by David Archer
“Yeah,” Rob said, “they’re good at that.”
Sam grinned, then went quietly back to the bedroom and slid in beside Indie. She rolled over and put an arm around him, sighing in her sleep.
SEVEN
They were up again the next morning at six thirty, and Sam sent Denny and Darren out to drag Reese into the house. They came back with him a few minutes later and sat him into a chair at the kitchen table. Indie had picked up some groceries the evening before, and poured him a bowl of corn flakes.
“Sleeping on a bale of hay makes you itch,” Reese said, after scarfing down the cereal. “Would it be possible to get a shower?” He looked down at himself. “And could I maybe borrow some clean clothes from somebody?”
Sam nodded and Denny grabbed the man by one arm and escorted him to the bathroom. He stood in the doorway while Reese stripped and got into the shower, and then Steve, who was about the same size as Reese, got a pair of his own jeans and a T-shirt, and a bottle of shampoo, and brought them to him.
Reese scrubbed himself from head to toe with the shampoo, then did it a second time. When he was finished, Denny brought him back to the table and plunked him into a chair once more.
“So, what’s your plan?” Sam asked him. “How are you going to take us to the girl?”
“I’ll need a phone,” Reese said. “Since this is going to burn me for good, anyway, I came up with something he’ll never be able to resist. I’ll call Heinrich and tell him that I got the location of the Soviet Sixpack. You know what that is?”
Sam shook his head, but Denny suddenly leaned forward. “Bloody hell,” he said. “The Soviet Sixpack is what Israeli Intelligence calls the six nuclear warheads that disappeared from the Russian arsenal back in the nineties. According to the Mossad, they were actually six prototype warheads that are more powerful than anything else currently in existence. Besides being more than ten thousand times more destructive than the bomb that hit Hiroshima, they’re also designed to spread radioactive dust out for a distance of more than two hundred miles. One of them could make most of Israel completely uninhabitable for centuries, so the Mossad has been hunting them ever since. If they really exist…”
“Exactly,” Reese grinned. “So they’re the most valuable weapons on the entire planet, and Heinrich wants them so bad he can’t see straight. He told me once if anybody could ever find them, it would be me, so he’ll believe me.”
Sam cocked his head to one side and squinted at Reese. “And he believes that you would hand over something that devastating to him?”
“Of course he would,” Reese said. “He knows exactly what kind of person I am, and that I do what makes me the most money. Something like this would be worth billions, and he’d do absolutely anything he had to do to get me to give him that information. If I tell him I’m scared about this whole deal and I want the girl back before I tell him where to get them, he’ll hand her over.”
Sam shook his head. “That sounds like such a stupid, idiotic plan that it’ll probably actually work.” He nodded to Steve, who produced a cell phone and handed it to Reese.
“I hope you know the guy’s phone number,” Steve said. “And put the phone on speaker, so we can all hear everything.”
“Trust me, it’s embedded in my memory.” He dialed a number quickly, then activated the speaker and held the phone out in front of his face.
“Ja?”
“Heinrich? It’s Evan. Listen, old friend, I just stumbled onto something so big you might not be able to handle it.”
“What could you have that is too big for me? Don’t be facetious, Evan, just tell me.”
Reese grinned. “Now, now, Heinrich, this isn’t the sort of thing we want to talk about over the phone. Let’s just say that I found the end of the rainbow, the one you’ve been chasing for the last twenty years.”
“Rainbow? What silliness are you up to? Wait, the one I have been seeking for more than two decades? Evan, are we speaking of something that has, shall we say, half of a dozen components?”
The grin got wider. “Yeah, I think you figured out what I’m talking about. As far as I know, all six of them, but they’re not going to come cheap. The guy who has the location found out who had it entirely by accident and managed to make the guy give it up, but he’s no fool. He knows exactly what he’s got and what they are worth. You’re going to have to come up with one hell of a lot of money to get them, but first, you got to take care of me.”
“Of course, my old friend. I have no problem with paying a healthy reward, especially for such a valuable item. What do you have in mind?”
“Well, here’s the thing, Heinrich. Remember that little trip I took for you a couple days ago? I got feds trying to hunt me down, buddy, and they claim I was the one who grabbed the girl. If anything happens to her, I go away forever, and that really doesn’t appeal to me. You want the name of the man who has the pot of gold, you got to give me the girl.”
“Evan, I cannot do that,” Heinrich said. “We need the technology that McCabe can bring to our region, it’s the only way we can ever win this fight and help our nations to prosper. I can pay you, but…”
“Money won’t help me in prison, Heinrich. Forget all about the technology deal, this is what you need to put an end to your problems forever, and having them will get your member nations an awful lot of respect. With respect, there also comes prosperity, but first you have to get them in your hands. All that’s gonna cost you is that girl, safe and sound. As soon as I have her, I'll hand over the name and phone number of the man you really want to talk to.”
There was silence on the phone for nearly half a minute, but then Heinrich let out a sigh. “Evan,” he said, “I need to ask you one thing. How certain are you that this is truly the treasure I have been looking for?”
Reese grinned as he stayed silent for several seconds. “Well, let me put it this way,” he said. “You’re going to need a very large truck, because the whole package weighs almost 70,000 kilos. Does that sound about right?”
There was another sigh. “Yes, it does. Very well, you have a deal. The girl was never taken out of her country. She is in a small town called Sheldon, about ninety-five miles south of Chicago. If you can get to O’Hare, I can have someone meet you there at the airport to take you to her. I'll let them know that they must release her to you, but then I expect you to call me with the information I need before you leave with her. Is that acceptable?”
“That will be perfectly acceptable,” Reese said. “It may take me a little while to get there, so make sure nothing happens to her before I do. If she’s not healthy and safe when I get there, Heinrich, then all bets are off. Understood?”
“Of course,” Heinrich said. “I shall be waiting for your call. Please do not delay any longer than necessary.”
Reese hit the end button to cut off the call, then looked up at Sam. “Looks like we’re headed for the Windy City,” he said. “Now, are we good? Are you going to make this all disappear for me?”
“Once we have the girl,” Sam said, “we’ll drop you off back wherever you want. What happens to you after that is not my concern, but I suspect you’re going to be dodging Mr. Wegner for a long time to come.”
Reese’s eyes grew round and he shook his head. “Oh, no, hold the phone,” he said. “Like I said, I’m gonna need to disappear. You work with DHS, so I know you can get me into witness protection. I’m gonna need a whole new identity, something that can never be penetrated. If Heinrich ever gets away or even manages to get word out from wherever you put him, my life won’t be worth spit. You can’t get the girl without me, so I want it established right now that I get a new identity. You call whoever you have to and set it up. If we don’t come to terms on that, I’ll be safer in your secret prison than on the street.”
Sam looked at him for a long moment, then slowly nodded. “All right,” he said. “We get her back safely, I’ll make sure you get a whole new identity. Just remember what happens if we don’t, though
.”
He turned to Denny. “Can you rig up a blindfold for him? I don’t want him to know how to get back here, just in case he ever thinks it might be a good idea.”
Denny grinned. “Sure, no problem, mate.”
Sam walked out of the kitchen into the living room and sat in the recliner. He took out his phone, looked at it for a moment, and dialed the number for Roland McCabe.
“Mr. Prichard?” McCabe asked. “Any news?”
“Mr. McCabe, I believe we may have located where your daughter was taken. Now, I’m not completely certain just yet, but we're going to be headed there within a couple of hours. If everything goes well, sometime this afternoon I'll be able to put her on the phone with you.”
The man was silent for a few seconds, and then Sam heard him sob. “Mr. Prichard, please—please bring her home safely.”
“That’s the plan,” Sam said. “I'll be in touch as soon as I know more.”
He ended the call and then dialed the number for the Windlass Security offices. A receptionist answered briskly, and Sam asked her to put him through to Ron.
“Ron Thomas,” his boss said as he answered. “Sam? What have you got?”
“Well, I’ve probably broken about two dozen laws, but I’m pretty sure I'll be able to pick up Amber McCabe before the day is over. The kidnapping was orchestrated by some low-level political group in Africa, something called the People’s Army of Freedom, but the girl is being held somewhere in Illinois. We’re about to head for the airport, to fly out toward Chicago.”
Ron laughed out loud. “Sam, that’s the best news you could’ve given me,” he said. “You get her back safely and there’s a healthy bonus in it for the entire team.”
“Well, I may have already spent mine. I need you to call in a favor from DHS. If this works out and we get the girl back safely, my informant is going to need to go in the witness protection program, or something like it. All new identity, no connection to his past. He says, and I’m pretty sure he’s correct, that he wouldn’t live very long after this if we turn him loose.”
“That won’t be any problem,” Ron said. “If necessary, we can create a new identity ourselves. Whatever it costs will be worth it, with what we’re making on this job.”
“Ron, I would’ve done this one for free. All I care about is getting this girl back safe and sound, and getting her back to her father.”
“Hey, me, too, but I’m not going to turn down the ten million dollar bonus he promised to pay if we pull that off. Might as well share the wealth with the ones who did the work, right? Bonus, Sam, just think about how you’re going to spend it.”
“Spend it? I haven’t even managed to spend the last one, yet.” Sam chuckled and they said goodbye. He looked at Harvey and Wendy, who had followed him into the room.
“So, do you honestly think he’s going to lead you to the girl?” Wendy asked.
“Yeah, I do,” Sam said. “He just stuck his neck out pretty far, so I suspect he’s going to want to keep us on his good side for at least a while.”
“That would be good,” she said. “Now, can we get footage of you bringing her out?”
Sam thought about it for a moment. “I’m okay with that, but you can’t release it until I give you the word. At that point, I'll be ready to make a statement for you, anyway. Deal?”
Wendy smiled. “Deal,” she said. “I really can’t wait to put the story together, it’s going to be a blockbuster.”
Sam grinned at her. “I’m sure it will,” he said, “especially if it ends up with a happy ending. The best footage of all will be when she’s reunited with her father, hopefully sometime tonight. For now, I need everybody to get packed up again, because I don’t want to waste any time getting to Chicago.”
They were ready to leave within the next twenty minutes, and hit the road only a moment later. The six vehicles made another convoy down the county road, heading back into Ithaca toward the airport. Reese had to ride in the van with Rob and his squad, sitting nervously beside Maravich the entire time.
Sam took out his phone as they drove and called the pilot of the Gulfstream, who said he would immediately file a flight plan for Chicago and be ready to go by the time they arrived.
Indie looked at him as he ended the call. “There’s something I need to tell you,” she said, “but I wanted to wait until we were alone.”
Sam turned to look at her for a moment, then put his eyes back on the road. “Is something wrong, honey?”
“Not exactly wrong,” she said. “Sam, my mom called a while ago, while you were talking to Wendy. It seems Beauregard decided to put in an appearance this morning.”
Sam sighed. “And what did the old spook have to say this time?”
Indie bit her bottom lip for a moment. “Sam, he said you’re going to get the girl back safely, but that you will be forced to kill some people, and it’s going to put you in more danger than you’ve ever known before.”
Sam was silent for almost a minute. “I hate Beauregard,” he said. “At the same time, I know that I’d be dead a dozen times over if it wasn’t for him. Did he say what kind of danger?”
Indie shrugged. “He said you’re going to have to kill some people to get the girl back safely, and that it’s going to make some very dangerous person very angry.”
Sam nodded. “All right,” he said. “In that case, I want you and the girls to stay here. Steve and Walter will stay with you, I’m just taking Darren, Denny, and Rob and his people.”
“Wait a minute,” Indie said suddenly, “why can’t I go? Beauregard didn’t say any of us were going to be in danger, just you.”
“Yes, just me,” Sam said. “That’s exactly how I want it to be, too. You can drop us off at the airport, then go back to the hotel. Good thing we haven’t checked out yet.”
Indie glared at him. “Samuel Prichard,” she said between clenched teeth, “if you think for one minute that I’m going to sit back here and wait while you go to deal with this, you can just think again. You’re letting Wendy go along, right? If it’s not too dangerous for her, then it’s not too dangerous for me. I’ll hang on to the machine-gun you gave me, just in case, but I am going with you!”
Sam let out a sigh. Trying to argue at this point, he knew, would only cause problems he didn’t have time to deal with.
“Okay, fine,” he said. “You can go, but you stay back with Wendy and Harvey until everything is over. Understood?”
The glare softened slightly. “Okay, I can deal with that. Just don’t try to leave me behind.”
When they got to the airport, Sam quickly explained his plan, and immediately got flak from Jade and Summer.
“Wait a minute, why does Indie get to go?” Summer demanded. “She doesn’t even have a gun.”
“Yes, I do,” Indie said. She brandished the mini-Uzi Sam had brought her from the Windlass armory. “And trust me, I know how to use it.”
“Oh, come on, Sam,” Jade said. “This isn’t fair! Why shouldn’t we get to be in on the rescue?”
“Because whoever Reese is meeting up there is only expecting a couple of people. Rob’s squad will handle any violence that breaks out, so you girls, plus Walter and Steve, can just hang out here and relax. We’ll let you know when everything is over.”
Both girls huffed, but Sam was adamant. They finally gave in, and Sam was able to get on with his plans. They checked in the rental vehicles, with the exception of the one Summer was driving. The two girls, Walter, and Steve got back into that car and returned to the hotel, while Sam, Indie, Reese, Denny, Darren, Harvey and Wendy went onto the plane, followed by Rob and his men. Since they were flying privately, they didn’t have to go through airport security. The terminal wasn’t very big, but the Gulfstream was parked some distance away. Sam leaned hard on his cane as they walked toward it.
Indie held onto his arm as they made their way to the aircraft. Denny held onto Reese, making sure the man didn’t try to bolt and run, while the rest of them followed.
A few people on the tarmac seemed interested in the crowd headed for the small jet, but Sam chalked it up to the sight of Rob and his soldiers. Even without having their guns visible, they were obviously a group of men who were prepared to handle any trouble they came across.
They were on board a moment later and everyone took a seat. Moments later, the flight attendant closed the door and the engines came to life. In less than five minutes, they were racing down the runway and then the plane leapt into the air.
The flight to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport took just under three hours, and they arrived to find the skies cloudy and overcast. Most of the soldiers had caught naps during the flight, but everyone was up and ready to disembark as soon as the plane stopped taxiing at its parking space.
Getting off the plane took only a few moments, and then they were in the terminal. Reese nudged Sam and pointed, and they spotted a man holding a cardboard sign that had “Evan Reese” written on it in thick, black ink.
“There’s my ride,” Reese said. “He’s probably not going to be happy about having so many people along with me.”
“That’s why it’s only you and me,” Sam said. “The rest of them will follow us, so let’s give them a few minutes to get a rental car before we approach the guy.” He took hold of Reese’s arm and guided the man toward the restrooms.
Ten minutes later, Sam’s phone rang. He answered it to find Denny on the other end.
“You guys all ready?” Sam asked.
“All set, mate,” Denny said. “A Ford Expedition for us, and Rob got another van. And I’m supposed to tell you that Indie has put a bug on your phone, so we can keep track of where you are all the time. Don’t worry if you don’t see us behind you.”
Sam grinned. “That’s my girl,” he said. “Okay, we’re going to go make contact with our guide. Stay close, but not too close.”
Sam and Reese left the restroom, and Sam let Reese take the lead as they went to the man with the sign. “I’m Evan Reese,” he said to the man.