intended destination,” Ryan said softly. The city was to the west. There was nothing to the north except for the vast ocean.

  “This whole op was a trap,” Abby reminded them. “Montoya knew we were coming and he knew we’d disable his boat and helicopter. I’d be willing to bet he’s heading towards a larger boat waiting a short distance away.”

  “We don’t have enough fuel to follow him any great distance,” Doran said.

  Holt had the grace to look guilty as he voiced his thought. “I just blew up any spare fuel that might have been in the boathouse.”

  “We’ll have to use the chopper,” Ryan decided.

  Now it was Josh’s turn to look glum. “We’ll have to fix it first.” He’d disabled it so no one would be able to use it to escape.

  “Let’s get to work,” Ryan ordered.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Five

  Fortunately, Joshua hadn’t caused irreparable damage to the chopper. He set about repairing the wires that he’d pulled loose while the others guarded his back. He hunched his wide shoulders when gunfire came from the direction of the mansion. They were shrouded in shadows and the banditos were too far away to hit them with any accuracy. Jackson picked them off one by one from his spot on the mansion roof. It was the only vantage point that gave him a view of the entire island.

  Their hunt became more complicated when Dale spoke a few minutes later. “We have a problem, boss.”

  Tense and ready to shoot at any more of the outlaws that were stupid enough to take potshots at them, Ryan blew out a sigh. “I take it the Coast Guard is on their way?”

  Looking through his binoculars at the approaching boats, Jackson made a sound of affirmation. “I see three boats heading towards us. They’ll be here in less than ten minutes.”

  “How much longer will it take you to get the chopper running?” Ryan asked Josh.

  “I’m almost done,” the hulking agent replied.

  “Jackson, meet up with us pronto,” Ryan ordered. “We’d better get off this island before we’re spotted.”

  Abby was the first to climb inside the helicopter. It was barely big enough to fit all of them inside. Leaving the job of defending the helicopter up to the guys, she opened up the laptop to check on their quarry. This entailed latching onto the signal that was being sent from the tracker to Jackson’s monitor.

  It took only a few moments for her to hijack the signal. Her much stronger computer had a far greater range to keep track of Montoya’s boat. It was moving at a faster pace now, which meant he’d reached his larger and quicker transportation. The red dot on her screen was moving northward rather than to the west towards the coast. Luckily, she’d brought her hard drive with all of the information that she’d illegally gathered on him along. Their first priority would be to escape before the authorities arrived. They could then decide how to proceed.

  Josh fired up the chopper and had it up and running by the time Jackson reached them. He climbed in next to Abby and was quickly followed by Holt and then Ryan. Ryan continued to defend their transportation from the open doorway as the helicopter lifted off.

  Moving away from the island, Josh circled around and headed towards the coast. The chopper was only carrying a small amount of fuel and it wouldn’t be enough to chase after their target. “Abby,” he said over his shoulder, “can you find me somewhere safe to land?” He’d noticed the computer sitting on her lap and hoped she’d be able to find him somewhere suitable to set the craft down.

  “I’m on it,” she said and brought up a map of Rio. There were several helipads to choose from, but it would be a very bad idea to land on any of them. She searched for an open location and found one that would hopefully be suitable. She called out directions and the chopper veered to the northwest.

  Josh stayed up high enough to avoid any obstacles as he followed Abby’s directions. Passing over a beach far below, they were soon zooming over the bright lights of the city. He had to trust that Abby knew where they were going. It was difficult to pick out specific buildings from amongst the crowded structures.

  “There should be an abandoned shopping center just to the north,” Abby told Doran.

  Peering downwards, Josh saw a dark spot amid the brightness. “I see it.” Remaining high just in case there were unseen wires surrounding the property, he aimed for the middle of the empty parking lot and descended.

  Ryan opened the door the instant the chopper touched down. Holt was right behind him as he leaped out with his rifle raised. No police officers or curious citizens came to investigate as Josh powered down the helicopter.

  They stayed in a tight group and suck to the shadows as they ran for the perimeter of the property. The shopping center had only been three quarters completed before it had been abandoned. Empty windows watched them as they crossed the parking lot to the fence.

  Doran did the honors and lifted the bottom of the chain link fence up high enough for them to duck beneath it. Jackson held it up for him then they were free and took off at a quick jog. The chopper would undoubtedly have been tracked by the authorities and the cops would soon be swarming over the area.

  Ryan cast a look back over his shoulder as he heard the distinctive sound of police sirens in the distance. He veered into an alley and the others followed. After a short search, he found a rusty old truck with an open bed in the back. He hoped it would be in good enough condition to carry
them away before they were surrounded.

  The engine didn’t want to catch, but it finally started with a whine of complaint. It belched smoke as the three SOB agents piled into the back. Abby slid onto the front seat beside Ryan. They shared a smile of recollection as they thought back to the day they’d first met. They’d travelled to a remote compound several hours away from Rio in a truck that hadn’t been much better than this one.

  Sticking to the back streets, they evaded the notice of the police cruisers that converged on the abandoned chopper. Abby opened the laptop again and saw the red dot still in motion. It was closer to the coast now, but it was still heading northward.

  Ryan knew Rio well and stayed away from the areas where Montoya’s employees operated. That didn’t leave very many places for them to hide. They had to be under cover somewhere before the sun rose or they’d be spotted quickly.

  Leaving the poorer area behind, he drove towards the more affluent suburbs. Parking behind a convenience store, he motioned for the others to follow him and jogged down the dark street. They avoided the streetlights whenever they could and hid their weapons in their bags. It was strange enough having five people dressed in black running through the neighborhood without them being obviously armed as well.

  Stopping at an eight foot high sandstone fence, Ryan signaled for Doran to give him a boost. Josh complied, lifting his team leader up high enough for him to peer into the grounds beyond. Ryan whistled and waited for guard dogs to appear. None did, so he climbed up to straddle the top of the fence. Glad there was no razor wire or broken glass embedded on the top, he motioned for Abby to join him.

  Settling her bag over her shoulder, Abby stepped into Doran’s intertwined fingers and he lifted her as easily as if she weighed nothing. She waved Ryan’s helping hand away and pulled herself up, swung her legs over and gracefully dropped into the garden bed below. Her silenced pistol was in her hand moments after her feet touched the dirt. She moved a few feet away and crouched down to keep guard while the others scaled the wall.

  Being the heaviest, Doran needed both Holt and Jackson’s help to lift him high enough to slip over the wall. All could have climbed over without assistance, but it was much quicker and quieter to help each other out.

  Holt went next and straddled the wall beside Ryan. Both men reached down and grabbed Jackson’s hand when he reached up. They pulled him up then all three dropped into to the garden.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Six

  Ryan followed the wall to the right, staying deep in the shadows. The others fell in behind him, alert for anyone watching through the dark windows. He was pretty sure that the three-story Mediterranean style building was empty, but he couldn’t be sure until they were inside.

  During the twelve months that he’d posed as an outlaw in one of Montoya’s criminal gangs, Ryan had cased a lot of properties with the intention of breaking in and stealing their contents. Being a bandito leader wasn’t one of the highlights of his life, but it had served its purpose of getting him close to his target. He’d ultimately failed to kill Diego, but his earlier streak of law breaking was hopefully going to come in handy now.

  This house was one of the properties that he’d investigated. Some digging had revealed that the owners travelled at certain times of the year. Now was one of those times and the house shouldn’t currently be occupied.

  Guard dogs hadn’t been present the last time he’d taken a look at the grounds and he was glad to see that the owners still hadn’t taken that precaution. That might change when they returned from their travels and discovered that their house had been invaded by several people.

  Using hand signals, Ryan directed Jackson and Doran to circle the property. It began to rain as they walked away. Holt knew what his job would be and he crossed the slightly too long grass to the box attached to the wall. It only took him a few moments to disable the alarm system. He was fairly confident that there wouldn’t be a backup system, but winced in anticipation of a shrill alarm going off when he smashed a pane of glass in the closest window.

  He threw a relieved grin over his shoulder when the house remained quiet. Ryan gestured for him to enter and Matt reached inside to unlock the window. Opening the window just wide enough for him to enter, he avoided stepping on the glass as he crossed the carpeted floor. He was in a small library and tall shelves filled with dusty old books lined three of the walls. He stopped at the doorway to wait for Ryan and Abby to slip inside.

  Using more hand signals, Ryan directed Holt to check the ground floor and for Abby to accompany him upstairs. All three left the library and stepped into a hallway. They donned their night vision goggles rather than using their flashlights. One stray beam spotted by a nosy neighbor through a window could easily give them away.

  Thick cream carpet muffled their steps as they split up. Ryan spied a staircase at the end of the hall to the left and trotted towards it. Matt turned right and disappeared into the gloom.

  Abby followed a couple of steps behind Ryan as he climbed upwards. He stopped at the second floor and gestured for her to search the rooms. She nodded and he continued climbing.

  He found the bedrooms on the third floor. A quick search determined that none were occupied, so he headed back downstairs. Abby and Matt were waiting for him on the second level.

  “The second floor is clear,” Abby reported in a whisper.

  “The ground floor is, too,” Matt said.

  “So is the third level,” Ryan told them. “Let Dale and Josh in,” he said to Matt.

  Nodding, Holt descended the stairs and headed towards the back door where his teammates would most likely be waiting by now.

  Ryan and Abby also descended to the ground floor. Their goggles lit up the dark house well enough to locate a sitting room. It was in the middle of the house and didn’t have any windows to give them away. They removed their goggles and Ryan flicked the light on.

  While Abby wasn’t much of a home decorator, she could appreciate the effort that had gone into this place. The cream carpet matched the wallpaper precisely. The color scheme would have been monotonous if the walls hadn’t had an occasional gold stripe running from the floor to the ceiling. A small crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the room and cast soft light on the delicate couch and matching chairs. They sat around an antique coffee table made from a honey colored wood that matched the armrests of the chairs. Gold flecked cream fabric covered the seats that looked almost too flimsy to hold their weight.

  Josh entered the room and glanced at the chairs dubiously. Ryan gestured for them to sit once the other two men appeared. Dale closed the door as Abby sat her laptop on the table and checked on the status of their target.

  The red dot had stopped moving and she zoomed in on the map to see where the boat had docked. Her map showed her an empty beach and dense jungle surrounding a small bay. The beach was at the base of the mountains and would be almost inaccessible by car.

  “Montoya must have a compound somewhere in the mountains,” Ryan said as he leaned over to view the screen. His thigh brushed against Abby’s and he was acutely aware of her every move.

  Refusing to allow herself to be distracted by Ryan’s close proximity, Abby leaned down to search her waterproof bag. She pulled out the hard drive that she’d downloaded all of the information she’d gleaned about Montoya and plugged it in. One of the files contained all of the properties that their quarry either owned or was connected to.

  “Is anyone hungry?” Josh asked.

  Holt was quick to reply. “I could eat.” Apart from their dark hair, they didn’t look much alike. Matt was much smaller in muscle mass and had pretty blue eyes and a mischievous face. Doran was almost too rugged to be handsome, but his personality was solid and dependable, which was an attractive quality. His hazel eyes tended towards green. Dale had boyish good looks with eyes so dark they were very nearly black.

  “I’d kill for a cup of coffee,” Abby muttered and the room went still. She glanced up to all t
hree agents studying her warily.

  Ryan’s chuckle diffused the tension. “She didn’t mean that literally.”

  Jackson smiled and shook his head. “Sorry. We’re still getting used to working with a Black Squad member.”

  “This is strange for me, too,” Abby reminded them.

  “Yeah, but you don’t have to worry that we’ll kill you in your sleep,” Matt said with a grin.

  Abby paused in her search and rolled her eyes. “I don’t have any plans to kill any of you. Not unless you turn against Ryan or me.”

  “We’re not in the business of turning against our own,” Dale said quietly. He noted the brief flare of pain in Abby’s eyes before she turned back to the laptop.

  “Then you have nothing to worry about,” Abby said.

  Ryan nodded for the three men to leave and put his hand on Abby’s shoulder. Her muscles were tense, but she relaxed slightly when he rubbed his hand up and down her back. It couldn’t have been pleasant being reminded of having her own team turn against her and what she’d had to do to survive.

  “I’m ok,” she said softly, picking up on his concern.

  “They trust you,” he said just as quietly. “Matt was just joking.”

  Giving him a crooked smile, she shrugged. “I know. He’s very different from the type of people I usually work with.”

  “What were they like?” He didn’t like to bring up her past, knowing that it caused her pain, but he was curious enough to ask.

  “They were very task oriented and had zero tolerance for distractions. I don’t think any of them had a sense of humor.” It hadn’t been a requirement of their job to have the capacity to laugh.