Dangerous Pursuit (OSI Dark Ops #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Twenty-seven minutes earlier, Lucas took a deep breath and released it as Viking and Calliope split up. He knew the exact time because he’d been checking his watch since they stepped off the boat. He was desperate to check in with her, to remind her to be careful, but he respected her enough not to do that. Somehow, he had to find a way to be okay with her doing such dangerous work. If he didn’t, he knew with certainty he would lose her.

“Relax.” Cole gave him a quick, knowing glance. “It’s the bad guys who should be worried about her.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” A deep chuckle rumbled up from Jonathan’s chest.

About ten minutes later, the front of the Zodiac lowered as Jonathan drew back the throttle, slowed down, and navigated the boat up onto the sloped riverbank.

“Let’s get this thing out of sight.” He cut the engine, tilted up the propeller, and slid over the side into the knee-deep water .

Lucas and Cole stepped onto the grass, and the three of them grabbed a carry handle on each side of the Zodiac, hauled it out of the water, and set it down about ten feet from the river’s edge. They wrestled it beneath some bushes, tore off a bunch of palm fronds, and concealed it as best they could.

They squatted down where they could see anyone approaching on the river, and Cole checked in with Viking and Calliope.

They were both in position and had visual on the shack. There were two sentries, and from what they said about them, it was plainly clear Triano had been forced to scrape the bottom of the barrel in order to find men willing to work for him.

He listened closely to Calliope’s voice, looking for any sign of stress, concern, or worry—there was none. On the contrary, she sounded great, borderline giddy, even.

“Take ’em out.” Jonathan gave the order without hesitation.

Less than a minute later, the snipers confirmed the sentries were down.

Lucas’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He slid it free and took Felix’s call.

“Triano’s on the way. I’m headed to the rescue boat.” In the background, Felix’s bootsteps sounded hollow on the wooden dock. “They left here at a pretty good clip, so I’d guess you’ll be seein’ them in about ten minutes, maybe less.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“There’s more,” Felix said. “Four of the men are carrying PSAK-47 Kalashnikovs.”

The Russian-made assault rifles, though easily modified, were far from ergonomic and not known for their accuracy. Still, a well-placed round from one of those beasts could kill you just as fast as any other weapon.

“Got it.” They ended the call, and he tapped his earpiece to update the team. “Triano is en route. There are twelve total souls on board, including four men we’re assuming are the buyers’ reps and four others, most likely bodyguards. ETA, approximately ten minutes.”

He secured his phone and turned to Jonathan and Cole. “Bodyguards are carrying AKs.”

“I’m sure that’s not all they’re carrying.” Cole pulled his long hair back and secured it with a rubber band.

“Open comms.” Jonathan notified the team.

They all reached up and double-tapped their earpieces, as the rest of the team confirmed the order.

“Eddie and Hawk, move in.” Cole checked his weapon. “Get the girls to the designated location, and make sure you keep them quiet.”

“We good?” Jonathan looked from Lucas to Cole. They nodded and split up .

Cole sprinted across the clearing and worked his way behind a giant mass of ferns. Lucas concealed himself within a thick patch of bamboo, near the bottom of the ramp. His cousin headed back into the water and used the darkness beneath the dock to conceal himself.

A few minutes later, the deep rumble from a motor and the sound of a boat slicing through the water became louder and louder.

“Incoming,” Cole whispered.

There were no tie-off cleats on the dock, and with the river current as powerful as it was, they’d have to drop anchor. As soon as that happened, Jonathan would do some of his Navy SEAL shit and sabotage the boat.

They watched in silence as the large yacht came into view and was maneuvered next to the dock. Glare bounced off the main bridge window and blocked Lucas’s view of whoever was piloting the boat. His money was on Triano. Sammy did some digging and found out he once owned a large boat and liked to brag about what a great captain he was. He’d been forced to sell off some of his assets to cover some debts, the boat being one of them.

Lucas had been living for this moment for almost three years. Finally, he would cut off the head of the snake and achieve retribution for what happened to Norah.

His heart rate and breathing remained steady. His grip on his rifle, firm. He’d flown countless missions into some of the gnarliest, most dangerous provinces in Afghanistan. He’d set his helo down in the middle of firefights with bullets whizzing past and piercing the exterior of the craft. Taking out Triano would be a cakewalk.

Hawk counted down, then he and Eddie made entry into the shack, gathered the girls, and gave a head count of twenty-eight.

They were missing one.

Movement from the boat drew Lucas’s attention.

Lorenzo Marroquin appeared at the side of the boat, leaned over the rail, and peered down at the dock.

“You are good.” He spoke into a walkie-talkie.

The motor went silent, and they heard the clank clank clank of the anchor chain dropping, followed by a loud splash . Marroquin unhooked the ramp, swung it away from the boat, and lowered it to the dock.

“Heading to the rendezvous point.” Viking kept his voice low.

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief knowing Calliope would be safely away from Triano.

Timing was critical. They needed as many people off that boat as possible before they could neutralize them. Jonathan would take care of anyone left behind.

Voices mingled on the deck of the boat as people lined up along the rail, ready to disembark. Lucas’s gaze traveled over the group—Triano and his daughter were not among them .

Two guys carrying AKs were the first ones down the ramp, then came the buyers’ reps, the doctor, and the last two guys with AKs brought up the rear. They all started moving across the dock toward the riverbank.

Silent as death, Jonathan climbed up onto the far end of the dock, put one knee down, with his rifle at the ready.

One of the bodyguards at the back of the group spun toward him, started to raise his weapon, and Jonathan took him out with a single shot. The guy’s body jerked. He grunted and fell into the other bodyguard. That guy spotted Jonathan, but Cole took him out before he could even raise his rifle. At the same time, Lucas took out the two guys in front. The only people left standing on the dock were the doctor and four shocked buyers’ reps.

In less than one minute, all four bodyguards had been neutralized.

Marroquin came into view above. His eyes widened at what he saw. Lucas took the shot, but the bastard dropped down out of sight, and the bullet shattered one of the windows behind him.

The idiot doctor made the fatal mistake of reaching into his satchel and pulling out a pistol. Lucas shot him. He bounced off one of the money men, crumpled to the ground, and landed on top of one of the bodyguards.

The buyers sort of huddled together and stared down at the carnage at their feet. One of them hugged a briefcase to his chest. Money guys weren’t used to being caught in the middle of the action.

Cole ran over and yelled at them to lie face down on the ground and put their hands behind their heads. He used heavy-duty zip ties to secure their wrists behind their backs and their ankles together and left them lying there. He checked the others and verified they were dead.

There was a loud crash from the other side of the boat, a rattling sound, followed by two loud splashes.

“Where are you going?” Paloma Triano yelled over the rail. “Wait! I can’t swim!”

Rifles raised, Jonathan and Cole stepped over bodies and headed up the ramp.

Lucas stood and was going to join them when he saw Triano and Marroquin standing in the water. A dinghy hung crooked down the side of the yacht, and Triano was trying to get it free from its restraint.

Lucas raised his rifle at Marroquin and squeezed the trigger. The asshole moved at the last second, and the bullet hit him in his left shoulder.

“Ahhh!” He stumbled back. “That’s the guy from the bar!” He lifted his good arm and pointed. “The American!”

Marroquin dove behind one of the dock pilings.

Triano ducked behind the dinghy and fired a few wild shots at Lucas .

“You stupid son of a bitch!” He shouted at Marroquin. “You told me not to worry about him!”

“Papa!” Triano’s daughter was crying when she looked over the side of the boat and screamed, “Please, don’t leave me here!”

“Get down!” Jonathan shouted the command like a man experienced at barking orders at Navy SEALs. “Do it! Now!”

She whirled around to look behind her, and her hands shot up in the air. “No, no, please, please don’t shoot me!”

Jonathan grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her away.

Lucas took a shot at Triano, but the angle was off.

Marroquin fired, and the bullet ricocheted off the tree close to Lucas’s head.

“Fuck!” His face was blasted with shards of wood, and he ducked behind the tree.

“You are the son of a bitch who has been trying to destroy me.” He recognized Triano’s voice, and it sounded like he was moving closer.

When Lucas managed to clear his vision, he was shocked by what happened next.

Calliope crashed through the bushes like a tiny, raging bull, dropped to one knee, and raised her rifle.

Triano saw her, swung around, and pointed his gun in her direction.

“NOOO!” Lucas exploded from behind the tree and charged across the space .

He dove, wrapped himself around her, and heard the whiz of the bullet as it flew past his head. Pain seared across the back of his shoulder, and momentum sent them rolling into the bushes.

“Are you okay?” His heart constricted, and he dragged his hands over her, checking for blood. “Were you hit? Calliope, were you hit?!”

A small engine sputtered to life, and when Lucas looked up, the dinghy was pulling away from the boat.

“What the fuck, Lucas?” She shoved him off of her. “He’s getting away!” She scrambled over on her hands and knees and retrieved her rifle from where it ended up beneath a pile of long pine needles.

“Son of a bitch.” Lucas pushed himself to his feet, yanked his gun from his holster, and ran to the river’s edge. He sensed Calliope coming up behind him, but his brain was beginning to feel a bit fuzzy, so he couldn’t be sure.

Jonathan and Cole fired at the dinghy from the deck of the boat. Marroquin pivoted to return fire and took a round to the center of his chest. The pistol flew out of his lifeless hand and dropped into the water. He let out a long groan and slouched over the side of the dinghy, nearly tipping it.

Lucas raised his arm and was slammed by an intense, burning pain in his shoulder. He swayed side to side, and his vision blurred. He blinked a few times, tried to focus, but it was too late .

The dinghy was already out of sight.

He’d let Triano escape.

His knees buckled. He collapsed to the ground on his back and stared up at the clouds spinning high above him.

“Oh, my God!” Calliope ran over and dropped to her knees next to him. “Lucas!”

“I’m … sorry … Norah.” He’d lost his chance to avenge her. “I love you.”

Calliope’s voice yelling his name was the last thing he heard before his vision narrowed and the world went black.