We had an odd number of men.
Ben, Mel, and I buddied up while everyone else worked in teams of two. With all our gear, we weren’t actually jumping out of the helicopter. Of course, our rebreathers, BCDs, fins, and lights were on us, but our scooters—our diver propulsion vehicles—would be lowered down separately.
There was too much risk getting hit on the head as we rappelled out of the helicopter.
Four of our men rappelled out of the helicopter first. We lowered our gear down to them. The downdraft from the helicopters churned the relatively calm waters, kicking up waves and sending blinding spray through the air. It made the entire process complicated, but we’d done this before.
Every step of tonight’s operation had been a part of our training. I left nothing to chance.
Finally, it was my turn on the rope. I lowered down with Ben to my left and Mel to my right. If we hadn’t had our masks on, the spray kicked up by the helicopter would have blinded us immediately. Instead, a watery veil covered the lens and made everything a blur.
That was okay because we weren’t staying on the surface. While the last remaining men slid down the ropes, Ben, Mel, and I submerged.
We were fortunate there was little current; otherwise, we risked being swept away while the rest of our men joined us, but we made allowances for that with a down line trailing from the nose of the helicopter.
Twenty feet below the surface, we gathered on the line, and I counted heads. A few minutes later, we did a final count as the last buddy pair joined us.
This was my mission, but I was not the lead. That task fell to Chad and Bay, two SEALs with extensive underwater experience. Seventeen was a large number of divers to keep in a tight formation, but we practiced for this and made it work.
We distributed the DPVs, and everyone clipped into their device. With thumbs raised, we signaled our readiness. Then Chad and Bay took off. Ben and I followed directly behind with Mel flanking us.
Alpha team set up to the right, and Bravo team gathered on the left. Except for my nannies, they buddied up, two by two, three rows deep.
We were an impressive force.
It took less than an hour to navigate to our insertion point on the beach of Snowden’s private island. We emerged from the ocean with the sun well below the horizon and water pouring off our suits into the pitch blackness of night.
We tied all our DPVs together, submerged them, and anchored them to the seafloor, then swam the remaining distance to shore.
This was it.
Endgame had begun.
Once on the shore, we removed our dive gear. An outer barrier reef protected the cove, which left its waters mirror-smooth. Tiny waves lapped at our ankles. Thick cloud cover blotted out the moon, leaving us peering into the dark.
With seventeen men, we had a lot of gear to hide. The best place was beneath the inky water, and we made use of the most effective cover in our environment.
Like the DPVs, we removed our gear and sank it under the still waters of the cove. The gentle lapping of the waves and the faintest breeze rustling the thick vegetation were the only sounds except the soft crunching of our boots over the sand.
Our initial plan had us scaling the walls, cutting through the serpentine wire, and dropping in on the other side. As a result of the VR simulation, Bay noticed a series of drainage pipes.
We adapted the plan.
Our entrance to the estate would come by way of a small and slimy, claustrophobia-inducing, drainage pipe. I could handle a twenty-foot crawl through a narrow tube. I put in my earbud and checked our comms.
Viking One to Overlord. Over.
Copy. This is Overlord. Read you loud and clear—Eagle Eyes in position. We see you. Mitzy’s clear voice popped in my ear. Somewhere overhead, a drone circled, giving them an eagle’s eye of what happened on the ground.
What do you see?
It was time to confirm the intelligence Xavier’s inside man had dug up.
I hope you hid your gear. Mitzy’s voice squawked through the comms.
Cut the chatter. Where are our bogies?
Ten patrolling the outside walls. Two at each corner. Six up front. Guests still arriving, but there’s a score or more gathered in the interior courtyard. Three boats at the dock. It looks like the party has started.
I swore I heard Mitzy huff, but she went on to give the positions of Snowden’s security team.
An advantage of crawling through the drains was that we no longer needed to worry about the men outside the walls. They became a secondary consideration, which shifted the odds, if not in our favor, at least we had fewer men to take out.
Once we had Snowden, his security wouldn’t risk his life. We just needed to get to him before the men outside the walls discovered the breach.
Copy. Moving into position. Viking One out.
I gave a thumbs-up to my team. We completed a quick comms check as we made our way down the beach.
The drainage pipe reeked, and I turned up my nose. Things got better and better as I belly crawled over something slimy. But this was much easier than scaling twenty-foot walls and cutting through serpentine wire while exposed to Snowden’s men.
Still in our drysuits, we wiggled on our bellies, one man at a time, through the slimy pipe, and gathered on the other side behind tangled vines.
Then we stripped.
The benefit of drysuits, versus wetsuits, was that we could wear regular clothing underneath.
Kitted up in black tactical garb, there was no way we would blend with the guests. Getting close to Snowden would prove difficult, but once we disabled his security, blending wouldn’t matter.
We strapped on our weapons, pulled on black hoods, and fixed night vision goggles over our eyes.
Phase Two had begun.
Chapter Eleven
Forest
My team’s job was to wait. Once the bulk of Snowden’s security had been taken out by Alpha and Bravo teams, my nannies and I would move in on the crowd.
The five of us settled in, blending with the shadows, while the two teams went to work.
Mitzy insisted on nonlethal intervention. Skye agreed. My teams were equipped with tranquilizer darts in addition to their weapons.
I thought we should shoot all the bastards. A bullet between the eyes seemed an easy way to die, and I had no sympathy for their lives. They protected a monster, therefore, lost any compassion I might have had.
Skye felt otherwise, and Mitzy simply threw a fit. In the end, tranquilizer darts were less likely to be heard and blow our cover. Mitzy thought she won that argument, but logic won out instead. To keep her quiet, I let her celebrate the win.
Alpha and Bravo teams split to the North and South.
Conquered by the Spanish, much of Philippine architecture reflected the rich heritage of Spain. Snowden’s estate was no exception. Built to resemble a fortress, it had towers at each corner, high concrete walls covered in stucco, and broad walkways on top for armed men to patrol.
The main house faced eastward to greet the rising sun. Built around a central courtyard, every room took advantage of the prevailing breezes which blew in and through arching windows protected by intricate cast-iron grates. The elegant central courtyard provided a gathering place for the residents, complete with dazzling fountains and lush gardens.
Snowden’s guests gathered in the courtyard.
Light strains of classical music drifted through the night, along with the deep rumblings of male voices and the softer sounds of women.
The back of the courtyard did not open into the house but instead extended the outside living space into expansive gardens. It was there where we waited for the signal to push forward.
Static crackled over our comms.
Alpha One: Northwest wall, no resistance.
No resistance?
I cocked my head and glanced at Ben. He shrugged. With the change in plans, we expected to encounter fewer armed guards. Most of Snowden’s security concentrated on the
outer wall, looking out, not in.
When they moved inside, Mitzy would let us know.
Bravo One: Southwest wall clear. No resistance. Heading up.
Alpha One: Heading up northwest stairs. Overlord, check heat signatures. We’ve encountered no one.
Overlord: Alpha One, no visuals inside the compound, except party guests in the courtyard. Garden’s clear. Same count. Ten outside the walls. Two at each corner. Six up front.
That seemed light, but I trusted Mitzy’s count.
Where were the rest of Snowden’s men?
Alpha and Bravo team took out the men manning the north and southwestern towers. Reporting their progress, they moved silently to the front of the compound.
My nannies and I huddled behind the thick vegetation. I wanted to be out there with my teams, but without military training, I was labeled a liability and held behind.
“No resistance?” Ben spoke to Mel in a hushed whisper.
“Raising the fine hairs on your arms?” Mel’s rough whisper sliced through the darkness.
“What’s wrong?” I turned to Ben.
“Not sure. Something’s not right.”
“How so?”
“Eight men on the walls. Six up front. Ten outside? We’re missing men.”
“You think he’s light on security?” Bay huddled close.
I shook my head. “No way would Snowden shortchange his security detail. Maybe they’re inside?”
“With the guests?” Chad joined us. “Risky. He wants to wine and dine his guests, get them drunk, and show off his merchandise, not surround them with guards.”
We’d discussed this. The women’s voices belonged to Snowden’s slaves. This event put a sparkle to the ugliness, which was his business. Willing women didn’t hang on the arms of men they didn’t know, but slaves draped themselves to avoid punishment.
“What do you think?” Ben turned his question, not to Mel, but me.
Alpha team reported in. They took out the men on the northeast tower. Bravo had yet to report back. Once we had the towers under control, we’d move in on Snowden.
It wasn’t necessary to take out all his men, only those who were close to him and those with the ability to take us out. We had six of his team incapacitated and waited for Bravo team to report in on their success.
My earbud squawked with Bravo team reporting in. Mitzy’s voice followed.
Mitzy: Overlord to Viking One.
I rolled my eyes. Mitzy had fun with our designations.
Me: Overlord, copy.
Mitzy: No more arrivals inbound. I’d say everyone is present and accounted for. Four security moving inside. Two left out at the docks.
Me: Bravo One, take your team and secure the docks. Alpha One, take care of your company.
Alpha One: Roger.
Bravo One: Roger.
I looked at Ben. “You think we’re ready to crash this party?”
He exchanged a look with Mel and tugged at his ear. “This feels off.”
“How so?”
“Too easy. We’ve taken out eight of their men and haven’t raised the alarm?”
“That was the plan,” I said.
We planned on taking out all ten men outside the walls, the eight tower guards, and those at the front of the house greeting the guests as they arrived.
Not alerting them to our presence was the plan.
I didn’t understand his concern.
“We go now,” I said. “Keep to the shadows, stay on the edges, and keep your eyes peeled.”
The four of them exchanged bemused expressions. Then I realized what I’d done. Telling four highly trained men how to do their job may not have been my finest moment. Not that I cared.
I was too fucking close to taking Snowden down.
My nannies and I moved forward with incredible stealth. We headed out of the garden and into the darkness of the open-aired halls lining the inner courtyard.
Festive lanterns lit the courtyard. Lights dangled from trellises covered in a thick carpet of vegetation. Fragrant blooms perfumed the air. The halls surrounding the courtyard remained dark, and we stuck to the shadows.
As silently as I could, I moved from one arch to the next and stopped behind the center posts to peer into the crowd.
I didn’t know any of these men but was familiar with every intimate detail of their lives. From their business connections to the names of their wives, their children, their dogs, and their many mistresses, I knew what side of the bed they slept on, what they ate for breakfast, and how to take them down.
No one in this crowd would come out of this evening unscathed. With Mitzy and Raven working by my side, we were ready to wage cyber warfare on these men who thought nothing about ruining the lives of those weaker than themselves.
Each time I stopped to look into the crowd, Ben made a clucking noise to hurry me on. I shouldn’t pause like I was, but I couldn’t help it.
Where was Snowden?
This was his party, and I couldn’t see the man who ruined my childhood.
I remembered him as a frightful man. Large and imposing, he’d been strong and powerful to my teen-self. His appetite for pain had been limitless, and his compassion non-existent.
I looked for him each time I stopped, peering around the columns which formed arches lining the courtyard.
He would be older now. I was sure the intervening years had changed him.
I was bigger, stronger, bolder, and although I knew he would be older, in my mind’s eye, I still saw a monster. He had to be in his early fifties. Surely, he had lost his dominating physique and those eyes which commanded a young boy to do whatever it took to keep his foster sister safe.
Anger stirred within me as we drew closer. I channeled all my rage, bottling it up until I could unleash it on Snowden.
Half the time, I didn’t know where Chad and Bay were in relation to Ben, Mel, and myself. They would be behind me then suddenly appear to the front of us. When I thought I had their positions nailed down, they would be behind us again.
Working with these men made me feel like an imposter. The only sounds I heard, other than the celebration we closed in on, were the dried leaves and twigs crunching underfoot—under my feet. I felt like a damn elephant trying to sneak up on a mouse.
None of the others made any noise.
But I didn’t worry. The party was in full swing. Nobody in the courtyard could hear our approach. The music blared. The soft tinkling of women’s laughter floated on the air. The deep bass rumbles of men carried through it all. Their voices grew louder, more boisterous as the whiskey flowed.
Men gripped women adorned in the most expensive ball gowns and paraded their conquests in front of their rivals. They dragged the girls across the dance floor as if the girls wanted to be there. And the girls played their part. No doubt, they would be punished if they failed to please their assigned date.
These women were nothing more than unwilling victims forced to entice men, without scruples, to believe the fantasy that such women would want to hang on their arms and lie in their beds.
Frankly, I was surprised no one was fucking. Knowing Snowden’s penchant for orgies, I expected to see several naked women draped on top of the tables, or tied to the beams overhead.
It made my stomach clench and bile rise in the back of my throat.
As we closed in, Bravo team reported an update.
The front docks had been secured.
Mitzy called out Alpha’s success as they started taking out the guards outside the walls.
Everything was set. My team approached from the rear while Alpha and Bravo teams came in from either side toward the front.
We waited until everyone was in position.
Me: Overlord, status.
Mitzy: All clear. Good to go.
My stomach felt light, unsettled, and my nerves seemed to go haywire with the go-ahead.
Ben looked at me. His left eyebrow lifted.
The command to rush the guests
would come from me. My entire mouth went dry, and I struggled to wet it so I could speak.
This was it.
Me: All units. Go!
We rushed forward, weapons raised, and descended on the guests.
Women screamed.
The men pulled guns on us, pulling us up short. This just became a shit show. We stood our ground against the men, knowing backup in the form of Alpha and Bravo teams would be on the way.
“Where the fuck is he?” I demand of the armed men.
Mitzy: He’s not there?
I scanned the crowd, looking for the face of the man I could never forget, the man who haunted my dreams and brought the screams that woke me from sleep.
Then I heard a slow clap.
Up above, and to the right, a spotlight flickered to life and illuminated a monster. He looked smug, not scared, and definitely not surprised.
Snowden stood on the walkway dead center between the two guard towers and looked down on the courtyard.
“My my…” His brittle voice raked against my ears. “After all this time, you’ve finally come home.”
What the fuck?
I lifted my weapon and placed my sights on him. A red laser dot lit up his chest.
He glanced down and gave a slow shake of his head. “My dear boy, you don’t want to do that.”
“What makes you think that?” The muscles of my jaw bunched as I stretched my finger over the trigger.
“I think you want to tell your men to put down their weapons.”
“Not happening. We have you. And you will be coming with us.”
“Oh, my boy, you see that’s not going to happen.” He gave a snap of his fingers.
His men shifted their guns, training them all on me.
Bay and Chad shifted their guns from the men to Snowden. The others held their’s on Snowden’s men. There were more of them than us, but it didn’t matter. There were now three laser dots lighting up Snowden; two over his heart and one smack dab in the middle of his forehead.
“You’re a dead man.” I couldn’t help but growl out the words.
In front of us, the girls whimpered and cried.
“Is that what you think, my boy?”
Forest's Fall (Captive Hearts Book 3) Page 9