by Laura Acton
Both watched the runway speed by and then the jet took to the air. When they finished climbing, Winds unbuckled and grabbed the pack stored under his seat. During the next few minutes he administered morphine, hooked up Ripsaw’s IV, and propped his leg up on the seat cushion across from him.
“Where are you going to sit?” Ripsaw asked.
Moving to restart the IVs on Dom’s girls, Winds said, “Floor is fine with me until we land.”
Natia rose and moved to Ripsaw. Speaking Georgian, she offered, “May I do anything to help?”
Ripsaw shook his head, but at her despondent expression, he responded, “You look lovely.” She brightened, and the two of them engaged in conversation until the pain medication caused Ripsaw to nod off.
Natia kissed his cheek before resuming her seat. She would never forget the man who saved her life. Ripsaw would always be a hero to her. She caught her niece staring at her and smiled. Her heart burst with joy when Elsa undid the seatbelt and crawled into her lap. Natia had no idea what the little one said, but she yammered on, and it made her happy.
Smiling at her sister and daughter, Tatiana murmured to Andrei, “This truly was a vacation of a lifetime. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would be going home with Natia.”
Sacred Heart Abbey – Unit’s Room – 0830 Hours
Returning to wakefulness came with reaffirmation Dan was human. His head pounded and every cell in his body made him aware he would choose starvation over poisoning any day.
“Hey, Danny.” Brody brushed Dan’cs long, damp hair from his eyes. “What’s your pain level?”
Focusing on Brody, Dan mumbled, “Manageable. What time is it?”
“Eight thirty.”
“Four hours, wow. Feels longer.” Dan’s eyes scanned the dorm noticing only he and Brody occupied the room. “Where’s Ripsaw.”
“Been more than four, actually it is morning. You’ve been out of it for sixteen hours. When you screamed, you scared the holy living crap out of all of us. Patch nearly hit the roof. Since you were only dry heaving by that time, he loaded you up on sedative.”
Dan absorbed the information. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. Patch said the poisoning would be painful … but I … man, I’m sorry you hurt so much. It must be excruciating … I mean you possess an extraordinarily high tolerance for pain. I would be bawling like a baby. I can truthfully say I want Savelievich to burn in hell for what he did to you. Death is too easy. I want to make him drink the same shit he gave you.”
“So, where is everyone?” Dan inquired, wanting to change the subject.
“Hopefully they’re in the air by now. Dom, his girls, the Teplov family, Natia, Winds, and Ripsaw left early this morning. The others are taking care of things for our exfil. Patch insisted we couldn’t move you today. Perhaps tomorrow.”
Fuzzy, not recalling the exfil strategy, Dan scrunched his features trying to evoke a memory, but gave up when nothing popped into his mind. “How are we exiting? Doubt I can waltz through the terminal and not be recognized.”
Brody averted his eyes as his shoulders slumped, and muscles in his face tightened. “You’re not gonna like our plan. I’m not sure I do either.”
Apprehension grew as Dan studied Brody. “Tell me.”
“Well, we are going to cut your hair.”
“Okay. Can’t stand it like this anyway.”
“Um, Mike had the idea to splash you with alcohol, make you appear drunk.” Brody hesitated. The whole situation would hit too close to home for Danny.
“What? Are we going by land? Driving to a smaller airfield?” Dan got a bad vibe as Brody continued to hem and haw. He tried to figure out why and lit on one reason. “No. I can’t. Brody, please we need to find another way. I’ll make a fool of myself. I’d rather risk the airport.” Dan’s panic grew.
“There is no other way. We’ll only be on the yacht for a short time.”
“Brody, no.” Dan began to shake at the mere thought of being on open water. Images of the hazing incident played like a silent movie in his head.
“I’ll be there. You, me, Patch, Mason, and Anastasia will go by boat and Mike and Blaze will rendezvous with us in a seaplane. You won’t be on it long … maybe an hour.”
Panicked eyes begged Brody to change the plan, even though Dan comprehended the strategy had been set. “No alcohol.”
As Patch and Mason entered, Brody whispered, “Close your eyes, I’ll distract them until you are calmed … calmer. I’ll figure something out. I promise I won’t let you drown … again.”
Dan shut his eyes, his mind whirling with fear and shame. Two things scared the hell out of him … needles and deep water.
Standing, Brody turned and said, “Danny woke for a moment then drifted off again. Said his pain is manageable.”
Patch breathed out in relief. “When he wakes again, we’ll try more broth. Spoke to Blaze, we should be able to go tomorrow if Blondie remains stable. I want him in Dr. Pastore’s care sooner rather than later.”
Politsia Station – Lieutenant Tikhonovich’s Office – 0900 Hours
Kesar Tikhonovich hung up the phone with the airport official. Two men who might’ve arrived with Maks Gennadiyevich had been spotted leaving via a private plane. Superficially, they fit the general description, but the incompetent tower-operator decided not to delay the take-off, which angered Kesar.
As all of their evidence alluded to a gang-related take-over, Kesar wondered if the Jackals hired professional hitmen to infiltrate and shoot up the club. Evidence gathered from the hotel room where the Yurievich brothers had been discovered pointed to high-level members of the gang. In fact, Radoslav Yegorovich’s prints were found in the room, as well as on the rifle used to kill the men on the roof which meant he might have supplied the weapons.
Panin must’ve done something to piss off Yegorovich. That gang tended to be ruthless, even more so than Panin. Somehow Yegorovich must have been tipped off that they wanted to question him. The Jackals’ leader probably had his own inside man on the force. When officers went to pick him up for interrogation, they discovered Yegorovich, his sisters, and several of his crew left the country yesterday.
Kesar leaned back in his chair and thought the best thing to do would be to sweep this under the rug as much as possible. If he did not, his involvement with Panin might be discovered. Pre-occupied with how to spin this situation to ensure he stayed out of prison, his office door flinging open startled him, but he instantly came to attention glimpsing the uniform. “Colonel.”
A man strode into the room. “Lieutenant Tikhonovich, I am Colonel Gaspar Kirillovich of National Central Bureau of Interpol in Moscow. Explain to me why you issued an arrest warrant for Maksim Gennadiyevich Ivanov.”
Shuddering slightly, Kesar replied, “He was identified by witnesses to be responsible for over eight dozen deaths at a club on the twenty-ninth.”
Gaspar shook his head in disbelief. “That is not remotely possible.”
“Why not?”
“He is in Canada.”
“Impossible. Our records show he entered Makhachkala, on the morning of May twenty-seventh.”
Eyeing the lieutenant, Gaspar said, “Not possible. Gennadiyevich escaped from Canadian authorities only two days ago.”
Confused, Kesar itched to light a cigarette. “If he … are they sure it was him and not an impostor?”
“Fingerprints prove the Mounties had the right man. Gennadiyevich was in custody for activities with underage girls. They were transporting him to Ottawa to be interviewed by Interpol on suspicious activity and payments to a Russian we recently identified as a human trafficker.
“Our person of interest happens to be Panin Savelievich Volkov, owner of the Cherry Club, where the massacre occurred. It is clear there are several problems here. Show me all your details and reports regarding this case.”
Kesar’s blood ran cold. How would he cover his involvement with Panin with Interpol involved? �
��Yes, sir. Let me find Investigator Kirillovich. He has the latest details. Please feel free to use my office. It is at your disposal.”
Gaspar grinned. “That would be Semyon Kirillovich?”
Nodding, Kesar realized both men had the same patronymic name.
“Will be nice to catch up with my baby brother and finally work a case together.” Gaspar moved to the chair behind the desk and sat.
As Kesar exited, his mind raced. This was out of control, and he needed to be smart about his next actions, especially after the evidence fiasco and the fire gutting his crime scene. Though, both of those items might help him in the end. With all that occurred, someone, most likely Yegorovich wanted to shut Panin down and went to great lengths to cover their tracks.
Yesterday, they determined someone impersonated Cheslav Nikolayevich to gain access to the lab to tamper with evidence, steal the logs, and wipe out the database records. With the Cherry Club gone, they couldn’t go back and acquire more specimens. And unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for him, their evidence was further compromised when a rookie officer sent to guard the forensics lab dropped a lit cigarette butt on a table near an open bottle of acetone. The resulting fire was contained quickly but not before several boxes caught fire, melting the plastic bags and destroying the samples inside.
The incident precipitated another bit of chaos. When lab director Cyril Pavlovich he found out his bobbleheads had been damaged in the blaze, he went nuts. He attacked the rookie with a baseball bat, intending to take the officer’s head off for ruining his prized possessions. Cyril was now in custody and awaiting a psychological evaluation.
His gang hitmen theory now held more weight with the real Maks in Canada. The only thing which concerned him is how Interpol discovered Panin’s business. Kesar needed answers before he could decide if he needed to cut his losses and beat a rapid retreat.
Kandahar – Colonel Sutton’s Office – 1310 Hours
Winds entered the colonel’s office and came to attention. He and Blaze discussed this, and he assured his CO he was okay with reporting to Sutton for the unit. Blaze felt terrible the duty fell to him, but he reminded Blaze yet again Goldilocks needed Papa Bear close by, which garnered a grin from his friend.
“At ease, Simons.” Tom studied the corporal. Plouffe kept demoting him and someday he might need to intercede. However, the soldier did possess a mouth and used it in an insubordinate manner, which validated the demotions. Yet, he understood Plouffe’s personality might drive a man to spout off.
Certain Bransworth maintained confidences, having finished vetting the man to be his aid regarding Guardian Unit operations, yet unsure about some of his staff, Tom recognized the walls might have ears. He handed over a pen and pad and motioned for Winds to take a seat as he said, “You returned sooner than expected from R&R.”
Winds sat in the chair and understood the office was not as secure as it should be. He would convey essential unit status and results in writing now while keeping the conversation light. A detailed after-action debriefing would take place when they all returned.
As he wrote, he said, “Yes, sir. Ripsaw got injured gutting a bottom feeder while fishing. Patch worried about infection as the water appeared polluted. The others are still relaxing on the boat, no longer venturing outside, and despite all their caution, Blondie ended up with food poisoning.”
When Winds handed him the pad, Tom read. Successful in primary objective and a secondary one. Two packages on the way home with additional parcels – more detail in debrief. The remainder are in a safe location. Blondie too ill to move yet.
Damn. Ripsaw and Dan are injured, but they are all alive. “How ill is he?” Sutton was sure William would request details.
“Extremely … he’s been puking for days,” Winds said as he scribbled.
The corporal took a bit longer to inscribe this missive and Tom’s face fell as he scanned and noted the struck-out passage. Patch wants Dr. Pastore to research diquat and tetrodotoxin to prepare to treat Blondie. He’s concerned about possible kidney damage. Been on perry-toe-knee-al dialysis, just say PD, Patch said the doc would understand. May not be able to maintain during transit. With arrest warrants out on Blondie and Mason, they will exfil via boat and seaplane.
Sutton destroyed both notes using a cross-cut shredder. He would hate informing William of this development, but at least they figured out a method to exit the country. “Sounds like a few of you might need additional R and R after your vacation.”
Winds snorted. “Yeah, isn’t that the truth. Don’t ever plan to go on a vacation like that again if I can help it. We were not aware of how filthy the locale is, don’t plan on going back.”
“Duly noted. Unless there is anything else, you are free to go.”
Winds stood, came to attention, pivoted, and left, heading back to the hospital to check on Ripsaw. He could not wait for the official debrief. He had several choice words for whoever planned this mission. Not that the planner would be at the meeting, but his words would still be voiced.
General Broderick’s Office – 1400 Hours
Tom entered and shut the door behind him. “I have news.”
William waved Tom to a chair as he finished signing a report and flicked on the jamming device. He took a sip of coffee and leaned back. “Go ahead.”
Speaking in a quiet voice, Tom said, “Simons and Preston returned. I spoke with Simons briefly. They were successful in retrieving the packages and sent them home. Still not certain of the details, but apparently they rescued others.”
Worry for his son and the other men spiking, William interjected, “Only Preston and Simons made it back?”
“Getting to that. Preston suffered a GSW to the lower leg. The bullet hit the bone, but Jasper indicated Shea extracted the slug and properly cleaned the wound. He is running a fever but is expected to make a full recovery now that Jasper started him on a proper course of antibiotics. The remainder took refuge and are going to exfil via boat and seaplane. Though Simons didn’t divulge the place, I expect with Dom along they ended up at the abbey.”
William nodded. “Makes sense. Excellent exfil plan to get Daniel and Srònaich O’Naoimhín out unseen.” Noting a grimace on Tom’s face, he said, “What aren’t you telling me? Are any of the others injured?”
Tom hesitated, he didn’t want to worry his friend, but as the general, he required the full status. His eyes flicked down and then back up to meet William’s intense gaze. “Sir, Dan was poisoned. I spoke to Jasper before coming and relayed Simons’ info to him. William, it isn’t good. They haven’t exited yet because Shea is performing peritoneal dialysis treatments on Dan. The neurotoxin and herbicide he ingested may have damaged his kidneys. Jasper won’t know for certain until he can do further testing.”
Raking one hand through his hair and clenching the other into a fist, William absorbed the news. After a moment of silence, he said, “Keep me informed of any further developments.” When Tom exited, William smashed his fist on his desk. He stood, moved to his side cabinet, and poured two fingers of bourbon. Early in the day to be drinking, but he needed something to dull the pain of sending his son into harm’s way once again.
Stubbornness and Subterfuge
53
May 31
Sacred Heart Abbey – Unit’s Room – 1300 Hours
Dan sat on the edge of the bed willing his aching muscles to move. Tired of being a bump on a log, and knowing he must be mobile for exfil, he needed to get his ass out of this bed. With shaking limbs, he attempted to push up to a standing position. Only clearing about three inches between butt and bed, Dan collapsed to the mattress. A frustrated growl escaped.
“Now, Sunshine … don’t be so hard on yourself.” Mason stood ready to catch Blondie if he pitched forward instead of back.
Eyeing Mason, Dan grumbled, “I’m as worthless as tits on a bull.”
Mason couldn’t help chuckling, but said, “I disagree.”
Digging deep down into reserve
s he didn’t think existed Dan tried to stand again. This time, halfway up his legs began to wobble and he lurched forward. Strong arms caught and helped him maintain an upright position.
“I got you. Let’s take this slow and easy.” Mason held his brother, not letting him fall.
Forcing his feet to move, Dan trudged a few steps as perspiration from the labor required pooled on his brow and started a narrow stream towards his eyes. Dan wiped the stinging liquid away and renewed his effort. He would not allow himself to fail the guys, he must be able to walk, or their plan would be compromised.
Blaze observed from the table, impressed by the kid’s determination. Though, his heart went out to him too … he did not miss the tremors running through Blondie’s body as he struggled across the room.
Almost halfway to the door, Dan focused on his goal. I’m gonna achieve my goal if this kills me. One small step at a time. He took one step, and another, keeping Brody’s words in the forefront of his thoughts.
Patch entered the room followed by Brody who almost ran into the back of him with the dinner tray when he abruptly halted. He gaped at Blondie. “What the hell are you doing out of bed?”
“Gotta walk for exfil.” Dan clung to Mason for support.
“Turn around and go back to bed. I didn’t authorize you to be up yet. For Christ’s sake, you haven’t even been able to keep any liquid down. Despite my best efforts, your electrolytes are certainly imbalanced, which conceivably can wreak havoc with your heart,” Patch admonished Blondie. Then he turned his ire toward Blaze. “You allowed him to do this?”
Blaze grimaced and shrugged, but defended his action, “You realize Blondie is as stubborn as a mule. Once he sets his mind on something, no one can dissuade him. Besides, he must exercise his muscles to be on his feet for exfil.”
Setting the tray down, Brody grasped both points of view, but Dan’s health concerned him most. He strode over and locked his gaze on his tenacious brother. “Don’t overdo or you’ll set yourself back. What is your goal?”
“Door.” Dan’s legs quivered, and he was unsure they would support him for much longer.