Richter’s Compound
Asni, Morocco
“T
aking the shot.”
Atlas’ transmission tensed every muscle in Niner’s body as he stared at the sentry on the one-two corner of the compound, left of the gate. The sentry dropped out of sight and Niner bolted from his hiding place, approaching the tower at an angle that took advantage of the blind spots the poor design provided. He reached the stone wall and breathed a sigh of relief at their assessment the stonework would provide plenty of handholds.
He quickly scaled the wall and flipped over the edge, dropping onto the crumpled body of Atlas’ handiwork. He confirmed the kill then quickly removed the dead man’s hat and jacket. He donned them, picked up the man’s weapon, and stood, assuming the sentry duty, praying the faint light and Kane’s arrival meant no one had caught him on camera.
He eyed the man’s body from his new position and spotted an earpiece. He bent over and removed it, then stuffed it in his free ear. He listened for a moment for any chatter but heard nothing.
Good comms discipline.
He activated his own. “One-two corner secure, over.”
K
ane gripped the steering wheel then forced his fingers to relax, spreading them out as he eyed the looming gate ahead. “Okay, here goes nothing.”
“Good luck.”
Two sentries in the corner were visible, and his mind was telling him that he recognized Niner’s frame in the tower to the left, though it was hard to tell in the reduced light of the early evening. “I think I see Niner.”
“He’s in the tower to your left. Don’t tell anyone.”
Kane chuckled at Leroux’s joke. “Thanks for the tip. The gates are opening. No secret hand signal.”
He passed through at a speed he assumed normal, then turned slightly to his right, rounding the courtyard, and coming to a stop in front of the steps, no security in sight. “So far, so good. I’m going off comms before I get out of the vehicle. I won’t be able to hear you from this point on. Enjoy listening to the boys.” He removed his earpiece and stuffed his comms out of sight. “Getting out of the vehicle now.”
He opened the door and stepped out. He closed it then reached to open the rear door when shouts and the hammering of boots rushing down the steps confirmed the chauffeur’s Oompa Loompa height had betrayed him.
As expected.
“Hands up. Make a move and you’re dead,” barked a voice with a distinct Afrikaans accent. Kane raised his hands and slowly turned around to face six men with Milkor BXP submachine guns aimed at him. He raised his left arm a little higher. “Left side, shoulder holster.”
A battle-scarred brick shithouse, evidently in charge, motioned for one of his men to disarm him. The uniformed man rushed forward, slinging his submachine gun, and relieved Kane of his Glock.
“Any other weapons?”
Kane shook his hands. “Just these.”
“Funny. Check his ankle.”
Kane frowned. “Fine.” He held his foot out and pulled his pant leg up. The man removed his backup weapon.
“Anything else? No self-respecting soldier goes anywhere without a knife.”
Kane reached into his pocket and retrieved his blade, handing it over.
“Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“Where are your friends?”
He played dumb. “What friends?”
“Your friends that came with you to rescue the professors.”
“I work alone.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“If you knew me, you’d know that nobody ever wants to work with me. I’m too unpredictable and a terrible conversationalist.”
“You’re telling me that those professors, who are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, have a one-man security team?”
Kane shook his head. “No, because you’d never believe that, and it wouldn’t be true. They have a substantial security team, but they use it to protect their students, not themselves, and at the moment, they’re halfway across the planet in Peru. I was called in by them to see if there was anything I could do. My contacts found out about your buyer here”—he jerked a thumb toward the car behind him—“so I decided to intercept your driver.”
“How did you know they were here?”
“Well, that was easy. That private jet you used, the police already know exactly where it went and that my clients were on it, so my contact inside Europol was able to tell me exactly where you went, and the rest is quite easy for someone with my skills.”
The leader approached, glaring at him. “I don’t believe for a moment you’re here alone. Lock him up. Put a guard on him.”
“I would put two on me. I’m really quite good.”
The man frowned then turned his back on him as he walked away, apparently done with him. “Put him in with the professors and put another man on the door. There are only twelve of us, and I’ll be damned if I’m wasting any more than necessary guarding prisoners.”
Kane was quickly grabbed by both arms and hauled inside, suppressing a smile at knowing there would now be two fewer people Dawson’s team would have to deal with when they attempted entry. He glanced over at the tower Niner had taken only minutes before he arrived, hoping everything continued to go smoothly for them, despite his day being shot to hell.
