Final Strike

by Jana Leigh

  “I’m sorry, she hid it from both of us. If I had known I would never have left you, ever,” Vince said his voice full of emotion.

  “Why did she tell you now?” Dario gritted.

  “To throw it in my face,” Vince said honestly. “Also, to punish me. That is why she set you up as well. She wanted you to get sent to Guantanamo, Javor is there waiting.”

  “Of course, she told you and then was going to have me killed,” Dario spit out and looked at Melanie and Thane.

  Both of them were shocked but it was the look of horror that shook him to his very soul. Were they questioning committing to him? Who wouldn’t, his mother was a complete psychopath.

  The ground shook and the alarms began to sound on the base. What the fuck was going on now. They all responded by running for the door and as they pulled it open a Sergeant was there, yelling at the Commander that a bomb had been set off at a hotel across from the base entrance.

  Pandemonium ensued as they tried to get information. Although the first reports showed that a meeting with well-known dignitaries had been in the building when it exploded. The team knew that was where Amani had her meeting, and when they had left the conference room, all of them had their phones out calling different people to respond.

  Dario was numb, he knew what his mother had done, she had taken the coward’s way out, and tried to create as much damage as she could. He would suspect that even though she had planned it, more documentation would be found that showed he was responsible for this as well.

  He needed to get the fuck out of there. They would be coming for him soon, and he would be damned if he would go with them. He needed to finish this. His brother was the only one left and he needed some answers. By God, he was going to get them.

  Dario watched as they tried to make sense of what was happening. The base was locked down at the front gate. But Dario knew they had a back gate, it was going to take him longer than it normally would.

  He heard the Commander on the phone, “He is with us.” Fuck, this was not good.

  He looked at the camera from the front gate, it was mayhem, the first of the responders were pushing people back.

  “Dario,” Thane said, turned, and looked at him. It was what he feared, Thane wanted to turn him over to the authorities as well.

  “Yeah,” Dario sighed. “I know. Give me a few.”

  Thane nodded sadly, watched as his friend walked from the room, and went into the bathroom across the hall.

  Melanie pulled his arm, “What?”

  “I figured we needed some time alone. I was going to suggest we go next door and talk about this,” Thane said. “Give him a minute.”

  “Oh,” Melanie said and frowned. “Are you sure he understood that?”

  “Why wouldn’t he?” Thane frowned.

  “Hmm, let’s see. His mother blew herself up and probably framed him for it, and just before that he found out all that other shit. I thought you wanted him to turn himself in,” Melanie said.

  “Shit,” Thane said. “Let me go and explain.”

  “Ya think?” Mel said and walked with him.

  It was too much to process; all of the shit was just too much. Dario stopped and thought, Diego knew. That son of a bitch knew and probably thought the whole thing was funny. It explained a lot though, his mother’s attitude, and Diego’s scorn. They had taken so much from him. The rage bubbled and Dario couldn’t think of anything but getting answers.

  After leaving the bathroom, he had weaved his way to the back gate. They were allowing only the emergency vehicles out and Dario had jumped on the back of a fire truck and hidden. He’d make his way back to the embassy, he knew his brother would still be there.

  So many plans went through his head as he grabbed a cab. He knew his mother had access to everything to set him up. There had to be evidence in the embassy, her laptop was Dario’s first thought. If he could grab it and bring it with him, maybe he could prove he was not responsible for the deaths of the team.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Thane and the others drove through the streets of San Diego in silence. They were still trying to process some of the crap they discovered. One incident had been the cause of all of this, and one woman who had maneuvered all of them to where they were. They couldn’t stop it now, but the thought was mindboggling to think about. They had to reach Dario in time, before he did something he would regret.

  The other part of their team was behind them; Thane had no clue how far. Vince, Commander Greese, Mason, and Jessie had been too slow. Something about a text message from Mason’s mother had caused the others to pause and make a phone call. Thane didn’t have time to question what it was about.

  “How far?” Thane ground out.

  “Fifteen minutes if the traffic is clear,” Drake replied from the back.

  “I have the specs,” Alex said and began to tell them what they were up against. “The embassy itself sits on a corner, the fence it wired with enough electricity to fry a fucking egg. There are lights every five feet on the fence itself. As with other embassies, the gate is in the front, guarded by two men who stand just outside the gate, their soil extends for five feet, and they never step out of it. If we breach the gate, we are technically on foreign soil, as you all know.”

  “What is the State Department saying?” Thane asked.

  “The President of Rhutain says they had no knowledge of Amani Moghodan’s secret life. They have ordered the embassy to seal its doors and hold anyone who is inside until a dignitary from their country arrives from DC,” Alex said grimly. “At that time they will turn over Diego if he is still there.”

  “Fuck, it will all be over before one of them get here,” Mason said.

  They turned the corner of the embassy and saw the entire thing was lit up like a fucking roman candle. Men from who knows what agency had spotlights pointed at the front of the building. The two guards who were to be stationed in the front outside the gate, were standing inside the gate arguing with whomever was trying to get in.

  “Great,” Thane muttered. “Take us around back.”

  Jessie drove around to the back where there was another entrance, this one was also guarded, but no one was yelling at these guards. Getting as close as possible, the men and two women jumped from the SUV and ran to the corner.

  “Where is he?” Mel said grimly.

  They searched the grounds they could see and the windows but there was nothing.

  “Fuck,” Thane said and then turned to his men.

  Dario was able to get through the gates without any problem. The back guards knew who he was, he brought them with him, and they were loyal to him. When he appeared from the cab he had taken, they opened the gates immediately and gave him an update.

  The President had closed the embassy off. Diego and his second were still inside, but that was it other than the employees who were told to remain in their personal residence until further notice.

  Dario had only nodded and told the guards not to move no matter what they heard. He was going to end this shit, they fucked with him for long enough, and Dario was not going to lose the life he wanted because of them.

  As he walked through the back door, he heard his brother yelling to someone. Dario waited for a moment, wanting him to be alone when they did this. He needed to make sure that his second was incapacitated.

  “You idiot, don’t you get it, she has dumped this all in our laps, we need to get the fuck out of here before they come for us,” Diego yelled.

  “Sir, how are we going to do that, if we leave we will be arrested, at least if our own country takes us, we can bribe our way out of anything? Hell, you own most of the politicians anyway,” the other man said.

  “Really? Do you think anyone will really listen to me after what she has done? No, they will call for my head on a platter and our country will give it to them,” Diego raged. “We need to disappear.”

  “I will see what I can do,” the man said and Dario took a slight breath as he peeked
around the corner to see which way the man was going. Dario knew this place like the back of his hand and could move quicker that Diego or his men.

  He saw the direction, faded back a little, and went after the man. Diego would remain where he was, the booze was there. He saw the man enter into his mother’s office, what the fuck was he doing in there. Protocol should have been to seal the office of the ambassador.

  Dario melted into the background and moved slowly until he was outside of the office door, with a quick peek he saw the man rummaging in his mother’s desk. His eyes widened when he pulled a small cell out of the drawer. Dario had never seen that phone before and so he waited as the man made a call.

  “Sir, we need help getting out of here,” the man said to someone. “She completed her mission.”

  They were talking about his mother, who the hell was the guy talking to? His mother was behind it all, why would this guy be reporting to anyone she completed a mission.

  The man listened and nodded, “I understand, we will be ready. Tell Javor that I will complete the mission when he wants me too.”

  What mission? Dario stepped into the room when the man hung up the phone. The man pushed another button and waited. Dario froze, if the man turned he would stare right at him.

  “Get to the airport, we will be leaving soon. Make sure the syringe is in the right passenger seat. Diego will not be making the trip with us,” the man said and Dario wanted to laugh. Javor had ordered his own son’s death, how appropriate.

  When the man hung up the phone, Dario stepped up silently and hit him in the back of the neck, dropping him to the ground. That ought to keep him out for a while. At least until he was done.

  Dario looked around the room and went to the desk; his mother had several envelopes on top. He opened the first one and grimaced, the bitch. Falsified documents, each of the envelopes had documents that would show both him and Vince as guilty. He thought and went to the wall and stared. His mother was a creature of habit, and although she had ignored the small child that would play in the corner when she was working all those years ago, Dario had paid attention, wanted to figure out how to get the approval from the mother that didn’t seem to love him.

  She always had a book that she hid things in. It was her backup, she had told a man on the phone. Dario looked for the book he wanted. It was her favorite, he finally saw it ‘Romeo and Juliet’. When he opened the book, he saw the small drive. He quickly got it out and plugged it in. All of the bribes, accounts, and her plans were on it. He didn’t have enough time to look at everything, he saw at least the evidence she had use to doctor his bank accounts. Dario grabbed the drive and stuffed it in his pocket, if he failed, at least they would find the drive on his body.

  Dario went back to the library where his half-brother was pouring another drink. As he was stepping into the doorway, he saw his brother’s back tense. He knew he was there, the man had to feel his rage.

  “Hello, brother,” Diego laughed and turned.

  “Brother?” Dario scoffed.

  “Well, tragically we do share the same mother,” Diego laughed.

  “Shared,” Dario corrected him.

  “Oh, yes, shared. I heard she tragically had a mental breakdown after learning everything you had done,” Diego said. “Her final note to the authorities is a tribute to you. I am surprised no one has shared it yet.”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about,” Dario snarled.

  “Mother sent a suicide note, haven’t you heard, it is all over the news. She sent a video claiming responsibility in your name. After learning of your hatred for the American Military, she was devastated when she learned of the way they treated you. The abuse you were given for being a foreign national, all of the humiliation documented. It must have been horrible, brother,” Diego laughed.

  “What?” Dario said confused. He should have looked closer at some of the paperwork on the drive.

  “Oh, yes, didn’t you know. Our mother had your commander give a detailed affidavit on the time you were required to go through SEAL training, and their torture methods they used. No wonder you hate them so much,” Diego said.

  Dario saw red, how had he been so blind. His mother had been planning this for years, probably as a backup plan, the evil bitch. How had he not seen the signs, her questions about his training? He had been so proud of making it through. It had been grueling.

  “It will never work,” Dario yelled.

  “I’m sure you are right,” Diego teased. “Your new father will sort the whole thing out.”

  Dario looked at his brother and saw the hatred in his eyes. “How long have you known?”

  “I found the papers when you were still a child.” Diego shrugged. “The bastard child of an American soldier and the fool that married her to hide it. She had documents of everything. It will be a sad story when played out to the media. Ambassador raped by a military member, to hide her shame she married an honorable man who wanted to help her. It is brilliant actually. They will find her papers when they investigate.”

  Dario stood shocked. The anger flowed through him and he stared at his half-brother. Everything was so fucked up. At least he had proof of her lies, but it didn’t tell him what he wanted to know.

  “Why?” Dario asked.

  “Why not, you didn’t really think our mother loved you? She used you, when you were seventeen I asked to kill you finally. My father was going to use your death to further the cause against the Americans. She said she had plans for you and I had to wait. She wanted your death to be blamed on specific people, but they were unable to get the timing to work. I agreed only if I was the one who got to pull the trigger.” Diego shrugged.

  Dario had heard enough, he roared and ran toward his brother and tackled him. The bastard deserved to be the one who was in jail, and Dario was going to make sure that happened.

  The two men fell to the floor and Dario punched him in the face over and over again. His rage wouldn’t be contained anymore. He would make sure Diego was the one who was behind bars. Diego pushed against him until Dario was thrown back into the table behind, but he moved quickly back to Diego.

  The two men struggled to gain the upper hand. Soon they were standing, exchanging punches, Dario wanted to grin when he saw the blood flowing from his brother’s nose. Diego grabbed a poker from the fireplace and swung. Dario jumped back and moved slowly in a circle.

  “You have your chance to kill me, Diego, take it, because if you don’t, I will make sure you rot in prison along with your father,” Dario taunted.

  “I should have killed you in your sleep when you were a baby,” Diego laughed.

  Dario laughed, “You should have.”

  Diego swung the poker and Dario grabbed his arm and punched him in the stomach. They fought and grappled, trading punches once again. The poker flying through the patio window and crashing onto the back lawn. Dario heard his name screamed. Melanie. Diego grinned and ran for the doors.

  “Dario!” Melanie screamed when they saw the patio door explode, glass flying everywhere. Thane stepped up and held onto Mel as she went to grab the iron gate.

  “No, it is electrified,” Thane yelled.

  “Thane, we have to save him,” Mel cried.

  “We are too late,” Thane said grimly.

  He felt the brush of air as the ghosts filled the space around them. Thane turned to look at Sam and said, “Can you help?”

  Sam shook his head and looked to where patio door once was. “It is out of our hands now. It is what it is.”

  He heard another car door slam and he knew the others had arrived. They were spread out around the corner of the fence. None of them could get close enough to help. All they could do was watch helplessly as Diego came out of the embassy. Dario followed quickly behind.

  “Oh, look,” Diego called and reach behind him and pulled out a gun. “The gang is all here.”

  Dario paused and looked over to the gate. Shit, they were standing there, in the wide open. Th
is was not going to end well. “Thane, get them back.”

  Diego turned around and looked at his brother. “They came to save you. How sweet.”

  Dario looked over at the fence again. Everyone was there, even the others. Dario could see them now, his fallen friends. He looked at them standing next to the others, paired up in the same way they had always been.

  Sam stood to the side of Thane, he nodded at Dario, and he knew what he had to do. For all of them. Diego and Javor would never stop unless they ended this. The authorities could take care of Javor, Dario needed to make sure Diego was finished.

  Dario looked at the gun his brother held at his side, relaxed. He thought he held all the cards, and in a way, he did. The only weapon Dario had was the poker from the fireplace that was at his feet.

  “Do you see your father?” Diego laughed. “He thinks he can help you in some way. I told you he would try to save you. He will not succeed though. The die has already been cast.”

  “Are you sure?” Dario said quietly and looked at the men.

  Diego swung back and frowned at him. “Of course I am.”

  “One thing about you and mother. Your arrogance, did you know she kept a backup of her plans on a thumb drive? She called it her insurance policy. When I was young, I didn’t know what it meant. Now I do, she didn’t trust you, or your father. So she kept correspondence, with dates, times, even missions you were sent on,” Dario said and hoped the files on the drive contained that. “She kept it in case she changed her mind and wanted to double cross you. She would have all the information she needed. I would assume in this case, she knew she had gone too far and couldn’t cover her tracks anymore. It was easier to take the coward’s way out.”

  “No, she was a hero. She would never have betrayed me or my father,” Diego yelled.

  Dario snorted. “She sold her soul to the highest bidder.”

  “Liar,” Diego screamed and turned and pointed the gun to the fence. “It is all their fault.”

  Dario jumped as he realized Diego’s intentions, the gun went off at the same time he grabbed the poker from the ground. He didn’t think, Dario swung the iron bar and hit Diego on the head with a thunk. As he brother fell to the ground he turned and looked stunned. Dario lunged for the gun and pulled the hand between them.