Niki swallowed words she wanted to say and said only what needed to be said. “Then what the hell are we still doing standing here? Let’s go get that son of a bitch.”
Niki had always been good with directions. If she had been to a place once, she could find it again, even in the dark. But first she had to have a bearing, and now that bearing needed to be the village where she started. And the original drive from the airport wasn’t far, only about a fifteen-minute ride, which would make their hike about an hour carrying their gear.
Walking through town, Niki recognized the turn up a hill. The exact hill Winter and Fox climbed on the motorcycle. At the precipice, Winter stopped, but Niki didn’t see him as he lagged, and he didn’t mention why he stopped. Niki powered up the paved road until it met rock.
“Wait,” Fox said.
Niki spun around to watch both of them eyeing each side of the road.
“What?” Niki said.
Winter searched the right side, and Fox the left. “There were two men. Two men guarding this road, in this very spot.”
“And?” Niki pressed, again not fully understanding. Then she realized it was precisely where the two men leaped from the back of the military vehicle. “You shot them, didn’t you?”
Winter caught her eye and nodded.
“Did you think their bodies would still be here rotting?” Niki asked.
“No. Not rotting, but I figured . . .” Winter trailed off.
“Figured what?”
“Nothing,” he said.
Niki jogged ahead along the road, then stopped and turned to the right. The moon was almost full now and spotlighted the trees on the horizon. The underbrush was spread wide from the exit Jabar cut down with his machete.
“There.” Niki pointed and walked into the brush.
Niki stalled once she reached the outskirts of the camp; Fox and Winter came up behind her. In the glow of the moon, they discerned the wreckage still there below, untouched, almost a month later. Burned, dilapidated, and torn canvas stretched across the hospital tent in the center. It was the only tent still standing; weeks later a strong gust of wind would blow through and take it down altogether.
Niki pressed on toward the camp, but Winter grabbed her arm. “You don’t have to do this,” he said.
Niki glanced at his hand, then squared to look him in the eye. “You have no idea how much I do have to do this.”
He let go, and she continued.
Nothing but ash remained. All was blackened by fire and smoke. The flames hadn’t missed a speck. All was destroyed. All but a single solitary soccer ball. Alone. In the center of the camp. Niki stared at it for a moment from her crouched position; then she rose to her feet and walked toward it. When she arrived, she stopped and stepped back, frozen with emotion. That ball meant joy. Joy in a broken community with little to live for. The ball meant so much to the children, to the ones she played with. To the ones she shared a game with, it meant everything, and it was just the motivation she needed, reminding her that life was precious, a gift not to be taken for granted. Once Payne was dead and in the ground, there would be more men like him to take his place, but there in that moment with that soccer ball, all she felt was peace, even joy, amongst the sorrow.
While Niki stood reflecting, Winter left the area to scout for a way out.
“Niki,” he called, shaking her from her reverie. She wiped the lone tear from her eye and turned her attention to him. “There’s keys inside,” Winter said, standing by the very same Jeep she, Vali, and Lord abandoned almost a month ago.
“Fire it up,” Niki said. She bent down and lifted the soccer ball to carry with her.
Fox moved to her side as they both walked toward the Jeep. “What’s that for?” Fox nodded to the ball.
“A reminder.”
When they arrived at the Jeep, the engine was idling.
“What’s with the ball?” Winter said,
“It’s a memory. A good one. The last one left of this place.” Niki spun back around to witness the desolation.
“We better get going,” Winter said.
He and Fox loaded into the Jeep, leaving Niki standing there alone, allowing one last glance back at the camp.
“He’ll pay for what he did,” Niki said aloud, as if the spirits of the dead could hear her. But they were more than burned corpses; these people had names, they had families, and Niki had felt a part of them, if only for a short time.
33
“WHERE AM I GOING?” Winter asked Niki, who sat in the passenger seat.
“Make a U-turn and head straight.”
Winter did as he was told. “How far?”
“I’ll give you directions as they come. I need to see things, you know, like reminders, landmarks, specific trees, that will act as my guide.”
From the backseat, Fox leaned in. “In the dark? You really think you know were he is?”
Niki spun to catch her eye. “Yes, in the dark and no, I’m not certain of his whereabouts, but if I were him, I’d lay low in some place familiar until my wounds were healed. Especially the ones unseen.”
“Unseen?” Fox said.
“Yeah, like being manhandled by a girl in front of your men. He’s not likely to get over that or live it down for quite a while.”
“Ah, got it,” Fox said.
“Turn here.” Niki pointed to her right.
The headlights acted as their guide and beamed ahead. The road, if you could call it a road, was more like worn-down grass in the form of two tire marks. The jerky, up-and-down action as they drove bounced them off their seats a time or two, even at their slow pace.
“You call this a road?” Winter said.
“Never said it was a road. Just the way to find the bastard who did this.” Niki reached for her belly, to rub the gunshot wound. They drove for another couple miles before Niki had Winter turn again. Before long, Niki guided them close to the place Vali had stopped when he drove the same route.
“Kill the lights,” Niki said. “And go slow.”
Winter did as commanded.
“Stop here.”
When the Jeep stopped, Niki opened the door slowly and walked out. She instantly fell to her knees and waited for Winter and Fox to join her.
Amongst the darkened background, there was a glow on the horizon, a rising light emanating from the mine above the surrounding dirt walls.
“Is that—?” Fox started.
“A mine, yes,” Niki said.
“And you think he’s in there?” Fox said.
“Only one way to find out.” Niki rose from her crouch and proceeded toward the mine.
She crept along before coming to an uneven berm. She lay flat behind it, and Fox and Winter fell to the ground as well. Niki reached into her pack and pulled out her night-vision scope. She peered through it, scanning the area.
There were men in the distance, more men this time, guarding the perimeter. “He’s here.”
“How can you be sure?” Winter said.
“Because there are more guards patrolling the grass. Before when I stormed the castle, there was maybe a man every ten yards or so. Now that number’s doubled.”
“Why does that mean Payne’s here?”
“If he wasn’t, odds are this place would be empty. Why would he keep an active mine going if he fled the country? That seems bad for business. And that’s precisely what these people are to him, business.”
“So, how do we get close?”
Niki reached down to her belt and lifted her knife from the sheath and showed it to them. “By any means necessary.”
“Damn right,” Fox was quick to say. “Where do we start?”
“Just hold on.” Winter held her back. “Let’s think about this.” He looked to the field. “What about land mines? Don’t you think they’ve set traps for intruders?”
Niki hadn’t thought of the prospect of mines being strewn about. But as she studied the men, their patrolling patterns seemed random. As they walked, it
was like they were trying to stay away from one specific area.
“I don’t think so.”
“That’s what we’re going off of, ‘I don’t think so?’” Winter wasn’t sold.
“Look, Mitch, if you want to stay here with your thumb up your ass trying to think of something better, by all means, do it. Lara and I are going. Like it or not.”
Fox scooted forward onto her knees. “Just give me a target,” she said.
Winter sighed. “Fine. Then let’s split up at least.”
“No! We go together,” Niki said. “If men start dropping all over the field, the rest may get wind of it. We can’t get to them all, only a certain few. We need to carve our path to one side. I say we stick to the left. Use the tree line as a guide and take out only the men who get in our way. As little commotion as possible.”
“Agreed,” Fox said.
Niki looked to Winter. “Mitch?”
Once again, he sighed. He was reluctant. For good reason too. They were seriously outmanned this time. He didn’t say anything but nodded yes.
Niki led them left, passing in front of the Jeep on their way toward the tree line. The trees ran perpendicular to the mine itself and led all the way beyond it. She couldn’t make her approach through the center like she did the previous time. She would have to find another way into the mine, or climb the side of the rock again, but considering the amount of guards in the field on patrol, this was going to take tact. They would need to remain invisible until they wanted to be seen.
INSIDE PAYNE’S LIVING quarters
A man was hunched over in a chair in the corner of Payne’s tent. He was beaten so badly, anyone who didn’t know him well would be unable to recognize his face. He was on the brink of death. It seemed Payne needed to inflict injury to feel whole again; he needed a punching bag to feel the hurt through his fists. After receiving the beatdown he took from Niki, Payne hadn’t gone into a shell; instead, he became angrier, and the littlest things now set him off.
The man in the chair was in fact Jabar. His second-in-command. For so long, he was by Payne’s side through multiple takeovers, but Payne smelled mutiny from the moment Niki walked into the picture. He blamed Jabar for her presence. Payne’s demented nature spun wildly out of control, and Jabar got caught in the crossfire.
Jabar had been beaten regularly ever since the day Payne woke from his injuries. This night, his breathing was labored. His nose was broken in multiple places. He clung to sleep but woke every few minutes due to apnea. Payne, however, was fast asleep in his tent. He had dozed off a little over an hour prior.
Outside the tent, four men stood guard. Two at the entrance, and two patrolling the perimeter. It seemed excessive, but Payne gave the orders, and none would stand up to him. Not after what he’d done to his closest combatant. No one would dare cross him.
GRASS FIELD OUTSIDE the diamond mine
A guard stood watch approximately a hundred yards away from where Niki, Fox, and Winter had stopped. He was inactive, but all could see him plain as day through their night-vision scopes. Niki broadened her scope of vision to the right. The next closest man was about ten yards off, but he paced back and forth. Then there was a gap, because the walking guard put distance between himself and the other guard who stood stationary another fifty yards away.
Niki gave hand signals. She and Fox would take out the guard directly in front of them, and Winter would move toward the pacing guard and incapacitate him.
They crawled through the thick grass, being careful not to make a sound. Only a few inches separated Niki and Fox. They were close now, less than ten yards away from the guard. When they heard motion from the guard, Niki ceased crawling, and Fox did the same. Keeping her head down at first, Niki peered up for only a second to see if she could distinguish his actions. The man began to relieve himself in the field. This was their chance: his hands were occupied. He had no weapon, no way to defend himself, even if he saw the approaching women. Niki shot from the ground like a striking cobra, and Fox swung around to his back to cover his mouth so he’d be silent as they took his life.
As gently as they could, the women guided his lifeless body to the ground. They looked to their right to see Winter doing the same with his man.
“Regroup,” Niki said through their comms.
Winter dropped back to the ground and crawled toward their position. Niki lifted the walkie-talkie from the guard’s hip and stuck it on her own. If they knew what the enemy was saying, obviously they would be at an advantage.
When Winter arrived, Niki said, “Nice work.”
Winter grinned. Her admiration was something he would always seek, and that was the first nice thing she had said about him since she woke up in the hospital.
Niki scanned ahead. There was another gap in security. On the back side of the circular pit, there was a large collection of vehicles.
“There.” Niki pointed ahead.
“What, the trucks?” Winter asked.
“Yes. We use them as cover. Easy to hide behind, to duck under.”
“Don’t I know it. That’s where I was before the explosion,” Fox chimed in.
“And I don’t see more than three guards. There’s one patrolling there.” Again, Niki pointed ahead. “He’s walking along a road.”
“How do you know it’s a road?”
“Because I’ve been on it before, and it leads to the entrance. It’s not where we’re going, but ultimately if you follow it, it will take you into the mine.”
The other two guards were standing still along the roadway but spread out in the direction of the entrance of the mine.
Winter eventually spoke up. “Right, I get it, but they’re lit up in a spotlight. From the glow of the mine. The only way we’d be able to take them out is from a distance. With a shot.”
“So?” Niki said.
“So, I thought we didn’t want to attract any attention. What if the others see the men going down?” Winter said.
“Don’t let them. Follow your shot and pull the body out of sight.”
“Let me get this straight. You want us to go up there, lie down, get our targets, and execute them? Then bust our asses through the grass to make up the distance, exposed by the light, and pull the dead men into the shadows?” Winter said.
“That’s right,” Niki said.
“Hell yeah,” Fox added.
“You see a problem with that plan?” Niki said.
He nodded to himself. “A few, but . . .”
“But what? You got something better? I’m all ears.”
Winter fell silent, because he didn’t have something better. But this was risky, and they all knew it.
Niki discerned his silence as agreement to her plan, so she moved ahead and Fox and Winter followed. “One more thing. Don’t miss on your shots. If you do, we’re likely dead.”
34
NIKI LAY FLAT ON HER stomach. She peered through her scope and locked on her target as he paced. Her shot would require technical skill, a savvier shot than Fox’s or Winter’s. The guard’s pace was slow, perhaps due to the lateness of the hour or maybe the extra twenty pounds he carried with him. As he waddled, he reached down to scratch his calf, then became off balance and hopped in one place as he tried to satisfy his itch.
“In position?”
“Copy,” Fox said first.
Winter didn’t reply.
“Winter? You copy?” Niki called.
“Copy. Ready.”
“Good. Then on my count we shoot and run.” Again, Niki eyed her target through her scope. He returned on his slow stroll. “Three, two, one.” At one Niki squeezed the trigger and let her bullet fly. A perfect shot. The overweight guard fell to the ground, causing a thud. She rose from her prone position and sprinted. The guard lay in a darkened area, shadowed by the overarching side wall of the dirt mound.
When she sprinted, she glanced to her right and saw both Fox and Winter chasing down their kills. Then her focus returned to her fallen guard.
Another guard appeared deep within the sea of parked trucks. He walked among the trucks, disappearing then reappearing as he checked for any signs of intrusion.
“Hold,” Niki ordered through the microphone. Each member of the team fell to a knee. But they were exposed and couldn’t linger here, out in the open with the light above glimmering on each of their faces.
Niki raised her rifle and waited for the guard to show himself again. The instant he did, she fired a shot and dropped him.
“Now.” Niki rose from her knee and rushed toward the first fallen guard.
The others did the same. Winter grabbed his man’s arms and dragged. He caught up with Fox, who attempted the same but struggled due to her slight frame. The length they had to pull each man wasn’t far, but the intensity they were under heightened the pressure.
Niki was the last to reach her man, but she quickly moved around to his head. He lay facedown in the dirt. She lifted his hands and stretched his arms. She pulled, but he was glued in place. She leaned back while holding his arms and yanked harder. Her muscles tightened. Her triceps and hamstrings burned as she pulled him along, only now getting him to budge. He must have weighed over 230 pounds, almost a hundred more than she did, but she wouldn’t let that stop her. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and provided the extra strength she needed.
There was a large truck, like a tanker truck, one you’d see carrying a load of gas to your local convenience store, parked behind her. She peered over her shoulder, realizing how close it was, and then spoke into her microphone.
“The tanker behind me. Pull your men there, and we’ll drop them behind it.”
When she reached the truck, she dropped the dead body onto the ground, and sucked in air trying to catch her breath. Winter arrived next, then Fox. They piled the bodies on top of one another and waited until they recuperated before moving to the front of the truck.
“Which way?” Winter hovered over Niki’s shoulder as she searched the area for movement or a way into the mine.
Before she could answer, a shrill scream echoed in the night. All three directed their attention to the noise. It wasn’t far off and didn’t seem to emanate from inside the mine at all, but rather deep in the jungle.
Second Best: A Niki Finley Novel (A Niki Finley Thriller Book 2) Page 16