Baldwin’s men had encircled the ruins and were pressing forward. The two men on Sean’s right took up positions on opposite sides of a window near the front of the building. They operated with military precision, causing him to wonder if any of them had been through some kind of training.
A shot came from the back end of the chapel, and Sean saw one of the North Koreans crouching at the corner. He leaned out and took another potshot at the two exposed men near the window.
Sean thought the North Koreans’ next move would be retreating farther toward the back of the chapel, but he hadn’t anticipated them counterattacking around the side. It was a smart move.
Speaking of smart moves, Sean decided he needed to move. His friends already had a head start, and he didn’t want them to wait.
He turned and took off, rushing into the woods and leaping over the same small tree Adriana had jumped a moment before. Tommy and June were a good forty feet ahead with Adriana a few dozen feet in front of them, hacking her way through the forest undergrowth.
She moved like a professional running back, cutting around one oak then another, dipping her head under a tree limb, and then swiping another one away just before it smacked her in the face.
June, too, moved deftly through the woods. She was slightly less graceful than Adriana but had no trouble keeping pace.
Tommy’s progress, however, was a comedy of errors. He tripped over a tree root, smacked into a tree trunk, got slapped multiple times by small branches, and looked more like a tank driving through a tea shop. He lumbered forward as fast as he could, only able to keep up with the two women through sheer willpower.
Adriana stopped when she reached a chain-link fence that stretched all the way from one end of the forest to the other. Fortunately, the barbs on the top were pointed straight up, which would make it easier to get over. Had it been one with the inward- or outward-facing barbed wire tops, they might have had issues.
She started climbing and in mere seconds had crested the fence and dropped down to the other side, easily landing on her feet.
June climbed the fence like a monkey. Her lithe body was perfectly suited for climbing, and she went over the top without issue.
Tommy ran headlong into the fence, his weight causing the waves to ripple down the fence line. He grabbed onto the fencing and started climbing. When he was a few feet off the ground, his right foot slipped, and he fell back down. He started again, getting a hand on the top bar before his foot slipped again. This time, Sean was there to stop his fall.
Sean caught his friend’s foot and hoisted him higher until Tommy was almost straddling the fence top.
“I wouldn’t sit on that if I were you,” Sean said, looking at the sharp points right at Tommy’s undercarriage.
“Don’t think I didn’t already take that into consideration.”
He forced most of his weight onto his hands as he lifted his right leg over the fence and then the left. When both feet were on the other side he started to lower himself down but lost his grip and fell to the ground. He rolled clumsily in the wet leaves for a second and then stopped in a sitting position. He breathed heavily, but got himself together and brushed the dirt and leaves off his pants.
Sean shook his head and leaped onto the fence, grasping the top with both hands and vaulting over it with one swift movement.
He landed next to Tommy and patted his friend on the back. “You okay?”
“Just…don’t, okay?”
“Keep moving,” Adriana ordered. She turned and started running again, this time bending her direction slightly to head back to the parking lot.
By now, the sounds of the gunfight were all but gone. The sound suppressors both groups were using kept it from sounding like what it was—an all-out war.
Through the branches and bushes in the woods ahead, the four companions could see the cars. As they drew closer, the distant sounds of the muffled pops could be heard, but thankfully no one was around the parking lot except for a few scared tourists crouching next to their vehicles.
Adriana burst out of the forest first. Her feet pounded the asphalt, moving even faster. Tommy, June, and Sean were twenty feet behind her but moving quickly.
Sean took the key fob out of his pocket the second his shoes touched the pavement. He pressed the unlock button as Adriana arrived and opened one of the back doors.
She stood next to it, waving her hand, urging Tommy and June to hurry. June made it to the car next and slid into the back seat. As she did, a door opened on a sedan parked just a few spots away.
Sean watched as the man got out, looking right at his three friends. It was one of Baldwin’s men. Then he saw another guy get out of the passenger side.
A sinking feeling shot through Sean’s gut. He knew immediately what happened. Like a good chess player, Baldwin had anticipated Sean’s move and set up a safety net to make sure the Americans couldn’t get away if they tried to make an escape.
Sean bent his run to the left and charged the man closest to his friends.
The guy was raising a pistol when Sean’s shoulder plowed into his ribs.
The gunman grunted loudly from the impact, and then again as the two hit the ground. He maintained a grip on his weapon and tried to overpower Sean to take aim at his chest.
Sean grabbed the guy’s wrist and started smacking it against the ground until the pistol rattled out of the man’s hand.
Meanwhile, the other gunman saw what happened to his partner and hurried around the front end of the sedan to assist.
Tommy had started to get into the rental car when he saw Sean take down the gunman. Out of breath, fatigued, and hampered by burning muscles, Tommy pushed all those factors out of the way and ran as fast as he could around the cars separating him and the two struggling men on the ground.
He and the second shooter saw each other at the same time. The guy brandished his weapon. His finger tensed on the trigger for a second, and Tommy thought he was certainly going to get off a shot. Suddenly, his hand holding the weapon flailed skyward as his knee buckled.
Sean had seen what was about to happen and for one second took his focus off the man he was fighting and punched the side of the other gunman’s knee. Sean’s reward was a set of strong fingers wrapped around his throat as his opponent attempted to choke him out.
With the other shooter thrown off for a second, Tommy took advantage and launched foot first. Tommy was more of a brawler than a martial arts kind of guy, but his flying sidekick worked perfectly on an enemy who’d just been knocked off balance.
Tommy’s shoe landed squarely in the guy’s abdomen, the force sending the man sprawling over the hood of his car. Not used to landing a kick like that, Tommy stumbled forward and nearly landed on top of the guy.
His gunman used that to his advantage and grabbed Tommy by the shirt. He forced him onto his back and punched hard. Tommy reacted fast, putting up both hands to block the first punch and then the second, but the third sank into his gut. He felt the air fly from his lungs and suddenly found himself gasping for air. His guard went down, too, which opened up his face as an easy target. The guy landed a hard punch squarely on Tommy’s cheek and then another on the other cheek.
On the ground, Sean clambered to get on top of his opponent. He straddled the guy’s torso with both legs and squeezed. He cocked his fist to deliver a blow to the man’s face, but the guy suddenly jerked one way then the other. The move was so powerful it tossed Sean to the side with such momentum that he couldn’t balance himself fast enough before hitting the other car with the side of his head.
Dazed, Sean put out both hands to try to grab onto something to steady himself. His right hand found a rearview mirror, and he pulled himself up with it. The gunman swung a hard uppercut and landed it on Sean’s jaw. The blow was glancing but didn’t do anything to help the pain thumping on the side of his head and his blurred vision.
The guy stood up and stepped to Sean as he lay slumped against the car door. His opponent reare
d back, about to drive his knee into Sean’s face, when he saw a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye.
Adriana slid over the car’s hood. She reached the other side, planted her feet on the quarter panel, and used her momentum to launch at the attacker. She flew through the air with her right fist drawn and snapped it hard, driving her fist into the guy’s temple. Her knees crashed into his chest, driving him back into the door of his own vehicle, where he dropped to the ground and fell over on his side.
Tommy desperately tried to throw a punch at his opponent, but the man had him pinned and had already delivered two heavily damaging punches. It wouldn’t take many more before he lost consciousness.
A woman’s voice yelled from off to the right, and he saw June run up behind the guy. She jumped in the air from the curb and raised her right elbow next to her head. Gravity pulled her toward her target just as the man turned to see what the noise was. June’s elbow sank deep into the base of his skull with a sickening thud.
The man wobbled for a few seconds after June landed with a spin move to keep her balance. He looked about to fall on top of Tommy, but she swept her foot around and caught the back of his heels, sending him toppling backward. His upper back hit the curb, which would have hurt had he been conscious.
June stood up and reached out a hand to Tommy. A few feet away, Adriana extended her hand down to Sean. The two men stood up simultaneously, both a little woozy.
Confused, they looked at the two women, then each other, then the two women again.
Sean gently felt the side of his head and winced. “Looks like we found a couple of keepers, eh, buddy?”
Tommy worked his jaw back and forth, trying to get the pain out. “Yeah. And I vote one of them drives us back to London.”
25
Glastonbury
Han-Jae crouched at the back of the chapel and pressed his back to the stone wall. One of his men was on the other side of the church, holding his position against the two gunmen attacking from that flank. Another was on the opposite corner, doing his best to fend off the two coming from the right.
He’d ordered his men to fall back in an attempt to lure the attackers into an ambush. When he initially got his men safely into the cover of the chapel, he cursed himself for allowing the blond and his men to catch them by surprise. The enemy leader had been foolish in thinking he could talk his way out of a fight.
The blond had ordered Han-Jae and his men to drop their weapons and hit the ground. Han-Jae’s reaction had been immediate and deadly: he spun around and fired a shot, sending a bullet into the chest of the guy closest to the blond leader.
The mortal wound dropped the man instantly, and Han-Jae’s comrades also opened fire as they retreated toward the ancient monastery amid a hailstorm of hot metal.
Han-Jae narrowly escaped the initial gun battle, along with two of his men. One however—the youngest—took a bullet to the back of his leg. Han-Jae draped the young man over his shoulder and dragged him to the back of the chapel where he lowered him to the ground behind the rear wall.
The man insisted he was fine, that he could take care of himself. Han-Jae knew better. He knew he was going to have to cut the dead weight. The injured man would only slow them down. That was something he could not abide.
For the moment, however, he still had some usefulness.
Han-Jae leaned around an opening in the stonework and fired a shot down the aisle toward the entrance. The blond had pursued up the middle while his other men tried to take the flanks. It was a fairly standard maneuver, at least for someone who understood tactics.
The bullet ricocheted off the façade at the other end, missing the blond by more than a few feet. It didn’t matter if Han-Jae hit him or not. He just had to buy a little time. He ducked back behind the wall and looked down at the bleeding man.
“I need you to hold the center,” Han-Jae said. “Can you do that?”
The younger man grimaced but nodded. “Yes, sir.” He dragged himself up and propped his shoulder against the wall close to the opening.
“I’m going to give some support to the men on the side. Keep their leader from coming down the middle. We’re going to get out of this.”
Han-Jae had no intention of getting the injured man out alive. By taking a bullet to the leg, the guy had just become the sacrificial lamb. Han-Jae patted him on the shoulder and then ran around to the right side where Buzz-Cut was reloading a full magazine into his weapon.
“How many do you have left?” Han-Jae asked as he skidded to a stop.
“This is my last magazine.”
“I only have one left, too.”
“We need to find a way out of here.”
“Yes, but there’s only one way back to the car.”
Sirens whined in the distance, interrupting their conversation for the moment. “You’re thinking linearly. We can make it back if we loop around over here,” he pointed to the main sanctuary and then a forest running alongside both sections of the ruins.
“They’ll see us,” Buzz-Cut said.
“Not if they think we’re making a stand here.” Han-Jae stepped to the corner and stuck his weapon around the rock. He fired five successive shots at the approaching men and sent them scrambling to the front of the chapel for cover. He moved back behind the wall and looked at Buzz-Cut. “The only place they have for protection is the front wall. If they’re all hiding at the entrance, they’ll not see our retreat. Then we can lose them in the forest.”
“But if we run, they’ll pursue.”
Han-Jae shook his head. “Not if they think we’re still here.” He turned and looked at the wounded man by the wall holding his weapon at shoulder height, ready to fire.
“You’re going to leave him?” Buzz-Cut asked.
“We have no other choice.”
The two made their way back to the opening in the middle of the chapel and joined the younger man.
“We’re going to have to make a stand,” Han-Jae said. “Push hard up the middle. If they try to come through the door, kill them.”
The injured man nodded.
“We’re going to push around to this side over here,” Han-Jae said, pointing to the right. “There should be enough stonework inside for you to stay safe while we flank the enemy.”
He didn’t wait for more confirmation from his injured comrade. Han-Jae ran quickly over to the other shooter and filled him in on the plan. He’d kept his side clear, forcing the blond’s men to stay back at the front of the chapel.
“Understood,” Shaved Head said. “Just give the word.”
Han-Jae rushed back to the opening and nodded at the young guy. “Go.”
He didn’t question the order. He hobbled into the opening as fast as he could and crouched down behind a broken piece of wall. The blond poked his head around the entrance door again, and the young man fired two shots that ricocheted off the stone.
Han-Jae nodded at his other two men, who took off at top speed toward the main sanctuary. Han-Jae gave one last look at the injured man and then followed behind the other two.
He didn’t dare look back, knowing any sort of slowdown could cost him. If the ambushers saw where he and his remaining two men were headed, they would then be able to cut off their exit, an issue that was growing more and more possible every second the police closed in.
He reached the stone edifice and cut behind it to the left, pausing for a second where his men awaited further instructions. Han-Jae looked out straight beyond the remnants of the nearest wall.
“Right through there.”
The sirens grew louder for a moment and then started fading. At first, Han-Jae was confused. Then he realized no one had called the police here. They were going somewhere else.
He let out a short sigh of relief. “Follow me.”
He sprinted out of the opening as he heard more gunshots from the chapel. Han-Jae slowed to let his two men run by and looked back for a second. Two of the attackers had circled around behind the chapel an
d were going in through the back. He saw them take aim but didn’t watch as the men gunned down the injured comrade he’d left behind. He didn’t have time to watch. Lingering would lead to his downfall.
It was regrettable, Han-Jae thought as he ran ahead and disappeared into the foliage. He didn’t want to leave the young man behind, but he had no choice.
As he nimbly danced around trees, bushes, and large rocks, his mind drifted to his little brother.
Son Yoo had been a promising young soldier until he was taken down by a South Korean sniper. The bullet had pierced his heart and exited out his back. Death came so quickly; Son Yoo was gone before anyone could call for help.
There’d never been any report as to why the sniper had fired, or why he targeted Han-Jae’s brother. All Han-Jae knew was that any allies of the south or of America were his enemies, and he would do anything to destroy them.
His mind snapped back to the present as he almost ran into a low-hanging branch. He ducked beneath it and kept running as the men in front started to loop back around to the cars.
Off to his left, he no longer heard the sound of gunfire. Han-Jae figured the blond and his men would pursue to the main sanctuary. It’s what he would have done. The blond would find the area empty. Next, he would have his men fan out and search the property. By the time they got back to their vehicles, Han-Jae and his men would be long gone.
The only question was, where would they go next?
26
London, England
Tommy’s phone vibrated atop the table in the corner of the pub. Sean was watching the news with the television muted, trying to see if there was anything about the Glastonbury shootout in the headlines. June and Adriana were discussing Adriana’s unusual hobby of tracking down stolen Nazi art.
Oddly, none of the television anchors said anything about the shootout.
“It’s the kids,” Tommy said after checking the caller ID.
Sean and the other two turned their attention away from the television.
The Sean Wyatt Series Box Set 4 Page 45