“Yes, let’s make dinner,” Neev said. “That sounds fun.”
“I’ve got this,” Samantha smiled and picked up the wine.
“Should I grab another bottle of plonk?” Neev asked.
“Please,” Samantha said. “They’re in the cabinet.”
Neev took another bottle from the cabinet and followed Samantha out the door.
About fifteen minutes later, Erin came in the back door. She looked for Samantha in the kitchen and then went into the living area. She found Fionn, John and Cian’s nephew, studying at the dining room table.
“Have you seen my sister?” Erin asked.
“Just got here,” Fionn said in his thick Scottish accent. “I’ll tell you, I was relieved to have the space and quiet. So don’t you get all loud.”
“As you wish,” Erin grinned.
Fionn laughed.
“Anything going on?” Fionn asked.
“We’d talked about getting something to eat,” Erin said. “I called her, but didn’t get her. So I went by her place, but she didn’t answer.”
“The bell’s out,” Fionn said. “Back and front. Happened yesterday; before you fret, it’s on my list of things to fix. But . . .”
Fionn gestured to his books.
“Oh well,” Erin shrugged. “If you see her, will you tell her I came by?”
Fionn nodded. Erin stood over him for another moment before shrugging again and going home.
FFFFFF
Tuesday afternoon
November 9 – 11:43 p.m. China Standard Time
(November 9 – 8:43 a.m. MST)
Near the border between China and North Korea
“What are you doing today?” Alex asked John.
While they waited for a call from Joseph in Pakistan and the arrival of the Fey Team, Alex, Raz, and Max called home one last time. Max was talking to Wyatt over the satellite phone, and Raz video chatted to Samantha using Ji’s laptop. They were standing near the North Korean border on what looked like an old water project.
“I don’t know,” John yawned. “Sleep. Run. Miss you. The usual.”
Alex smiled.
“How was the pestilence?” Knowing the line was not secure, John avoided using Cee Cee Joiner’s name.
“Confusing,” Alex said.
“Same old,” John smiled. “It’s really nice to see your face. Are you going in?”
“I should be done in a few hours,” Alex nodded. “That’s the plan.”
“You think you’ll be back for this party?” John asked.
“Your office party?” Alex asked. “I don’t see why not, but I haven’t been able to get a gift.”
“I’m sure we have something here,” John said. “I’ll ask Cian.”
She looked up when a military transport truck pulled into a turnoff across the road from where she was standing. She waved to Matthew.
“I need to go,” Alex said.
“I wanted to tell you,” John said.
“Yes?”
“I think I’d like to find a surrogate,” John said. “It’s crazy, I know, but I’ve always wanted our own baby.”
“Why don’t you research it a bit?” Alex asked. “Let me know what’s involved.”
“I’m not in any hurry,” John said. “I just wanted to let you know I’d thought about it.”
“I’m glad you did,” Alex nodded.
“You start.”
“I love you, John Kelly Drayson, today and every other day for the rest of this life and every other I’m blessed with,” Alex grinned.
“Hey! Those are my vows!” John smiled. She laughed.
“You’d better go ahead before all chaos descends,” Alex said.
“I love you, Alexandra Hargreaves Drayson, today and every other day for the rest of this life and any other I’m blessed with.”
Alex laughed, and he grinned at saying her vows. He kissed the palm of his hand and put it up to the webcam. She did the same. With a nod, he was gone.
Alex looked across the road to where the Fey Team was unloading. Wearing their black pants and warm winter jackets, they helped each other out of the truck and then looked for her. She waved.
Colin ran to her with her thick black winter jacket with “FEY” stenciled on the back in white. Under “FEY” was the Vivaldi “F” that served as the Fey Team mark. Under the Vivaldi “F”, Alex had insisted on placing translations for the word “fairy.” She noted the Chinese soldiers pointing to the “魎,” fairy in traditional Chinese. Their last names and service were printed in white on the left front with another “FEY” on the right front.
Royce grabbed a heavy backpack from the truck and threw it on his back before crossing the road. Troy brought Raz his winter jacket, and Matthew had a jacket for Max.
“What do you know?” Alex asked Matthew.
Raz ended his call with Samantha and stood just behind her.
“A Special Forces team was waiting for us when we landed in South Korea at Osan Air Base,” Matthew said.
“Who?” Alex asked.
“1st SF,” Matthew said. “We left Cliff there to pick up a bird and a co-pilot.”
“Delta?” Alex asked.
“Those boys want in on the party,” Matthew said.
“Always,” Alex shook her head and smiled. “Do you think Cliff can handle this?”
Colin and Max stood next to Alex to listen in.
“The Jakker does. He should know,” Matthew shrugged. He waited for Troy and Royce to join them. “What’s the news?”
“The priest’s being held at a work camp near the Northern Palace,” Alex said.
They were using the code name “priest” for Steve Pershing.
“They are having a national celebration at the palace this weekend,” Raz said. “We believe that’s why they are moving on the mine tonight.”
“Too close for comfort,” Troy said. “Makes sense that they’d want to get him out of the country before that happens.”
“As long as you don’t know about the other action,” Matthew said.
“Right,” Alex nodded. “The hope is that we’ll have rescued the priest before the rest of the team gets to work in Pakistan. We have to prepare for the actions to happen simultaneously.”
Matthew raised his eyebrows and nodded.
“Sir, I’ve been monitoring the Korean People’s Army communications,” Royce said.
“And?” Alex’s eyebrows pinched together with worry.
“It’s like you said,” Royce said. “They want this done, and done fast. They’re not concerned about collateral damage.”
“There’s something there they don’t want us to see,” Alex said.
“That’s my opinion,” Royce said.
“And the Chinese?” Matthew asked.
“The Furious Tigers, Shenyang’s Special Operations team, is here to cover Ji’s team,” Alex said. “The Russian’s sent a team from Vympel. Yury was here a minute ago. He left to meet up with his team.”
“Russian Special Forces are here, too?” Troy asked.
“We’re performing a military action less than two hundred miles from their border,” Alex said.
“Yury has the hots for Alex,” Troy said. “Did he bring you some of his homemade sbiten?”
Alex nodded to the travel mug in her hand. Troy took the mug and took a sip of the warm honey-herb drink. He closed his eyes in delight.
“Blackberry?” Tory asked and took another drink. “Did he grow the blackberries too?”
Nodding, she snatched the mug from his hands.
“I think, we all want to get a look at what the North Koreans want so desperately to hide,” Alex said. “Max?”
“Once we breach the mine shed,” Max pointed to a schematic on his laptop. “We expect you to find information here and here.”
Max pointed to areas in the building.
“Done,” Matthew said.
A blast of frozen wind buffeted the team.
“Storm’s coming i
n,” Colin said.
“We’re joining Ji’s Shāshǒujiàn team,” Alex said.
“Assassin’s mace?” Troy asked. “I thought they were a . . . fairy tale.”
“They look real to me,” Alex nodded to where Ji’s team was getting ready.
“You’re a fairy,” Troy said.
Ignoring Troy, Alex continued.
“We’re hoping to creep in and snag the priest while you guys grab intel,” Alex continued. “The special operations teams should be the focus of the captors’ attention.”
“Do we know exactly where he’s being held?” Matthew asked.
“General area,” Alex shook her head. “That’s all.”
“We’re going in blind,” Troy jumped up and down to keep warm. “I love that.”
“How’d the priest get picked up?” Colin asked.
“He was meeting Ji’s mother on Bongmyeondo Island,” Max said. “I guess they meet up there every month or so.”
The satellite phone rang, and Max answered it. Max held out the satellite phone to her and took the mug of sbiten.
“It’s the Admiral,” Max said.
Alex took the phone from him and walked away from the team. She updated the Admiral in charge of Special Operations, on their operations in North Korean and Pakistan. She’d just finished updating her boss’s boss when her commanding officer, Colonel Gordon, was waiting on the line for her report. By the time she’d finished updating her chain of command, the team looked ready. She looked for her mug of sbiten, but it was nowhere to be found.
“Colin, did you check everyone?” Alex asked.
“Yes, sir,” Colin said. “The Fey Team is fit for duty.”
“Joseph’s on the laptop,” Raz gave Alex his laptop.
“Can you keep working to figure out where exactly the priest is being held?” Alex held out her laptop. “The Admiral arranged satellite priority.”
Raz gave her a nod and a smile. He walked to a place where he had good reception.
“Troy, why don’t you help him?” Matthew asked.
Troy jogged over to where Raz was working.
“Hey, Joey,” Alex said.
Joseph appeared to be riding in the back of a helicopter. He laughed at her use of his wife’s nickname.
“Go,” Alex said.
“We’re in the air,” Joseph said. “We should get to the college with about a half hour to spare.”
The secretary of state was receiving an award at the Jinnah College for Women at the University of Peshawar in the northwest frontier province of Pakistan.
“Did you confirm with our people that the phoenix is there?” Alex asked.
They had agreed to use the term “phoenix” to indicate the secretary of state.
“A team of female Marines has joined the wait staff,” Joseph said. “They have confirmed that the phoenix is in attendance. That’s all we know.”
“Where’s the Jakker?” Alex asked.
“Controlling the music feed,” Joseph grinned.
“Sounds awful,” Alex smiled.
Joseph nodded.
“Did you pick up a team?” Alex asked.
“No, sir,” Joseph said. “We’re doing this old school. I did, however, speak with our old friend. Jax’s baby and his wife are living in Peshawar.”
“They marry young.” Alex grinned at the mention of Mohammed Ali Sher. A breech birth, he would have died without her Fey Special Forces Team member Jackson’s intervention.
“He’s my Alex’s age!”
“A little older,” Alex said.
“Not by much,” Joseph said.
“It’s a different world, my friend,” Alex said. “I need to go pick up the priest.”
“Good luck,” Joseph said.
“You as well,” Alex said. “We should be done with this before you start, but the timing is pushed by others. I’ll be available on wire if you need me. We don’t know how well that will work.”
“Affirmative,” Joseph said. “And the pestilence?”
“Done,” Alex said.
“Did you discover a cure?”
Alex shook her head. Joseph’s nod expressed their mutual regret that another door had closed and that there was no answer in sight.
“Raz has located the priest,” Matthew said to her.
“Alive?” Alex turned away from the laptop to look at Matthew.
“Seems like it,” Matthew said.
“Anything else?” Alex asked Joseph over the laptop.
“Not until we arrive,” Joseph said.
“Out,” Alex said and clicked off the video transmission.
She looked up to see a Russian helicopter landing nearby with the Russian special operations team, Vympel. She returned Yury’s wave. Another helicopter landed with the Furious Tigers, Shenyang’s special operations team.
Matthew called the team to him, and Raz began a briefing about the area they were going into. His briefing was broadcast via shortwave radio to the Russian and Chinese teams. Ji passed along the plans he’d received from the Korean People’s Army. The plans were coordinated with the Russian and the Chinese teams. When they’d finished, the Russian and Chinese teams went to prepare for battle.
Alex swallowed hard. She’d never been to war. She’d been around large military actions, but always as an outsider passing through. This was the first time she’d been involved in the planning or execution of a large military campaign. She’d had to rely on her father’s childhood warfare instruction. Her father reveled in the dust, noise, and coordinated chaos of this type of large military action. She only hoped she hadn’t forgotten anything.
She felt Raz’s warm hand on her lower back, and she looked at him. As if he could hear her anxiety, he nodded. She smiled.
“Who’s leading this action?” Matthew asked.
“Each team leader has their team. The team leaders are coordinating their action,” Alex said.
“Sounds like a mess,” Troy said.
“Maybe,” Alex smiled. “Look at them.”
They turned to look at the Russian and Chinese teams.
“They are the best at what they do,” Alex said.
“And young,” Raz said.
“We’re lucky to have them,” Alex said.
“And us?” Colin asked.
“Max, Ji, and I start out ahead of the Fey Team and the Shāshǒujiàn,” Alex said. “You will be dropped in, and should be in place by the time we get there. You’ll assist us directly, and then collect intel. I’m asking each of you to find a counterpart on Ji’s team. We’ll work better that way.”
“Make it so,” Matthew said. “Col, you see their medic?”
“On it,” Colin jogged over to the Shāshǒujiàn medics.
“Troy?” Matthew pointed to the Shāshǒujiàn team member, who was peering into a computer looking at scans. “Start there.”
“Done,” Troy grabbed his backpack and went over to the men working on laptops.
“Royce?” Matthew asked.
Alex nudged Matthew and pointed to a smiling young woman walking in their direction.
“Excuse me,” the young woman said in nearly perfect English. “My commander has asked me to extend our greatest courtesy.”
“Intelligence officer?” Alex asked in Mandarin.
“Yes, ma’am,” the woman gave a slight nod.
“Rasmussen?” Matthew pointed him to the woman.
“Ma’am?” Raz asked. He smiled at the woman. She looked up at him and flushed bright red. “Shall we?”
He nodded to a quiet area where they could talk.
“Royce?” Matthew asked.
“Sir?”
“What are you still doing here?” Matthew asked.
Royce gave Matthew a toothy grin and went to meet Ji’s Shāshǒujiàn team.
“I’d like to register my concern about you heading out into the dark, cold, snow with this Ji,” Matthew said.
“So noted,” Alex put her hand on his arm. “I’m glad you�
�re here. I know how seriously you take your role as team leader. This is a chance for you to get into the field.”
“Yes, but . . . ,” he started.
Hearing Colin laugh, they looked up to see him entertaining a couple of the Shāshǒujiàn team with a wild story. Alex’s eyes sought out each of her team, only to find them enjoying an easy conversation with Ji’s elite Chinese team. Matthew pointed to Royce. He was helping a soldier get the gear out of the truck.
“I know how much you love to shoot your weapon, kill bad guys, and kick ass,” Alex repeated what Matthew had said when she’d asked him why he was in Special Forces training.
“Lose the shackles of an oppressive command?” Grinning, Matthew added the final thing on his list of why he was in SF training.
“That too,” Alex said. “Oh, and . . .”
“Yes?”
“Can you remind everyone not to shoot us in the back?” Alex asked.
Matthew grinned and walked across the street.
“Captain?” Alex yelled. He turned to look at her. “Were you dismissed?”
He laughed and saluted her. She returned his salute. Standing alone, Alex watched her team mingle with Ji’s team. She’d trained her team to be overly polite and generous. She knew they’d reviewed their Mandarin on the way to China. The Chinese responded to her team with the same generosity and good nature.
“Want to get ready?” Max asked.
“I’m dressed,” Alex turned to face him. “You?”
He nodded.
“Do you know where our weapons are?” Alex asked. “Our backpacks?”
Max gave her a backpack. They went through the process of strapping the weapons Max was able to harvest from the armory in Chongqing. They wouldn’t have throwing knives, but they had compound bows and razor-tipped arrows. She strapped hers tight to her back and tied the quiver to her right calf. She hadn’t brought her Glock 9 mm to China. Max had obtained two Type-77B, 9 mm handguns. She checked to make sure the fifteen-round magazine was full. He gave her another clip, which she stuck in her pocket. He had also obtained a familiar MP5 submachine gun, a Calico M960, and a Benelli M4 Italian-made shotgun.
“For Colin?” Alex asked Max about the shotgun. He nodded. Colin loved shotguns, especially shiny Italian ones.
“You want this common MP5 used by every lowly Spec Ops or this gorgeous, fully automatic carbine Calico?” Max asked.
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