The twitch in Ace’s left eye definitely displayed the fear Harry knew he had to be feeling. And the pulsating vein protruding in his neck danced around, trapped, searching for an escape route, but… there was none.
Harrison’s nerves were on a razor’s edge, but totally kept his cool as he darted his eyes back and forth from the bastard’s vein to his twitch.
As Ace squirmed like a rabbit in a trap, shifting from side to side on his knees, Harry stared directly into those dark penetrating eyes, but didn’t move an inch.
“So… this was just all about money?” Harry asked calmly.
Ace’s lips quivered he noticed and refused to utter a word.
Deep down Harry knew his enemy was unrepentant and nothing was going to bring Blake back. He’d had enough of this bullshit and maybe it was time to just disappear.
“Say your prayers—as if that’s going to help! I’ll see you in hell.”
The look splashed across black Scorpions face said it all. “Just do it man… he’s not worth the effort,” he muttered.
Silent Ace shook his head and closed his eyes as he must have known his fate had come to an end.
Satisfied Harry was about to do his duty for humanity and get rid of one more piece of scum in the world. He raised the rifle, gradually squeezed the trigger and shot the bastard fair between the eyes.
“Do you think you could stay dead this time?” Black Scorpion huffed.
The police sirens wailed in the background and were gradually moving closer.
“Time to hit the road man, you’re welcome to trail along. I still have some unfinished business with a few more assholes that I’m sure you would agree would be better off dead.”
“It’s times like these when you wish you didn’t get into this business. But… too late now; And I definitely agree. I too have some business to take care of, but I definitely need a couple of days to recover. Where have you been hiding out for all this time?” Harry responded.
“Just laying low and waiting for my time to strike.”
“Thanks mate I appreciate the offer, but I’m going to go it alone. Look after yourself,” Harry professed.
With a quick grin Black Scorpion disappeared out the door and Harry knew that that was probably the last time he was going to see his mate again.
CHAPTER FORTY TWO
With a quick glance Harry swept the room and grabbed what he could before the cops turned up. There was no time to waste and it was a few hours ride to the farm house where he had a stash of weapons and ammo.
Still no cloud in sight and the rundown servo didn’t look any more inviting than what it did yesterday, he thought as he mounted the Ducati. Odd he wondered; there was no one insight, but entirely better for his getaway anyway.
No sooner had he exited the driveway the police had arrived in droves. At least three highway patrol cars and two black BMW’s which were obviously detectives; and Harry knew he couldn’t breathe easy just yet, not until he had a few kilometres between them.
As the crime scene in the revision mirror disappeared from view he still had to retain his composure and keep the speed around a hundred kilometres, so not to attract attention.
The cool morning air was refreshing, just enough to help keep the drowsiness at bay, but did little to keep the demon’s in his mind from tormenting his weary brain. Revenge was sweet as they say and there was no doubt in his mind that the world was going to know about his pain. It was time to unleash some whoop ass on the animals that murdered his love and ruined his life. Even if it killed him. He won’t stop until every last one feels the wrath of Harrison King.
The hours passed quickly, thankfully and before he knew it Harry pulled into the dirt driveway to his deceased mother’s farm. The rusty mailbox perched on the fence post brought back memories of happier times and it was a good feeling to be back-home at last.
As Harry dismounted the bike. And the patch-up job to his gunshot wound shot a stab of pain down his side, and momentarily a foggy haze swept over him. A good meal and rest for a couple of days will do the trick he thought. And only he knew too well the recovery will make him stronger and a better warrior.
Harry opened up the shed at the back of the house and skimmed through the shelves covered in dust. The old shed still looked the same and smelt the same. Nothing had been disturbed since the last time he was here about a year ago. It may look like an old car garage from inside and out, but really it was a cover for what was hiding underneath the floor boards. A concrete bunker was built in the thirties and Harry only discovered it by accident when he threw a hammer in anger which smashed the floor boards, revealing the underground tunnel. Harry then replaced the floor boards with concrete and a steel door. And only he had access with voice recognition.
After entering the bunker Harry collected an AK-74M with a GP-30 grenade launcher, a Mossberg 500A Cruiser, a couple of grenades and some ammo. He shoved them all in an army bag and prepared for one hell of a fight.
With Deak’s still alive he was the first on the list to hit, and then there was Baltimore. He didn’t know why his boss had turned him in, but he didn’t care anymore. His life was pretty much over now and felt he had nothing to lose.
CHAPTER FORTY THREE
Retribution
After a couple of days R and R Harry felt it was time to get the bastards that ruined his life. His strength had returned and his wound was healing nicely, he thought as he drove out of the dusty dirt driveway in the 1956 Ford custom pickup, and headed back down the Highway towards Datton.
Firstly was to get Deak’s. He didn’t have a plan, but whatever happens in the next few hours it was going to get real messy and he knew he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
Harry’s mind didn’t unhinge from the job at hand as he drove through the streets of Datton and towards Deak’s’s street. He had enough fire power to blow Anthony Deak’s’s whole penthouse to smithereens and didn’t intend on leaving any survivors.
It was a Saturday evening around 8pm and Harry anticipated that Deak’s would be partying by now. Harry checked his watch and figured he only had about a five minute window before his security guards checked the maintenance stairwell in intervals. This should only take him two, tops he guessed as he picked the lock and snuck into the back maintenance entrance once again.
And right on schedule Harry reached the penthouse floor, stopped to listen for any sounds on the other side of the locked door. Harry surveyed the area and noticed that there were no visible locks. Deak’s must have stepped up the security from his last intrusion, so there was only one way to get through and that was to blast his way in. With the AK-74 on one shoulder and the Mossberg 500A Cruiser on the other, he was as ready as he was ever going to be.
Harry wedged a small amount of C-4 around the door jamb and placed a wick inside for the detonator. He then lit the explosive, jumped down a few stairs and waited for the impact.
Five seconds is all it took and the C-4 had blown the door right off its hinges, giving Harry a clear path to Deak’s’s. He didn’t have much time. He knew that his body guards would be coming out of the wood works within seconds for sure.
One by one his goons emerged from the penthouse and one by one Harry shot them down with the AK-74 like dominos. The closer he got the less appeared, until Harry had free range to seek out his nemesis.
“There’s no use hiding Deak’s, it’s just you and me now,” Harry announced as he gradually strolled through the haze of gun smoke still lingering in the air. Dead bodies lay everywhere from the carnage, to the entrance of the penthouse and down the hallway.
“I must say you’ve got some big ones. It’s a shame you’re not working for me, I could do with some muscle like you,” Deak’s declared as he emerged into the living room from behind a wall.
“I wouldn’t work for you in a fit, but… you know and I know that that’s not what I’m here for.”
“Yeah… but you don’t think I’m going to go that easy do you,” Deak’s
replied and pulled out a pistol from behind his back.”
Harry expelled an anxious laugh. He stood there facing his opponent with both firearms pointing at Deak’s. “We’ll see, who’s the bigger man, or should I say who’s got the bigger weapon,” Harry said as he opened fire.
Bullets sprayed through the room like a hail storm, smashing windows and punching holes in the walls like paper. Gun smoke continued to flood around them, filling the air so thick it was hard to breathe.
Deak’s dived for cover quickly behind a couch Harry detected, followed by the sound of scrambled movement, but that didn’t stop him firing. The cushions exploded sending feathers flying through the air. Shattered fragments of plaster and wood ricocheted from wall to wall. The place looked like a war zone Harry noted, but wasn’t sure if he had hit his target. So without haste he flew behind the closest barricade which happened to be a seven foot stature of a Greek god with an uncanny resemblance for Deak’s.
Deak’s returned the fire with vengeance. The sound of bullets flew past Harry’s head one by one, narrowly missing him by millimetres.
That was too close for comfort, Harry thought, but knew he still had his enemy out gunned and outwitted.
Suddenly it went quiet. Only the eerie sound of the balcony stereo echoed through the mist. “Ready to give up,” Harry shouted.
Deak’s responded. “Not on your life.”
Deak’s voice was heard fairly close by and Harry felt his presents like a cat about to pounce on its prey.
Harry was too smart for this fool though. Rapidly and without fear, Harry spun around the corner and Deak’s was only two feet away. Harry glared into the dead eyes of his enemy and pulled the trigger without any remorse. Flesh and blood gushed from his lifeless body as he crashed to the floor.
“I don’t take prisoners, not assholes like you,” Harry grunted.
Sirens were heard from a distance as Harry exited the building and drove away. Now vengeance is mine and soon Baltimore you’re next. You too will feel the wrath of my retribution.
CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
Agent Piper Hall was the first on the crime scene at Deak’s’s. Since the murder of Agent Wilson and Agent Colbert, she was put back on the case and couldn’t be more pleased. This was her baby from the start and never stopped once for the hunt to find the killers.
Hall secured the area before the forensic team arrived and gathered any evidence. Also amongst other things she had to babysit her new rookie partner and remind him not to touch anything until it was there turn to investigate any witnesses.
It looked like an open and shut case and didn’t take the team long to wrap it up. Removing all the body bags was another story. There would have been at least fifteen dead bad guys including Anthony Deak’s, who was shot in close proximity by what looked like a powerful military grade weapon. “It’s all yours,” the last one said as he exited the room in his white jumpsuit, booties and cap.
The rookie officer, Dan Walker returned from the floor below after speaking to a couple of witnesses.
“Get anything,” Hall asked.
“Nothing. No one’s talking. Either everyone’s developed an acute case of deafness, or they’re too scared to speak up,” Walker replied with a lack of levity written on his face.
“Funny thing that. The noise was heard a couple of blocks away, but when it comes to talking to the cops, everyone conveniently don’t hear anything or remember anything. It can be real frustrating at times.”
Walker’s expression hardened. “That’s so… true.”
“Well…, I’ve already got my theories. Someone must have been pretty pissed-off to wreak this much havoc. And I’m guessing it was only just one man.”
There was no secret at the agency that Hall was gunning for King and that was who she was referring too in her last statement.
As the case developed with Blake Forbes’s death and the body count growing progressively every day, she needed to catch this guy. It just didn’t sit right with her about the whole conspiracy. When O’Neal gave his pathetic statement, something sent alarm bells ringing and her gut was telling her that someone from the top was telling fibs. She wasn’t sure who to trust anymore, but one thing was certain, she had to find Harrison King. He was the key to this mess, she knew it. And even though he was a stone cold killer, she felt a little sorry for the guy. He was ex special ops for Christ sake. You don’t just start killing off bad guys like flies unless you have a good reason. Especially cops. No she had no doubt that dirty cops were involved, even going right to the top with Edgar Baltimore. Gradually Hall was putting the pieces together and knew she had to work it out soon before anyone else got killed.
Hall collected enough evidence after painstakingly sifting through the wreckage for a couple hours and come to the conclusion that she wasn’t going to get any further today. And as soon as the labs processed the evidence she’ll be able to think a little more clearly.
Fatigue was evident for both of them and Hall decided to call it a night, “come on, we won’t solve this case tonight. We’ll put our heads together in the morning. Hopefully the labs picked up some DNA of the killer and we’ll have a bit more to go on.”
Their bloodshot eyes met for only a moment and nothing needed to be said. Walker nodded his head with agreement, grabbed his stuff and they both left.
CHAPTER FORTY FIVE
Harry sat silently in the pickup, parked across the street from a rundown unknown bar. After sending Baltimore a text to meet him here in 30 minutes, he knew Baltimore possibly wouldn’t even turn up and certainly not without his entourage for backup.
Thirty minutes had passed when Harry anxiously glanced at his watch once more and couldn’t be more surprised when a black SUV pulled into a parking space in front of the bar.
A couple of hefty looking suits jumped out, which confirmed Harry’s thoughts. Both nervously stuck to Baltimore like glue as they paced to the front door and then entered.
Harry checked the weapons for ammo before exiting the pickup. Only two rounds left in the pump action shot gun and a full round in the Berretta. He’d better make them count or this could be the last chance to retaliate, he thought as he stepped closer to the front entrance.
The unpleasant stench of stale alcohol and sweat hit Harry’s nostrils like a poison gas that nearly made him hurl, but for now kept it together.
The sound of Harry’s footsteps on the concrete floor echoed across the morning sunlight haze that dared to creep into this bleak unholy place.
The tavern was almost empty except for one guy who looked plastered, leaning his head on the bar, obviously sleeping off the night before session. A young couple sat quietly in a corner booth eating breakfast and two older guys dressed in matching blue tracksuits sat in the booth next to them.
There was no sign of Baltimore or his two bodyguards, when suddenly one of them jumped out from behind the bar and began to fire aimlessly at anything that moved.
The young couple dived to the floor and sheltered under their table for safety. The old guys in the tracksuits followed shortly after Harry noticed, before ducking for cover himself behind a large concrete pole in the middle of the room.
The sound of fire whipped passed one by one. Huge chunks of concrete splintered from the barrier and continued to rain dust, gun smoke and sunlight around him.
Gunpowder filled the gloomy air and all he could think about was revenge.
With his Berretta locked and loaded Harry waited for a break. He spun and returned the fire hitting his opponent in the chest, sending him airborne.
There was silence for a moment, bar a couple of whimpers heard in the corner, when the other suit must have back tracked and came at Harry from behind.
They wrestled for second, but the guy was too strong and they both fell across the tables, crashing to the ground, sending both Harry’s weapons hurtling across the floor.
The suit quickly had him in a headlock, but Harry laid in an elbow strike to the groin which insta
ntly released his grip. Harry gave him another jab to the nose, sending blood spurting across his face and his nice suit.
In sync they both quickly glanced toward the weapons on the floor and then back at one another.
Harry suddenly dived for the Berretta and the suit dove after him, but thankfully Harry got to it first. He twisted the weapon around his shoulder and fired.
One down, two to go, he thought as he tried to lift the guy off him. The dead weight of the suits body had Harry pinned down on the blood stained floor, making it hard to move.
There was still the pressing matter of Edgar Baltimore and he felt that the asshole was still lurking close by somewhere.
Edgar Baltimore wasn’t a small guy at any means. He was going to be a tough opponent to bring down, but without his goons Harry just might have a chance.
Just as Harry managed to get to his feet he felt a hard blow to the side of the head, sending him flying to the floor yet again.
Harry was left sprawled out on the hard cold concrete floor. Nearly unconscious, he felt the warmth of his own blood ooze from the left side of his skull. “That’s going to leave a scar,” Harry declared with a humorous tone.
Baltimore stood over him with a shotgun in one hand and Harry’s Berretta in the other. “You’re a hard man keep down. You were supposed to be terminated in the jungle two years ago, but here you are, still kicking. Well… for the next couple of seconds.”
“I don’t get it, why do you want me dead?”
“You’re worth more money to me dead, than alive.”
“So… it’s… all about money?” Harry asked.
Baltimore’s expression softened like he actually felt sorry to see him go, Harry perceived.
“I’m afraid so.”
As Harry lay there blood gushing from his head and one hell of a thumping headache, he still had one more surprise up his sleeve, literary.
The Eternal Defiance Page 12