“Dima will try, but he cannot control Lucian. The man is a psychopath.”
“Great.” Christie wondered what the psychopath had done to Steel. “What about the woman, Prizrak? Do you trust her?”
Angel tilted his head. “I am not sure yet. Val trusts her.”
Christie felt like she was in the middle of a mess instead of an orderly Op. But she had never coordinated something this complex before, and Angel was the only one among them that had the experience they needed. In that regard, they were at his mercy. “Be honest, Angel. Do we have a chance?”
“Lucian is like me in one way—he is full of surprises. We will see whose surprises are better.”
Clay came over coms; “One van drove past. It stopped at the first crossroads and four men got out. Machine guns. Targeting them now.”
“What are you listening to?” Christie regarded Angel. He had his head cocked slightly toward his open window.
“I’m listening to the birds roosting in the forest. It is like an orchestra of odd instruments, but I enjoy it.”
Angel’s words reminded Christie of Steel and Rachel, but that comparison annoyed her. “What do you think Lucian has planned with the four men at the crossroads?”
Angel glanced in the rear-view mirror. “Most likely he is planning to ambush us before we reach the compound. Once he knows our plan, he will use his men to ambush us if we escape the compound. Clay, be ready for drones watching the road.”
“Crap. Roger that.” Clay paused. “The men have moved to positions inside the marsh to hide.”
Christie felt choked up, thinking about the risk her brother was taking. “Clay, if things fall apart at the exchange, get out. You have a wife and two kids.”
“No need to be a martyr, Clay,” added Angel.
Christie again found herself annoyed over Angel’s supposed empathy. She had a difficult time believing it was true.
Clay grunted. “Think positive, you guys.”
In twenty minutes a van approached them from behind, parking twenty feet away. It dimmed its headlights. A passenger got out and walked to the driver’s side passenger door of the Chevy.
Angel watched him in the rear-view mirror. “He’s unarmed.”
Lucian’s inspector wore boxer shorts and sandals. He hesitated at the door. The half-moon gave enough visibility for Christie to see that Angel was right—he wasn’t armed.
The window was open, and Christie said curtly, “Get in.”
Lucian’s inspector obeyed.
Christie sized him up; slender, thinning brown hair, fifty-five, a hundred-fifty-pounds. He seemed confident. She didn’t see an earpiece or throat mike.
Angel turned on the interior dome light.
The inspector held a small leather bag in one hand, a laptop in the other. He handed both to Christie. She unzipped the bag and found a small zoom microscope and cell phone—the phone was turned off. Nothing else of interest. She handed the bag back to him. The laptop also had no surprises that she could see.
The inspector positioned the laptop on his thighs so she could see the screen. “The flash drive first,” he said crisply.
Christie dug it out of her jean pocket and handed it to him. He plugged it into the laptop, and a prompt came up for a password. He typed it in very fast—Christie counted twenty key strikes—and the flash drive opened. A file appeared, asking for another password.
The inspector dialed a number and put the phone on speaker. “We’re ready,” he said.
“Take photos of the screen and the code imprinted on the flash drive and text both to me,” said Dima.
Christie recognized Dima’s voice.
The inspector did as requested, and Dima said, “It’s legit.”
The man took out the flash drive and handed it to Christie. “The money.”
“Hang on.” Christie handed the flash drive to Angel.
Angel flashed his headlights on and off twice and rolled down his window.
Lights flashed on ahead of them. The Mini Cooper approached from the west, headlights on, and stopped beside them. Christie caught a glimpse of Prizrak, wearing a fedora, before Angel handed her the flash drive.
Prizrak drove off into the darkness, past Lucian’s van.
Christie hoped the woman was on their side. Angel said Prizrak had left Val at Angel’s safe house, and she was going to drop the flash drive in a waterproof bag with a small homing device a mile away. Angel had given Prizrak the location of Lucian’s compound, so she didn’t need to follow them.
Angel spoke casually. “Dima, the flash drive will be brought in by a second car of ours with just a driver, once we verify the hostages are safe, and we feel safe. Your inspector can verify that we handed the flash drive off to someone else just now.”
Lucian’s inspector cleared his throat. “Yes, they handed the flash drive to a woman who drove away in a Mini Cooper.”
Dima spoke harshly; “If you play games, you will regret it.”
“Of course,” Angel said calmly. “That goes both ways.”
Christie turned the briefcase on the seat so it opened with the cover against the back seat. Angel watched through the rear-view mirror.
Lucian’s inspector shut off the phone. Closing the laptop, he set the zoom microscope on it. Next he pulled five stacks of money from the briefcase and removed the top bills off each. Setting them on the laptop, he turned on the LED of the zoom microscope and inspected each bill. Finished, he picked out three stacks and took the bottom bills. Satisfied, he plucked out the center stack from the briefcase and inspected three random bills.
“Satisfied?” Christie asked sharply.
“Almost.” He picked another stack of bills from the briefcase and pulled random bills out of it. Placing them on the laptop, he bent over to examine one beneath the microscope.
Christie swore under her breath. The man was going to find out the money wasn’t all good. She gripped her SIG and pressed the silencer into the inspector’s ribs. “You’re going to tell Dima the money’s good or you die now. And if you give any signal, or we walk into a trap, you’re dying first, because you’re staying in the car with us.”
The inspector lifted his head from his microscope, his voice calm. “I can do that.”
“Dial Dima,” said Christie.
The man did, and Dima asked, “Is the money legit?”
“It’s legit,” said the inspector.
“Bring them in,” said Dima. “And stay in their car to make sure they make no switches.”
Lucian’s inspector didn’t speak, but he glanced at Christie.
Christie took the phone from the inspector’s hand. “We agree. Now we want to hear from Steel.”
“Of course.”
Christie held her breath, her heart beating hard, her fingers tight on the SIG.
Dima said, “Speak, he can hear you.”
Christie spoke forcefully. “Remember your motto, Steel. Stay calm. Trust me. Angels are watching over us.” She waited, listening.
Steel replied, sounding tired. “Therese, Matt, and I are okay. Call in the CIA, Christie.”
Dima immediately returned to the phone. “Obviously Steel is worried for you. But I believe you’ve already made the choice to come without reinforcements, haven’t you?”
Christie’s voice hardened. “We’re ready, Dima. Call your van driver to guide us in.” She pocketed the phone.
Angel twisted in the front seat and pointed his Glock at Lucian’s inspector. “Look out the window.”
The man complied.
Closing the briefcase, Christie set it on the floor. Using her right heel, she quietly shoved the briefcase beneath the rear seat. Bending over, she pulled an identical briefcase from beneath the front seat and placed it on the seat between her and the inspector. She shoved her gun back into the ribs of the man, and Angel faced forward again.
Lucian’s inspector fidgeted. “Can I turn around now?”
“Yes,” she said curtly.
Th
e van behind them made a U-turn and slowly drove away, waiting for them to follow before it accelerated.
Lucian’s inspector turned to Christie. “Are you going to kill me? Because that will be a mistake you will regret. You don’t stand a chance against Lucian. A woman and an old man,” he scoffed.
Christie didn’t respond.
“How long have you worked for Lucian?” asked Angel.
“A decade,” answered the man.
“So he trusts you.” Angel observed him in the rear-view mirror. “Think of a loved one in your life. It will calm you.”
Christie ignored Angel’s bizarre comment, but she added, “Whether you live or die is up to you.” But like Angel, she knew the man was likely good as dead.
STEEL WATCHED DIMA walk away from the prison cell, up the stairs and out of sight. He tried to wake up his body, which still felt sluggish. Maybe he needed more antivenin.
He walked back in the cell and sat against the rear wall.
“You told them not to come.” Therese’s eyes showed confusion.
“I can’t blame you, Steel.” Matt nodded. “I don’t want anyone to die for me either.”
Steel shook his head, his voice quiet. “They’re coming. I told Christie to call the CIA to warn her that Lucian can’t be trusted. And Christie only gave me part of my motto; Stay calm. The rest of my motto is, assess options, look for a solution. Then she told me angels are watching over us.”
“I don’t understand.” Therese searched his eyes.
Steel gave a grim smile. “My team is going to bring them hell. When the shooting begins, drop to the ground and do whatever I tell you. Okay?”
Matt lifted a fist. “Yes!”
“I will, Jack.” Therese gripped his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I trust you. I’ll do whatever you say.”
It would crush him to fail her. She was fragile. Just a normal young college woman in a very bad situation. He wondered what solution Christie had planned. It gave him more confidence that Angel was helping—the man was a virtuoso. He also wondered who the other angel was, since Christie had used the plural, angels. Her words gave him a spark of hope. He was ready.
He had thought of many options, but he couldn’t see an easy victory for his side. Also, if Lucian or Dima escaped, he and his team might have to face them again. And maybe next time the two men would just attack their family members.
Thus he really didn’t want to escape. He wanted to kill everyone here.
CHAPTER 38
After informing everyone of Lucian’s four men at the intersection, Clay watched and waited. Lucian’s men had each taken one corner of the uncontrolled, four-way intersection, all out of sight, hiding in the weeds. But with the night vision he could see them. It smelled like an obvious ambush to him. He agreed with Angel. Lucian wouldn’t have his men ambush Angel and Christie on the way in, because the flash drive was the prize, and Prizrak had that. But it looked like Lucian still planned to hit them on the way out.
Dressed in all black, he rested on his belly below the shoulder of the road, a hundred yards east of the intersection. The night chatter of frogs, crickets, and birds was like a symphony. He enjoyed it. One bonus; the background noise would disguise the rifle shots of his AR-10 Recon Tactical rifle, which also had a suppressor and night scope. He was using subsonic rounds, so it was unlikely anyone in the compound would hear it over the marsh racket.
He felt comfortable with his role in the plan. But whether they were going to succeed was another matter. Everyone was expecting a lot out of him, and he felt pressure to deliver. Otherwise Steel’s team would be slaughtered. At least he didn’t have Zeus’ job—which sounded even worse.
It had jarred him when Christie had told him to get out if things fell apart. He didn’t know what would be more painful, running from a sister facing death, or leaving his twin boys and wife without a father and husband. He had already called his wife, Meera. She supported his effort to help Christie and Steel, and had sent her love. He wanted to make sure he returned to her.
He had the rifle balanced on his elbows, his cheek on the stock. His long-sleeved pullover had elbow pads, which made it comfortable. Basically he was lying in muck, which brought back memories of past Army and Marine exercises.
It also made him edgy to not know where drones might be lurking above the road.
Something moved near his rifle. He jerked his head up. A snake was crawling beneath his gun barrel. A big, fat, long snake. That set his teeth on edge. He didn’t mind snakes at home, rattlers or otherwise, but having them crawl around him in the dark while he lay on the ground was a different matter.
Abruptly he decided his setup was too risky. What if a snake bit him while he was lying there? He also justified a move by deciding he needed a better angle. Quickly he crawled up the shoulder, and then across the road to the back of Angel’s black van. The van had oversized mud tires, to keep the chassis high off the ground in case he needed to flee off-road. He hoped things didn’t come to that. He stood up and quietly opened one of the van’s back doors.
Standing on the back end of the van, he climbed atop it and squirmed forward until he was near the front. Propping the rifle up with his elbows, he sighted on each of the four corners of the intersection. Much better. All four men were easier to see.
A trick Steel had showed him was to practice by aiming at his targets a number of times, moving quickly from one to the other, so he could see how far he had to move, and the angle he needed. He did that a number of times, moving his gun barrel clockwise from the southeast corner to the northeast corner until it was a smooth effort. Feeling confident, he waited.
He heard Christie and Clay talking to Dima, and he heard Steel saying they should call the CIA. Steel was warning them.
In ten minutes Lucian’s van returned, driving south through the intersection, followed by Angel’s Chevy SS. Clay immediately sighted on the first man at the southeast corner. It would be an easy shot. The man wasn’t moving. He again moved the rifle to the second, third, and fourth targets. Then back to the first. He felt ready. The timing of Angel’s plan would decide everything, with very little wiggle room. He waited for the signal.
STEEL WOKE UP WITH Therese gently shaking his shoulder. He had needed the sleep and felt better.
“It’s ten minutes to midnight.” Therese stood beside him, sounding on the edge of panic.
Matt was already awake, staring at him.
“Here we go.” Pushing to his feet, Steel heard the door at the top of the stairway open. He debated unlocking his cuffs now.
But four men came down the stairs, one of them Lucian. Lucian held his HK pistol, while the three guards all held machine guns. This time Lucian was dressed in all black; a loose black collar shirt, jeans, and light boots. Lucian’s guards all wore Kevlar, and Steel guessed Lucian had it on beneath his shirt too.
Steel eyed the large knife still strapped to Lucian’s thigh. Simple sheath. If he could get it, it would be another way to attack Lucian and his men.
Lucian smiled through the bars. “Any attempt to run, fight, do anything, and I’ll shoot you and friends, Steel. No mercy.” He gestured. “You do anything, little Therese dies first. You can help Matt walk if you like.” He leered at Steel. “You killed Rose, so me and my men will not hesitate to kill you. Therese, you come out first.”
One of the guards opened the cell gate.
Therese glanced at Steel, her eyes questioning. He gave her a nod.
She walked through the cell door. Lucian put an arm around her neck, his gun to her head, and backed up down the adjacent hallway.
Matt struggled to get up, pushing with one hand and balancing against the wall on one foot.
Steel stood next to him. “Loop your good arm through mine and use me for balance.”
Matt did it, leaning on him. “I’m ready.”
Steel knew what Matt meant. He would be ready to withdraw his arm if Steel needed to act. But right now Steel couldn’t see anyt
hing except disaster in attempting an escape here.
They made their way across the cell, Matt hopping on one foot. The guards gave Steel a wide berth at the cell gate. He walked into the hallway with Matt.
Therese stared at Steel, limp in Lucian’s grasp. One guard stood beside Lucian. The other two guards had backed up to the stairs in the straight hallway.
Lucian grinned from the hallway. “One move, Steel, and I squeeze the trigger. Do you think I’m a fool? I saw you pick up my drone. Turn around. Show me your hands.”
Grimacing, Steel complied, with Matt remaining beside him.
“Drop whatever is in your hands or I shoot the girl now,” snarled Lucian.
Steel dropped the small piece of metal, which clinked on the cement.
Lucian scoffed. “Let me guess. You were going to attack us here, grab weapons, leave via the back door, and take the boat and drive away.” He laughed. “It’s a good plan. One I would have thought of. You are the most interesting hostage I’ve had in a very long time, Steel.” He lifted his chin, his voice hardening. “I will be following you with Therese. She dies if I see anything I don’t like. Now move.”
Steel walked with Matt toward the other guards, who were already backing up the stairs, their guns still on him.
Steel saw the situation here as unwinnable. Lucian held the cards now, and Therese wouldn’t survive anything he tried. He doubted he or Matt would either. He would have to wait.
Leaning his shoulder against the wall, he slowly ascended the stairs, with Matt hopping up one step at a time. The guards had backed up to the far door, still aiming their machine guns at them from ten feet away. One of the guards opened the outer door, holding it open while the other backed out, his gun on Steel.
Stepping outside, Steel continued to move slowly with Matt.
It was nighttime, but the compound lights lit up the grounds. The night sky held a half-moon, which added to the light.
A guard motioned Steel forward.
Steel kept moving, his eyes assessing everything. He estimated thirty men, all heavily armed with machine guns and side arms, all spread out in a half-circle across the compound, facing the front gate. Two guards were kneeling, one on each side of the half-circle, with RPG rocket launchers on their shoulders. Everyone wore Kevlar.
Steel Trap: A Jack Steel Action Mystery Thriller, Book 4 Page 24
