Shades of Loyalty

by Paul Stretton-Stephens

  Diego had rushed down a corridor. They heard a window opening. There were no sounds of any occupants and, as the pair advanced, Jago caught sight of Diego frantically trying to open the tall, old window. He indicated to his companion that he should toss the flash-bang. José Luis threw it along the floor and down the passage. As it exploded, they advanced on Diego who was writhing on the ground with his hands on his ears. He was disarmed by Jago and PlastiCuffed in seconds, well before José Luis had even got any handcuffs out. Jago then proceeded to gag and hood the captive. Diego groaned and fought against the gag to little effect as José Luis and Jago grasped him under each arm and led him towards the apartment’s exit.

  “Jago, keep your eyes open for his friends. They won’t want him captured for their own sakes.”

  They negotiated Diego through the doorway, with Jago exiting first. He paused as he looked down the passageway, left then right.

  “Clear.”

  They ushered Diego into an elegant passageway that was adorned with elaborate golden wall lamps and lavish rich-red decor.

  “Turn left, to the end, and the stairs and elevator will be on the right.”

  They moved at pace, with Diego having sense enough to slow them down by slumping his bodyweight and dragging his feet. He did this once and they dragged him a few feet but Jago quickly grew tired of this tactic and thrust his open hand onto Diego’s throat. Diego tried but failed to gasp due to the gag. He inhaled strongly through his nose, desperately trying to catch air to breathe. His effort was stifled by the hood, and the gag prevented further inhalation.

  Jago turned to José Luis. “Tell him to start moving or something else might happen.”

  José Luis translated the message and Diego nodded as best as he could.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Stairs or elevator?” asked José Luis.

  “You take the elevator with him, it’s only two floors, and I’ll cover the floors below. Take him to the first floor and wait for me. When it’s all clear we’ll go to the ground floor.”

  Jago ensured that they were securely in the elevator and then headed for the stairs. Checking that the coast was clear, he hurtled himself down the two flights of stairs to the next floor. He slowly opened the door, peering from knee-height level. It appeared clear so he opened the door further. Still clear. The elevator arrived and the door opened with Diego crumpled in the corner. Jago looked at José Luis quizzically.

  “He’s okay, he just needed some instruction, that’s all.”

  “Right, let’s go down to the ground floor.”

  The elevator door closed and Jago entered the stairway again. He descended cautiously. He reached the turn in the stairway; it was clear. He descended the final few stairs with his back to the wall. As he reached the last stair, he darted to the opposite corner, covering both possibilities from a different angle. It was clear. He made for the door and slowly opened it, gaining an inch-by-inch view of the courtyard ahead. He scanned the area for signs of life. There was an eerie calm. His senses told him that this would be a moment of danger. A bell rang to announce the arrival of the elevator. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, as always. He dashed for the now open doorway of the elevator and grabbed Diego’s free arm. He and José Luis used Diego’s body in front of them as a shield. They moved to the right towards the exit, their eyes scanning every nook and cranny, then, in the corner of Jago’s eye, the leaf of a potted plant moved, so he thrust Diego to the floor and José Luis loosened his grip and pointed his pistol to the front.

  Meanwhile, Jago trained his weapon on a quivering palm tree. There was no wind and no other apparent reason for the tree to move; there had to be someone there. He released his grip on Diego, and José Luis pushed a knee into the back of Diego’s prone body. Jago advanced, ready to engage. A silhouette emerged in the form of a weapon. It was just about aligned with him as he double-tapped his pistol. The man slumped to the ground at the foot of the pot. A shot then rang out from above and Jago dashed for cover under the balcony with José Luis and Diego. Their attacker needed to move in order for them to have a line of sight. José Luis covered one side and Jago the other, ready for contact. José Luis fired first and the attacker ran towards the balcony opposite them, firing back. Jago took aim and, with a single shot, stopped the attacker in his tracks. He dropped to the floor, the echo of the shots still ringing out in the courtyard. They waited for silence and made for the exit into the street.

  “This way,” said José Luis. “It’s safer to take the alleyways than the main street.”

  They scurried across the street to the first alleyway. Jago disappeared inside first and signalled to José Luis to advance with Diego. As he did so, he looked beyond Jago’s position in front, keeping to one side of the passageway so that Jago could alternate his head movements to maintain a vigil behind them. They maintained this tactic until they appeared at the opening of a main street, Carrer del Micalet. They waited as the occasional car passed by in the distance, ever alert and wary of anyone approaching. Some women were returning home after a night out. They were loud but happy and moving slowly along the street.

  “It’s too risky to return to the car. We can stop the next taxi over there.”

  They covered the Plaza de la Virgin and huddled down in a small seating area under some trees. Jago was holding Diego tightly from behind and covering their rear while José Luis watched and waited for a taxi to appear. After ten minutes or so, José Luis broke cover to flag down a taxi. He spoke briefly with the driver before returning to help Jago with Diego. As they headed for the taxi, shots rang out from a distant tower. José Luis dragged Diego into the taxi as Jago knelt and returned fire. His shots were rapid and deliberate, taking out one of the lights nearby. He returned to the cover of the trees and changed the magazine.

  Jago shouted to José Luis. “Don’t wait! Go, and I’ll make my way.”

  José Luis passed the order to the driver, who didn’t need telling twice, and they sped off into the night. The shooter took a shot at the taxi, and Jago gave covering fire, forcing the shooter to retreat. He waited until he could no longer hear the taxi’s engine, then realised that the group of women were screaming in the street. They were no doubt sobering up quicker than anticipated. Jago ran along the street, maintaining a view of the tower. He saw a man move on its roof, and slowly approached the edge of the building that connected to the cathedral. The alleyway was well lit and empty, save for some large rubbish containers. He moved along to the other side and could see an open door. He knew that he could choose to leave the area but instead he pursued the shooter. He sidled up in the shadows and heard the unmistakable sounds of footsteps coming down the stone stairway inside. He sank down on his haunches, weapon at the ready. His target came into view, cautiously exiting the cathedral door with his rifle at the ready. Every few steps, the target stopped and peered up and down the street. Police sirens could be heard in the distance but closing in. The target picked up pace and looked right towards Jago, motionless in the shadows. His guard was down and Jago seized his chance. He emerged from the shadows, advancing at pace, and, as the target started to turn, Jago fired twice. The shooter collapsed in the street, his weapon tumbling down to the ground.

  As Jago approached, the shooter tried to grab a pistol in his waistband. He was too late as Jago despatched him with a single shot to the head. Jago searched the man’s jeans pockets for anything of interest and found a single piece of folded paper, upon which was a handwritten note:

  Es imperativo que a Diego ahora. Si no lo haces, no regreses.

  Chapter 15 – The Hospital Visit

  Jago arrived back at the Guardia Civil barracks and asked for José Luis.

  “Señor Jago, I have a message for you that José Luis is in the hospital. We have a car that can take you there. Please wait a moment.”

  Jago wondered if the shooter’s stray shot had caught José Luis.

  “And the prisoner, where is the prisoner?” asked Jago.
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  “The prisoner is at the hospital too. You were very lucky to get out of there alive, Señor, fortunate.”

  Jago sat on a bench at the side of the vast courtyard. He could just make out the stars above through the gaps in illumination. The sky was crystal clear and, as he adjusted his eyes, he made out star formations that reminded him of a time in his younger days when he was in training on Dartmoor on a summer’s night.

  “Señor, your driver awaits you over here,” the corporal indicated towards the waiting car.

  ***

  As Jago entered the main entrance of Hospital Clinico, two burly Guardia Civil officers challenged him. Thankfully, his driver had followed him in and explained to the officers who he was.

  “I’ll take you to José Luis. This way please.”

  As they walked down the grey-walled corridor, the officer said, “José Luis told us how you saved his life more than once this night. We’d like to thank you. He is one of our best officers.”

  “We were just doing our jobs, nothing more. Is he alright?”

  “He is, but I’m afraid that his captive is wounded and in surgery.”

  They reached the third floor where more officers met them. José Luis appeared and greeted Jago, and, as he did so, the driver saluted him and promptly left.

  “Jago, thank you for what you’ve done, but I fear that your efforts may have been in vain. Diego was shot twice and is in surgery. His chances are fifty-fifty.”

  “Well, we tried.”

  “And the shooter, I hear he didn’t make it?”

  “No, I’m afraid he didn’t. But he did leave something for us.”

  “Oh, he did? How generous, and what was that?”

  Jago handed José Luis the note.

  “What does it say? My Spanish is a little rusty, but I think that I get the gist.”

  “It says, ‘It is essential that you kill Diego now. If you don’t, do not return’. It’s an order, but I wonder from whom? I’ll get this sent over to our experts immediately.”

  “Wait, let me take a photo of it, and I’ll send it to my team too. You never know what they’ll come up with.”

  Once Jago had taken the photo, José Luis turned and spoke to one of the officers present and gave him the note, sending him on his way.

  ***

  “You know, the view of the city from up here is amazing. I’ve always liked it. The mayhem below seems quite insignificant, don’t you think?”

  Jago sipped his coffee while taking in the view and taking note of the Guardia Civil spotters.

  “It’s quite something. In all of the times I’ve been here, I haven’t seen it from this perspective. It’s quite special. You’re taking no chances with Diego, are you? You think that they’ll come and get him?”

  “Oh yes, they’ll come and get him. Or they’ll kidnap the family of one of the staff and get them to finish him off for them. They’ll then kill the victims, of course, to tie up any loose ends. That’s how they work. We have to prepare.”

  They waited long into the night, taking the occasional coffee but always returning to the roof.

  Suddenly the radio came alive.

  “Two vehicles with four men in each have parked in the car park over the road. The spotters are watching them on the west side.”

  The radio spluttered out more information.

  “Another car has parked on the north side. It has two occupants. It’s probably the boss. If we look over the north side, you can see it directly below. It’s the one that’s reversed into place to get away more quickly. They know the layout well. From their position they can observe any movement out of the rear of the hospital should we choose to take Diego out.”

  “Can you show me?”

  “Sure, this way.”

  As they walked to the position, the radio crackled again.

  “There are eight men, three of which are heavily armed, and they’re heading towards the main entrance. I have ten officers in that area. They can hold them off, but they don’t have the firepower. So, a tactical support team is on its way, along with the regional helicopter.”

  They reached the north side and peered over the edge.

  “You see the big silver Audi? That’s them.”

  “I see. Do you have rope and harness?”

  “I do, but what would you want with these things, my friend?”

  “Let’s get them, and I’ll tell you while we set up.”

  “If you’re thinking of doing what I think you’re going to do, you’re crazy.”

  “Do you know any other way? They’ll see anyone coming at them straight away. This was so they wouldn’t see anything.”

  “Very well, have it your way, you crazy man, you! But I insist that you take Amadeo with you. He’s trained in these sorts of things and loves it. He speaks English well. He’d love to help you. Maybe you can take out one each, on either side?”

  “That’s the point — I don’t want to take them both out. I want the boss man alive.”

  “Ah, okay, whatever.” José Luis turned to Amadeo. “Did you hear that? Don’t get trigger happy.”

  The sound of automatic weapons exchanging fire could be heard below. It echoed around the surrounding buildings.

  Jago and Amadeo prepared for their fast rope descent. Amadeo was preparing for a rearwards descent when he looked over and noticed that Jago was making a face-down approach.

  “I see that you like things interesting, Señor Jago. Very well, I’ll join you.”

  He changed his rig, and when they were both ready, they edged to the parapet above the eight floors beneath them. Jago took the left side and Amadeo the right.

  “Remember, don’t shoot your man. Let’s go, on three. One, two, three.”

  They ran down the building in unison and stopped at the agreed halfway point, and, looking at each other nodding, descended the remaining distance.

  Amadeo was taken by surprise as Jago launched himself onto the roof of the car above the driver. Amadeo landed and quickly trained his weapon on a smiling man. As he looked through, he saw the contorted body of the driver crushed against the steering wheel.

  Jago joined them, and his eyes met Amadeo’s momentarily.

  “Bosses don’t drive,” said Jago, opening the car door.

  He dragged the man out of the car by his abundant hair. Where his hair went, his body followed. He flung the chunky man to the floor face down and PlastiCuffed his hands behind his back. While searching him, he asked Amadeo to ask the man his name.

  “¿Como te llamas?”

  The only response was for him to spit on the ground.

  “Not talkative, eh? Listen, there’s a radio in the footwell of the driver’s side. Get it, will you?”

  Amadeo retrieved the radio.

  “What are they saying?”

  “Something about getting ready to go in. They want the final word from their jefe, their boss.”

  Jago dragged the man to his feet. He delivered a couple of punishing blows to his stomach and one in his solar plexus. He removed the neckerchief from around his neck and tied it in place as a gag.

  He allowed his man to regain his composure and dragged him towards the west side of the building where shots could still be heard. They were sporadic now.

  “Come on, let’s go. Let your guys know that we’re coming in from the north side and that they can stop shooting at the bad guys. But make out they’re firing.”

  Amadeo relayed the message as they quickly covered the couple of hundred metres to the corner. The man made to run free from Jago’s grip, but he just bolstered him against the wall and laid a couple of solid fists into his side. With his back now to the wall, Jago struck the man’s forehead with the heel of his hand, sending it back onto the concrete wall.

  “Amadeo, grab him and stick the barrel of your pistol in him. When I say, call out to his men and tell them to put down their weapons or you’ll shoot their boss. Give them a few seconds to think about it. Repeat yourself once, then leave
them to think for about half a minute.”

  “Okay, but then what? What if they don’t put their weapons down.”

  “Shoot him.”

  “I can’t just shoot him.”

  “Why not? If it defeats the situation, that’s what’s called for. But don’t worry, you won’t have to. Give me one minute before you bring him out. Are you ready? And ask that helicopter to move its light away for a couple of minutes.”

  Amadeo rapidly relayed the messages.

  “Err, okay. I’m ready. You have one minute from now.”

  Jago slipped in a pair of headphones and made for the street. He started walking nonchalantly along the road as if he were a passer-by without a care in the world. Any onlooker would see that he was probably listening to music. He’d walked about two hundred metres when Amadeo brought out his catch. He ordered the men to lower their weapons as agreed and the gunmen paused, calling to each other for instructions. During this pause, Jago came up from their rear left flank. He shot two of them and, as they slumped to the floor, the remaining gunmen turned towards him, firing wildly. Changing direction, he sought cover from some parked vehicles. He moved to his right and emerged behind two of the gunmen. As they swivelled towards him, he swiftly shot them both. By this time, the Guardia Civil support team was arriving and was busy dealing with the two remaining gunmen who quickly surrendered their weapons.

  ***

  Amadeo had ensured that his captive was handed over to a high-security team for safekeeping. He met Jago on the steps to the hospital entrance where José Luis was waiting.