He rushed up to it, opened the side door, spun around, and ran away to two rusty cabinets that stood along the wall. He pulled out a key, turned the lock, and opened the door. Inside the cabinet were three dark automatic weapons—AK-47s, a classic model. He took them and carried them into the van. He went back to the other cabinet, opened it, and picked up a dark box.
He carefully carried it into the van as well, pulled the door, and ran around to the driver’s seat. He opened the door, jumped in, and started it. The powerful engine came to life right away, and he drove slowly forward. From across the courtyard, Roddy appeared. He waved and ran up to Pullman, who braked.
“I talked to Raul, John, and Umberto. They’re waiting at the bar.”
“Good. Get in, and let’s go get them.”
Roddy ran around to the passenger seat and jumped in. “Are you sure about this?”
Pullman Zero bared his teeth. “Listen, Adnan has saved my life more than once, and this is the least I can do for him. If he wants us to attack a team that’s looking for him, that’s what we’re doing.”
Roddy nodded. “Okay then.”
They drove on in silence, out onto the highway where they passed three exits. Pullman drove off the highway, reached an intersection, and turned left. After a few minutes, they arrived at a bar. Pullman stopped in front of it and nodded at Roddy.
“Go in and get them.”
Roddy jumped out, and after a minute, he came back with three other grim men. They were all big, with shaved heads and sunglasses. They jumped into the black Ford. Pullman turned around and looked at them.
“I’m glad you were ready so quickly,” he said.
Umberto leaned forward. His yellow teeth sparkled. “No problem, boss. What’s going on?”
Pullman Zero told him what the Spaniard told him while he pulled a U-turn and drove back the way they had come.
Umberto frowned. “So he is calling in a few old favors, huh?”
“Something like that, yes.”
Raul, sitting at the back, grabbed the headrest in the front and pulled himself forward. His long, black hair was set up in a greasy ponytail. “A debt should always be paid.”
Everyone nodded.
Roddy pointed at the guns. “Here’s a little something extra.”
Umberto picked up one of the weapons, weighed it in his hand, and uncovered it.
“Okay, it sounds like we can make someone’s day a little harder while paying off a debt. That sounds good to me.”
Pullman Zero steered back onto the highway and sped up. “Exactly. Let’s just find these damn bastards so we can do a little bit of shooting.”
***
Sánchez staggered up and gathered the remaining men. He roared.
“No! That can’t be true—not again!”
He looked back and could hardly believe that the Spaniard had escaped once again. That man was crazy lucky. Four men lay on the dusty ground. Three of them didn’t move. He walked up to the fourth as he sat up, moaning. The man pulled off his helmet and threw it on the ground. It was Miguel. Sánchez squatted next to him.
“How do you feel?”
Miguel mustered bloody saliva and spat. He wiped his lips. His face was dirty and dusty, but he didn’t appear to have any serious injuries.
“Bruised. What happened?”
Sánchez shook his head. “The Spaniard got hold of a hand grenade. And it exploded. How are you doing?”
Sánchez put his hand on Miguel’s shoulder. Miguel met Sánchez’s gaze. “I think it’s going to work, boss. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be back on my feet.”
Sánchez rose. “That’s good, Miguel,” he said.
Two other officers came up to them. Janez and Seif. Janez shook his head.
“The others are dead.”
Sánchez’s face was like a mask. “Everybody?”
Seif nodded. “Yes.”
Sánchez tried to control the nausea that welled up inside him. Four dead. On his mission. He’d pay for this. No matter how it went and whether they caught up with the Spaniard or not, four deaths on his guard would be the death knell for his career. How could it have gone so wrong so fast? His thoughts swirled around, but he couldn’t get them right. This was as close to the end as he could get. He sank to his knees and buried his face in his hands.
“No, no.”
Miguel walked up to him.
“Boss. It’s not over yet. We can’t give up now.”
But Sánchez didn’t care. It didn’t matter if they caught the Spaniard or not. It was over. And that Hugo Xavier and his team. They’d stolen the police bus and further added to the humiliation. Tears welled up, but one last ounce of self-respect forced them away.
He couldn’t cry in front of the men. It was out of the question. He took a deep breath, and the three men looked at him. He had to think of something. They couldn’t stay here. Sánchez pulled out his walkie-talkie.
“This is Inspector Sánchez. What units are there near Villa Lobos industrial area?”
A few seconds passed before a voice crackled.
“This is unit four oh six. We’re a couple of miles away. Do you need help?”
“Yes. Get here as soon as possible.”
“Copy that.”
Sánchez tucked away the walkie-talkie and let his eyes slide over the three men.
“Okay, we have one last chance. If we take on the Spaniard and Hugo and his team, then there at least one good thing will come from this mess.”
The three men looked at each other, and their eyes were drawn to their dead comrades.
“Tell us what we’re going to do, and we’ll do it. We owe it to our fallen comrades.”
Sánchez nodded and said, “Good. When the other unit arrives, we’ll take their car and go after it. I’ll get a helicopter to locate the police bus. It has built-in GPS.”
Miguel spat on the dusty ground and said, “Okay,” he said. “At least it sounds like a plan.”
A few minutes later, a police cruiser drove into the area. It moved up to and braked in front of Sánchez and his men. Two cops jumped out with guns drawn. They ran up to Sánchez.
“Oh, my God! What happened?”
Sánchez quickly explained the situation.
“And that’s why we need to take your car and go after them.”
The officer frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Sánchez reached out his hand.
“Give me the keys.”
The officer shrugged.
“What about us? What are we going to do?”
Sánchez’s face darkened.
“You will take care of our dead colleagues for now. I’ve called for help, and it’s on its way. But we must not let the criminals get away.”
“But—”
Sánchez’s face distorted with anger. “Give me the keys! Now!”
The officer automatically reached out his hand and gave Sánchez the keys. “Thank you,” he said.
Without another word, Inspector Sánchez and the three others stepped past the two officers who stared at them, but they didn’t dare say a word. Sánchez motioned for Miguel to drive, and he jumped into the passenger seat. Miguel stepped on the accelerator, and the two officers who were still standing were swept into a dust cloud as the cruiser skidded through the exit.
13
Freya grabbed the steering wheel hard and steered around the truck as it veered. She rolled down the window and roared. “Moron!”
Hugo put his hand on her shoulder. “Take it easy.”
Freya took a few deep breaths and regained control. She shrugged. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Hugo leaned back. The grinding pain in his body echoed far away. He had a genetic defect that made it difficult for him to perceive pain the way ordinary people did. He wasn’t immortal or invulnerable, but it meant that his pain threshold was higher than in normal people. But even so, he felt pain in the wound pounding
through his body. He pushed aside the nausea rolling over him in waves. Sussie leaned toward him.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I’m just going to get some rest while we’re driving.”
Freya adjusted the rearview mirror. “Where are we going?”
Hugo frowned. He had no answers, but he had to come up with something fast. They couldn’t just drive north at random. He picked up his phone. Two signals went through before a woman answered.
“Novus, Madeleine.”
“It’s me.”
“Hugo!”
“Madeleine, we need help. We’re heading north after the Spaniard, but we don’t have a good guess where he’s going.”
Madeleine hesitated and said, “I know that Cabello Medico has a secret place somewhere in northern Spain. If the Spaniard is going after the doctors responsible for his wife and daughter’s death, it’s reasonable to think they’re hiding them in a safe place.”
“Do you know where it is?”
“Just a sec.”
Hugo leaned toward Freya. “Continue north. Madeleine is working on it.”
Freya nodded. Barely thirty seconds passed before Madeleine’s voice crackled.
“Hugo?”
“Yes.”
“There is a Spanish castle that Cabello Medico bought a couple of years ago. It’s less than twenty-five kilometers from your destination. I’ll send the coordinates.”
“Thank you. We’re going to get there and stop the Spaniard. Can you call them and tell them we’re coming?”
Madeleine chuckled. “I’ll try, but if I don’t get a hold of them, you’re going to have to move forward with care.”
“Okay. Call me when you know more.”
“Okay.”
Hugo terminated the call and sat back. “Freya. Madeleine sent the coordinates.”
His phone chirped; he gave it to Mikko in the passenger seat.
“Here.”
Mikko pressed the coordinates into the GPS and gave the phone back to Hugo.
“Thanks.”
Freya moved over into the inner lane when the GPS flashed. “Good,” she said. “Just twenty minutes to go.”
Sussie cleared her throat. “Look at this. Madeleine also sent a computer file about Cabello Medico’s place. It looks awesome.”
“Let me see.”
Hugo leaned forward while Sussie zoomed into a map of the castle. She traced her finger along the edge.
“La Rosa Española, a medieval castle, small. In recent years there’s been an extension built. Four floors in the castle, at least five floors in the new wing. Stone walls around everything except at the entrance.”
Mikko chuckled and twisted around. “Are we going to attack a fortress?”
Sussie shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s a fortress, but I think it’s well protected. Given the resources available to Cabello Medico, they probably have plenty of guards.”
Hugo’s mind raced. They had to get into the castle, but it would probably be difficult if the guards thought Hugo and his team belonged to the Spaniard. Presumably, the castle would have been put in full defensive position if they thought the Spaniard was on his way.
“We need to get to the security officer of the castle. It’s the only way to get in.”
Sussie nodded. “Probably so.”
Hugo looked out at the Spanish landscape that slipped by outside. He took a deep breath. He turned to Sussie but never had time to say anything before the window next to him exploded.
***
Pullman Zero clenched his jaw. This was going to be fun. It’s been months since he’d made a hit. He grabbed the steering wheel and swerved past a couple of slow cars in the inner lane. One of the drivers flicked his finger. He glanced back. The men were ready. They sat quietly, grimly, and waited. As hunters waiting for the prey to come within reach. This is what he and his team were good at.
They were all career criminals in the Spanish underworld. In recent years, they had carried out three successful bank robberies. It was surprising how much money the banks still had in their vaults. But Pullman didn’t complain. It gave them a steady income, and given that they had a mole within the Spanish police who tipped off when the police got closer, it looked like Pullman and his team could stay away for a few more times.
Umberto looked at Pullman.
“Boss?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of favor do you owe the Spaniard?”
All the men stared at Pullman.
Pullman’s lips turned into a thin line, and he took a deep breath.
“I’ve known Adnan since we were young. He has always protected me, and I him,” he said. “As much as I could. He was already in a different league than me, but when we were twenty, we did a job together. The job failed, and a cop was ready to shoot me when Adnan shot him in the head. A second later, and I would have been dead.”
Umberto nodded. “I understand,” he said.
Pullman smiled joylessly. “You know, Umberto,” he said. “When a man owes another man his life, you have a huge debt.”
Roddy nodded in agreement. “True.”
“It’s no more than that, to be honest. Or maybe it’s also a burning desire to give the police a hell of a time since they’ve been after us all these years.”
Everyone laughed. Living for years under the constant fear of being discovered had ground down their nerves. And Pullman wasn’t sure how much longer they’d last.
“But this will be like an extra greeting from us.”
They fell silent. Pullman glanced at Roddy.
“What does it look like? Are we getting closer?”
Roddy stared at the screen in his lap. It displayed a map, and the red dot in the middle of the map was their vehicle. Little by little, the dot moved along the highway, and Roddy tapped the screen.
“Looks like they’re here, about seven kilometers ahead of us.”
Pullman stepped harder on the accelerator and passed another ten cars. “Okay. Make sure to keep track of them if they run off. I don’t think they will, but just in case.”
“On it.”
Pullman took a deep breath as the Spanish countryside passed by. The humidity of August had come in with full force in recent weeks, and the landscape was damper than usual. He peeked in the rearview mirror.
“Raul?”
“What’s up?”
“Get the drone ready. We might have a use for it.”
“Okay.”
They drove on, and every minute, Roddy called out how far they were from the police bus in front of them. “Five hundred meters. We should see them soon,” he said.
All the men stared straight forward, looking for the bus. Umberto finally pointed to a vehicle driving in the middle lane.
“There!”
Pullman was struck by a thought. If they opened fire on a police bus full of cops, that would be the end of them. Somehow, he had to check if it was really Hugo and his team. He picked up speed and switched to the middle lane. He drove up a bit behind the police bus.
“Raul!”
“What?”
“Send out your drone!”
Raul’s voice hesitated slightly. “Now? While we’re moving?”
“Yes! I need to be sure about who’s in there before we do anything. Let’s go, let’s go!”
In the back of the van, Raul activated the small drone. A hard, buzzing sound filled the cabin.
“Hold on to your hat!”
Raul pushed up the back door and deftly steered the drone out into the open. It swiftly rose to a height of ten meters while Raul steered it toward the police bus in the inner lane. It slid closer and sent live images back to a screen in Raul’s lap. Raul stared stint down at the screen.
“Wait . . . wait . . . Yes, a regular citizen, not a policeman driving!”
Pullman Zero roared. “Okay, attack!”
***
“Down!”
Hugo threw himself aside when the sha
rds of glass rained on him. Sussie screamed and pulled him away. Freya stepped on the accelerator and swung hard left. They came out in the middle lane, and she grabbed the steering wheel so hard her knuckles whitened.
“Down!”
The wind roared through the cabin as Freya increased speed. Hugo pulled himself up in a sitting position and touched his head. He appeared to be unharmed except for a scratch on his cheek.
“Who was that?” he growled.
Freya adjusted the rearview mirror. “There’s a drone behind us. There must be a car back there controlling it. That’s the only explanation.”
Hugo turned left and peeked out. Cars swooped by in the oncoming lanes. He leaned and twisted to see behind him. There! A dark object flew by as it passed a truck.
“I see it!”
Mikko turned. “Can you shoot it down?”
Hugo shook his head. “No. Not with my gun. Freya, do we have anything else with us?”
“Yeah. In the bag at the back.”
Hugo twisted back and reached for a dark bag in the trunk. He caught it and pulled it out. He opened the zipper, put his hand down, and grabbed an automatic weapon. He pulled it forward, shoved in a magazine, and removed the safety. Then he aimed the gun at the drone that followed them.
He clutched the trigger, and the thunderous sound echoed through the car. But the second he pressed the trigger, the drone pulled left and rose at a violent speed.
“It’s going up!” Hugo shouted.
Freya swerved. “Copy!”
“See if you can put some distance between us and the drone!”
“Okay!”
Hugo’s brain rushed. If they could force the car that controlled the drone, they could catch the people who chased them. But they couldn’t waste too much time on this now that they had to set full speed toward the Spanish castle.
“Do you see it?”
Sussie, Mikko, and Hugo turned to search for the drone. After a few seconds, Sussie gasped and pointed.
“There! To the side, behind us!”
Hugo followed her finger and saw the dark drone some thirty meters behind them. The car that controlled it couldn’t be far away. He looked back, but there were too many vehicles to see which one it was.
“Freya!”
The Hugo Xavier Series: Book 1-3 Page 60