The Mercenary (16 page)

“He is angry. He will kill her if he gets the chance,” Burati answered. Today was the day when they had been planning to go and find her in the city.

“Thanks for the warning. I’ve got to go.”

Mann disconnected the call and Burati sat in his car for a long moment. He knew he had to keep working for Lambert. As he drove back to Sandton, he realized that he didn’t mind that. That he was ready to become the man that Phillip wanted him to be. Because working for the consortium was what he wanted.

Burati drove toward Soweto, up and down the streets lined with cardboard-box houses. He sat in his car, parked in the area where he’d grown up.

He had always believed that in order to move forward sometimes a man had to look back. And looking back always convinced him to keep his head on straight.

He wasn’t going to take any chances with anyone else. He needed to keep working for the consortium because he didn’t want to be back here.

He wanted a wife and some children of his own. He wanted what he’d seen of Lambert’s white-world life. He wanted to know that if he got married and his wife was lucky enough to get pregnant that their baby wouldn’t be born with HIV or another disease.

He needed to believe that he was a better man than his father had been so he could provide a future for the next generation of Buratis.

And as he started the car up and drove to meet Ray Lambert, he realized that he was probably going to always have to do work for men he could barely tolerate.

Because men like Burati were always going to have to find a way to make the white man’s world work for him. Despite the new government that was in place, he’d learned a long time ago that there was always one class who made the rules and everyone else had to follow them.

A
UGUST
5, J
OHANNESBURG

K
irk was icy with rage as he sat in the back of the Humvee following the tracking signal they’d managed to embed in the bumper of Lambert’s car two days ago thanks to Burati’s help. Hamm and Van had done it while he and Laz had been picking up the information from his contact.

Kirk retreated into himself. They had to go to the police station and report the man he’d killed. He didn’t like that because it would slow them down and give Lambert an even bigger lead on them. And right now all Kirk wanted was that man dead.

But he knew that wasn’t the way to approach a job like this. He was too emotional.

Damn. How had that happened? He was never emotional about kills. Olivia sat huddled in the seat next to him and he reached over to take her hand in his. She clung to his hand, holding him so tightly that he could almost not believe it.

He leaned down and kissed her lightly above her ear.

“You saved me again,” she said. Her eyes were so large in that pale face of hers.

“I know.”

“Why are we going to the police?” she asked.

“Because Kirk isn’t allowed to just kill someone and walk away. Since we aren’t here to do that, we have to report it. We also want to talk to the officer in charge of arresting Lambert and find out what the hell went wrong,” Savage said.

“Where’s Anna?”

“She was waiting for you at your gate. I sent her to London to meet with your parents and to keep an eye on them. Charity is already on her way there as well.”

“Thank you,” Olivia said. She was shaking a little. “Do you think my parents are in danger? Ray wanted to ransom me.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Kirk said.

“I meant to have Anna show me some self-defense moves, but then I figured I didn’t need to know any.”

“Kick him in the balls,” Laz said. “That’ll slow him down next time.”

“We heard you scream at the airport. Good job,” Kirk said.

She lifted her hand to her mouth and he noticed for the first time how swollen her mouth was. “He kissed me and bit my lip and said all kinds of threatening things.”

“What kind of things?” he asked.

She turned her head up to his. “He said he’d kill you, Kirk.”

Kirk let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders hugging her close to his side. “No one is going to kill me. Certainly not a little bastard like Ray Lambert.”

“Everyone can be killed,” she whispered.

“Not me. I’m indestructible,” he said.

She smiled then. Her pale face took on a pretty rosy flush. He rubbed his lips lightly over hers to keep from hurting her. “I almost died when he said they’d kill you.”

“We’ll talk when this is over. But don’t you worry about anything. I’m going to personally see that we both get out of this alive.”

“What about your assignment? You all were supposed to leave this afternoon.”

“Savage postponed it. We are going to finish off Lambert first,” Kirk said. He really wanted to finish the man off. He was the scum of the earth as far as Kirk was concerned and he wanted to ensure he’d never again lay his hands on Olivia.

“So you’ll have to leave as soon as this over to go to your next job?” Olivia asked.

“We can talk about that as soon as we get Lambert behind bars,” Kirk said.

They were almost to the police station. “You’ll have to stay in the Humvee with Laz and the guys. Just Savage and I will go in. Don’t leave the vehicle for any reason. Not to pee or get a drink of water. Nothing, understand?” Kirk asked.

“Yes, I understand. What do you think will happen at a police station?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not taking any chances. And as of now I’m in charge of you, Olivia. Until we know Lambert is neutralized, you got it?”

“Yes,” she said, “Just make sure you take care with yourself, too. I won’t be happy if you get hurt.”

“I will be fine,” he said. They pulled up in front of the police department. Savage got out and Kirk followed him. He had his sniper rifle in its case. He wasn’t too concerned about this meeting. It was a minor irritation keeping him from getting to Lambert and making sure that bastard never touched Olivia again.

“I need to call my parents,” Olivia said as they waited in the Humvee for Kirk and Savage to return. The waiting was excruciating, and she feared that Savage would come back without Kirk.

“Go ahead. We’ll give you some privacy,” Van said. He moved to the seat behind her, leaving her in the middle seat alone.

She dialed her mom’s number and her mother answered on the first ring. “Livy?”

“Yes, mom. It’s me.”

“Thank God. Where are you?”

“Still in Johannesburg. I don’t know how much you know, but Ray tried to kill me to cover up his illegal activities.”

“We know, dear. Charity Keone-Williams has been here with us and explained everything. We thought you were returning to London.”

“I will be, but not today. Ray tried to kidnap me again. He’s going to send you a ransom note. Don’t give him any money.”

“We won’t, Livy. Daddy wants to talk to you,” Mom said.

“Are you okay, Livy?”

“Yes, Daddy. I’m fine. Anna and her company were great.”

“See, I told you boarding school was the way to go. If you hadn’t gone there you wouldn’t have had Anna to turn to,” her father said.

“You’re right. Have you spoken to Phillip?”

“Yes, we called him as soon as Ray told us you’d been taken. He was very upset with Ray. I think Ray is going to lose his job.”

“He’s probably going to go to jail, Dad. He’s been selling diamonds on the black market, which Phillip and the rest of the diamond consortium don’t like.”

“I never trusted that man,” her father said.

“Is that true? I wasn’t sure about him, but he seemed like a good catch.”

“There is more to a good man than being a good catch,” her dad said.

“Believe me, I know that now.”

“I bet you do. When will we see you?”

“Soon, Daddy. I’ll call when I can. I love you.”

“We love you, too, Livy.”

She hung up with her parents. The men in the vehicle with her all sat watching the world outside. She had noted they each had a weapon in their laps and all were ready to defend the Humvee.

“What’s taking so long?” she finally asked when she couldn’t stand the silence any longer.

Laz laughed and turned to look at her. “Who knows? It’s never a quick trip when you have to explain a shooting to the authorities.”

“I guess not. But with your backgrounds—”

“That just makes it worse,” Hamm said.

“Why?” she asked. Hamm unnerved her. He was big and didn’t say much and every time she looked at him she had the feeling he thought that she was a waste of their time and talents.

“Because Kirk isn’t like your little criminal fiancé. He’s done a laundry list of things that this government might not approve of. Or a government that is friendly with this one. So they might decide to hold him or deport him.”

“Then why is he in there?” she asked.

“To make you happy, Missy.”

“My name’s not Missy,” she said. “And I don’t want him to be arrested.”

“Of course not, but you want him to be a better man,” Hamm said.

“I’ve never said that.”

“You don’t have to—that’s what all women want.”

“Maybe you don’t know everything about women, Hamm. Because that’s not what I want.”

“There’s no maybe about it, Olivia,” Laz said. “Hamm’s track record with the ladies is dismal.”

“Like you’re the ladies’ man,” Hamm said with a sneer.

“I do okay,” Laz said, winking at Olivia.

Then he sat up and started the car. “Look alive, boys. Savage and Kirk are coming our way.”

Olivia strained to see out the window, very happy to see Kirk coming back to her. She hadn’t realized how much she loved him until today. It wasn’t the fact that he’d saved her that had caused her knowledge but the fact that she realized she’d rather die then have him be killed.

He opened the door and climbed into the vehicle on one side while Savage got in on the other. She was sandwiched between the two men as Laz put the car in gear and they started driving away from the police station.

“How’d it go?” Hamm asked.

“As expected. They let us go but warned us to be careful about the amount of casualties.”

“Did you say anything about their Mayberry buffoon cops letting Lambert escape?” Hamm asked.

Olivia had wondered about that, too.

“We did. They are investigating the entire affair. It seemed like they wanted to hold us longer, but I asked Sam to call the State Department and help us out. So they couldn’t,” Savage said.

Kirk had been quiet the entire time and when she reached over to touch him, he flinched away from her. She wondered what was going on in his mind.

She hated being surrounded by all these men. She needed to be alone with Kirk to talk to him. She realized he’d never open up to her the way he did when they were alone. Not in front of the group. He was the quiet loner in the group, and he didn’t want anyone to see the man he revealed to her.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Where to now?”

“We think that Lambert is buying a new identity. We are going to head there and see if we can capture him.”

“How do you know that?” Olivia asked.

“Because one of his black-market guys is a friend of mine,” Kirk said.

“Aren’t those men black-market gun dealers?” she asked.

“Yes. And my friend—Monte—set up a meeting with Lambert so we could apprehend him.”

“Why would he do that?” Olivia asked.

“Monte has no loyalty except to the men who pay him. I’ve made it worth his while to help us out this time.”

Olivia didn’t like the sound of that. “What if Ray pays him more?”

“That’s always a risk you run. But that’s what the black market is about.”

“What is? And how come it is so easy to find the ‘black market’ here?”

“Because there is no controlled exchange rate for money, men came up with a market to barter for local currency and that’s how the black market started.”

“Isn’t it illegal?”

“Yes, Olivia, it is, but sometimes that’s the only way to operate. At least here in South Africa it is.”

“But you deal with this kind of thing wherever you are, don’t you?” she asked. Trying to get a better handle on what it was he did. The glimpses she’d seen of the mercenary life were enough to scare her.

“Yes, I do. But it’s that knowledge that has saved your life and kept you safe.”

“I realize that,” she said.

A
UGUST
6, P
RETORIA
, V
ERMEULEN
S
TREET

K
irk had been in South Africa long enough to know the good neighborhoods from the bad ones. And the one where Monte had set up the deal between Lambert was one of the worst. No one came into that area unless they were fully armed.

They were all sitting around a table at Chancellor’s Court, a guest home that was large and spacious and catered to families and groups normally. They’d rented the entire place for the night.

Kirk and the other men were in desert camouflage. They had a map of the area where they were going to set the trap for Lambert. Monte had been specific that he’d only do it for the money and he wouldn’t wait around. He also couldn’t and wouldn’t guarantee anyone’s safety.

Savage would be in the command vehicle this time and they were using satellite thermal heat images to determine who was in the area before they went in.

It was time for their in-briefing before the men moved forward with their mission. Savage also had to make sure they understood the rules of engagement. Savage had been emphatic that he didn’t want to come and clean up a Rambo-style bloodbath.

“We’ll go in quiet and quick,” Savage said, restating their mission objective while Laz dispensed wireless radio earpieces to each of them. “Kirk will provide cover from here.”

He indicated an apartment building that overlooked the corner where the meeting was to take place.

“Wenz, did you notice any gangs operating in the area?” Savage asked.

Wenz had been dispatched to the neighborhood to get a feel for it while Kirk had been scouting for a good sniper location.

“At least two warring factions. The entire neighborhood is a powder keg of violence and trouble. If we are quick, we should be able to slip in and out of the neighborhood without stirring up any other trouble.”

“I think we should take them out. So we don’t have to worry about them,” Kirk said.

Kirk felt the tension in this group. They wanted Lambert out of the picture. As much as they hadn’t wanted to be on bodyguard duty for Olivia, no one had expected her to be kidnapped under their noses, and they wanted to prove to her and to themselves that it wouldn’t happen again.

They’d been waiting all day for action and now they were ready to move. Kirk was, too. He wanted everyone safe and then he wanted to take his leave so he could convince Olivia to be with him. The smoother and quicker they could get this done the better it would be for all involved.

“We’re going in soft,” Savage said to his men.

He looked at Kirk. “You need a confirmation before you make a kill—especially if it’s Lambert. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s check our radios and then we’ll move out.” Savage waited until he was sure each man had placed an earbud in his ear.

“This is One,” Kirk said.

“Two,” Van said.

“Three,” Laz said.

“Four,” Wenz said.

“Five,” Hamm said.

“And I’m Six,” Savage said.

“We’ll be on silent until we reach the target. Wenz, I want you to come in from the north side and take care of the sentry patrolling on that side.”

Olivia would be in the vehicle with Laz. Leaving her behind this time hadn’t been an option.

“Laz, you cover us from the west with the vehicle. Van and Hamm, you’ll take the east and cover the road leading into the neighborhood.”

“Let’s move out.”

The men all got up from the table and headed out to the vehicle. Kirk stayed behind, needing to check on Olivia one more time. “Ready to roll?”

“Yes. I think I am.”

He led her down the hall to the waiting Humvee they were still using. Laz drove them through the streets of Pretoria to the square formed by Vermeulen, Du Toit, Boom, and Schubert Streets.

Kirk got out before the other men and ran swiftly to the apartment building where he’d set up for his shot. He got into position and set up his weapon. It felt like a lifetime since he’d been in another gutted apartment waiting to take a shot, he thought.

In a way it had been, because he was no longer the man he had been.

He saw the other men fanning out in the area surrounding the square. The moon had risen and was full, giving them too much exposure as they maneuvered through the streets. They were on silent maneuvers tonight.

A small chirping sounded in Kirk’s ear and he acknowledged the signal from the sniper team that they were in position.

A soft breeze blew through the night and Kirk used the sound for cover as he shifted his weight and stood in the shadows to the left of the window. He saw the shadows of four men moving in the alleyway. He recognized Monte and his usual guards. “This is One. Monte is in place.”

“Confirm when target enters.”

“I will. One out.”

Olivia didn’t know what to expect when Kirk and the others went into the neighborhood they had. She sat quietly in the passenger seat of the Humvee. Laz had his window down and stared out at the night. He was listening intently to the chatter on the radio. She was incredibly nervous about Kirk because he wasn’t with her.

A gunshot shattered the night sounds and Laz slumped forward over the wheel of the car. Olivia started to scream, but then realized that wasn’t going to help.

“Get out of the car,” Laz said. His voice was low and raspy. “Stay down so no one can see you.”

She nodded and opened her door, dropping to the ground and crawling away from the vehicle into the shadows.

Olivia heard the sound of men’s voices approaching the Humvee. “I saw Olivia in here. Where is she?”

It was Ray. Dammmit, had she compromised the mission coming along with them?

“She’s not in the vehicle,” Burati said.

She guessed that Burati had gotten out of jail thanks to Ray. Her mind raced with scenarios and backup plans, but she had no idea how to make them happen. There was no backup plan that would work.

“Is he still alive?” Ray asked.

“Yes, Mr. Ray,” Burati said.

“Where did she go?” Ray asked Laz.

Laz gave him the finger and Ray backhanded him. “Kill him. Then help me find her. She can’t have gone far.”

She was on her own and determined not to need rescuing this time. She’d picked up a few things from the fights she’d been in. She took a deep breath and knew that this was the kind of situation that she really excelled at. She’d wait until she had an opening and make her move. She’d beaten Lambert once before, she’d damn well do it again.

She heard the sound of a gunshot and almost cried when she realized that Laz was probably dead.

“No more screw-ups like the last time,” Lambert said.

“I didn’t screw that up,” Burati said.

She eased her way away from the vehicle toward the alleyway.

“I don’t want excuses,” Lambert said.

“I thought this mess with Monte was your key to a new life outside of the Diamond mine.”

Lambert turned on Burati, grabbing the other man by the neck and squeezing. Burati tried to shrink back from him, but could only flail around trying to breathe. “Don’t think. I’m not paying you to do that. Just follow orders.”

Lambert pushed Burati away. “Yes, sir,” Burati said. A bead of sweat formed on his temple and rolled down the side of his face.

“Just find that bitch Olivia.”

“I found her,” Burati said looking straight at her.

Olivia ran flat out as fast as she could. She stayed in the shadows that stretched into long dark spots at the end of the alley and eased herself around the corner. She held her breath to listen for the sounds of the men following her.

She heard Ray and Burati come down the alley. She stayed where she was, trying desperately to be quiet.

She heard someone moving toward her from the other direction and almost screamed when a hand fell heavy on her shoulder. But another hand covered her mouth and she twisted her head to see Kirk there next to her.

Olivia wrapped her arms around Kirk, hugging him to her for just a quick minute. She almost lost her composure seeing him here when the odds were so stacked against her.

He wore desert camouflage and some paint on his face. He looked like the cold-blooded killer that she knew he could be. For the first time she saw him as a mercenary and she thanked God he was one. She knew this was just another glimpse of the man she loved.

But then she pushed away from him, staring up into his eyes, needing to pass as much information to him as she could before Burati and Ray found them.

Kirk rubbed his finger down the side of her face. She flinched as he encountered a bruise she hadn’t realized she had.

He pulled her to him and gently kissed the bruised area of her face. She felt so cherished and safe with him here. Like now she could do anything. She wasn’t afraid now. With Kirk by her side, she knew they would get the bad guys.

“Are all the guys with you?” she asked, trying to keep her voice low. She liked to know the odds. She didn’t want to get in his way. “He killed Laz.”

“You don’t need to fight. I can take Ray out from here,” Kirk said. “You have more bumps and bruises than I like to see on you.”

“That’s good, because I’m one big ache.” She swallowed hard. “But I don’t want you to shoot Ray. I know that’s your job and you are good at it, but I want Ray to go to jail for killing that man.”

Kirk pulled her back into his arms. “I will do my best not to kill him.”

“I’m fine.” She wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth or just lying to make him feel better.

“I’m here now, so you don’t have to worry about anything else.”

She glanced into his eyes and saw the truth there. They were partners in this and he wasn’t going to lie even to make her feel better.

“Tell me what you need me to do.”

“Do you have any weapons on you?”

“No.” She felt so silly that she hadn’t been prepared. Kirk removed his knife sheath, handing it to Olivia. She tucked it into the back of her pants.

“Do you want a handgun?” he asked, holding out a small semiautomatic.

She shook her head. She couldn’t handle a weapon and she certainly wasn’t a marksman. Even the knife had her a little worried.

Kirk rubbed her arm in a strong massaging motion that hurt at first but then lessened the pain in her arm. “Thanks, that feels so much better now.”

He kissed her. “When this is over, I’ll take all your pain away.”

Kirk drew his Sig-Sauer and eased out of the shadows. Though his training was as a sniper, he was just as lethal up close, and he wasn’t going to be separated from Olivia again. He’d almost had a heart attack when Savage had let them know that she was in trouble. This was the hardest part. He heard the whoosh and swish of a bullet behind fired from a silencer. The bullet missed Lambert and alerted the man to their presence.

“Find her, Burati,” Lambert said. “I think she is over there.”

Kirk knew the other man was really working for Phillip and would have protected Olivia. He probably should have mentioned that to her. “Burati works for your cousin. He won’t harm you.”

“What? I want to know about this,” she said. “He killed Laz.”

“Laz isn’t dead. We can talk this through later.”

Kirk waited for the chirping signal of his men and as soon as he heard it, he stepped out of the bushes with his weapon drawn.

Lambert glanced at Kirk in full desert camouflage and face paint.

Burati stood between Kirk and Lambert, using his body as a shield.

“Fuck. I want Olivia. I’ll kill you if I have to,” Lambert said.

“You aren’t getting her,” Kirk said.

“Kill him,” Ray said to Burati. But Burati turned and lifted his weapon toward Ray.

Lambert didn’t hesitate a second when he realized his man wasn’t going to follow orders. Kirk held his breath as Ray lifted his own gun and shot Burati, hitting Burati in the center of his chest.

“Oh, God, you killed him,” Olivia screamed jumping out of the shadows.

Lambert was distracted by Olivia’s screams. Kirk moved quickly to Lambert’s right side and turned sideways. Leading with his left foot, he stepped diagonally toward Lambert, keeping his shooting arm directly in front of him. He grabbed Lambert’s wrist with his left hand, bringing his weapon up toward Lambert’s face.

Lambert brought his left hand up in a crosscut punch that knocked Kirk’s head back. He held tight to Lambert’s wrist, pivoting on his left foot and breaking Kirk’s grip on his arm.

“Don’t move or you’re next,” Lambert said, raising his weapon. Kirk was in point-blank range. He took two steps backwards, bringing his handgun up.

“This looks like a stalemate to me,” Lambert said.

“Don’t bet on it,” Kirk said.

“Who the hell are you?”

“The Savage Seven,” Kirk said. “We’ve got you surrounded. There’s no one coming to help. Drop your weapon and surrender.”

“Surrender isn’t an option,” Lambert said.

“Fine by me,” Kirk said, lifting his gun and firing at Ray.

Ray fired not at Kirk but at Olivia. In that moment Kirk’s entire life flashed before his eyes. And no matter what Olivia had asked him, he wasn’t going to let this man live. He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. He let half of the breath out and pulled the trigger.

Ray crumpled to the ground dead.

Olivia screamed but stayed where she was with Burati. Savage and the other men moved in. Kirk’s entire body ached from head to toe, but when Olivia sank down next to him, her small arms wrapping around his waist, he felt a wave of peace wash over him.

It took three days of wrangling, but Kirk was finally free to leave Jo’burg. Olivia had stayed at the jail where he was held until the authorities had conducted their investigation of the death of Ray Lambert. The information that Burati, Phillip, and Kirk had gathered all came into play and eventually he was released.

Laz was in the hospital recovering from his wounds, as was Burati. But both men would live—something that meant the world to Olivia. Her parents had flown in to see her and if all went well she and Kirk would be joining them for dinner tonight.