“Dad,” Robyn said as Dick walked around Berkley with a bounce in his step. Nothing in his life lately had brought this much anticipation. That was huge since his ultimate plan was to take over the government—permanently. “You might want to wait until I’ve had a chance to talk to you.”
He ignored Robyn and stopped in front of Levine, who seemed to be staring into a deep abyss as if he weren’t there. Gil had already put his fists on Umeko, but she hadn’t made a sound. That wouldn’t do when it came to Levine. “Do you know who I am?” he asked her, but she stayed quiet. “I asked you a question. Do you know who I am?” She finally made eye contact, and her expression left him thinking she found him lacking. That earned her a slap across the face hard enough to make her head snap to the left.
“Who is this?” Gil asked, leaving Umeko alone.
“If I’m right, she led the team who destroyed your facilities last year.” He had to hold Gil back when he lunged at Berkley.
“You must ready the helicopter, so I can take this prisoner back. Supreme Leader Kim will want to deal with her himself.”
“Not yet. If she lives after what I need to do, then you can have her, but not before,” he said, not liking the set of Gil’s mouth. “You can take her if it makes you happy,” he said about Jin.
“I’ll be taking her and Umeko as soon as your pilot is ready,” Gil said as he turned and pushed Umeko back into the cage. “Before you speak, remember where you are, and who I am.”
“Dad.” Robyn tried to interrupt again, but Dick wasn’t about to back down like some powerless punk. “It’s really important.”
“Lapry,” he said to Tyler. “Get in touch with Waspit and tell him to get the helicopter ready again, but no one leaves here until I give the order. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.” Tyler Lapry stood at attention and saluted.
“What?” he asked Robyn, curling his hands into fists and straining not to hit his son. If his stupid wife had been worth anything, his children would’ve been so much better than this.
“The military tribunal found Jeffery guilty, and they decided the death penalty was warranted.” Robyn spoke quickly and took a step away from him. “I thought we could trade him and Rachel for her.”
“Rachel?” he asked, grabbing Robyn by the shirt and pulling him forward. “I thought Rachel was recovering and staying low?”
“She never contacted me, and I thought she was pouting because she screwed up Jeffery’s recovery. Now it seems she was shot and has been charged with trying to kill the president.”
“The president’s already dead,” he said like Robyn was simpleminded, which he really believed most of the time.
“She tried to kill President Michaels,” Robyn said in the same condescending tone. “She’s being charged as an enemy combatant. That’ll give the government an easier time killing her after a short hearing.”
“They have Rachel too?” he asked, glancing back toward Gil, who was pointing at Tyler and then the cage. For once Robyn was right. The only bargaining chips he had were locked inside, and Berkley Levine might be the exception to the government’s rule of not dealing with terrorists, especially now that the weak-willed Michaels was in charge. “Get them something to eat, and tell everyone they’re dead if they think of touching them.”
“What about General Gil?” Robyn asked, and he seemed to know like he did that Gil was going to be a problem. “If he leaves without what he wants, he’ll come back with an army.”
“He doesn’t understand what my sons mean to me.” Robyn smiled at that, but in the months after starting this quest he’d realized the next leader would have to be Jeffery, with Rachel at his back. The men would never follow Robyn because they didn’t respect him, and for that he couldn’t blame them. “If he can’t grasp that important fact, then we’ll handle it.”
“You and me?”
He nodded and placed his hand on the pistol on his hip. The shiny, nickel-chrome guns were status symbols he’d ordered by the thousands after one of the generals in Desert Storm told him Patton had worn one in World War II. Patton had been one of his heroes from the time he was a small boy because he was a man’s man who didn’t take shit from anyone, and he’d fought for the America he wanted to bring back.
“Come on,” he said, and walked back to Gil, who’d started screaming at Tyler, but Tyler seemed unfazed. “Stop,” he said in a loud voice.
“Tell your man to bring the prisoners,” Gil said, and poked him in the chest with two fingers. “If you disagree, your welcome in our country will be sacrificed.” Gil poked him again, so angry his spittle was hitting Dick in the face.
He wiped his cheek and shook his head. “They’re not going anywhere, and you’re going to just accept it.”
“Are you insane?” Gil asked, laughing as if Dick were telling jokes. “I informed General Lee he was a fool for telling the supreme leader to allow you to come here. He paid for that mistake with his life and cried like a woman when the dogs started with his feet.” He went to the spot where Jin Umeko was standing in the cage listening. “Kim wanted to shoot him, but I convinced him to use the dogs because he put you in charge of protecting the nuclear facilities, even though he knew it was a mistake before you even began.”
“You thought my father was a fool?” Jin asked him and laughed.
“He had his boot on my neck for years, and he fooled leader Kim just as long. Now he is dead, and when you’re gone, any trace of him will disappear as well.”
“Your victory will be short-lived, which makes me realize why General Lee kept you down for so long. A man who is staring at death but is blind to it is truly an idiot,” Jin said, then turned her back on him.
“Look at me,” Gil said, rattling the door. “Open this door.”
“Lapry, you heard him,” Dick said.
Tyler opened the cage and pushed Gil in. “I hope that’s what you had in mind,” Tyler said.
“Yes, it was,” he said, and Tyler opened the door again. “Take her out,” he said of Berkley, and she walked out before Tyler could touch her. “What’s your name?”
She stared at him out of the one unswollen eye this time but kept her mouth closed. The disrespect infuriated him, and he slapped her. He put some heat into it, but her head hadn’t moved, and she hadn’t made a sound. When she smiled slightly, he lost control.
“Remember, when you tell me what your name is, I’ll stop,” he said as his fist connected with her side where her kidney was. He hit her ten more times, but she stayed quiet. “You’re not going to outlast me.” When she went back into the cell Gil tried to lunge out, but the young guard hit him with the butt of his rifle and kept at it until Gil fell to his knees and covered his head.
“You’ll break eventually,” he said, shaking the bars, but Berkley only gave him a hard stare that showed her defiance.
“You will pay for this,” Gil said, his bravado and bravery back now that there were bars between them. “Your actions here will mean not only your death, but the death of all these fools. That I promise you.”
“If you call death, General Gil, then it should be your own.” Dick removed his pistol, aimed, and fired before he gave it too much thought. Overthinking every step was why he hadn’t gotten farther along than this.
Gil’s head exploded at the close range and splattered across Berkley and the man with her, but neither of them flinched or made a move to wipe the gore from their face. “You’ll break eventually,” he repeated.
“Do you say this to convince her, or you?” Umeko asked, and he raised the pistol again, but Berkley stepped in front of her and finally showed some emotion when she laughed.
“You will.” He tightened his finger on the trigger, but she only laughed harder. He walked away before his temper stole his last chance to get Jeffery back. “You will, because I want Michaels to have to piece you back together whenever I decide to let you go.”
* * *
The sun setting brought an end to the drills the men in black did with the fervor of new gung-ho recruits, and most of them went to what appeared to be their mess hall. Wiley watched all the movements, her own finger tightening on the trigger when Chandler aimed his weapon at Berkley.
It took three more hours before the compound’s watch was set and the unnatural quiet settled over the area. “The good thing about an underdeveloped country is the lack of good lighting,” Baylor said, and she hummed her agreement. “Everyone in position?”
Every man with them scattered around the perimeter checked in, and the backup team that had arrived from South Korea was positioned a quarter mile away in case any other troops were arriving to join the party. Their orders for tonight were simple. All they had to do was paint their targets for precision bombing and, if they could, release and retrieve their people.
Aidan had given the order, and Wiley had admired how steady her voice was when she added the last part. If this had been Aubrey, she would’ve fucked the rest and done everything to get her back, and that’s exactly what she planned to do. “Everyone get ready for when these guys start their circuit again,” she said. “I’ll eliminate any problems that get past you from up here.”
“Remember, don’t destroy the house at the west side of the square. We need the information that’s inside it,” Baylor added. “Tito, you know what to do.”
“Yes, sir. As soon as BD opens the door, I’ll guide them out.”
“We’re a go,” Wiley said as the guards started their walk again to cover their area. This had probably become rote by now because there wasn’t, up until now, any danger in the dark.
She lined up her first shot, and the head of the guy who stood guard next to the cage snapped back as the rest of his body followed. Berkley and her group had stood together at the back opposite the door to stay away from the dead guy they left in there with them, but Wiley needed them to one side or the other, so her next shot was to the ground to the right.
Thankfully they understood and moved to the left to give her a clean shot to the lock. She peered through the scope and exhaled before pulling back gently on the trigger, hoping Tito was ready. A bullet through metal in this unnatural quiet would be like firing without the silencer, and when it hit, she knew she was right, since she heard it even from this distance.
The noise faded, but more than one light went on, and men started to open doors and look outside. Thankfully, the rescuees didn’t waste time and had followed Tito to cover before the spotlights came on. Hopefully now all that was left was to disappear into the dark and wait for their ride.
“Find them,” Chandler yelled when the spotlight stopped on the cage that now held only one victim. “Radio the unit and tell them to close in.”
That last command stopped Wiley from climbing down as she continued to watch. The chaos this should’ve caused wasn’t materializing, and the only explanation was mind-boggling. “Baylor,” she said.
“Go ahead.”
“Everyone, stop where you are and go to evasive maneuvers.” Before they left the ship they’d had one last meeting with Berkley, Aidan, Baylor, and herself. The term “evasive maneuvers” indicated that the people who should’ve been on their side were compromised. If the group of elite soldiers they’d sent from South Korea was compromised, they were sandwiched. To get out meant either going through Chandler’s men or through a team as well trained as Baylor’s.
“What evasive maneuvers?” the backup team’s leader asked.
“We need to go to the east and loop back around,” Baylor said. “It’s more distance, but it’s a bigger opening, and we need to get out as cleanly as possible since we’ve got baggage.”
“Roger that. We’ll be ready for you.”
Wiley watched as the young guy who’d beaten the Korean soldier with his rifle stood in front of the porch in the yard and talked to someone inside. A few minutes later a group joined him, and they headed east. Obviously, they’d been sabotaged from the moment Command called in their saviors, but where along the line had Chandler started giving the orders?
She switched radio channels before hitting the ground and meeting Baylor at the spot where they’d decided. “What the fuck?” Baylor asked when he lowered his weapon after he saw it was her.
“The team at our backs is working for the other side,” she said, radioing the others. “Shoot anyone who points a gun at you,” she said after explaining what was happening. “We need to get moving and make it to the other side of the line we brought with us, or find cover until the guys redecorate this place.”
“I’d rather not be here when the wrecking crew comes through, so we’ll use the dark to slip by,” Baylor said. A few of the men made it back to them, but they stayed put until she saw Berkley, Harvey, and Jin. “When I get my hands on that marine unit, I’m going to make a lei out of their ears.”
“I’ll be happy to help you with that,” Berkley said softly as she put her hands on their shoulders and squeezed. “You’re both getting a bottle of something good for Christmas this year.”
“What about me?” Tito asked indignantly.
“I won’t forget any of you, believe me.” Berkley winced as she spoke, and Wiley knew it had to be from the beating Chandler had delivered, but she seemed to be able to move on her own, which was a huge bonus. “What’s the plan?”
“Command sent a local team, but they found out Chandler offered dental, so they changed employers.”
“If we give these fuckers the night and all day, they’re going to find us,” Tito said, and Goose nodded, along with some of the others.
“We’re moving, and Wiley’s order stands. I don’t care whose uniform they’re wearing. They point anything at you, and you don’t hesitate,” Baylor said.
“Come on, since the east diversion is only going to last so long,” Wiley said, making Tito move ahead as if to clear their path.
“Did you paint the area?” Berkley asked, and Baylor nodded. “We need a mile, then call it in.”
“How’s a half a mile?” Baylor asked as they heard the sound of helicopters in the air. They’d be easy to spot when they turned their searchlights on. “Hold your fire and take cover,” he ordered, not wanting to give away their position.
Tito raised his fingers to his ears, so Baylor and Wiley switched back to the previous secure channel. “I say, Tiger One, report.”
“Sorry. We’re stuck behind a building on the east side of the square and can’t move without blowing our way out. Any way you could draw these motherfucking scumbags off?” Baylor asked, sounding like he enjoyed saying every word.
“We’re on it,” the guy said almost excitedly. “Don’t move.”
One helicopter peeled off, and their group moved forward and away from the light in a tight circle. Their marine buddies obviously wanted to cover their asses, and Goose held up a fist when Wiley saw the two men on the slight ridge thirty yards away. She held her fist up as well, and everyone dropped.
She crawled slowly to the left as Baylor went to the right. They had to move far enough to stand and make the shot. Her target was sweeping the area with binoculars while his buddy held his rifle to his shoulder as if ready to fire. That’s who had to go first, and Baylor obviously agreed when the man suddenly slumped over to his side. Before the other guy could figure out what had happened, he was dead.
They moved forward cautiously, and Baylor’s men took possession of the dead men’s radios and pointed forward. A few minutes later one of the guys said, “All clear, sir.”
“Tito, climb and tell me what you see,” Baylor said when they reached a tree with low branches.
They stood still behind something as they waited, and Goose checked the GPS. “It appears clear, but it’s as black as the inside of my ass, so we go slow,” Tito reported.
“We got another half mile, sir,” Goose said.
“Cletus, you’re okay to go?” Baylor asked.
“You saw me on the deck every morning,” Berkley said and laughed. “I don’t like to do it for fun, but to train in case I have to run for my life. I think this qualifies.”
“Let’s hit it,” Wiley said, and they made their way quietly into the unknown. “No matter what, you three are with me,” she told Berkley.
They stopped at Baylor’s order as his team cleared the next section, and Berkley put her arm around Wiley’s shoulders. “Thank God you got there before they ripped all my fingernails out.”
“Chandler could have done a lot worse than that, buddy,” Wiley said, confused.
“True, but the fingernail thing would’ve ruined my love life.”
* * *
“Captain,” the Jefferson’s lead radar man said. “The targets are visible, so we’re a go on your mark.”
“Thank you,” Aidan said, knowing Command was listening in. She picked up the receiver and took a breath. “Tiger One, this is Zookeeper.” It was like throwing a penny into a wishing well, waiting for Baylor to respond since the team had gone silent.
“This is Badger One, ma’am,” the marine leader responded. “We’re trying to find them but have been unsuccessful.”
“You lost them?” she asked, suspicious of that response.
“Black Dragon ordered evasive maneuvers, and they’re pinned somewhere in the target area. Hold your fire until we’re clear.”
“Confirmed, and we’ll hold until otherwise noted.”
“Ma’am, bogeys coming from the north,” another radar operator said.
“Vader, you’re clear for takeoff.” The flight crew had been on standby, since she was confident Baylor and Wiley wouldn’t waste time getting clear of the area. “If the bogies are black and they don’t respond, you’re clear to fire.”
“Yes, Captain”
“Killer,” she radioed next.
“Ma’am.”
“Evasive maneuvers,” she said, changing the channel, and Devin intercepted the crewman who moved closer to see what she’d done. “Devin, have him cuffed and gagged for now. I don’t have time for a trip to the brig. Call the CIA guys, and they’ll deal with him.”
“Wait a minute.” The crewman put his hands out in front of him.
“Either place your hands behind your head,” she said with her service weapon in her hand, “or I’ll shoot you where you stand. Treasonous behavior during wartime gives me that right. I’m also tired of you assholes, so option two would be preferable.”
“You can’t win,” he said as he dropped to his knees and placed his hands behind his head. Devin removed the earwig the guy wore and handed it over. “Give me a ping if we’re still a go,” someone said, and she placed a pistol against his forehead while Devin cuffed him. “Repeat, are we a go?”
“Man his station and tell me what channels he’s on,” she said, and the guy who’d been sitting next to the man on his knees turned his head in that direction. “Don’t make the mistake of joining your friend here.”
“Here you go, ma’am.,” Another young guy gave her a tear sheet.
“Send a ping over this channel, then cuff that bastard as well and get them the hell off my bridge,” she said of the man who’d hesitated.
“Captain, one of the targets just went off-line,” the radar leader said.
“Killer, your team is clear, and we’ll send coordinates since the target beacons are being cleared. Make sure they’re all eliminated.”
“With pleasure, Captain”
“Tiger One,” she said, holding her breath a moment longer than usual before exhaling.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and that was all.
The answer, though, was enough.
* * *
The group stopped again, and the heat even at night was enough to make them sweat like they were in a sauna. Berkley wiped her face and sat as she rolled her tongue around her mouth. She was thirsty, but she could wait until they reached a safe rendezvous point. Everything seemed to hurt from her hair down, but she pushed not to fall behind.
“Here,” Wiley said, handing over a canteen. “How are your ribs?”
“My ribs are okay, but my kidneys will be pumping blood for a while along with my urine.” She took a sip of water, and it hurt to swallow. “Can you believe I was standing that close to that bastard, and you couldn’t get a shot off?”
“Believe me, I wanted to before he went off on you, but it would’ve brought all those assholes down on us and you three.” Wiley drank after her and handed it back. “Don’t worry, though. The captain has plans of her own, and they include him not getting away.”
“She holding up okay?” Making Aidan go through all this again was causing her to hurt more than any blow she’d taken.
“You know the most important thing I’ve learned after Aubrey came into my life?”
“What’s that?” she asked, stifling a moan when she straightened her legs.
“They’re strong women on their own, which means they can stand on their own and hold us up as well.”
“So she’s okay?”
“She’s dying inside, but she’s doing her job, and because she is, we’re walking out of here with you. You’re as lucky as I am in this life. Aidan wouldn’t accept any scenario that didn’t include all of us getting out of that place, and she told Command exactly that.”
“The second that door opened I knew I’d put her through hell again, and that was worse than a bullet to the head.” She took one more swallow and handed the canteen back. “My other question is, how’s retirement?”
“You need a hobby to keep you sane. At least I did, but the kid and wife part are great.”
“You fish or something?”
“I paint and dabble in some stuff. Don’t worry. I’ll help you adjust.” Wiley gave her a hand up and smiled when she slapped her gently on the cheek.
“Dabble?” she asked, curious about that one word.
“Time to go, Cletus,” Wiley said and chuckled.
Baylor’s men had cleared the next section, and the ones behind them had given the all-clear, which got them walking again. She motioned for Harvey and Jin to follow her, and she took Baylor’s back. She placed her hand on his shoulder, which caused him to lift a fist for an all-stop.
“Listen,” she said when Baylor turned around and gazed at her in question. The sound of jet engines was faint, but they were there. “How far away are we?”
Goose stepped closer and checked their position. “Two clicks and change, ma’am.”
“It’s our guys,” she said, and Baylor nodded. “Let’s keep going and get ready.”
“Ready for what?” Goose asked.
“Captain Sullivan is about to rain hell down, and we can get out of here in the chaos. The only problem we’ll have is if they have any jets that will bomb the shit out of their perimeter to stop our retreat. I’ve already had a bad day, and I don’t want to add to that by having any type of artillery dropped on me.”
“Let’s go,” Wiley said, and they started again. “We need to find another spot to catch our ride out of here, Baylor. The area we agreed on is compromised.”
“This thick cover goes on forever,” Baylor said as he continued walking.
The first explosion sounded like it had gone off right next to them. She couldn’t feel the heat of the fireball that rose in the distance, but it lit up the area for miles. “We need to find a space big enough for a helicopter to land. We need two, but they don’t have to land together.”
Baylor got their long-range radio out and handed it over. “Code name Zookeeper.”
“Zookeeper, this is Wayward,” she said, thinking Cletus wasn’t a good idea.
“Go ahead, Wayward.” The sound of Aidan’s voice made her smile. “You’re running way late.”
“True, but I took candy from strangers. You can fuss later. We need a ride home.” She pointed in the direction they’d been walking and got the team moving. There was only so much good luck in one lifetime, and she’d used more than her share. Another set of explosions rocked the area, and they picked up the pace.
“Where?” Aidan asked.
“We’ll send coordinates as soon as I see a spot with enough clearance to land.” A string of helicopters was closing on their position, which made everyone drop and take cover when Baylor put up his fist, then flattened his hand. She cut the connection to Aidan and the Jefferson, not wanting to give away their position if that was possible.
“Wiley,” Baylor said as she lay next to Berkley. “Do you have eyes on them?”
“I don’t think they’re for us,” Wiley said, looking through her scope. “No markings and flying too high for a search team.”
“It’s Chandler, and none of our ships are close enough to pick them up on radar.” Berkley saw her hope of retirement flying away with the birds overhead. If it was Chandler and he’d escaped, they’d have to start this all over again. “Give me the radio back.”
“What are you thinking?” Baylor asked.
“That I’m done letting this guy win,” she said, and he handed it back. “Zookeeper, I need to talk to your attack dogs.”
“Go ahead,” Aidan said, and the click meant she’d made the connection.
“Vader,” she said, and it took a minute for him to respond.
“Good to hear your voice, my friend, but we’re ass deep in bogies.”
“Head in the game then. Killer, you finish your run?”
“Go ahead,” Killer said as a few more explosions went off.
“Can you spare a few birds for an errand?” It was still too dark to see anything, but she could hear them now, and it sounded as if Wiley was right. There were at least fifteen of them, and they were hauling ass.
“Always ready to do a favor for a friend,” Killer said.
“Mark these coordinates,” she said, and Goose read them off. “Anything on radar?”
“Negative. Are they flying super low?” Killer asked.
“They’re in loose wing formation, and they’re headed to the coast. We can’t let that happen,” she said, hoping Aidan was listening in. “Our snake head is on the line here.”
“Poncho, peel off and check it out,” Killer said.
“No problem,” Poncho said. “Are you sure they’re headed to the coast?”
“It’s the only location that makes sense. They’re headed west, but don’t let them land without an escort.” She waited for his answer, but another thought came to her. “Did the entire compound get destroyed?”
“We marked everything except the house we figured was Chandler’s,” Baylor said. “Unless the fire of the explosions took it out, it’s still standing.”
“You want to split up, or do we all go?” Wiley asked, stopping when she and Baylor guessed what her next statement would be.
“We stay together,” Harvey said as he drank some water. “The only thing we’ll need is some guns in case anyone’s left on the ground. Don’t you think?”
“I will go,” Jin said.
“We’re going back then,” Baylor said, and Berkley hoped this wasn’t another colossal mistake.
* * *
“God damn it,” Dick Chandler said as they flew with the last remaining troops he had that were available to board. If anyone was on the ground, he was counting on them to get out on their own. There couldn’t have been too many, since the cowardly attack had come late enough that the destruction of the barracks took his forces in their sleep. The only readily available survivors were the marines who were hunting the escaped hostages and the Lapry brothers’ unit who’d been guarding Ji Woo Min’s house.
“These fuckers are going to pay,” Robyn said as he held a small towel to his forehead. His son had shown so much valor by spending the attack hiding in a shelter under the house.
“The subs are waiting, sir. We can evacuate you and Robyn, and regroup once you’re underway. We might have to move our base of operations, but we have plenty of options to choose from,” Mark Lapry said as he piloted the helicopter. “We still have enough men serving to keep up the pressure.”
“Did you destroy all the equipment?” he asked Robyn, ignoring Mark for now. The bag at Robyn’s feet contained the backups from all the computers, but the actual units had to be destroyed, and that was his son’s main job.
Robyn stared at him as if he couldn’t believe he’d asked him that. “Of course. Did you make sure Mom boarded another helicopter?”
“She’ll be on the next flight,” he said and thought Robyn would strike him. “She didn’t want to come at all, but I’ll have her taken out forcibly if I have to.” Actually, he was tired of Ruby and all her damn whining all day about her children, like he didn’t understand how devastating it was to lose Jeffery and Rachel.
“I’m sure you’ve been forceful enough lately,” Robyn said, and Dick’s hand twitched from not slapping him.
“Once you’re married, you’ll realize that whoever your wife is can’t always come first, and she needs to learn how to be a good partner by whatever means are necessary.” He blew out a breath and stared at Robyn until he looked away. “If you don’t want to be that kind of man, go back to Olivia Michaels’s America and pray I don’t crush you.”