Chapter Five

Kelly felt a hand grip and shake his shoulder. Snapping his eyes open, he looked around the belly of the plane for a moment disoriented. It had been a dream. He had relived in his sleep what Nathan playfully called ‘the pool table incident’.

Kelly glanced up into Moose’s concerned face. Judging from Moose’s sympathetic expression, Kelly suspected he’d said something out loud while he dozed.

“Hang in there, bud. We’ll get him back for you.”

Nodding, Kelly patted Moose’s hand appreciating the man’s caring. “I know.” He sighed heavily. “Thanks, Moose.”

Moose inclined his head before returning to his seat. The man was one hell of a warrior and there was no one better to have at your back. But sometimes Kelly couldn’t help but wonder how a man with a heart as huge as Moose’s had ended up in this harsh life. That part of his past was private and in the six years he’d known Moose, the man had refused to ever speak about it. The rest of them respected his wishes and didn’t pry. When, and if, Moose was ready to tell them, they would always be ready to listen.

Kelly closed his eyes again, trying to let the steady thrum of the engines soothe him. He had to calm his emotions or he wouldn’t be much good to anyone. He had to prepare himself mentally for what he had to do. At least he hadn’t come in his pants but it had been a near thing, he thought wryly. He began the breathing exercises Granda had drilled into him, focusing on each breath of air he drew into his mouth, then down into his lungs and back out his nose. He kept his back straight and his heartbeat steady, his body steadily grounding and centering.

He felt a mental nudge, a sudden urge to go over the case files again. Damn it, Granda, I’ve been over them a thousand times. The urge grew. Fine then, have it your way, a thousand and one times.

Huffing, Kelly pulled out his phone and brought up the files, scanning them one by one. Suddenly, he frowned as he realized what was wrong. He checked the file names again, just to be sure but it definitely wasn’t there. Kelly had never seen that particular file, never wanted to, but the ballistics report file should have been there with the rest.

Unhooking his harness, he carefully made his way over to Cookie. “I think we’ve got a small problem.”

Cookie looked up curiously. “What’s the problem?”

Kelly held up his phone and wiggled it. “I got all the files for the case off the server but the ballistics report wasn’t included.”

“It should have been.”

“I know it should have been, but it isn’t. The file’s not there.”

Cookie frowned at him before taking his own phone out. “Let me make some calls. Give me a few minutes.”

Kelly nodded before returning to his seat. The unsettling urge was gone and calm washed over him. This time, when he dropped into a deep meditation, nothing disturbed him and he didn’t fall asleep or dream.

A few hours later, Kelly’s phone buzzed, alerting him. He rose to his feet feeling more relaxed and ready for what was to come. He headed to the cockpit to confer with the pilots.

The plan was to have the plane land at an airfield, controlled jointly by the DEA and the Columbia Jungas and arranged for by Cookie, to await further instructions. Kelly had to admit that Cookie really was kind of handy to have on this mission. Kelly and the others would parachute through the night sky to a small clearing within five clicks of the estate of Danna Varga and hump it in as the sun rises.

Getting out was a little more complicated and a lot more dangerous. The team would meet at the drop-off point then move through the jungle another five clicks to the helicopter pick-up point. They had arranged for a 60M Blackhawk medical helicopter, because they really had no idea what shape Nathan would be in, to then deliver them to the plane which would bring them home.

Simple, right?

Not hardly. Kelly had never been a fan of high heat, so he wasn’t looking forward to a hike in a hot sauna-like environment with plants that would either try to hamper their movements or eat them. Then add in all the damn bugs and other things that crawled, slinked, and prowled through the dense jungle.

After confirming the plane’s location, and how near the jump point they were, Kelly returned to the cargo area. Carrying his parachute and helmet strap in one hand, he had to hang onto the overhead straps with the other to keep himself upright with the swaying movement of the plane as he moved over to Brendan. He crouched in front of Brendan, dropping the parachute between his feet.

“Remember, everyone has a specific task to perform. Do not hinder them.” Kelly hesitated. “Brendan, this is your last chance to bail. It’s not going to be like what you see in the movies. It will be hot, nasty, and very, very dangerous. No one will think less of you if you change your mind and stay with the plane.”

Brendan gave a firm shake of his head and as Kelly watched him, both rising to their feet, Brendan expertly checked his own parachute before strapping it onto his shoulders. Earnest confidence shone in Brendan’s face as he looked up at Kelly, who stood there with arms crossed over his chest.

“And you’re sure you know how to use an MC-6 parachute?” he asked, double-checking the straps of the parachute across Brendan’s body.

“Yes. I can do this, Kelly. I swear I won’t get in the way.”

Kelly gave a sharp nod before exhaling. “Fine.” He handed Brendan his helmet.” It’s about to get real. You’ve been warned.” He attached Brendan’s mask but left it hanging half off his face.

Kelly felt G touch his arm as he stepped back. She slid her gaze briefly over to Brendan then back to Kelly giving him a subtle nod.

Message understood. She would keep an eye on Brendan. Kelly tipped his head in grateful acknowledgement before shrugging into his own parachute.

He gripped Brendan’s shoulder once more to get his attention. “Try not to get yourself killed. Nathan wouldn’t be too happy about it…neither would I.”

Brendan gave him a cocky grin and saluted. “Sir. Yes, sir.”

“Asshole,” Kelly said affectionately to him, shaking his head and unable to stop the small smile pulling at his lips.

He slapped Brendan on the arm before turning to the others. They all had their chutes and helmets on and were waiting on his orders, even though they were very familiar with the drill.

“Final checks complete, people?”

At everyone’s affirmative, Kelly shifted around to face the rear of the plane. “Masks up. Deck down,” he called over his shoulder in warning before hitting the release to open the back of the aircraft. It was useless to yell over the noise of the wind buffeting the inside of the plane as the ramp lowered into position. Kelly shoved his helmet onto his head, snapping it and his own mask into place.

A mechanical sounding voice issued from the helmet’s speakers. “Entering drop zone in three. Two. One!”

A green light came on over the open ramp and he charged out the opening into the night sky, trusting the others to follow him. There was always one of those ‘oh shit’ moments in the back of his brain when he leapt from a plane. The trick was, according to Granda, to accept the ‘oh shit’ moment, know you had to face it head-on, and work through it.

Even though the air beat harshly at him, there was something almost peaceful in falling through the sky like a stone. Around him, only dark, below him a few clouds which were a pearlescent bluish gray in the pale light of the quarter moon at his back. The single noise Kelly heard was the sound of his breathing inside the helmet he wore. As he broke through the dark underbelly of the clouds, Kelly reached up and switched on the night vision lenses on his helmet. The adrenaline kicked in as the ground became visible, a shadowy multi-hued green wall steadily rushing up to meet him.

Checking his altitude on the device strapped to his wrist, he calmly pulled the ring on this chest to open his chute. Glancing around him at the others, he was relieved to see everyone had their chutes open and were gracefully gliding down on a controlled path to the drop point. Brendan was staying neatly in formation. Good man. Even though Brendan had forced himself on the mission, he had proven himself very resourceful so far. Kelly hoped it held because he really liked Nathan’s brother and didn’t want anything to happen to him.

The target area was a small clearing surrounded by rocky ground, which would effectively hide them. Kelly was the first one down and quickly climbed out of his harness, gathering up his chute and folding it into a compact bundle. Once down on the ground, the rest of the team quickly followed suit. Frodo collected the two extra packs the plane dropped on its second pass and the chutes were stuffed neatly into one of them.

G approached Brendan, placing a gentle hand on his chest. “Mon cher, this is as far as you can go. You do not have the training or experience to continue from here,” she told him, regret in her voice. “You must remain and safeguard the equipment we cannot take with us.”

“I expected as much. Please be careful, ma belle ange. I want you to come back to me.”

The sizzling look G gave Brendan at his words, should have left the man dissolved in a puddle of goo at her feet. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and she melted into him giving him a slow sensual kiss on the lips. He angled his head and took the kiss deeper, pulling a low moan from G that had the rest of the team groaning and muttering about the two of them ‘getting a room’. When G broke the kiss, both she and Brendan were flushed and breathing hard. Brendan’s gaze smoldered with promise as his arms tightened around her.

“Ah mon amour, I will be very careful. I want many more of these.” G touched Brendan’s lips with her fingertips. “And much, much more,” she murmured huskily. Brendan sucked in a ragged breath as she pressed her body closer.

“Let’s go, G,” Kelly said as he walked past the couple, dropping a heavy pack with a thud at her feet. As much as he was thrilled for the pair, he was impatient to free his own love. “Sun will be up soon.”

“Oui, Kelly.” G stroked Brendan’s cheek as she stepped out of his embrace.

“Remember, mon cher, do not sit on the ground. This is a jungle and there are things that want to be your friend and trust me when I tell you that it would not be wise for them to get close to you. Use the specialized cot in this pack and wait for us. You must stay safe for me too.”

Brendan nodded, picked up the pack, and moved out of the way to set it up.

G was the tactical genius of the group. She signaled them to crowd around her before pulling a folded-up paper from her pocket and spreading it out on the ground. She flicked on a soft flashlight and aimed it at the paper so they could all see it. Dawn was beginning to paint the sky in pinks and yellows but it was still not enough light. The nearby jungle would shelter the glow of the flashlight from being overseen by anyone.

It was an aerial picture of the compound. Next, she unfolded a map.

“I’ve studied the intel of the Varga estate so graciously provided to us by Cookie.” G waved at Cookie who gave an exaggerated bow. “You have all had time to study this map. They have basement cells on the far side of the compound. Infrared scans revealed one person in the cell nearest to the stairs, so we can safely assume that Nathan is being housed there. Varga will want him someplace secure.” She tapped her finger on both papers indicating the location.

“Now obviously, we cannot take the only road because the vegetation has been cleared on either side of it for several meters.”

Frodo stroked his chin. “Clever. They’d see us coming from miles away. We’d be sitting ducks.”

“Oui, Frodo. I know how much you hate the jungle but I am sorry to say that we have no choice but to march in on this route.” She placed her finger on the picture, moving it in a rough line from their location to the compound.

“The vehicles are all housed here.” G pointed to a square on the opposite side of Nathan’s prison and in the front of the compound. “Frodo, I feel that this is the best location for you to set up your sniper rifle. It’s the highest point in the area and perfect for your nest. There are two towers here and here. Remove the watchers, if there are any. I don’t need to tell you to take out as many targets as you can before we go in. Manny, while Frodo has his fun, you can take out the fuel reserve tanks here, the vehicles and the front walls.”

Both men nodded their agreement.

“Kelly, you and Cookie take the side closest to Nathan, here and here. You will have to move quickly once Manny begins. Moose and I will take the opposite side, here and here. We will have to disable the electrical fencing before we can enter. Manny, you will need to keep the exit route free of hostiles. We will be coming out the front doors or what will be left of them. Frodo will keep us covered from the nest.”

G lifted her head to face Moose. “Moose, how close do you need to be to scramble their devices?”

He shrugged his large shoulders. “Best range is one hundred meters or less. Once I get everything up and running, I can leave Frodo to babysit it. He won’t have to do anything.”

“Good. Set it up and join me as soon as you can. Manny will take three shots with his toys and then we’ll go in.”

Kelly saw Moose nod at her out of the corner of his eyes. He couldn’t seem to tear himself away from the map and photo. G cleared her throat and Kelly glanced up at her. She caught and held Kelly’s gaze for several seconds, before cocking her head and raising an eyebrow at him.

Damn it. He should have known G would figure out what he was planning. Of course, she would, it was the logical thing to do. Not the smartest but definitely the most logical and really, his only choice.

Kelly ignored the thin-lipped frown she gave him. “This sounds good, G.” Hoping he gave nothing away, he turned to Cookie with false casualness. “Anything you want to add to this, Boss?”

The man’s eyes were narrowed as he scrutinized Kelly for a moment, before giving the rest of the group a smile. “Nope. Carry on.”

“Suit up. Anyone not have bug lotion?” Kelly asked, holding out a bottle.

“Hell yeah, give it here.” Moose held out his hand for lotion.

As Kelly handed the bottle off, he noticed that Brendan sported a frustrated grimace on his face. He held the instructions to the survival cot in one hand and a bar in the right, twisting the bar around, obviously trying to figure out where it fit. So, finally something Brendan couldn’t do.

Kelly walked over to him, took the pipe from Brendan’s hands, bent over, and calmly inserted it in the right slot. He stood and tried not to laugh at Brendan’s disgusted expression.

Kelly clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Brendan. Stronger men than you have turned to drinking after trying to assemble one of these bloody things.”

“This thing is diabolical. Why would you use it?”

“Because it gets you off the ground and covers you so you can’t be seen from the air.”

“It’s a pain in the ass.”

“Not arguing that.”

The two of them worked in silence. Kelly caught Brendan glancing repeatedly over at G. She and Frodo were discussing something over the map. Kelly shifted closer to Brendan and bumped shoulders with him.

“So.” Kelly tipped his head toward G and Frodo. “You and G, huh?”

Brendan looked over at her again, his face softening. “Yeah. She’s pretty amazing, isn’t she? Smart, funny and fiery as hell.” He swallowed hard. “And so beautiful, she makes my teeth ache.”

Kelly knew Brendan was a good man and the fact that he’d mentioned G’s personality before her stunning appearance cemented his high opinion of him. “I think you two will be good for each other.”

Meeting Kelly’s gaze, Brendan raised his eyebrows. “Things between us have moved so quickly but it’s like the moment I saw her, I knew she was the ‘one’. Are you okay with that?”

“Absolutely. That’s what happened the first time I met Nathan when we were teenagers.” Kelly’s smile became soft as he remembered. “One kiss and I knew he was the ‘one’ for me. Even though we were forced apart, I never got over him, and I am so thankful that my brother, Finn, asked for my help selling Nathan’s parents’ house. When I saw him standing there…”

Kelly shook his head bringing himself back to the present. “Enough sappiness for now.” He grumbled and then slapped Brendan playfully on the back as he rose to his feet over the completed cot. Grinning, Brendan also stood and surveyed the cot with the tent-like contraption attached to the top of it.

“Help me move this thing closer to the edge of the clearing. The jungle will give you a little shade.”

Once Kelly was satisfied with the position of the cot/tent, he pulled back one of the flaps. “Okay, in you go. Once you are settled, I’m going to hand you two packs that will be staying with you.”

“No problem,” Brendan replied, climbing into the tent and taking the packs from Kelly as he gave them over one at a time. The first was full but nowhere near the size or weight of the second one.

“What the heck is in this? Rocks?”

“Let’s just hope you don’t have to find out.” Kelly held out his hand. A small flesh-colored device sat in his palm and Brendan gave him a curious glance.

“This little thing is a communications earpiece. It’s tiny, designed to fit inside the ear and be virtually invisible. You’ll be able to listen in with this but do not speak unless it’s an emergency. The internal mike is super sensitive and we can’t have chatter.”

“Got it.”

Kelly showed Brendan how to switch it on and watched as Brendan inserted the earpiece.

“I’m sorry, Brendan, but it’s going to get hot inside that tent real soon, much worse than it already is. There’s four bottles of water in the pack closest to you. Keep hydrated. We should be back in five hours, unless things go FUBAR.”

“Fubar?”

“Fucked up beyond any repair.”

“Oh.”

“Okay, everyone, mic checks,” Kelly ordered, addressing the group. He tapped the earpiece on then inserted it into his ear as far as it would go. “These are advanced issue on a closed net so no one else can listen in.”

Kelly leaned toward the tent. “Brendan, can you hear me?”

A hand sporting a raised thumb stuck out from the rainproof camo tent covering the cot. At a distance, Brendan would be invisible even in broad daylight.

Kelly joined the others in a group as they covered their faces with camouflage paint then put on their Boonie hats and adjusted the chin straps on them. Once he was ready, he loaded a round into the pipe, or in layman’s terms, chambered a bullet into his 9mm. Everyone around him did the same. There was no point in being surprised. Being alert and ready to shoot could and had saved their lives before.

After he slung his semiautomatic rifle over his shoulder, he turned to Moose. “Well, buddy, as the biggest and baddest, you get to lead. Lucky you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Moose answered him with mock sarcasm before pulling his night vision goggles down over his eyes and hefting his large machete. “Stay chill, Pipsqueak.”

Brendan hit the side of the tent from the inside but kept silent even though Kelly was sure Brendan was dying to say something sarcastic to Moose.

Kelly glanced around him to check that everyone had their machetes strapped to their packs so when they separated they could make their way through the jungle to their assigned positions. Each of them had done this rodeo before but it was hard not to check and make sure.

G checked her compass and then pointed to a particular point where the jungle began. Moose led them to edge of the small clearing to the area G indicated. He raised his arm high and began to hack a path for the rest of them to follow. Kelly slid his own goggles into place and proceeded after them.

G occasionally made corrections in the direction they were moving, keeping them on track. The sun was high enough now that the infrared goggles were not technically needed but the canopy overhead tended to cut much of the light. Besides, they did help with the bugs and allowed them to spot hiding predators.

Kelly was forcefully reminded of why he hated the jungle. The heat was bad enough in the clearing but surrounded by thick foliage it became oppressive like a weight on his chest. The humidity made breathing difficult and every pound of clothes and equipment he carried on his back was like five pounds on his feet as he trudged behind Moose.

For a moment, it felt like Kelly had gone back in time following the DEA task force and the Columbian Jungas agents assigned to him and his team. Their mission—bring the Varga Cartel down by destroying the drug fields and arresting Luis Varga. The last time he’d trudged through this jungle, Kelly had no idea how dramatically his life would change. His shoulder twinged in remembered pain. Once in a while it still flared up, but the bullet wound that Varga’s young son had inflicted upon him was pretty much healed. The other one had been minor and mended quickly.

“Damn plants. Damn bugs. Damn heat,” Moose quietly grumbled over and over as they trudged through the thick and in places, nearly impenetrable foliage.

Manny turned to Frodo and mouthed ‘drama queen’.

“I heard that,” Moose growled without looking back.

Manny glanced at Moose’s back then to Frodo again. ‘How?’ he mouthed. Frodo lifted his shoulders and hands in an ‘I don’t know gesture’.

After roughly an hour, Moose stopped, silently holding up a fist to bring the rest of them to a halt. Without a word, the team sorted their weapons out.

G took Manny’s machine gun while Manny took his two portable launchers from the others adding to the one he already had, making it three he had to carry in. They were one-use weapons and relatively light as these things went.

Divided up into their teams, each prepared to head out to their assigned positions. As the others moved off, G held back signaling Manny to wait a little ways further.

She stepped up to Kelly and hugged him hard. “Mon chere amie, this is a very dangerous game you play.”

“I know, G, but what choice do I have? You know as well as I do that the moment the firing starts and Danna thinks she won’t get her revenge against me, she will immediately kill Nathan. I have to do this. It’s the only chance I have of getting Nathan out alive.”

G moved back and gave Kelly a small tear-filled nod. “Be careful.”

“I’ll do my best. And, G?”

“Oui?”

“Take care of Brendan if this goes south.”

G pressed a finger to his lips. “You know I will, but you do not get to talk like this. You will bring Nathan and yourself home safely. Do you understand?”

Kelly smiled against her finger, giving her a short dip of his head in acknowledgment.

“Good.” She sucked in a breath and let it out noisily. “Now go because I am sorely tempted to stop you.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Kelly said to her softly as he walked past her, pulled his machete free then began to hack his way to the main road instead of his assigned position.

It only took a few short minutes to reach the cleared edge alongside the roadway. Kelly dropped his pack and machete onto the ground. He was sorry to lose them but there was no alternative. He would go in armed, still wearing his tactical vest, because it would be expected of him. He left all his weapons where they were on his body but he couldn’t be hampered by the pack and machete. Well, all his weapons except for his precious Korsakov which he had hidden on the plane before parachuting down. Kelly was hoping to keep that baby for future use.

Pulling his hat and goggles off, he tucked them into a large pocket in his pants and used his sleeve to wipe some of the paint off his face in an attempt to make him a little more recognizable. Kelly waited until he heard G ask if everyone was in position. Several affirmatives answered her query, including his own.

“Target is now silent,” Moose said moments later.

He took several deep breaths, shaking his shoulders out, preparing himself. Like Granda said, adrenaline was useful but it had to be controlled, properly focused, or it became nothing more than a bad case of nerves. It was ‘now or never’ and ‘never’ simply was not an option.

Kelly strode out to the center of the road that led to the main gate of the Varga compound and began to walk. The heavily guarded entrance was the only way in other than through the electrified fencing, which circled the perimeter of the compound. There was little sound from the jungle around him. The rough gravel crunched beneath his heavy boots, the only accompaniment Kelly had as he resolutely accepted his unknown fate.

He could tell the moment they saw him by the sudden flurry of activity in front of him. Raising his arms high, fingers spread wide, to show he had no weapons in his hands, he continued walking to the gate. The earpiece crackled to life and he tried not to wince at the loud yell in his ear.

“Kelly! What the hell, man? What are you doing?” Frodo shouted into the device.

“Quiet, Frodo,” G snapped at him. “And hold your fire until I give the order.”

“Frodo, what’s going on?” Manny softly asked, sounding confused.

“I’m up in the nest and I can see Kelly through the scope. He’s on the main road with his hands up and he’s walking toward the front gate,” Frodo answered quietly.

“Are you serious?” Moose growled through several audible indrawn breaths. “The fuck, Kelly?”

“That’s enough, people,” Cookie barked. “He knows what he has to do. Maintain radio silence until we get the go-ahead to continue from G.”

The earpiece, thankfully, went silent. Kelly may have wanted the others to overhear what was happening, but he didn’t want them arguing and yelling just in case his future captors heard the sounds, unlikely as it might be.

The steel gate had a guardhouse to one side and the electrified wire fencing, which stood at least six feet high, ran from the gate in either direction. The team had planned for that, each person having heavy-duty wire cutters on them as part of their pack.

As Kelly neared the small structure, two men ran up to him with another one standing back at the gate, automatic gun raised in his direction. Kelly slowed to a stop in the center of the road and waited.

Let the fun begin.

The two men immediately began to search him, removing his weapons and dropping them to into a pile far enough to one side that Kelly couldn’t reach them. Not unless he wanted more holes through him than Swiss cheese. They left his cell phone and other personal items tucked in his pockets after a cursory examination.

Good. The idiots.

The men jerked his arms down and roughly secured his wrists together with a zip tie, but in front of him, not behind. Kelly maintained a neutral expression even though he was laughing his ass off on the inside.

Seriously? Arms in front?

What morons secured a potentially dangerous captive with their hands in front? And Kelly was a very dangerous captive even without weapons.

A low snort and a quickly silenced giggle came through his earpiece. It was nice to know his situation was amusing to the rest of the team. One of the men nodded to the guard still back at the gatehouse who lifted a radio and spoke into it for a moment. After receiving a reply, the guard stepped up to the gate and dragged it back.

The other two each grasped Kelly’s arms and pulled him through the open gate. The main villa lay before him with a large circular driveway leading to the main doors. Off to one side was the vehicle garage. All just like the satellite images had shown with no unexpected surprises.

As Kelly was forced in the house’s direction, he glanced surreptitiously around him, noting the number of men on the second-floor wraparound balcony. There should have been far more men. They might have been armed but they were far too overconfident and arrogant. Kelly noted how some of the men leaned indolently against the building’s walls, others on the iron railings of the balcony. Some chatted with each other while others looked at their phones. He took stock of the pitiful handful of men spread out on the grounds. None of them were alert to the danger he represented.

Fools. Where the hell did Danna find these yahoos? Obviously, good henchmen are hard to find nowadays.

What happened to all the sharp-eyed mercenaries, the well-trained killers that used to be employed by Varga? Did they all abandon Danna when Varga died in prison like rats leaving a sinking ship?

Dropping his chin to his chest to hide the motion, Kelly began quietly clicking his teeth together thanking Granda once more for making them all learn Morse code. He stopped and waited. Soft clicking came from his earpiece in reply.

Gotcha.

His message had been received and understood. The men supposedly guarding the compound were not the highly trained people Kelly had thought to find. Instead, they were thugs and lowlifes with little to no discipline or training.

“Towers clear.” Kelly heard softly through the earpiece. There was no uproar so no one had noticed that the men in the two lookout towers had been removed from the equation.

Kelly was led past massive open arches and pillars, his muscles tensing until he felt like he would explode. The hair on the top of his head lifted, fluttered and settled as if an invisible hand had just ruffled his hair. Kelly heaved in a huge breath. No matter what happened, Granda was with him. That did more to calm and center him than all the meditation in the world.

Squaring his shoulders, Kelly lifted his chin as the large front doors were opened and he was pushed inside. He was surprised to see the entry foyer empty. Where were the guards? Besides patrolling the grounds outside, there should have been more here, inside the house. Regardless, Kelly quickly matched his surroundings with the floor plans he had been given to memorize, noting windows, doors, and hallways.

His escorts led him up the grand staircase in the center of the foyer and then to the right although Kelly had expected them to take him to one of the basement cells. A sudden bad feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. He suspected that he knew exactly where the men were taking him, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.

But instead of taking him to the study where the shoot-out had occurred, where the child had died, they stopped at a different door. One of the men knocked softly, waiting for a quiet response before opening it. Kelly couldn’t restrain his horrified gasp as the door swung wide and the room’s contents were revealed.

It was a child’s bedroom. A woman dressed all in black with black lace over her head, knelt in prayer at the foot of the child’s bed. On the bed lay a clear box, more like a coffin, with the body of a child perfectly preserved within it.

Swallowing hard, Kelly’s stomach tried to rebel on him as he recognized the child in the coffin. The hum of a compressor at the foot of the bed explained how the child was being maintained like a macabre mockery of Snow White.

Samuel Varga. Oh. My. God.

He averted his head only to realize that the room itself had been made into a shrine. Framed pictures of Samuel covered the walls and above Samuel’s head was a huge painting of the Holy Family looking benevolently down upon the child where he lay in repose.

“Now, you finally see what you have done,” the woman softly stated.

She rose slowly to her feet, then placing a hand on the clear container, lifted the lace to reveal her face. It was Señora Danna Varga, the drug lord’s wife and Samuel’s mother.

Danna lovingly stroked the top of the clear coffin. “No. Do not be afraid, my precious,” she crooned to the dead child within. “This man will not hurt you again. See? I have brought him here just so you can watch him be punished as he deserves.”

Kelly’s jaw fell open. The woman was clearly quite insane.

She turned her gaze to Kelly, hatred blazing in her dark eyes. “Yes, my precious one. He will be punished. He will suffer as I have suffered, losing his doctor as I have lost you.”

The window on the far side of the room abruptly shattered as the man on Kelly’s right grunted and fell away. Almost immediately the one on the left also dropped. Danna screamed and flung herself over Samuel’s coffin, attempting to protect it with her body.

Kelly wasted no time. Easily snapping the ties that bound his wrists, he spun and grabbed one of the dropped weapons and ran out of the room. He gave his escorts a quick glance, noting that both men were dead with neat holes in their foreheads.

“Good call, G. Thanks, Frodo. Take your targets down and let’s strike up the band. I’m heading for the back door.”

No one replied as he raced for the stairs located at the rear of the building and he didn’t expect them to. According to the plans Cookie had obtained, the kitchen was near the base of these stairs and the basement cell was close to the kitchen. Kelly heard the first explosion then the second as the fuel supply tanks and garage were taken out.

The party had begun, and it was time to dance. He staggered as another, much stronger explosion, rocked the walls around him. That would be the front of the house, he mused.

Kelly skidded to a halt at the top of the stairs, moments before a bullet sped past his head close enough for him to feel the disturbed air across his forehead. A blow to his bad shoulder quickly followed, temporarily numbing his arm and sending a fireball of pain through him. The gun fell from his suddenly numb fingers as he spun from the impact and crashed through the door behind him into what appeared at a glance, to be another bedroom.

He mentally cursed his careless lack of judgment. Too caught up and desperate to get to Nathan, his lapse may have cost them both of their lives.

Having the instinct to grab his attacker’s shirt with his good hand as he went down, Kelly immediately followed through, bringing his feet up as he fell hard on his back. He caught the man in the hips with both boots and kicked up, sending the startled man sailing over his head, deeper into the room. Rolling to his feet, it was hard not to instinctively grip his aching arm. He had to acknowledge the pain, and then compartmentalize it, locking it away in a box in his mind. Kelly knew he would pay for it later but he couldn’t afford to give into the ache as he prepared to defend himself.

His attacker had smashed into a solidly built wooden dresser against the wall and from the angle of his head, he wouldn’t be getting up again. Pure dumb luck. Kelly snatched up his weapon using his other hand and spun around. This time instead of charging out the door, he hesitated and carefully looked out, checking both sides of the hallway, before warily and slowly sliding step-by-step down the hall. One stupid mistake was enough, thank you very much. It was for this very reason Kelly had put G in charge of the team, he couldn’t trust his emotions, his need to get to Nathan, not to overwhelm his training and experience.

Pandemonium reigned over the estate as weapons were fired and voices were heard yelling or screaming in agony. Kelly took the stairs two at a time to the main level, pausing just before the bottom. Cautiously peering around the corner, and seeing no one, he carefully shuffled down the short hallway that led directly to a now deserted kitchen.

No one was in sight, which didn’t surprise Kelly much. Bang a stick at the front of a hive and the wasps abandoned the hive to attack the intruder at the door. Especially with this bunch of poorly trained chuckleheads. Everyone was either in hiding, fighting out front or neutralized.

A closed door separated the kitchen from the rest of the house and past the kitchen a hallway branched off in three directions. Kelly needed to take the one on the right. Without wasting momentum, he kicked the door hard near the handle, the weakest point. His boot connected with the door solidly and it crashed open. The noise swallowed in the racket around him.

The hallway to the right had an open door revealing more stairs leading down. According to intel, the basement was entirely made of concrete and had cells for prisoners as well as a wine cellar and cold room.

Something twitched the hair on the nape of Kelly’s neck. He suddenly dropped into a partially twisted crouch with his gun raised and ready, aimed back down the hall in the direction he had just come from.

“Don’t shoot me, Kelly. I’m coming around the corner,” Moose’s voice came over the earpiece.

“Ditto,” echoed Cookie.

Kelly remained ready until seconds later both men turned the corner and made their way toward him.

“Hey, guys, nice to see you both in one piece,” Kelly said, rising to his feet, glancing behind the two men to check if they were followed.

“The others are on their way,” Cookie added.

Moose scowled at Kelly. “That was a really fuckin’ stupid thing you did.”

“Yeah it was but it worked. I kept her occupied and away from Nathan.”

“I get why you did it. It was still stupid,” Moose muttered as they began their descent down the stairs.

Kelly led with Cookie in the middle and Moose bringing up the rear, keeping their backs covered from a rear attack. As he stepped down onto the basement floor, he froze at the sight of the last cell’s door. It was wide open. Had Nathan escaped during all the pandemonium? Then he heard Danna’s voice and his heart stopped beating.

“Kelly, stop,” Cookie whispered as he grabbed Kelly’s arm and tugged on him.

Kelly wasn’t even aware that he had moved for the open door, but the throb in his shoulder brought him up short, allowing Cookie the opportunity to step in front of him barring his path. This time Kelly couldn’t hide the wince as he rubbed his shoulder, trying to ease the sharp ache.

Cookie saw it and gave Kelly a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry for hurting you but you have to let me go first. She’s talking to someone, probably Nathan, but if it is Nathan and he is still alive she won’t hesitate to kill him the moment she sees you. She doesn’t know me and my presence will confuse her. Plus, I have a lot more experience with hostage negotiations than you do.”

Kelly glanced past Cookie at the open door to Nathan’s cell, his instincts at war with his mind. He brought his gaze back to Cookie, to the doorway, then back to Cookie once more before shoving himself roughly back against the wall. He nodded his permission, knowing the wisdom of Cookie’s words even though every cell of his body was screaming at him to push the man aside and go in with guns blazing.

“All right, go. But I’ll be right behind you.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I am here, mes amies. I have your six.” G’s voice abruptly came through their earpieces and their focus was drawn to the top of the stairs.

G leaned against the doorframe, confident and utterly bad ass. Her hat pulled low, a gun in each hand, attention fixed down the hall, covering the only access to the basement.

Cookie shook his head at Moose. “Damn.”

“Yup.”

“Go,” she snapped into the communications device without looking at them. “Frodo and Manny are clearing the road. Manny will meet us outside and Frodo will join up on the way.”

Without a further word, the men arranged themselves with Moose bringing up the rear once more and then as a group, they moved forward one step at a time.

Kelly thought he would lose the contents of his stomach when he peered past Cookie’s shoulder and saw Danna standing in the center of the cell with her gun pointed directly at Nathan.