by R Weir
Hunter quivered at the sick words but remained steadfast in resistance.
“Not going to happen,” declared Hunter. “You’ll have to kill me first.”
“How? I bet you couldn’t even stand up without help. I can shoot you in the other leg to make sure.” He pointed his gun.
Olivia slid in front of Hunter blocking the shot.
“You’re a creep,” she said, her head was turned and her back was to the torturer. “I won’t let you shoot him.”
“Move you little bitch or I’ll move you myself.”
Olivia shook her head in open defiance, glaring back at Hunter, determination in her eyes.
Galvanic wasn’t certain what to do. He couldn’t shoot her. His boss wanted her alive. And if what Hunter said was true, he might need her as a shield to escape. He cursed out loud, lowering the gun and stepped over, grabbing her by the arm, pulling her off her feet.
Olivia struggled, as much as she could, screaming at the man, his squeeze on her left arm painful. But it left her right arm free, her hand on the handle of the knife. As he pulled her up, she lunged into him in flash, driving the blade into his stomach. He began to scream, his eyes in shock at what she did, staggering backwards, his hand going to the handle, uncertain what to do. He raised his gun, but Hunter had pulled out his second gun and fired three times into the man’s chest. Galvanic had one step left and then fell to the ground. The ungodly man was going to meet his evil maker in the fires of hell.
Olivia dropped to the ground, amazed at what she’d accomplished. It was shocking, while at the same time wonderful. She did what she needed to survive. And there wasn’t an ounce of sorrow at helping take down a brutal human. She crawled over to Hunter to see how he was doing.
“Grab me that cloth,” he said to her, pointing at a box under the table.
She handed him the material, then he tied it around his wound to help slow the bleeding.
“Help me up,” he asked.
With all her strength, Olivia was able to get the solid man on his feet. His arm wrapped around her, a smile on his face creeping through the agony.
“Damn girl,” he stated with gratitude. “Athena couldn’t have done it any better. She taught you well and would be proud of you.”
Olivia beamed in pride, thrilled she’d discovered the will. The two walked out of the room, hoping the cavalry was coming for them.
Chapter 69
The explosion could be heard and seen for miles. The direction and location easy to spot. Both SUV’s moving towards the flames at a high rate of speed. They weren’t certain what they were walking into, but the men were ready to go. As they found the entrance, the road leading to the houses, they parked just outside on the shoulder, the five men departing—one team of three and the other of two, each heading in different directions.
Cameryn and Shen were dressed in dark clothing, with body armor to protect them. All provided by Amari’s team. Both were given the option of having one of the H&K MP5 automatic weapons. Cameryn said yes, while Shen declined. He still had his martial arts weapons, though was carrying a Glock 9mm just in case. Though using a gun for him was always a last resort.
Shen, because of his small stature led the way, his movements swift and precise across the open terrain. It was mostly grass, dirt and a few small rocks, his light steps gliding across the ground. They were taking the south side of the property, having to cut their way through a barbed wire fence, which wasn’t much of a challenge. With the explosion there was a lot of activity, much of the men standing around, trying to figure out what to do, Shen counting four.
There was a little bit of yelling, words they couldn’t make out. But without a doubt angry, one man pointing to some of the others to start searching. They didn’t have anything powerful enough to douse the fire, a couple men using garden hoses, which did little good. At this point, letting it burn itself out seemed like the only option. Though the noise and flames would likely draw the local Mounted Police and Fire.
Shen approached a truck parked near the main building, using it as cover. Cameryn was right behind, weapon in hand, eyes surveying all directions for trouble. There was a man walking towards the main building, his weapon in hand, but not pointed. Shen waved he was going to approach, Cameryn knowing to provide cover. Shen was small and could make himself smaller, almost invisible. A skill he’d mastered since he was a child. He came up behind the man, grabbing him around the neck, holding on until he passed out.
He dragged him back to the car, where Cameryn slapped him on the face a couple times to wake him up, which didn’t work. He then poured water from his water bottle on the man’s face, which startled him, shaking off the liquid and sitting straight up. When his eyes cleared, he saw the automatic gun barrel staring at him.
“Where are the prisoners?” asked Shen.
The man resisted and Shen slipped out his Nunchaku’s and tapped him on the knee with the solid wood.
“Do you know what this will do to your bones when used by a man who knows how to use them?” proclaimed Shen. “You’re about to find out if you don’t talk? And quickly!”
“We don’t know,” replied the man in fear. “They escaped and we have people looking for them.”
“Where were you headed?”
“To the house. I’m supposed to guard it and those inside.”
“How many are inside?”
He stopped to think, and Shen tapped his knee a little harder.
“Three I believe.”
“Thank you.”
Shen took the Nunchaku and smacked the man in the head knocking him out. He then grabbed his weapons and tossed them as far as he could into the grassy area nearby.
“No sign of Hunter or Olivia,” remarked Shen. “Shall we advance onto the house?”
“Yes. Do you hear that Black Fox?”
Once they got the reply, Cameryn and Shen made their move.
***
Black Fox and his team had come in from the Northwest side, their mission to hit the large barn. They saw a few men coming and going, spreading out in search. One came within range and Shank came out of the shadows and slashed his throat, easing the dead body to the ground.
Black Fox moved to the backside of the barn, while Shank and Gristle took the side. There was a couple of small doors and then big entrances on both sides, each closed. Black Fox peeked inside through a hole, seeing several vehicles and men mulling around, loading items into them. It appeared they were getting ready to leave. A move they needed to stop.
“They’re packing up,” he said into his com. “They have two dually pickups and a large panel van. Looks like six guys inside, all packing what looks like Beretta M12’s clipped to their vests.”
“Good weapon,” commented Gristle. “They aren’t fucking around.”
“Neither are we,” noted Black Fox. “I’m going to come via the door on this side and draw their fire. You two come from the other side and take them out. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”
Black Fox moved to the door, testing the handle finding it unlocked. Turning the knob, he shoved it open, calling out on the com he was moving. He came in low, but was spotted, rolling to the ground as bullets came his way. He felt a burn in his lower leg, though not the first time, the injury for now superficial and one he’d ignore. He fired back striking one of the men in the shoulder, his blood smeared on the truck fender, while the others ducked for cover behind the vehicles. Black Fox emptied his magazine, keeping them distracted, quickly loading another, firing again.
Shank led the way to the door on the opposite side. Finding it open, he charged through, his gun firing, as he moved laterally. He hit two of the men in the back, one appearing to be fatal, the other screaming out in pain from a busted shoulder. Return fire came and Shank rolled, hitting the ground, still shooting. Gristle then stepped through, firing himself, taking out the rest of them. Three were dead, the other three wounded. The gun battle for now over.
“Are we clear?”
asked Black Fox, who stood gingerly on his wounded leg, his gun still pointed.
“It would appear so,” answered Shank. “I’ll check the rest of the space, including upstairs.”
As Shank ran off Gristle checked on the injured men, making sure their weapons were tossed away. They were all moaning but holding up their hands in surrender. They had no desire to fight anymore. Gristle grabbed one of the Beretta M12’s and stared at it lovingly.
“I may have to take one of these as a trophy,” he stated, before tossing it with the others.
Black Fox limped over, blood on his lower leg.
“It would appear you have an owie,” commented Gristle noticing the blood, his eyes quickly back on the wounded men.
“It is but a flesh wound!”
Shank returned. “No one else in here.” He glanced down to see the blood on their leader. “Looks like you’re buying beers.” He was referring to the bet they had, that if anyone gets shot they must foot the tab for a night of drinking.
“I hear the beer up here is stronger than in the US,” added Gristle.
“Later guys,” ordered Black Fox. “There are still people out there with guns. Strap them up and let’s get back to work. I don’t care to get shot again.”
Shank pulled out plastic strapping designed for securing wrists, while Gristle pulled a gauze wrap out of his backpack, tossing it to his leader, to wrap up his wound. The three remaining breathing men were strapped up, duct tape on their mouths to keep them quiet.
A call came over their coms from Cameryn, saying they hadn’t found Hunter or Olivia and they were going to advance on the house.
“Affirmative,” Black Fox replied. “We’re going to clean up the rest of the outside and then check on that one smaller structure.” He then looked at his men. “Are we ready to go soldiers?”
Gristle smiled. “Should I take the lead since you’ve got a scratch that will slow you down.”
Black Fox answered back without hesitation. “No fucking way!”
Chapter 70
Cameryn and Shen hit the house, coming through the front door. Once inside they found no resistance. Taking each room one at a time on the lower level, they found only a body in the kitchen. It was a woman wearing an apron. It appears she’d been the cook and they weren’t taking her with them, having been shot in the head. From there they went to the second floor, doing another room to room, still finding nothing. They had checked every nook and cranny, with no idea where anyone went. If they had a secret hiding place it wasn’t jumping out at them. They found a few clothes, a little bit of tech and a room which appeared to be for an artist to paint in. There were a few damaged paintings, a stool and little bit of paint supplies. Not much else. Whomever had been there, likely being Reinbach, was long gone.
“House is empty,” announced Cameryn into his com.
“We killed the last couple of people in the center area,” replied Black Fox. “We’re going to head to that smaller building.”
“Let me text and see where Hunter is,” said Shen.
He pulled out his tablet from the backpack. The signal was weak, but good enough for a text message. He used the voice recognition to input the message, asking where they were. It took a minute, but they got an answer.
“He says they’re in the Chamber, which is the smallest building. Text says Hunter has been shot in the thigh.”
“We’re on it.”
Black Fox lead his team to the building. They burst through the front door, seeing Hunter and the Olivia on the floor putting pressure on Hunter’s wound.
“Black Fox and his team,” he announced, pointing at himself and the two men behind him. “Compliments of Amari Sarr. You must be Hunter and Olivia.”
Hunter recognized the name, wondering how he’d gotten involved. A story he’d have to learn about later.
“He’s been shot,” Olivia said. “He’s losing a lot of blood.”
“Help him Shank. Gristle check the rest of the building.”
“It’s clean,” stated Hunter, feeling lightheaded. “There are a couple of dead bodies in the next room.”
“Make sure,” ordered Black Fox to Gristle.
Shank pulled out his med kit and worked on the wound. The bullet had gone through cleanly, catching mostly flesh. He applied a compress to the entry and exit wound, wrapping gauze around numerous times, and then tying it off tightly. Hunter gritted his teeth at the pain, the throbbing agony going through the roof.
“Sorry I don’t have anything for the pain,” remarked Shank. “But that should stop the bleeding for now. You’ll need a true medic to stitch it up. Fortunately, healthcare in Canada is free.” Shank smiled at his own joke.
“It would appear you’re buying beers too,” commented Black Fox while pointing to his own wound.
Hunter didn’t get the joke, but it would be explained to him later.
“Did you get them all?” wondered Hunter, shaking his head to keep coherent.
“The men with the guns, yes,” replied Black Fox. “But it appears Reinbach has escaped. Cameryn and Shen say he’s not in the main house.”
Hunter wasn’t happy. “Damn. That is where he should be. He must have snuck out some other way.”
“It’s dark, and we came in the front road. Could be a back way out. Didn’t have enough men to cover the whole property. Most importantly you’re both alive.”
Gristle returned, giving a thumbs up. “Both in there are definitely dead. One looked and smelled like he’d been cooked, while the other had a nasty knife in his stomach and a couple of rounds in his chest.”
“The knife was compliments of Olivia,” bragged Hunter. “She saved my ass from getting shot a second time.”
The three men looked at her, nodding their heads they smiled impressed by what she had done. They each walked over and gave her a fist bump. The accolades made Olivia blush.
“What now?” wondered Shank.
Everyone looked at Hunter, who shrugged. “I guess make sure there are no stragglers. And get prepared for the Mounties and the fire department. They should be here shortly. How is the fire?”
Shank stepped out to look, yelling to them. “Mostly smoke now, as it’s burned itself out.”
“We probably should be outside when the Mounties arrive. Can someone give me a hand?”
Gristle, the biggest of them all came over and pulled him up with no effort. Hunter used him as leverage and hobbled outside. Walking up was Cameryn and Shen.
“Nobody still standing as far as we can see?” declared Cameryn. “Can we hightail it out of here before the cops arrive?”
“I doubt I can make it that far,” replied Hunter, who then heard the sirens. “It would appear we’ll have to deal with them after all. Best to put down your guns and appear unthreatening.”
Black Fox pulled out his cell phone to make a call to Amari, knowing they’d need his pull to navigate the waters. Lots of questions were heading their way on what the hell happened. It would be a long night before Olivia got to hug her parents.
Chapter 71
Reinbach got out via a back road in a Ford SUV. He was riding in the backseat, a selection of his paintings tucked away behind him along with a few essentials. Norvin was driving, navigating the long way around to get back to the airport. The jet waiting for them, ready to head to a backup location. Argentina would be Reinbach’s home, one he’d used a few times, knowing he’d be safe there. Plenty of money stashed away in accounts in tax friendly countries no one knew or cared about. The plan for revenge he’d been working on for a while now had been crushed. Though he held out hope Valerie would track down Adin and bring him to face his wrath. Failure meant she’d pay a painful, degrading price.
Navigating the road, they came in on a back entrance to the airport, one he’d used before. Men he’d paid off to give him access bypassing any security or police. They pulled into the private hanger parking as close as they could, a familiar red crotch rocket sitting near the jet.
Norvin stepped out first, a gun on his hip, an item he rarely carried, but needed to today, since the rest of the security had been taken out. He went to the back, opening the door as Reinbach stepped out, a bag in his hand, eyes scanning for any trouble.
“Load all the paintings in the lower luggage storage,” he instructed Norvin.
“Let me help,” commented Valerie, who walked down the stairs of the jet, a few bruises now showing on her face, blood on her jacket, shirt and pants.
“Where did you come from?” wondered Reinbach. “You should be long gone by now.”
Valerie came over, going to the back of the SUV. She nodded at Norvin, her smile non-threatening. Quickly she grabbed his gun, shooting him in the head, his blood getting all over the paintings, the body slumping down the rear bumper to the pavement.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now,” she quipped at the dead man before her.
Reinbach was stunned at what he saw. He reached for his backpack, hoping to get his gun. Valerie stepped over and knocked the bag to the ground. The older man then took a swing, one that had no chance to land, the skilled fighter easily dodging it. She jabbed with her left hand, popping him in the jaw, dropping him sideways to the ground.
“What the hell are you doing?” he yelled, shaking his head from the pain.
“Get on your feet and walk,” she demanded. “Onto the jet. We’re going to have a little discussion.”
“You’ll pay for this,” he threatened rubbing his jaw.
“Walk or I shoot you in the foot.” Valerie lowered the gun, pulling back the hammer.
Reinbach got the hint. He awkwardly stood up, finding his balance, and headed to the stairs. Glancing back over his shoulder, he climbed in, taking his customary seat, his eyes hoping for help from the pilots.
“If you’re anticipating they’ll come and save you,” stated Valerie, while taking a seat across from him. “They won’t. Broken necks are hard to come back to life from. I wanted to make sure we weren’t disturbed.”
