by Dale Mayer
They had barely been airborne when they landed at the airport where they transferred to a small plane. Brandon leaned forward to Merk and asked, “Is this his private airstrip?”
Merk nodded. “It is indeed.”
“We gotta get us one of these.”
Merk just chuckled.
The transfer was made very quickly. Their pilot got out of the helicopter and moved into the plane, taking the pilot’s seat. Flying the two involved very different skill sets, but it seemed that, in this world, everybody had multiple talents. And they were damn good at each of them.
The plane ride was just over an hour. When they landed, nobody came to greet them. Also no vehicle waited for them at the secondary holding.
The pilot hopped out with them and said, “I’ll be back tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. Gives you twenty-four hours.” He glared at them all. “Be here with Bullard.”
Chapter 2
They waited until he’d gone and then turned and headed to Bullard’s newest holding. The airstrip was on a plateau of land that overlooked the holding below. It was an impressive sight with the perimeter walls made out of stone and the huge building rising in the center.
“Looks like a medieval castle amid a small walled city,” Brandon said.
Kasha nodded, then laughed. “Despite its appearance, this construction is more recent than that. Still we could not find blueprints for the buildings here. Seems the local townships don’t keep up with those documents in every instance.” She glanced around them at their surroundings and continued, “The central edifice is five stories tall, with Bullard’s main control room set up on the first floor, along with a working kitchen and an impromptu ER. That was the last update I received from Bullard before he went missing. There is an underground garage that has a secret exit at the back of the residence at the perimeter wall and one public entryway through electronic gates to get past the wall. The upper four floors are mostly large rooms meant for living areas or bedrooms. I don’t know the extent of Bullard’s plans for their renovation.”
Once again Kasha led the way toward the buildings. She stiffened, sensing eyes on them. She knew the others would have felt the same thing. They had no idea what might be waiting for them. The area was flat, covered with sparse vegetation and dotted with trees in an otherwise sand-and-dirt landscape for miles.
Brandon stepped forward and asked, “Do you have this place under observation?”
“No,” she said quietly. “That’s not us.”
As she approached the perimeter wall, instead of heading to the main entrance, Kasha unlocked a side door that led inside the massive stone wall to a four-foot-wide passageway. She’d loved the wall the first time she’d seen it. The wall enclosed the entire development and yard, even rising over the driveway and gates in a continuous circle, with a rampart along the top of the wall, which made for a defense system not seen since the Middle Ages.
As they walked through, she could look inside and out of the property through small openings in the wall. She could hear the men murmuring in the background. She knew how they felt. This place was fabulous and just what Bullard wanted. Of course, being in the same industry, the men accompanying her would recognize the benefits of such architecture.
When they came to the next corner, she unlocked and pulled open a small door and entered a partially stocked weapons room. “Well, that’s a good sign.” She was quietly relieved the weapons were here. She had to admit to being afraid the place had been broken into and cleaned out. Over one million dollars’ worth of Bullard’s equipment, weapons and vehicles were here.
“Oh, now that’s more like it,” Brandon said with a big grin. “Wow. Okay, I wasn’t expecting this.”
She chuckled. Follow your bliss came to mind. Like boys in a candy shop, each exclaimed and chose their favorite weapons. She watched as Brandon grabbed a handgun, which he tucked into his waistband. He then selected a semiautomatic rifle.
As he stepped back, she pointed to the far wall. He looked up to see belt clips full of ammo. He took one, strapped it on and followed her out. She was also armed but her choice was two pistols.
Kasha walked forward confidently. She opened the double doors into the main area of the property, wondering what she’d find left here. So far there was no sign the place had been broken into. “This main residence is huge. I’m heading to the heart of the building on the main floor.” She led the way to the huge central room equipped with large-screen monitors, TVs, speakers, desks. “This is where we started setting up a command station.”
Brandon stood in the entranceway and whistled quietly. “Wow. This is a war room.”
The others looked at him and nodded. “They aren’t all that uncommon over here,” Stone commented. “At least for any kind of military operation. It’ll be awesome when it’s finished.”
Kasha walked over to the computers. The big wall screen behind her showed her logging in. Within seconds, a hand-drawn plan for each floor popped up on the big screen. “Like I said earlier, no such things as blueprints were available regarding this property. So Bullard drew these up himself, and I uploaded them.”
Brandon walked closer, the others following suit. He asked, “Is this just the house we’re in?”
“Yes. All five floors.”
“Do we have any idea where Bullard could be? Maybe even in this main building?”
She tapped two more buttons, and three red dots appeared on the third floor. “Heat sensors,” she said quietly.
“Too small,” Brandon said, shaking his head.
She gave him a sharp look. “What do you mean?”
“None are big enough to be Bullard,” Merk said. “Were there any dogs here?”
Kasha shrugged. “Not that I know of.”
“Stone and Harrison will stay here with you, Kasha,” Merk said. “Harrison is our resident IT expert and hacker, so put him to use as you see fit. And, as you already know, Stone is our mechanical engineer who can create whatever you want from just an idea. If you do have dogs or other animals to deal with, Flynn’s your man, but he’s not here, although he could be called in at any time.”
“Great,” she said. “Bullard’s security is not yet fully operational. Stone, Harrison and I will see what’s been done and what we can do to improve on that.”
“And the two of us will check out those heat signatures,” Merk said. “Brandon, with me.”
She frowned. “Be careful,” she warned.
Brandon gave her a ferocious grin. “We will. We’ll also find out who is here.”
Merk and Brandon grabbed comm units, linking them to the command center, as Brandon spoke to Kasha on his way out. “There were two sets of stairs—one on either side of the building—yet the elevator goes literally up the center. Is that correct?”
Kasha nodded and said, “I disengaged the elevator before I left here, under Bullard’s orders. He prefers to take the stairs anyway. The house is built around this main core, a square within the larger square. All the main floor functions are centralized here, and outside of this are extra rooms. Above are more living areas. Lots of places to hide. And it’s been unoccupied for the better part of two days now.”
On the active screen in the war room, she watched as the red dots representing Merk and Brandon climbed the stairs to the third floor. Once there, they searched each room, stating, “Clear,” as they moved from one room to the other.
She watched their progress with awe. They were like a well-oiled machine.
Until they walked past where the first heat signature was.
“Stop,” she said urgently. “You just passed one.”
“Shit.”
She guided them as they retraced their steps into the last room. “Check at the very back on the left,” she murmured.
They walked over to the wall where a small built-in closet was. She heard Brandon call out, “We’re opening the door. We’re armed and prepared to shoot.”
“Come out or be shot,” Merk added, bef
ore he yanked open the door.
She could see the first red dot stretch up.
“Kasha, we found an older woman here,” Brandon said quietly. “She looks pretty terrified.”
In her headset, Kasha could hear him ask, “Do you speak English?”
“It could be the cook,” Kasha said. “Ask if her name is Tahlia.”
As soon as Brandon mentioned the name, the woman spoke in a rapid-fire language and tone Kasha recognized. “I think it’s the cook Bullard hired from the village. Once you’ve completed your sweep, bring her down here.”
“So where’s the next heat signature?” Brandon asked.
“Go east. Far back corner of that floor. Should be another closet or a small room.” She waited for their next communication and then jumped when she heard the resounding gunshot. “What did you find?”
“A black mamba,” Brandon said.
“I hate snakes. It’s one of the worst things about living in Africa.”
“Yeah, well, you would have really disliked this one,” Merk said and then laughed.
“Why is that?” Kasha asked.
“This one is a granddaddy. I bet it’s ten feet long when stretched out.”
“Thanks for killing that one. Now I’ll be scared to open any door in this place.”
“Always a good idea to call in an exterminator with each new property,” Brandon said. “I’ve stayed in some supposed safe houses that weren’t so healthy for its occupants. That wouldn’t happen with any of Levi’s safe houses. He knows better.”
“Okay, where’s the last heat signature?” Merk asked.
“Uh-oh,” Kasha said. “It’s on the move. Heading toward you. Should have a visual in three, two …”
“Got it. Some starving wild dog,” Merk said.
Kasha could hear it growling over the guys’ comms. “Probably what the locals call a village dog. They’re feral guard dogs, very territorial, so beware, guys,” Kasha said.
“I’ve got an idea, Merk.” Brandon nodded toward their fresh kill behind them. “I think the dog wants raw meat. Let him pass and take care of our dead friend back there.”
Kasha held her breath as she heard their softened footfalls, then got another “Clear” from Brandon. “I’ve closed the dog up in this room. We’ll have to deal with him later, hopefully when his stomach is full.”
The men arrived back in the war room within minutes, ushering Tahlia in front of them.
Kasha walked over, smiling at the cringing woman. Kasha spoke quickly, trying to reassure her that she wasn’t in any danger.
The other woman relaxed, and her tone changed as she spoke with Kasha.
Kasha listened, then turned to the men who awaited an explanation. “Bullard hired her to cook for us while we were here with an eye to a permanent full-time position down the road as soon as he set up the place.”
At that, they asked several questions, with Kasha translating, but the cook’s answers were not helpful. “Bullard left, saying he’d be back before lunch, but he didn’t return. She didn’t know what to do but wait. She doesn’t understand computers and has no cell phone to call anyone. She doesn’t know what happened to him.”
“Do we believe her?” Brandon asked, careful to keep his voice neutral. “It wouldn’t be the first time somebody lied in a situation like this.”
“True enough,” Kasha said quietly. “But I believe her. At least that she’s telling the truth as she knows it.”
“Okay, so where do we go from here?” They turned to look at the rest of the building. “Did the heat sensors pick anything else up?”
Kasha shook her head. “No, not that I could see. Remember, it’s not decked out Bullard-style yet as he just took possession of the property. That’s part of what he was doing after we left him.”
“And he didn’t call afterward?”
She nodded. “He didn’t call, and we’ve had no contact since. If our men weren’t all over the world on missions, we’d have had the personnel to take care of this. But Dave suggested someone outside this situation was better than pulling our men back. The only people Bullard trusts are Levi and Ice.” She added, “We need to check outside that he’s not lying somewhere on the property, hurt or disabled. Although the sensors we have installed so far should have picked that up. Still, we need to do a walk around.”
“Got a preview for us?” Stone asked, pointing to the computers.
She shook her head. “So far we’ve got limited cameras on the surrounding property, like at the garage, but not on the gate yet. There’s a rooftop walkway all around the top of this building—the proverbial widow’s walk—which should give you a bird’s-eye view before hiking across the actual property. As you’ve seen firsthand, the property is exposed. But, up there, you are somewhat shielded by a chest-high parapet with gun ports at various points in the wall.”
Pairing up in twos, with Kasha and the cook staying at the computer center, Brandon and Merk took the left staircase, and Stone and Harrison went to the right one. Both would end up at the rooftop walkway.
They had a fifteen-minute rendezvous time as the four men checked all the floors in the building. They started on the first floor and moved up each of the five floors before stepping out onto the turret wall. Aside from the Bullard-approved enhancements made to the ground floor, all the others held sparse furniture and were replicas of the ones before it with stone walls and brick floors to mimic ancient structures. However, contemporary glass windows all throughout helped to keep the African heat at bay.
“Stepping outside now. Clear so far.”
She smiled at Brandon’s voice. Something was very magnetic about it. If he sang, he’d be a bass—it was that low. With their shared comm system, she could hear the guys talking through her headset.
“This rooftop walkway is incredible,” Brandon said to Merk. “The layout is from castle-sieging days. I can see why Bullard wanted it.”
There was a crackle in the headset. “We can’t see the plateau where the airstrip is,” Merk said. “That’s a definite weakness in the system.”
“Bullard did note that on our original walk-through,” Kasha pointed out. “We added it to the lists of problems to address.”
Stone called through at one point and asked, “Anything?”
Merk answered, “No, nothing. You?”
“Clear here,” Stone said.
“Clear,” Harrison added.
“Roof is clear,” Brandon said. “It’s a flat spot that’s great for a lookout. The view is stunning. Can see any enemy coming from miles away.”
“Heading down to the grounds,” Merk said.
Keeping an eye on them, she followed the corresponding red dots revealed on the war room screen as the guys circled the building. They continued through the courtyard and around the main house, checking into the few outbuildings as well. They were small and didn’t take much time to investigate.
As soon as they returned to the war room, she flashed a smile. “I suggest someone check out the garage too.” She motioned for the four guys to follow her as she led the way to the underground six-car garage. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the cook sticking close to them. When they reached the garage, Kasha eyed the two vehicles there. She tapped the concrete floor with her foot.
“What’s up?” Brandon asked.
She shook her head as she looked at the vehicles and said, “Bullard must be driving the old pickup truck that came with this place.”
Merk asked, “Is the pickup being tracked?”
Kasha’s brows rose in startled surprise, and she nodded. “Yes, it should be. Let’s check the system. The men installed trackers right away—or were supposed to—but tons of things were to be done, and we were missing some of the tools and equipment they needed. However, if the job was completed, chances are good no one would suspect a GPS unit in that old clunker.”
She opened a nearby floor-to-ceiling cabinet, exposing a computer center, and clicked on the garage’s keyboard unit. �
�Got it,” she cried out. She pointed to the screen behind her mounted to the wall that just blinked on. And sure enough a buzzing red dot flashed on the screen.
The cook spoke up then. She pointed to the screen, and her voice became animated.
Kasha listened carefully, then translated. “That’s the closest village. She said a lot of really bad men live there.”
“That’s fine. They’re about to meet us, and we’ll winnow them down,” Brandon said in a harsh voice. He checked his watch. “10:05 a.m. WAT.” He turned his attention to Kasha and asked, “Which vehicle do you want us to take?”
She smiled and said, “The Hummer.” She walked to a cabinet equipped with a digital lock. She punched in a series of numbers and opened it to show a row of keys. She pulled out two sets and double-checked them. “You drive.”
Like a kid with a new toy, Brandon whooped. He and the other men raced to the Hummer as Kasha walked to a control panel on the side on the wall. She clicked several buttons, and they watched as the huge garage door opened, revealing a large ramp up and out of the building.
She said, “I’m staying behind, in case you need anything further, in case Bullard shows up, and in case of any more surprises.”
Merk snapped his head to Stone.
Stone hopped out, slapped the Hummer twice in code and said, “Go. I’ve got it.”
*
Brandon didn’t argue. He hit Reverse, backed down the large ramp and turned around.
He could see Stone and Kasha arguing in his rearview mirror. Given the circumstances, he fully agreed with Stone staying back. The last sight he saw was Stone crossing his arms over his chest and just staring at Kasha.
Brandon chuckled. “I don’t think she liked that much.”
“It doesn’t matter if she liked it or not,” Merk said. “There’s no way we come here to rescue Bullard and get Kasha kidnapped or killed in the process.”
“Keep in mind we don’t know how many men we’ll be up against in the village,” Harrison commented.