The Journey of Kyle Gibbs Box Set
Books 1 and 2
by
Wayne Marinovich
First published 2014 in Great Britain by Umduzu Publishing
Copyright © Wayne Marinovich 2014
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.
Print Version 2
The right of Wayne Marinovich to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
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Action thriller, Climate fiction, Cli-Fi, action adventure, secret organisations, dystopian thriller, Kyle Gibbs series, race for resources
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For Anneli
My wife, soul mate, best friend, creative muse and fellow traveller.
Contents
Book 1: CELT
Book 2: PHOENIX
Other Books by Wayne Marinovich
Acknowledgements
General Note
Author Bio
CELT
The Journey of Kyle Gibbs
Book 1
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 1
Carshalton Estate, Surrey, England, UK - 2013
Death, sweat and fear drifted on the stale air.
The short, round figure of Lord Francis Butler gagged a second time as he walked down the old sandstone spiral stairs, the stench of it all causing his body to convulse. Dizziness forced him to stop and grab onto the rope balustrade with one hand, the other hand pushing up against the opposite curved wall. Passing seven locked doors that lined the dimly lit stone corridor that ran below Carshalton House, he stopped at the last room. Shifting in his stance slightly, he felt himself getting aroused at what awaited. Pulling at his white long shirt sleeves, he readjusted his waistcoat and walked into the open doorway, stopping to look at the figure in the centre of the room.
Bound to the small wooden bench positioned beneath a single hanging light bulb was the naked Monhinder Singh. The Indian billionaire’s cheeks were stained with tears and blood from his swollen eyes. He trembled violently from cold fear and looked up at Lord Butler with begging eyes, mumbling something through the mouth gag.
‘Would you remove his gag, please?’ Lord Butler said to the well-muscled figure of Alex Brun, who stood beside the billionaire. He leant across the trembling man and yanked the dirty rag from his mouth.
Monhinder Singh gasped at the fresh air eagerly before focusing on Lord Butler. ‘Francis, what the bloody hell is going on here? What have I done to deserve this barbaric treatment?’
Alex punched the battered man in the face again, sending a spray of blood and sweat across the concrete floor. The captive man groaned and swayed to the side, his long black hair falling across his face.
‘Thank you, Alex, that’s enough,’ Lord Butler said, pulling a wooden chair closer. ‘I think it is time that Monhinder and I have a little chat about his predicament. Get him a blanket, please. He looks decidedly frozen.’
Monhinder bowed his head slightly, the long matted hair falling forward.
‘You’ve disappointed me, Monhinder, and because of that, you don’t get to address me by my first name anymore. Is that clear? Friends and those whom I trust may call me Francis, and at this moment, you are neither.’
Monhinder Singh leaned forward against his restraints and shook his bowed head. Alex grabbed a handful of long hair and snapped his head back, causing him to whimper in terror.
‘Time and time again, we’ve explained the generous offer on the table yet you refuse to cooperate with us. Every billionaire at the lavish party above our heads has signed up to be part of this organisation. I have personally invested everything I own into this new venture. It all makes logical sense.’
The man stared at Lord Butler. ‘Why would I join a deluded organisation that is high on the lust for world domination? A group which mistreats its partners like I’m being treated? You’ve just demonstrated to me that if I ever disagreed with you in the future, I would be tortured again. You’re all bloody psychotic.’
‘Monhinder, dear fellow, you need to be more open-minded about the world we’re building. We’re a crucial organisation for the future of the planet and will go on to do a lot of good in the world. We want you to be a part of that.’
‘Ha! What a load of rubbish,’ Monhinder said with a slur as a trickle of blood dripped off his chin.
Lord Butler shifted in his seat. ‘By pooling all of our wealth and assets, we’ll be able to control and influence government policy around the world, thereby ensuring that no one country ever gains monopoly over the planet’s dwindling resources.’
‘That’s a load of bullshit,’ Monhinder said. ‘You must think I’m bloody naive? None of you gives a shit about the planet or its resources. It’s about you and the rest of the power-mad vultures upstairs wanting to control the world like spoilt little bullies trying to control a playground. I will have no part of it. There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind.’
Lord Butler felt the darkness swelling within him. He swallowed hard to stem its rise because there was diplomatic work to be done. He cracked his knuckles behind his back and chewed his lower lip, eyes narrowing as he stared across at the Indian billionaire. The man dared to question the motives of the Billionaires Club which he’d started two years before. His smile skewed into a sneer as he struggled to control the dark lust. A black shroud that always took charge of his psyche when he cowered away from making tough choices. The small pine chair creaked as Lord Butler leant back. He ground his teeth and forced a grin, nodding across to Alex, who laid into the man with a flurry of fists. Screams echoed aroun
d the cold dark walls of the room, and Lord Butler realised he had an erection.
‘Now, let’s take a look at your dilemma here. Upstairs, there’s a group of the world’s wealthiest and most influential men, who witnessed you taking recreational drugs while seated at the dinner table. They saw you kissing a young prostitute and fondling her breasts before dragging her off to your room. Quite decadent and hedonistic behaviour even for one of my parties. She will, of course, testify to the fact that you collected her in London and brought her to the party knowing full well that she was below the legal age of consent in the United Kingdom,’ Lord Butler said. ‘This information is being collated and will first be leaked to every member of your respected family back in India before being sent out to the global press.’
Monhinder sat upright, his eyes pinched into a swollen squint. He shook his head a few times, swaying in the wooden seat. ‘Butler, you cannot blackmail me,’ he said. ‘Go ahead and inform my family. They will forgive me my transgressions. My reputation will suffer a setback, but it will survive. You will not get away with this farce. I promise you that.’
Lord Butler felt the last of his patience ebb away as the darkness rush in to consume him. It would only ever be satisfied with the spilling of blood. He leaned forward and sneered. ‘Okay then, Monhinder, have it your way.’
A slight nod to the two heavy-set men standing in the shadows at the back of the room moved them into action. One of them checked the binding that kept Monhinder tied to the bench before the other heaved Monhinder forward. There was no way to break his fall with his hands bound behind his back. A loud crack rang out as his face hit the concrete. He screamed out in pain, wriggling to turn his face to the side as his lips started to quiver.
Lord Butler felt giddy as he walked over to a small metal side table against the brick wall and ran his hand over the extensive range of Alex’s implements of torture. The cool feel of the metal excited him even more. He lingered over one of them for a brief moment like a child picking his favourite sweet, then eagerly grabbed it. Happy with his selection, he walked to Monhinder and squatted next to the man’s head. ‘This could have been such a painless exercise, my friend, but now you must pay for your stubbornness and stupidity.’
He placed the scalpel at the base of the man’s buttocks, which were comically raised into the air, and made an inch long incision, drawing a small trickle of blood that followed gravity down the groaning man’s back towards his neck. Lord Butler continued with a second cut, then a third, each getting deeper along the spine. The tortured man’s groans got louder, and Lord Butler’s breath quickened as the euphoria grew stronger inside him. The darkness sang out with happiness.
Alex walked over and placed his hand over the scalpel in Lord Butler’s hand. ‘Shouldn’t we move on with the next phase of the plan, sir?’
Lord Butler blinked slightly, hearing his own shallow, rasping breath. Disorientated with pleasure, he smiled up at his trusty henchman and nodded. ‘Thank you, Alex,’ he said, taking a deep breath. ‘Monhinder, you sack of shit, now listen to me. I’m going to give you twenty-four hours to reconsider the offer on the table. I’ll be upstairs having a wonderful time with our other colleagues if you do have a change of heart. This will be your last chance to reconsider, and if you fail to change your mind, I am going to instruct Alex to go to work on your delicate bits with some of his favourite toys over there. He won’t be as nice as I’ve been. You see, I’ve witnessed his work in Equatorial Guinea on many unfortunate prisoners of war. I can assure you he understands the finer art of inflicting pain and terror better than I could ever hope to do.’
Lord Butler nodded to Alex, who opened the heavy wooden door. Two more of his men dragged a corpse of a naked woman into the room and laid it down on the floor next to the Indian billionaire. Monhinder desperately tried to turn his head away from the lifeless face of the girl, placed inches away from his, her opaque eyes staring at him coldly. He started to sob. ‘Please, Lord Butler, you’ve made your point. She smells disgusting so don’t leave her here. Who is she?’
‘She’s another young prostitute who caused me some embarrassment yesterday, so I had her killed and placed on ice. Such a pity really, she seemed like such a bright little thing. Her death won’t be in vain because I had such a great idea this morning. I could put her corpse to good use.’
Lord Butler threw the scalpel back onto the table, grabbed an old wooden cricket bat that was leant against the nearby wall, and walked back to the whimpering man.
‘I’ve always loved the feel of wood, you know. The feel against one’s skin is just so… just so natural,’ he said. Clenching his fists around the wooden handle, he swung the bat over his head and slapped it across the man’s exposed buttocks. He slammed the bat down again and again until the darkness ebbed away, satisfied. Wiping away beads of sweat from his reddening face with his forearm, he tossed the bat across the floor.
One of his henchmen handed him a small tied-off plastic bag, which he threw onto the ground in front of the crying billionaire’s face. ‘That’s what’s left from her so-called heroin overdose. You have twenty-four hours to make the right decision, or it’ll be pumped into you after Alex has finished with you.’
Walking down the stone-walled corridor to the staircase, Alex turned to his boss. ‘I’ll check on him every hour, sir.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about checking that often. Let the bastard stew in his own private hell for the night.’
‘As you wish, sir.’
‘Thank you for pulling me back from the edge there, Alex. It’s has been quite a while since I lost control like that.’
‘I am always here to assist you, sir. If I may say, I’ve never seen you give a man a second chance before. What if he won’t sign?’
Lord Butler stopped at the base of the stone spiral staircase and placed his hand on his long-serving bodyguard’s shoulder. ‘I need him to sign over all his wealth to us. He’s one of the only billionaires in India who we deemed as controllable, you know, with his illegal vices. However, my patience is wearing thin with him, so if he doesn’t sign, we’ll have to get someone else. Then, Alex my friend, I’ll have no further use for him, and you can have him for as long as he will last.’
• • •
Lord Butler and Alex Brun walked through the high-ceilinged reception room at Carshalton House, taking in deep breaths of the fresh, sweet-smelling air that came through the large bay windows on either side of the open front door. Alex whistled across to one of the young waitresses carrying slim flutes of champagne as she headed towards the group of billionaires gathered in the main lounge. She hurried over to give Lord Butler a glass, which he downed in a single gulp then took a second before waving her off. It was time to let go of the troubles in the basement and have a good time.
One of the wealthy guests caught his eye and peeled away from a tall brunette escort to intercept him.
‘Alex, would you mind if I have a word with Lord Butler in private?’ the slim, balding man asked. Alex bowed slightly and took two steps to the side.
‘Hello, Jürgen. I hope you are having fun so far.’
‘Has the man signed, Francis?’
‘Jürgen, tonight I’d just love to relax with my friends and not bother with Billionaires Club matters. I’ve presented our case to Mr Singh, and he needs time to think about it. Let’s give him time to come to terms with that.’
The forty-something German billionaire took a sip of champagne. ‘But will he sign the document? Jürgen Kohler asked. ‘We can’t afford to be without a presence in India much longer.’
Lord Butler frowned and clenched his teeth. ‘I said I’d make it happen. One way or the other we will get into India, okay?’ A warm sensation started to flood through him again. He clenched his fists once and stretched his fingers outwards.
‘Why are you taking so long to bring him around? You claimed your tactics and methods were foolproof. Maybe someone else should try and speak to him. You know, someone he may li
sten to.’
Lord Butler took a step forward and spoke in a hushed tone. ‘My friend, we’ve been through this before. I’ve warned you several times about questioning my wishes. Let me stress again that I will not be questioned over this, certainly not by the likes of you. You don’t have a choice here. Now go away and have a good evening with your lady friend there.’ The darkness swirled around in his core, and he felt his shoulders move backwards.
‘Or what, Francis? I’ll end up like your best friend, Michael Mercer? Found rotting at the bottom of a gorge with my car brakes that have accidentally failed? I’m not intimidated by you or your methods,’ Jürgen said and turned away.
The darkness made Lord Butler feel ten feet tall. His gaze focused on the back of the slim man’s head. ‘Tell me, my German friend. How is that beautiful young wife of yours doing? And what about those two handsome boys of yours? What are they now, sixteen?’ Lord Butler said. He turned to Alex and placed his hand on his shoulder. ‘The most beautiful twins I’ve seen, Alex, but thankfully they take after their mother. And pretty soon they will be adults, going out into the world by themselves. A delightful thought.’
The German spun around, his pale face reddening as he walked back towards Lord Butler, his finger pointing. ‘You stay away from my family.’
‘I only have to whisper a word into Alex’s ear, and your family will suffer horrors that you don’t want to imagine. What’s more, I’ll make sure you’re there to watch the whole gory thing. Question me or my methods again. I dare you.’
Jürgen went pale and started to speak.
Alex moved in front of Lord Butler and took a step towards the German. ‘I think you should go back to the party, Mr Kohler. You don’t want to make a scene, now do you?’
Jürgen looked past Alex Brun. ‘Someday, your henchman won’t be at your side to protect you, Butler.’
He walked backwards for three steps before turning and trudging back to his date for the night.
Lord Butler walked up next to Alex and placed his hand on his shoulder. ‘They don’t always understand what we are trying to achieve here. So, consumed by their wealth, they fail to see the importance of it all to our planet.’
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