Operation Sheba (30 page)

Chapter Forty-Six

The cavalry’s here
, Michael thought.

As a human alarm went up from Raissi’s men, Michael rocked his chair from side to side, straining to push it over. Rocking to the right, he tipped the chair off balance and landed hard on the Persian rug.

Worley went in first, Harris to his left. They passed through the kitchen silently, weapons drawn as they moved toward the front of the house. Worley brought his weapon to bear on a terrorist running toward him from the front of the house. “Tango One down!” he yelled as the man’s body fell to the floor.

Harris fired at the same time as another terrorist appeared on the steps above them. “Tango Two down!” The terrorist’s body rolled down the stairs.

The helicopter bringing Heller was landing on the front lawn and the noise in Worley’s headset was deafening. Adrenaline pumped through his body. As he neared the door to Michael Stone’s study, he caught another terrorist coming through the door.
Bam,
and the man went down. “Tango Three down!”

Rounding the doorframe of the office, his eyes picked up the light coming from the helicopter’s beams through the front window. He had no trouble pinpointing the man he’d studied a picture of an hour before.

Fayez Raissi looked him in the eye and time went into slow motion. Raissi had a large gun in his hand, but instead of pointing it at Worley, he aimed the gun toward a target in the middle of the room.

Bomb
. Worley’s brain seized on the thought.

Raissi was in his kill zone. Worley squeezed the trigger of his weapon, firing a double burst at the man’s forehead.

He was a dead man.

Michael Stone knew he was dead the minute he heard the sound of a gun discharging in the hallway. Rocking himself onto the floor had been his only hope of survival.

He had failed. Raissi pointed the gun at Stone’s chest, covered with Semtex, and pulled the trigger. Before the bullet hit him, he saw Raissi’s head snap back, brains dislodged and flying over his desk.

He closed his eyes, thinking he heard Pongo bark.

Chapter Forty-Seven

More weapons retorted above her and she instinctively pulled Pongo further back. There was static over her headset and the beat of the helicopter blades were drowning out the shouts coming from inside, but her hope soared as she heard the SEALs call out their death list.

Pressing one of the ear buds of the headset deeper into her ear, she covered it with her hand, trying to hear what the SEALs were reporting. A second later, she heard the words that stopped her heart.

“Michael Stone down!”

Michael Stone down.
The words rang in an endless loop in her ears.

Julia ripped the headset off and flipped the generator back on. Then she rushed up the stairs, Pongo racing beside her. Grabbing the doorframe, she catapulted herself down the hallway and into the office.

Oh God, please don’t die, Michael. Please don’t die.

Agent Koburn heard the count of downed tangos. Heard the call for the medic from Worley and the “clear” announcements from the other SEALs securing the house. All the tangos were dead. All the hostages were accounted for. A demolition team was moving in to disable the rest of the bombs.

Securing her rifle, she started down the hillside. The horizon was just beginning to brighten. The clouds had cleared. Tim Buchanan met her at the bottom of the hill. “What the hell was that?” he said, hands on his hips.

Elaina didn’t need to ask what he was referring to. “I don’t know, sir.” She shrugged. “But it worked.”

“Goddamn spooks,” Tim muttered as he started jogging toward the house.

Elaina fell in beside him and laughed under her breath.

Julia hit the doorway into the study, taking in the scene in the blink of eye. Dead men lay sprawled on the floor. King, Allen and Kinnick lined the couch, talking loudly in the aftermath of the siege.

In the middle of the room on the floor lay a bruised and bloodied Michael Stone.

Jumping over one of the dead terrorists, Julia flew to his side, falling on her knees next to Worley. He and Harris were cutting the unconscious man loose from the toppled chair. The left side of Stone’s face sported an irregular purple and black bruise that was splattered with drops of his own blood.

Raissi’s bullet had torn through his left shoulder, missing his heart and a sheet of Semtex by a mere inch. Pongo shoved his head under Julia’s arm to sniff at the explosive and his master, but Julia stopped him and pushed him back. At her command, he dropped to the floor and whined.

Julia gently cradled Michael’s face in her hands. “Come on, Michael. Stay with me.”

Worley grabbed her right hand and pressed it into the gaping wound in Michael’s shoulder, telling her to put pressure on it as he removed the blasting cap from the sheet of explosive and pulled the tape strapping it to Michael’s chest off. Julia rested her other hand on top of her right and continued to whisper encouragement to Michael as she pressed down, trying to stop the flow of warm blood. Michael’s life was draining out between her fingers.

Harris started an IV. A minute later, EMTs, who had been standing by during the counterassault, were ushered in, snaking a gurney through the crowded room. Someone pulled Julia out of the way and she watched as one medical worker placed an oxygen mask on Michael and began recording his vitals while the other talked to the hospital that would be receiving their patient.

Worley spoke into his headset microphone. “L.T., we’re going to need that helo to transport Michael Stone. He’s lost a lot of blood.”

Julia couldn’t hear the response but saw Worley nod to the closest EMT. “You’re cleared to use the helo.”

The man nodded back and the two medics and Harris lifted Michael onto the gurney. He moaned, his eyelashes fluttering. Julia stepped forward and touched his face. “You made it, Michael. You’re going to be okay.”

His eyes opened and he struggled to keep them that way. He mumbled something incoherent and Julia pulled the oxygen mask away from his mouth. “What?” she asked, leaning close to his face.

“I’m sorry,” he sighed.

Julia smiled at him. “Sorry for what? You did great. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“For yelling at you,” he whispered.

Tears stung her eyes and she brushed his lips with hers. “I deserved it. Now go get yourself fixed up, Stone. We still have some work to do.”

The medics replaced the oxygen mask and pushed her out of the way. The floor and doorway were cleared to let the gurney pass and Julia followed it until it was out the kitchen door. When she was back in the office, Worley gave her an antiseptic wipe to clean her hands. Lt. Diamond had entered the room and he, Harris and Belcini were releasing the other three men from the couch.

Brad Kinnick addressed Titus. “Permission to go with Director Stone, sir?”

Allen pulled duct tape off one of his wrists and rubbed it before slapping Kinnick on the back. “Of course,” the DCI said. “And let me know if anyone, including Susan Richmond, tries to see Michael before I get there. Don’t let anyone in on my orders. I’ll have backup for you within the hour and be there myself as soon as I can.”

Kinnick gave Julia a nod as he left. She waited for Director Allen to shake hands with the SEALs before approaching him. He smiled at her. “Ms. Torrison,” he said, stepping over Raissi’s body and picking up the iPod from Michael’s desk. “Your calling card, I presume?”

Julia nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Titus held out a hand to her. “You are definitely Conrad Flynn’s partner. That was the foolhardiest thing I’ve seen in a long time, and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Julia saw the questioning glances Worley and the others sent her way, but she nodded and returned his handshake. “Sir,” she said, “we still have a serious breech of CIA security. Did Michael explain everything that’s going on?”

Elaina Koburn and Tim Buchanan entered the room and Buchanan advanced on her. “You don’t have clearance to be in here, Ms. Quinn.”

But before he could continue yelling at her, Titus shut him down. “Put a sock in it, Buchanan. She’s one of mine, and I’ll take care of her.”

Buchanan pulled up short, and Titus turned back to Julia. “I know what’s going on with Susan. Where are Flynn and Smith? I want to talk to all of you.”

Worley rose from the terrorist body he was examining. “Conrad Flynn and Ryan Smith? We caught them in the woods. They were attempting to follow you”—he pointed at Julia—“into the house. We immobilized them.”

Lt. Diamond stepped forward. “They handcuffed both men and left them where they found them. I notified Chief Richmond before I came in here of their whereabouts.”

“Oh no.” Julia exchanged a look with Titus. Daniel King was trying to quietly slip out the door. “Daniel,” Titus barked. King froze in the doorway. “Don’t go too far. We still need to have that talk.”

Senator King nodded and left with his head down. Then Titus addressed Diamond and Buchanan both. “Those men are in danger from Chief Richmond.” He motioned to Worley. “Show us where you left them.”

Julia followed on Worley’s heels, Harris running alongside her, Titus behind her and Agents Buchanan and Koburn bringing up the rear. A minute later all six were standing in the woods.

“They’re gone,” Worley announced.

“Of course they are,” Titus said, looking around.

Julia thought she would scream. She clenched her fists and paced a few feet away, her mind trying to think of what to do, but nothing concrete would come. Her brain was as exhausted and overloaded on adrenaline as her body. She felt like running back to the FBI’s operational base, but she knew Susan wasn’t there. She’d taken Con and Smitty, and Julia had no idea where.

Two more paces and she threw her head back and yelled at the top of her lungs. “God
dammit
!” Then she kicked the tree, not once, but three times. “I’m going to kill her. She hurts one hair on their heads, and I will kill her!”

Pongo jumped and barked at her, pushed his head into her hand.

Hanging her head, she fell to her knees, grabbing Pongo and hugging him for all he was worth.

“Yes, siree, you are definitely Conrad Flynn’s partner.” Titus chuckled from behind her.

Julia turned to find everyone staring at her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Excuse my outburst,” she said, getting back to her feet. “It’s been one very long, crappy night.”

Everyone smiled at her except for Buchanan. “Where would Chief Richmond take them?”

Julia shook her head and started to answer, but her cell phone vibrated inside the pocket of the FBI jacket. She pulled it out and heard a familiar voice.

“Sheba?”

“Ace? Where are Con and Smitty? Have you seen them?”

“Yeah, they went by in the backseat of a Caddie a few minutes ago. Connie was in the window yelling something at me when they drove by, but I don’t know what he was sayin’. Me and Cari didn’t know what to do, so we tried to follow the Caddie. We lost sight of it a few minutes ago, but I think it’s headed to the lake I scoped Big Mike out at when he was running that morning. Y’know where I mean?”

Julia spoke to Buchanan. “Susan’s kidnapped them and is on her way to the lake northeast of here. It’s about two and half miles if you take the path on the east side of the house. Michael runs that path every morning. If you drive there, it’s twice as far because the road to it frames part of this property and a horse farm adjacent to it.”

“We can use the other helicopter,” he said to Titus. The smaller aircraft that would have dropped Belcini on the roof was still sitting in a field nearby unused.

“I can run it before you even get the helicopter in the air,” Worley said. “Just tell me what you want me to do once I get there.”

Everyone looked at Titus. “Our object is to save Conrad Flynn and Ryan Smith, but I want Susan Richmond alive and well enough to torture.”

Everyone froze and Titus smiled. “Oh, for crying out loud, get your panties out of a bunch. You don’t really believe I would torture her, do you? But, seriously, I do want her alive. So I can talk to her.”

Lt. Diamond gave Worley a nod and the SEAL took off. Then he radioed the house and ordered Harris and two more of his SEALs to join Worley.

“Is that another of my long-lost operators you’re talking to?” Titus asked Julia.

“No, sir. Just a friend.”

“I’m the wheelman!” Ace shouted in her ear. “Tell him, I’m the wheelman.”

“How close are you to the lake?” Julia asked him.

“We’re bumping closer every minute,” Ace answered. “Wish I had the Jeep. Baby loves this kind of terrain.”

“Are there any weapons in the van?”

“This van belong to Conrad Flynn? Sheesh, what a question.”

Julia sighed. “Right. You and Cari armed?”

“Cari’s double barreling it right now.”

Titus motioned for Julia to give him the phone. “Young man,” he said. “Do you know how to create a diversion?”

Julia could hear Ace’s affirmative reply. Titus motioned for everyone to follow him while he spoke. “Here’s what I want you to do.”