Ryder's Surrender (Hell Yeah!)

by Sable Hunter

  “No, I have the address. Do you want me to go get her?”

  “No, I want you to wait until everyone else gets there – including me. By the time we put our plan into motion, Eagleton won’t know what hit him.”

  * * *

  “Why do you call yourself Rasputin, Scott? I don’t understand.” Ryder was trying to make him talk. He was making her nervous, pacing up and down the floor, walking to the window and looking out toward the pounding surf of the Gulf of Mexico. He’d brought her from the Hill Country of Texas to Galveston Island. Now, she sat in a straight back chair, her hands tied behind her back, her feet bound together. At least he hadn’t gagged her – yet.

  “You don’t need to understand.”

  “Talk to me, Scott. We used to be friends.”

  “We were never friends!” he barked at Ryder. “I was nice to you. I asked you out. You ignored me. You treated me like shit.”

  Ryder frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t really date anyone before…”

  “Until you whored yourself out to two sexual deviants!” Scott slashed his hand through the air. “I’m not interested in your excuses. That ship has sailed.”

  “Why are you doing this, Scott? What is this Rasputin stuff? Why are you threatening Samson and Gideon?”

  Running right up to her, he screamed. “Because I can!” Shaking a finger in her face, his expression contorted with rage. “Do you know who I am? No. You never took the time to care.”

  “Scott…please.”

  “I can buy and sell the Dukes. It’s abhorrent to me that they could be the pioneers to a new world, the ambassadors to a new planet.” He pounded himself on the chest. “I am the ambassador. I am the friend of Presidents and Kings. I am Rasputin. Do you know who Rasputin was?”

  Ryder shook her head. “Some Russian quack who tried to save one of the Czar’s kids from hemophilia?”

  “No!” Scott bellowed. “Rasputin was the Royal Vizier to the Czar…”

  “Oh, like Jafar in Aladdin.”

  Slap!

  Ryder reeled from Scott’s blow to her face. “No! Not some cartoon character. I am Putin’s right hand. He wants the honor of reaching Mars first and I will give it to him.”

  “My men will come for you,” Ryder spoke with certainty. What she’d heard on the phone had laid her fears and doubts to rest.

  “Let them come. I welcome them. I would love to pit myself against them. I am invincible!”

  “You wouldn’t win.”

  “Like Rasputin, I have beaten the odds. They tried to kill him – he was gutted, poisoned, shot, and strangled. They finally tried to drown him beneath the ice, but he didn’t drown, he died of hypothermia.”

  “He wasn’t so tough after all, I guess. Didn’t they cut off his cock?”

  Slap!

  Ryder wanted to cry, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

  “They tried to destroy me also – I walked away from a plane crash, lived through a terrorist bombing, and survived a gunshot. Like Rasputin, not even poison could harm me.”

  “But Rasputin was defeated and so was Jafar, I think they stuffed him in a lamp, didn’t they?”

  Slap!

  “You will keep your whorish mouth closed!” He grabbed Ryder around the neck and began to squeeze, only the buzzing of his phone saved her life.

  Scott tore himself loose and looked at his phone. A creepy smile covered his face. “Ah, sweet. I’m one billion dollars richer, thanks to your stooges.” He shrugged. “Not that I needed the money. I just wanted to take it away from them. After all, one can never have too much money, can they?”

  “Perhaps not, I think you have more money than sense, though.”

  Scott was just about to slap her again when his phone rang this time. “Hello?”

  “You have your money and we have a preliminary deed. It’s as conclusive as we can make it in this amount of time. I can send my lawyer in with it, if you’re ready to make an exchange.”

  “Samson! Gideon! I love you!” Ryder shouted.

  Slap!

  “Don’t you touch her!” Samson bellowed, understanding the sound that he heard. “Let me talk to Ryder.”

  “No!” Scott walked to the far side of the room.

  Ryder was scared. Scott was crazy. He was like a toddler with a hand grenade.

  “When can we make the exchange?” Samson pressed, realizing there was zero chance Scott was going to let him talk to Ryder. But he did know she was alive – and that she loved them. He needed to give her that same assurance more than he needed to breathe.

  Scott pressed his hand to his head, a dull pain thudding behind his eyes. “Text me the contract and I’ll get back to you if I think it’s legit. But sign it first – sign it, so if it’s good, all it will require is my signature.”

  “You know the law well enough to know that a contract like this has to be witnessed, it has to be notarized. The transfer of a one-hundred-billion-dollar business can’t be done on Docu-sign.”

  “Send your lawyer! Just your lawyer to…” he repeated the address. “But if you send anyone else – she dies.”

  Even Ryder knew this was a mistake on Scott’s part. The Dukes were nobody’s fools. For the first time in hours, Ryder felt hope bloom in her heart.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Destry Cartwright was a man who wore many hats. A military sniper, former clerk to the Supreme Court, current Attorney General to the great state of Texas and above all, an Equalizer – he was ready and waiting to be the frontline in a daring rescue. “God, I love this kind of stuff.”

  “Well, don’t have too much fun without us. From what we’ve gathered from satellite imagery, there’s just three men with him. What we don’t know is how the house might be booby-trapped. After all, one of these guys almost took out the Dukes with a car bomb.” Micah finished affixing a wire to Destry’s chest. “So, you keep your head on straight and your eyes open.”

  “That’s right, the rest of us won’t be far behind. They’re going to be watching the road – but we’re going to come at them from the air and the sea. They won’t be looking for us there.”

  About that time, a door slammed open. Samson and Gideon came rushing in. “Are we ready?” They were the last to arrive. Of course, they’d had the farthest to come.

  “Almost.” Micah tested the wiring, making sure the microphone was working properly. “Give me and Saxon about ten minutes to make sure we’ve got a clear connection.”

  “Easy, Duke,” an authoritative voice spoke from deeper in the cabin. “We’re going to get this done.”

  “Governor.” Samson stepped forward to clasp the politician’s hand. “I’m so grateful you’re here.”

  “No problem.” Kyle spread his hands, gesturing to a group who’d just come through the door. “We’re all here.” The Gemini was a big boat and it would have to be to hold the entire group.

  “Have we notified the local authorities on what’s going down?” Heath asked.

  The Governor waved his hand in dismissal. “Got that covered.”

  Gideon marveled at the group. “Ryder has many friends. Powerful friends.” He saw her brothers. Heath. Tennessee. Philip. Jaxson. But there were many others.

  “Gideon, Samson, I’d like for you to meet our family and friends.” Heath proceeded to introduce everyone. “This is Aron, Jacob, Joseph, Isaac, and Noah McCoy, our first cousins. And this is Patrick O’Rourke, Revel Jones, Beau Leblanc and his wife Harley, our Cajun friends. Harley’s talent as a bomb expert is rivaled only by Jet’s. You’ve met some of the Equalizers, but this is their leader Kyle Chancellor, whom I’m sure you recognize. Next is Destry Cartwright, Saxon Abbott, Tyson Pate, Jet Foster, and last, but not least, Micah Wolfe. I won’t even try to explain what all these people can do. Suffice it to say they’ve taken down drug cartels and serial killers. This small-time Russian mafia will be a breeze.”

  Samson and Gideon were suitably impressed. “I don’t know how we’ll ever thank you.”
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  “No thanks necessary, they’re here for Ryder.” Heath’s tone was still accusatory.

  “I understand. Anyway, the ransom has been sent and the deed is ready. We’re prepared to exchange OuterLimits for Ryder.”

  Heath nodded his head. When all of this was over, he was going to have to eat crow concerning these boys. He’d been wrong. They did love Ryder. They were suitable candidates for her hand in marriage. God, he hated the taste of crow.

  “I’d like to say something,” Jet spoke from the sideline. He was big and gruff, holding his automatic rifle, a dark, scruffy beard on his face. He reminded Samson of Rambo…and Gideon.

  “What’s that, Champ?” Kyle asked.

  “I don’t think this guy is gonna exchange Ryder. I think he’s planning on taking her with him. That vessel I told you about is moving this way. If she gets on that Russian sub, we’ll have a hell of a time getting her off.”

  Gideon almost swallowed his tongue. “A Russian sub?”

  “A Russian nuclear sub.” Jet nodded. “I say we go in with guns blazing and finish these guys off like we did the drug cartel.”

  “I agree,” Patrick O’Rourke spoke up. “But like Micah said, we need to check for bombs. There has to be some, they can’t expect to defend themselves with a few guys and their guns.”

  “But remember,” Saxon pointed out. “They’re not expecting an army, not an army like we are, anyway.”

  “Whatever we do, let’s do it soon,” Gideon begged. “Every minute we leave her there, her life’s in danger.”

  Aron McCoy stood to speak for the first time. “Kyle has a plan; he always has a plan.” Everyone looked to the Governor, the least-likely politician any of them knew of. “You tell us who goes where and what we’re doing when we get there. We’re ready to roll.”

  …Back at Eagleton’s beach house, Ryder wasn’t feeling so well. “Can I have some water, Scott? I’m really thirsty.” Everything felt so surreal. Here she was, in a beautiful, luxurious beach house, surrounded by everything money could buy – and all it looked like to Ryder was a prison.

  “No! You don’t need water where you’re going.”

  That didn’t sound good. “What do you mean? I thought I was going with you.”

  “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to take my money and my deed and I’m headed back to Moscow. As soon as possible, we’ll begin to dismantle OuterLimits and move all the assets and engineering to Russia. Then, we’ll get our own spaceship headed to Mars.”

  “You’ll never get out of here alive. I’m sure Gideon and Samson have been to the police. They probably have roadblocks set up.”

  Scott smiled at her sickly. “We’re not leaving by the road. My friend, President Putin, has taken care of everything. My carriage awaits – a nuclear sub will be just off-shore. A boat is ready for us as soon as we get the deed in hand. We’re just waiting for the Dukes’ lawyer to arrive, then we’re out of here.”

  “I thought you said you wanted to review it before you make the exchange.”

  He sneered at Ryder. “I am a lawyer. I’ll be able to tell if it will hold up in a court of law. But…there’ll be no exchange.” He sighed loudly.

  “What do you mean?”

  What he told her broke Ryder’s heart. She was going to die. She’d never see Samson or Gideon again.

  * * *

  About an hour later, everyone was in place. Destry would head in first, then Kyle would fly part of them over in the Duke’s plane and they’d parachute in. The second wave, fittingly, would come from the sea. The Gemini was almost in place. Jet, Harley, and a few others would swim in. As requested by Scott Eagleton, Destry Cartwright would be the only one to come in by land.

  “Are we ready?” Samson asked for the second time that night.

  “Yes, let’s let Destry get in the door, then we’ll start our assault.” Kyle spoke to them all through his headset. “Jet and Harley will lead the way; they have the equipment to detect any explosive devices. We do know we can trace Destry’s steps, that path will have been cleared. Our first task will be to take out the outer guards. This will be Boris Anatoly and Leonid Oleg. We think there is only one other person, but again – we can’t be perfectly sure. Keep your eyes open. There may be support personnel there that we don’t know about. Part of the house is concrete; we can’t be sure what’s behind those walls.”

  The next ten minutes was radio silence. The plane was circling and the ship was in the right position as Destry’s car arrived at the gate. “Hello, I’m Ben Matlock and I’m here to deliver some paperwork to Scott Eagleton from Samson and Gideon Duke.”

  “Get out and let me pat you down, Mr. Matlock. We can’t let you in if you’re armed.”

  Destry grimaced. He wasn’t armed, he was wired – he also stunk. A trick he’d learned in the service. “Sure, but pardon me. I was out drinking all night and I didn’t get time to take a shower.”

  As soon as he got out of the car, the guard stepped back. The stench of BO and stale liquor was almost unbearable. “Sorry, fella.”

  The guard waved him on. “Just get outta here.”

  Destry smiled and continued on his way. “I’m in.”

  After passing through one other check point at the door, he was inside and being led to Scott Eagleton. “Looks to be a piece of cake.”

  “All right, phase two,” Kyle announced and men began dropping from the plane, floating soundlessly through the sky as several amphibious personnel jumped from the Gemini and swam toward the shore.

  Inside, Ryder watched Destry Cartwright as he spoke legal jargon to Scott Eagleton. He was wearing a disguise and some awful smelling…something. If she hadn’t been feeling so hopeless, she would’ve smiled. The glasses were a nice touch, but the wig was a little over the top. As she listened to him lay out what Samson and Gideon were willing to give for her release, she couldn’t not speak up. “Tell them not to do this. Tell them this isn’t necessary. Tell them not to come, if they’re planning on it. It’s not worth it, he’s not going to let me go.”

  Destry tried not to have any reaction. “I only do what I’m told, ma’am.”

  “Shut up!” Scott stalked across the room and slapped her again. “One more word out of you and your surprise comes sooner rather than later.”

  Ryder almost…almost told him to go fuck himself. But she didn’t want Destry to be hurt in the blast.

  Everyone on the team heard what Ryder said. “What did she mean?” Jacob asked as he shrugged off the parachute.

  “There’s a trap,” Revel answered. “Probably a bomb if I had my guess.”

  Samson cursed, almost going to his knees in agony. “Oh, my God, no!”

  “Harley will handle it,” Beau assured him. “And she’ll come through with flying colors. She has to, we have a new baby at home that needs her almost as much as I do.”

  Samson shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re risking yourself and your wife. I am so honored and thankful.”

  “Hey, this is what we do. We’re family to all these folks.” Beau pulled down his night-vision goggles, ready to rumble.

  There was another ten minutes or so of silence while everyone got into place. “What’s our status?” Kyle asked.

  “There’s no trip wires and no IED’s that we can see. I don’t think the perimeter is booby-trapped.” Harley reported.

  “I don’t like this,” Gideon muttered. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

  “Let’s go with it. Team One, you take out the guard at the gate. Team Two, you come over the wall and take out the guard at the door. Joseph, you and Noah, escort the prisoners to a checkpoint about a mile away. The Chief of Police knows the Equalizers are on a mission and they’re ready to dispose of the garbage.”

  Kyle’s instructions were followed to the letter. Samson, who was with Team One, held his breath as they came through the gate. He was close to Ryder, she’d be in his arms soon, and that was all that mattered.

  Gideon, who was with Tea
m Two, was first through the door and into the house. He held his breath, expecting men with guns to pop out at any moment. All he wanted to do was run through the halls, shouting her name, but he held back – determined to follow orders. This was too important for him to mess up with knee-jerk reactions.

  “All right – Team One, go through the first floor – room by room. Team Two – take the second floor – go.”

  Methodically – room by room they searched the beach house. Experts. Soldiers. Professionals. All with a single, solitary, goal in mind. Rescue Ryder McCoy.

  “Kyle, we’ve got a problem,” Patrick O’Rourke spoke up, at the same time Jet Foster chimed in.

  “Kyle, we’ve got a problem.”

  “Shit. Talk to me,” Kyle spoke from his post on the Gemini.

  It took a few seconds for Samson’s brain, who was with Patrick, to register what he was seeing. “Oh, my Lord God.” The whole place was set to blow.

  Patrick didn’t lose his cool. “We’ve got a tunnel beneath the house. We’re about to check it out, but I presume it goes straight to the beach. And looking though this thermal imager, someone just came through here only moments ago. The heat signature of footprints is unmistakable.”

  “Go after them, it has to be Eagleton. Foster, can you confirm this?”

  Even as Jet was answering; Gideon was moving across the floor. His eyes had landed on Ryder. She was tied to a chair. His heart was pounding in his chest so hard and fast he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. “Ryder, baby?

  “Roger that,” Jet answered. “Destry is down, he’s alive, but Eagleton is not here.”

  “We’ve got to get everyone out – now!” Kyle ordered in a commanding voice. “Jet, you and Revel go with Patrick – find Eagleton. There’s several ships anchored out here, I presume one of them is waiting to take Eagleton to the sub. But unless he’s an Olympic swimmer, you should be able to catch him.”

  “What about Ryder?” Samson shouted over the headset.

  “I have her. I have her,” Gideon spoke as he knelt in front of her. Her precious face was bruised. “You’re safe, darling, we’ve got you. You’re safe.” He bent over to hug her, but she stopped him.