by Brent Towns
“Newcomb has got us under surveillance, sir. Kane ran into one of his agents this morning, the one who burned him in fact, and she tried to warn us off.”
Jones looked at Joseph. The Admiral asked, “Are we talking about CIA Newcomb?”
“Yes, sir.”
“He’s a bad one, Mary. A dangerous man. What seems to be the issue?”
Mary filled them in on what had happened. From the death of Axe’s sister, right up until Kane briefed her on the bar.
“Goddamn son of a bitch,” Jones blew. “Who the fuck does he think he is?”
“What do you plan to do, Mary?” Joseph asked.
“I’d like to pick the POI up,” she explained. “General, have you looked into anything?”
“There’s nothing to report, yet, Mary. But, by all means, this falls under your brief as far as I’m concerned. Pick that little bastard up.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Do you need any help, Mary?” Joseph asked.
“I think we’ll be right, sir. Thanks.”
“Before you go, Mary,” Jones said. “You made the right call with Kane. Get him checked out. I don’t want him getting all screwed up if it can be helped.”
“What about the shooting, sir? I’m still in two minds about what to do.”
“Let it go. But make sure he understands that if it happens again, then I’ll bring the hammer down on him myself. Sorry about the pun.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Chapter 6
Sunset Plaza Hotel
Los Angeles
The black SUV rolled to a stop across the street from the hotel’s main entrance. Kane engaged the button to operate his electric window and peered out. It looked busy. There was an undercover parking area where guests could drive up and pass their vehicle over to a waiting valet. A small, immaculately-kept garden full of blooms stood on either side of the sliding glass entrance doors. The center portion of the hotel’s front was all glass, from the ground floor up to the tenth. A restaurant on the first floor had a large outdoor dining area which overlooked the street.
Thurston said, “Are you all clear? You get the package, and I’ll meet you in the alley out the back. If it is too hot, then we all walk away. The last thing we need is a firefight in a hotel full of guests.”
“What about the bodyguards?” Cara asked. “They’re just not going to give him up.”
“As long as you don’t kill them, I don’t care. Now, remember, room nine-oh-six.”
“All right, let’s go,” Kane said, opening his door.
The others followed him across the street while Thurston eased the SUV away from the curb behind them. They walked through the entrance lobby and toward the elevators. The floors were cover with white marble tiles, brass and gold fittings seemed to be everywhere they looked. Indoor plants made up a sizable garden around a water feature far off to their right.
Kane glanced over at the long counter to see if they were being observed. The staff were too busy with customers to worry about them.
They all had concealed comms, and Kane’s came to life just before they reached the elevators. “Reaper, I saw at least two males back there who look like trouble.”
Kane pressed the call button on the wall to go up and casually turned away. “Where, Cara?”
“Far wall near the window and another is standing near the third marble pillar.”
He let his gaze drift across and then turned back toward the elevator. He said, “I’ve got them. Bravo? Reaper One. Copy?”
“Copy.”
“Unless I miss my guess, Bravo, I’d say our friends the spooks are here. Over.”
“How many?”
“Two that we can see. But I figure there’s more somewhere.”
There was a moment of silence before Thurston said, “It’s your call, Reaper One. Walk away or continue on mission.”
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Kane hesitated a moment and then said, “Reaper elements continuing on mission. Out.”
They stepped into the elevator, and Kane picked their floor. The doors slid shut, and Kane immediately reached around behind his back and took out his M17. The others followed his lead.
“You reckon we’re going to need these?” Axe asked.
“I guess we’re about to find out.”
When the elevator stopped, and the doors slid open, Kane stepped out.
Nothing happened. The hallway was clear. At the rear, Kane sensed Cara and Axe fall in behind. He started along the thoroughfare’s patterned blue carpet, M17 down at his side, ticking off the numbers as he went. He hugged the left side wall as he walked, Cara the right. Stepping around an artificial potted plant, Kane stopped near a door and frowned.
“What’s up?” Cara asked, seeing he was troubled.
“Something’s not right. Nearly every door we’ve passed has had no sound behind it.”
“So. It’s a hotel, not a club.”
Shaking his head, Kane brought the M17 up and kept walking. “Like I said, something’s not right.”
Suddenly, his comms came to life with Thurston’s urgent voice. “Reaper One, stand down. I say again, stand down and get out, now.”
The Alley
The cell rang, and Thurston picked it up. She pressed the answer key and said, “Thurston.”
“Mary? Luis. You need to put a hold on your operation right away.”
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“Slick was able to nail your target down. His father is Gustaw Marek. He’s a Polish minister in their current government. He’s in charge of the Ministry of National Defence.”
“Christ!” Thurston exclaimed. “They’re not CIA; they’re Black Shield.”
“What?” Ferrero asked.
Thurston had already hung up. “Reaper One, stand down. I say again, stand down and get out, now.”
Thurston looked up, and in her rearview mirror, she saw the black SUV draw slowly to a halt.
Sunset Plaza Hotel
“Repeat, Bravo,” Kane said.
“Kane, those men in the lobby are Black Shield. It’s all fucked up. Get out of there. They anticipated that you’d come for the kid. I’ll tell you the rest later. Move!”
A door toward the end of the hallway opened, and a man dressed in jeans and jacket appeared. Slung over his right shoulder was what Kane assumed to be an MP7. He took one look at the three of them and began to bring it up into a firing position.
Kane, however, was quicker. The M17 snapped into line, and he squeezed the trigger. BLAM! BLAM! The Black Shield operator took two rounds to the chest and was slammed back, falling to the floor.
Reaper opened his mouth and said in a loud, clear voice. “Contact front!” and then all hell broke loose.
“Shit!” Axe cursed and turned to meet the threat. In front of him, Cara already had her M17 up and in a firing position covering empty space.
“Back up!” Reaper snapped. “Axe, take us out. Use the stairs.”
“Copy.”
“Reaper, look out,” Cara shouted.
Kane saw another man armed with an MP7 emerge from the room ahead. He stepped over his fallen comrade and opened fire. Bullets filled the hallway. They punched into the drywall, sending out chunks and puffs of plaster. Cara fired two shots at the shooter and saw one of them strike him in the left shoulder.
The Black Shield contractor shouted in pain and was half turned around by the force of the bullet. His finger tightened on the trigger of his weapon, and the MP7, being on full auto, stitched a line of slugs into the wall as it burned through the magazine.
“Backup!” Cara snapped.
Behind them, the elevator dinged. The doors slid back, revealing the two operators from the lobby, both with handguns drawn. Axe was right there when it transpired and turned. His hesitation was understandable. In a situation like this, it would be easy to shoot a civilian no matter how highly-trained they were. It took a fraction of a heartbeat for him to realize who they were, and h
e shot the first man in the head. Blood and brains sprayed across the operator’s friend, painting one side of his face red. The second man snapped off a shot at Axe, but the spray of gore had made him flinch at the last moment, and the slug flew wide, burning a hole in the wall behind the big ex-marine.
Axe blew two holes in his chest and the man, a redhead, dropped like a stone.
Whirling away from the fallen, Axe hurried to the door which led through to the stairwell. He opened it and walked to the top of the stairs. Leaning over the edge, he listened intently. There were more Black Shield shooters coming up toward them. He backed away and opened the door, just about crashing into Kane and Cara.
“We ain’t going that way. The fuckers are coming up.”
Kane glanced at the elevator, the doors blocked open by the body of one of the operators laying half in and out of it. “Looks like that’s it.”
“It’s a fucking death trap.”
A burst of gunfire ripped along the hallway from a third shooter who emerged from the room at the end of it. Kane snapped, “Got another idea?”
“Nope.”
He leaned around the corner of the alcove and fired three shots, forcing the Black Shield man back. “Go!” he snapped, and Cara and Axe moved across to the elevator.
Axe leaned down and rolled the body while Cara covered both him and Kane as he crossed over. She saw the shooter start to ease around the door jamb ahead and fired twice. Debris flew from the bullet strikes, and the man jerked back.
Cara ducked back into the elevator, and Kane pressed the button. The doors closed, shutting them into what Axe had called a death trap.
The Alley
Thurston watched as the two men dressed in civvies climbed from the SUV and looked around casually. She noticed the bulges under their coats where their weapons were hidden.
Both men were well over six-feet tall. She guessed by their buzzcuts that both had been military at some stage. The driver was a black man, solid. His companion was also solid; though he was Caucasian with brown hair. It was him that pointed out the vehicle in which Thurston was seated.
When she had been a ranger, Mary Thurston had been on many ops, some of them behind enemy lines, others had required a certain finesse. This situation would require something else. For these men were here to kill her or her people. And she sure as shit wasn’t about to let that happen.
She placed the M17 on her lap, ready to fire, right hand still holding it. Her eyes darted to the mirrors, watching their approach.
Thurston’s left hand went to the door release, and she waited. Waited …
Waited …
Waited …
And then she moved.
The door flew open, and Thurston came fluidly through the opening. The Black Shield men, surprised by her sudden movements, hesitated, giving the general all the time she needed to take down the first of them with one shot to the chest.
Not waiting to see the result, Thurston shifted aim and shot the second man who almost had his weapon drawn. He dropped to the ground and his back arched. Thurston hurried up to the fallen men and shot them again. Then she glanced around, looking for any further threats.
Leaning down, she went through their pockets and found a cell on the second man. She stuffed it in her pocket for later.
The general straightened and began walking toward their vehicle. As she did, she said, “Reaper One, copy?”
Nothing.
Thurston opened the door of the Black Shield SUV and climbed in, starting to search it.
“Reaper One, copy?”
Nothing.
Sunset Plaza Hotel
The elevator door opened on seven, and there stood three people waiting to get on. They took one look at the SIG M17 in Kane’s hand and backed away. He immediately raised his left hand and said, “It’s OK. We work for the government. Go back to your room and stay there.”
Not needing to be told twice, they took off like their asses were on fire and disappeared into a room.
Behind them, Kane, Cara, and Axe worked their way along the hallway toward the stairs. Cara said, “We have to get off this floor.”
“Yes,” Kane agreed. “The last thing we need is a firefight with civilians in the mix.”
“What the hell are these Black Shield fuckers up to anyway?” Axe growled. “Why are they trying to kill us?”
“I don’t know,” Kane said. “But you can bet your ass that Newcomb is mixed up in this somewhere.”
“Reaper One, copy?”
“Copy, Bravo.”
“Where are you?”
“We’re on seven and working our way down. We had a little trouble with assholes trying to kill us.”
“Same here. I’m taking the SUV around the front. Come out that way. The back is compromised.”
“The whole op is compromised,” Kane muttered.
They reached the stairs and started to work their way down, Axe in the lead. On making the fifth floor, the sudden clatter of boots on the stairs reached their ears. “Pricks are coming up this way,” Axe said in a low voice.
“Back up,” Kane urged.
That was when the inevitable happened. Voices echoed from above as more Black Shield operators descended the steps.
Cara opened the door to five. “I guess this is it.”
Kane nodded. “Yeah. Move it.”
Axe closed the door behind them, and they hurried along the carpeted hallway. At the other end, a door crashed open. It was the second stairwell. Three men spilled out armed with MP7s. The leader brought his up and let loose a sustained burst of fire which turned the hallway into a deadly shooting gallery. Kane lurched to his right and crashed against a door while Cara went down on one knee and blew off the rest of her magazine, all ten rounds. The shooter jerked under the impact of at least four strikes.
“In here!” Kane shouted.
Axe and Cara dove through the opening while Kane fired his M17 at the men along the hallway. He drew back and closed the door, locking it.
“Like rats in a trap,” Axe said.
Luckily the room hadn’t been lit and was empty. Cara turned the sofa, so it faced the door and then crouched behind it. Axe stood there, waiting while Kane drew back the curtains from a large sliding glass door which led onto the balcony. He opened it and stepped out. Looking down, he then turned back and walked into the room.
Suddenly the door erupted in a mass of razor-sharp wooden splinters as bullets burst through it. The Black Shield operators on the other side had opened fire with their MP7s. Kane and Axe joined Cara behind the sofa. She rose and fired three shots from the fresh magazine through the shattered door before she dropped back down. Axe and Kane followed suit.
“What the fuck are we going to do now, Reaper?” Axe growled while he dropped the empty magazine from his M17 and rammed a fresh one home.
Kane pointed at the open door to the balcony. “We go that way.”
Cara gave him a curious look.
Axe said, “I hate to tell you this, but I can’t fucking fly.”
“You don’t have to,” Kane told them.
Another burst of automatic fire tore through the door. A vase with fresh flowers in it smashed and sprayed shards of ceramic across the room. Above it, a gold-framed mirror exploded when three bullets shattered it.
“In case you can’t fucking count, Reaper, we’re five floors up.”
“I know,” Kane said and fired three rounds through the splintered door. “Look, just trust me.”
Axe rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right.”
Kane gave him a weird smile. “See you down there.”
With that, he leaped to his feet and ran for the balcony. Without hesitation, he jumped over the rail. Cara and Axe just looked at the emptiness in disbelief. Axe said, “What the fuck? He’s crazy; you know that, right?”
More gunfire ripped through the disintegrating door, peppering the tastefully decorated room. “I hate that son of a bitch,” Cara hissed and started toward the balcony
.
Axe called to her, “Hey, where are you going?”
“Five floors down!”
“Oh shit!” he yelled after her as she disappeared. “This is not happening.”
Finally, the door gave way and left a gaping hole, the space immediately filled by one of the Black Shield shooters. Axe fired three rounds at him and came to his feet. With his head down, he ran hard for the balcony, bullets flying all around him.
“I have only one thing to say to you, Reaper!” he shouted. “Fuck yooooouuuu!”
They seemed to fall forever. A heart-stopping freefall which was only arrested once they hit the crystal-clear waters of the pool below. Luckily for them, and others, there was no one in it.
Breaking the surface, Axe looked up at Kane who was already on the side of the pool. “I hate you, you son of a bitch.”
“You’re still alive, aren’t you?” Kane asked with a smile.
Axe snorted water and watched Kane pull Cara from the pool. Then the team leader looked up and saw the Black Shield operators leaning out over the balcony rail. Without taking his eyes off them, he said, “Get out of the pool, Axe. We need to move. Cara, lead us out the front.”
It was like flicking a switch, and all three went back into serious mode. As they walked back through the hotel lobby, people stopped and stared. Maybe it had something to do with the river of water pouring from their saturated clothing, that they were leaving behind them. Kane said in a low voice, “We’ll have to get Slick to hack their system and erase all of their security footage.”
Cara said, “You’re right. I must look terrible.”
“You look all right from where I’m standing,” Axe said from behind her.
Cara rolled her eyes. “Really? Is that all you think about?”
“Not always.”
They exited the hotel and saw Thurston parked across the street. Starting across, they were distracted by the screech of tires. It seemed that Black Shield weren’t done with them just yet.
A black SUV pulled away from the curb and came toward them, accelerating hard as it went. Kane stopped and drew his M17, hoping that even wet, it would fire and not blow up in his hand. He fired four shots and watched them punch through the windshield. Beside him, Cara and Axe did the same. Eventually, the SUV swerved and plowed into a parked car.