by Bob Mayer
RILEY AND WESTLAND
Getting in had been easier than expected. The patio doors at the rear of the wing had carelessly been left unbarred. Riley had pried them open with his knife. Starting from the farthest room out, they had begun working their way down the corridor toward the main building. The first three rooms had been empty.
Riley turned the knob on the fourth door and stepped through to the right while Westland stepped to the left. In the dim light shed by a single lamp, they were greeted by the sight of a man and a woman in a compromising position on the bed.
The man dove for a gun on the nightstand and Riley pinned him against the headboard with a sustained burst from the MP5. The room echoed lightly with the noise of his expended brass tinkling onto the wood floor.
"Stay put and you won't get hurt," Riley hissed at the woman in Spanish. She nodded weakly, holding the sheet up in front of herself with one hand. Riley turned for the door.
The repeated roar of Westland's shotgun reverberated in his ears. Riley turned in surprise to see the girl on the bed crumpling forward, a pistol in her hand, practically disemboweled by the slugs and buckshot from Westland's gun.
"Riley, two down east wing," he whispered into the mike as he and Westland turned for the hallway. He was conscious that he'd made a bad mistake in not shooting the woman to start with. Kate had saved his ass.
SECURITY CENTER, RING MAN'S VILLA
10:38 P.M.
Lopez screamed for the men in the next room as he grabbed his MAC-IO. He yelled into the radio: "Jaime, get your people up here. We're being attacked!"
He waited for the brief acknowledgment from the leader of the four men manning the ambush position down the driveway before he headed for the door.
Lopez swung the door open and stepped into the main foyer. He spotted two black-clad men moving up on the second-floor stairwell. He was preparing to fire when an explosion blew open the locked front double doors. Lopez swung around to see two more dark-clad men stepping through the smoking wreckage. He fired a wild burst at them. In return, a sustained burst of machine-gun fire pummeled him back into his office.
Rabitowski let up on the trigger of the SAW machine gun with a satisfying click. "Tiger, one down first-floor foyer, main building."
He swung the muzzle slightly to the left as another door opened and a half-dressed Colombian stepped out waving a pistol. As he pressed the trigger Rabitowski could see the outlines of other men behind the first. He decided to make a clean sweep of things. Keeping the trigger depressed, he swept the doorway and then stitched a pattern on the walls.
The 5.56mm steel-jacketed rounds tore through the plaster, leaving carnage in the guard room. Rabitowski fired until he expended all one hundred rounds in the drum magazine. When the bolt slid forward and halted for lack of ammo, he expertly pulled another drum out of the bag on his hip and reloaded.
"Tiger, a bunch down, first-floor foyer, main building." Rabitowski smiled contentedly and glanced over at Cullen. The pilot shook his head. Some of these old guys sure were crazy.
Rabitowski swung his barrel to the left as two figures stepped out of the hallway from the east. He relaxed his finger when he saw through his goggles the glowing bands of tape on the newcomers. The old sergeant major's eyes widened as he noticed that one of the newcomers was a woman. Goddamn, he thought. What the hell was the army coming to?
EAGLE FORCE
Edberg was the second man into Ring Man's bedroom. They were met with the sight of the man, whose picture they had memorized, holding a pistol to the head of a naked young girl whom he held in front of him as a shield.
"I'll kill her if you come any closer," the Ring Man yelled out in Spanish.
Edberg keyed his mike. "Eagle. I've got our target here. Second floor. Center door. He's holding a young girl prisoner. Rest of floor secured."
From the hill Thompson updated the team leader. "Thompson. Sitrep. Compound secure. East and west wings secure. First and second floors main building secure. No sign of the prisoner. You've got the only live one there. Hawk two minutes out."
Edberg considered the situation. The girl was expendable. No one would say anything if they wasted her.
Another figure appeared behind Edberg. "Back out, sir. I'm Riley. I'll handle this."
Edberg didn't question the man and, nodding his head at his partner, he backed out the door around Riley.
Riley glared at the Ring Man. He knew the exfil bird was due shortly and they didn't have time to screw around with this fellow. He dropped his MP5 on its sling and drew his Beretta. He aimed it directly at the Ring Man's forehead.
"Where's the American?"
The Ring Man smiled. "If that is who you came for you are too late. He's not here."
The two cars that had left earlier, Riley realized. That was the only time they could have moved Powers. He took a step closer to the Ring Man.
"I'll kill her!" the Ring Man screamed as he screwed the muzzle of the gun into the side of the girl's head, causing her to cry out.
"Go ahead." Riley fired. The round impacted exactly in the center of the Ring Man's forehead, making a tiny black hole on entry. It exited the rear, blowing off half the back of his head. The pistol slipped out of lifeless fingers. The girl stayed where she was, frozen. Riley drew a bead on her momentarily, then lowered his barrel. He whipped off his belt, tied her hands together, and threw her over his shoulder.
"Riley. Ring Man dead. Has anyone seen any sign of Powers?"
"Thompson. Negative. Building has been cleared. He isn't here. Any idea where he could be?"
Riley felt as though he'd been hit with a sucker punch. All this only to find that Powers had been moved. "Riley. They must have moved him out this afternoon."
Westland appeared at his side as he carried the girl down the stairs. She pulled the mike away from her lips as she spoke to him. "What now? They must have moved Powers in that two-car convoy you saw leave earlier."
Riley nodded. His brain went into overdrive as he ran out into the backyard with his prisoner. The two cars had returned less than an hour after departing. If Powers had been in one of those cars, he had either been transferred to another vehicle or was being held relatively close by, probably in Bogota, Riley thought.
SNAKE FORCE
10:33 P.M.
Thompson shifted his gaze as Tremont alerted him. "Tremont. Got a pickup truck coming up the drive. Probably the guards from the road. I can see two men in the back with weapons." "Thompson. Tiger, you copy that?"
"Tiger, roger."
TIGER FORCE
Griffin released the safety on the RPG. He glanced over to the other side of the road where Jacobs was crouched, ready with his rocket launcher. Through his goggles he could make out the glow of the headlights coming closer.
Griffin pulled off the goggles and peered into the darkness through the NSP-2 infrared night sight of the launcher. The headlights appeared around a curve, eighty meters away, coming fast. Griffin centered the cross hairs of the RPG right between the two lights, and tracked. He waited until they were only fifty meters away before firing.
The rocket leapt from the tube. It covered the fifty meters in less than a second. The 85mm projectile tore into the front of the pickup truck and exploded, turning the vehicle into a blazing fireball that rolled off the left side of the road and tumbled down the slope toward the valley.
"Tiger, vehicle destroyed."
"Snake, roger. Hawk one minute out. All elements pull back."
Griffin and Jacobs ran back up the driveway, where they met Rabitowski, who had just lit the fuse running to the charges he and Cullen had rigged on the cars. The old NCO ran over to the OH-58 and threw in a satchel. He patted the side of the aircraft. "You done good," he muttered and then turned back to the other members of his team. "Let's go."
They raced around the building, where they were met by the other members of the strike force heading for the backyard. Edberg was standing next to the elevated diving board, counting hea
ds as people came running up. He could hear the helicopter now, coming in from the west. He spotted Riley with a girl over his shoulder and ran over to him.
"What are you going to do with her? We can't take her with us."
Riley shook his head. "I'll keep her here. I'm not going with you."
"What!" Edberg glanced up as the massive HH-53 chattered in above them. "What are you going to do?"
"I have to find Powers. I'll take one of the cars up front."
Westland stood next to him. "I'm staying with you."
Edberg shook his head. He had no time to argue. "If you don't get on that bird you're not my responsibility anymore. Also, the cars up front are rigged to blow."
"How long a fuse?"
Edberg shrugged. "Five minutes, but I'm not sure how long ago Rabitowski lit it. He's ..." His next words were lost in the roar as the helicopter settled in. Edberg shook his head as Riley and Westland sprinted off for the front of the villa, Riley still carrying the young Colombian girl.
HAWK FORCE
10:34 P.M.
The pilot of the Pave Low flared to a hover above the swimming pool and carefully rotated his aircraft around. The pool was the only place large enough, and clear enough, for the massive blades of the helicopter to rotate freely. As the pilot lowered the bird he listened to the instructions of his crew chief, who was leaning out the open back ramp: "Five meters. Four. Three. Little more back. Good. Two. One. Hold it. Hold it." The aft end of the aircraft hit lightly into something solid.
The pilot fixed on the horizon as he tried to steady the aircraft. In the back the members of the strike force were clambering on board, using the three-meter diving board leading to the back ramp. The pilot held the helicopter in place for the twenty seconds it took all the members to get on board.
He heaved a sigh of relief as the radio crackled. "This is Eagle Leader. We've got everyone on board who's coming." Pulling in collective, the pilot lifted and headed for knoll 8548.
In the rear, the two crew chiefs were preparing the hoist with a jungle penetrator. As the pilot brought the aircraft to a hover over the knoll they quickly lowered the penetrator. Tremont and Thompson hooked their vests onto the loop on the penetrator with snap links. "We're on," Thompson called out on the radio.
The pilot didn't wait for them to be reeled in; he lifted and accelerated to the west. They'd be pulled in while the helicopter was moving.
RING MAN'S VILLA
10:35 P.M.
Riley led the way around the corner of the building. The HH-53 was already winging off to pick up the men on the knoll. He stopped at the first car he found in the lot. A blue BMW. He put the girl down and told Westland to watch her.
He tore the detonating cord off the charges on the car and opened the door. He reached under the dash, hoping his skills from childhood were still good. With his knife he slashed the ignition wires and then crossed them, ignoring the sparks. The engine coughed and then roared to life. Westland swung open the back door and followed the young girl in.
Riley spun the wheel and headed for the gate. He was halfway down the drive when the OH-58 blew. He instinctively ducked as shrapnel pinged off the back of the car. They were just passing through the gates when the charges in the cars went off, turning the parking lot into a roaring inferno.
FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA
11:18 P.M.
"Hammer Base, this is Eagle Leader. Over."
Macksey grabbed the microphone. The last report they had had over the SATCOM was from the Snake element, advising that the exfiltration helicopter was retrieving the people from the strike force at the villa and that they were shutting down their radio in anticipation of being picked up.
"Hammer Base here. Give me a sitrep. Over."
"Mission a success. I say again, mission a success. No friendly casualties. Over." Three sighs of relief of varying magnitude could be heard from the generals gathered around the radio.
"What about the target? Over."
"Target completely destroyed and designated individual terminated. Over."
Pike nudged Macksey. "Check on Riley and Westland. And see if they got Powers out, too."
"This is Hammer Base. What about the assets you met down there and the hostage? Over."
There was a lengthy pause. Pike felt his stomach tighten in anticipation of bad news. "The assets chose to remain in country to search for the hostage, who was not present at the target site. Over."
"What!" Macksey exploded at Pike. "What the hell do they think they're doing?" He didn't wait for an answer as he keyed the mike. "What are they going to do? Over."
"Uh, that's unknown. I really didn't have a chance to talk with them. They made the decision as we were loading this bird for exfil, and I had more important things to worry about. Over."
Macksey dropped the mike and turned to face Pike. "What the hell do we do now? I've got to go over and brief the people across the river about what just happened, and we still have those two idiots of yours running around down there."
Pike looked the general straight in the eye. "Don't forget you also have Powers still being held prisoner. If Riley decided to stay there, he must feel there is still a chance to rescue him. Don't forget that when you brief the politicians. Also don't forget to tell them that we finally went and kicked ass, just like they run their mouths off about doing."
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
FRIDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER
BOGOTA
12:38 A.M.
Riley glanced in the rearview mirror as he negotiated the streets of Bogota. Kate had put her sweatshirt on the young Colombian girl, who was huddled on the left side of the seat, her hands still tied behind her back with Riley's belt.
"Where are we going?"
Riley pulled the car off into an alley. "This is as good as anywhere."
Westland leaned over the seat. "What do we do now?"
In answer, Riley got out of the car and into the backseat, shoving the girl between Westland and himself. He grabbed the girl's face and made her look up at him. "Do you know where the Ring Man moved the American soldier?" he asked her in Spanish.
The girl spoke for the first time. "Are you the crazy American? The one who killed Maria?"
Riley glanced at Westland, then back at the girl. "Yes."
"Why did you save me from the Ring Man? What are you going to do to me now? Are you going to kill me?"
"I need this information. If you tell me where they moved the American, I'll let you go. The Ring Man is dead. He cannot harm you anymore."
Riley sat back against the door and waited as the girl sorted all this out. He didn't want to start hurting her, but he would if he had to. He was startled as Westland spoke to him in English. "Dave, could you leave the two of us alone for a few minutes? Let me talk to her."
Riley shrugged. It was as good a bet as any. He got out and began to check the alley. They were about a mile from the American embassy, according to Riley's calculations. The immediate neighborhood was pretty rundown. The alley entered onto the main road and at the other end led to a series of smaller roads. It was a satisfactory place to hole up until he could figure out their next course of action. If the girl didn't give them anything, Riley wasn't sure what he'd do.
He glanced back down the alley as the car door opened. The girl slipped out and ran in the opposite direction. Riley drew his Beretta as he started in pursuit.
Westland followed the girl out of the car and raised a hand at Riley. "Hold it! Slow down. I'm letting her go."
Riley was torn between chasing the girl and hearing Westland's explanation. He decided to trust her. Holstering his pistol, he sat on the hood of the car and stared at his partner expectantly.
Westland sat down next to him. "Powers was in that convoy that left yesterday. Apparently, President Alegre had asked for a truce with the Ring Man. There's an Israeli named Ariel who works for the Ring Man. He suggested offering to turn over Powers to Alegre as a sign of good faith. In reality, the girl says they were
planning to use that meet as an assassination attempt on Alegre."
"That still doesn't tell me where Powers is."
"How about if I drive you there before I forget the directions?"
Riley hopped off the hood. "The keys are in the ignition."
1:10 A.M.
Since the word of the attack on the villa and the confirmation of the Ring Man's death, Ariel had watched the sicarios in his detachment slowly melt away. One hour later he was alone in the house with the American prisoner. Ariel knew the sicarios were going into hiding until they found out which way the winds of power were blowing. They'd reappear when they knew who was the strongest and attach their new loyalties there.
Which wasn't too bad an idea, Ariel thought to himself. Without Ring Man he was in a precarious situation. The Ramirez family, or what was left of them, would be after him as long as one of them was alive. The Colombians were as bad as Sicilians when it came to a blood feud.
Ariel was tired of this pigsty of a country anyway, but his options were limited. He couldn't go back to Israel. Africa had plenty of employment opportunities but was an even worse place to live than Colombia, in his opinion. Whatever he did, Ariel knew he had to do it fast, before one of the sicarios made the brilliant deduction that killing the Israeli would be an excellent way to ingratiate himself with the Ramirez family.
Ariel looked at the bound and gagged American soldier lying on the floor. The man was still glaring back at him defiantly. Ariel had never met such a mule-headed man. He had tried taking the gag out of his mouth to let him eat, but the man immediately started into a cursing tirade like the one in the helicopter yesterday. Ariel was tired of dealing with him. He had planned on killing him after hitting Alegre anyway.
