Unearthly Power (27 page)

Leandro returned the stare. “They had many more men than we had
anticipated. We killed ten of them, but I have also lost two of my own, with three more wounded. He had a helicopter at the back of his property. We need to get away from here.”

After a moment of hesitation, he looked around the immediate area and asked, “Where is the staff?”

“They got it,” Sean said without emotion.

Leandro accepted the information. He and his men had found no trace of the ark in the home. They would have to pursue their target another way.

“We must go. Your friend will probably be here soon.”

Sean knew he meant Agent Daniels. He knew he should be gone by then. He also knew his sister would not be leaving with him.

Sean looked at Leandro and asked, “Do you know where he is going?”

“We know. We will deal with him and get what we had come for,” he said in an assured tone.

“I’m going with you,” Sean said matter-of-factly.

“Sean, you can’t leave,” Dee insisted.

“I’m sorry, but we will attend to this. I understand your feelings but your part is finished,” Leandro stated.

“Actually, I’m go
ing to see this through. This Chandler fellow has taken a lot away from me recently, and one of his men has done it to me twice. If you think you are going without me, I’ll make sure my friend knows everything about you. I’ll make sure this little discovery gets pasted on every news site I can afford, and believe me I can get more coverage than you would ever want to deal with. You decide. I can either be a help, or a lot more trouble than you could ever know.”

Leandro looked at him without expression. He finally decided he would accept the responsibility and take this young man with them. He knew he was in no position to bargain at the moment. “We have to leave immediately,” he said before turning to walk away.

Dee grabbed him by the arm and spun him around to face her. “What are you doing?”

“I have something to finish. More is happening than you know.”

“Chandler told me all about the ark and the rod. I know what this is about.”

“Good. Then you don’t need to ask any more questions.”

“You don’t need to do anything. Let this guy and his men take care of it.”

Sean looked at his sister for a few seconds before speaking. “Dee, I’m going. You need to stay here and take care of Tori for me. A friend of mine from the FBI will probably be here shortly. Alex is at a motel in Cortland. Have Agent Daniels take you there. He knows where it’s at. Call Tori’s uncle and make any necessary arrangements for her. Alex can help. I’ll call when I can. Please, do this for me.”

Dee saw the seriousness in his eyes and knew there was no use debating the issue with him. His mind was made up. She acquiesced, “Okay.”

“Thank you. I’ll call as soon as I can.”

“You’re not doing her or anyone else a favor, you know that,” she said with one last attempt at swaying him.

He smiled for the first time. “I’m not doing it for anyone else. I’m doing it for me.”

Sean drove his car
taking two other men with him while the wounded and dead rode in the van. The third car led the way to a small airport on the way back to Seneca Falls. A number of thoughts raced through his mind as they went. He was relieved that his sister was alive. He’d left her with his gun and told her to get rid of it before the FBI arrived, being sure not to leave any prints on it. He did his best to remove his own. He didn’t think any of Chandler’s men would return, but he wanted to make sure she had some means of protection if they did.

Alex would be even more upset with him when he found out he was once again left behind.
That was something that could be dealt with later
, he thought. The men he rode with were a somber group. They had lost friends and failed in their mission. Even so, they emanated a sense of resolve that let him know they would see this through to the end, whatever end that may be.

Tori was dead. He saw her move erratically when they had started toward the bar. He thought it was of her own volition, but he now knew otherwise. He also knew who was responsible for her death; the same man who was responsible for her father’s. Sean may not be able to bring down a man like Silas Chandler, but he was more than willing to give Marcel a try.

They pulled their vehicles into a small hangar where they were met by half a dozen other people. When he got out of his car, Leandro was already speaking to them. He nodded his way as he gave them instructions. Sean thought he may be trying to back out of their deal, as he moved his hand and placed it on the gun at the small of his back. He had recovered it from one of the fallen men before they placed the body in the van.

They nodded their acceptance at his orders and continued about their business. Leandro walked over to Sean to tell him they would return his vehicle for him. When Sean responded with a puzzled look Leandro said, “We will be going out of country. Chandler knows he is not safe here now. He will go to where he thinks he is beyond our reach.”

Sean slowly let his hand fall to his side as he removed it from the butt of the weapon.

Leandro saw this and offered a thin smile. “Don’t let your hand get too far away. You
will
be needing it again before this is over.”

             
T
hey rode in the small plane that finally touched down in a private field in Nova Scotia. Sean was amazed at the resources these people had available. They seemed to be more akin to a specialized government agency than any religious order he had ever heard of.

They removed the bodies and placed them in several vehicles that were made available for them. Nobody
appeared from the only nearby home as they went through their activities. Sean followed the directions he was given as he was out of his element now, and far from home.

They drove into Halifax and were passed through to a private area of the airport when they approached from the northern side. The bodies were placed in proper bags and were carried to a terminal by several of the men. The wounded were cared for on the ride up and seemed to be in stable condition. Sean remained watchful of everything that was taking place around him. None of the men spoke to him, other than Leandro, but they didn’t act as if he was unwelcome either.

They waited for almost three hours before they were able to board their plane. They were provided tickets, but they were never asked for identification. Sean assumed it was because of their connections and hoped it remained that way when they landed. It was then that he thought Leandro may have figured out how to get rid of their extra passenger. Sean didn’t have his passport. When they landed, it would be easy for him to be placed on a return flight home. If that were to happen, there would be nothing he could do. All of their weapons were stored inside of the body bags. They wouldn’t be accessible until the plane landed.

When Sean found himself in a first class seat next to Leandro, his fears diminished somewhat.

There were only a few other people in that part of the cabin, and they looked to be making an effort at getting some sleep. It was then that Leandro explained what was going on.

“Chandler has a yacht he keeps in Long Island. We had word that it was moving when we landed here. He is most likely going to where he thinks he can remain out of touch, so-to-speak,” he said in a quiet voice.

“We will monitor his movements and will be kept advised as to his progress. If he decides to go to another
location, we will follow. But I am sure he will take his time and travel to his villa at Pointe de la Fossette. We will be waiting for him there.”

Sean was almost afraid to provide him with the information about his situation, but decided to
do so anyway. “When we land, do you have people to take care of things on that end like you did earlier today?”

Leandro looked at him curiously and said, “Yes.”

“Good. I don’t have a passport and I’m sure I don’t speak the language that is prominent in the
Point Faucet
place you mentioned,” Sean said in his poor attempt to Anglicize the name of the town.

Sean saw in Leandro’s expression that the significance of that announcement did not go unnoticed. He didn’t think very much got past the guy.

“It will be no problem,” he assured him as he turned and closed his eyes.

Sean hoped that was the case. He decided some rest wasn’t a bad idea. He suddenly felt exhausted.

Eight days later, their intelligence placed Chandler’s yacht anchored five-hundred yards offshore. They had replenished their ranks after taking care of the remains of their fallen comrades. Sean was only able to learn bits and pieces about the Order itself. Leandro provided mostly mundane information about the commonplace activities within their religion. Even though Sean was putting his life on the line with them, he was not really one of them nor would he ever be. He wasn’t
put off by the idea; it simply aroused his curiosity.

They planned meticulously for that evening. They had several black rubber boats that they would use to travel out to the yacht. They were all clad in black cotton uniforms, and applied a black greasy type substance to every part of their exposed
skin.

After they had gone through a final equipment check, Leandro wished Sean good luck as he joined his team. Sean was armed with a silenced pistol and two spare magazine clips. Most of the other men had more substantial firepower. He decided they would have had similar types of weaponry in the States if they were not from out of the country. What they had at the time was probably the best they could come up with. He thought it was amusing, in an odd sort of way.
There were gangs in Miami that would have had them all out-gunned.

Tonight they were prepared. They would launch soon after midnight from two different areas. There were four boats, with four men on each one of them. One would remain while the other three boarded the vessel. The yacht was one-hundred and forty feet in length. The information they received indicated there were no more than twelve men on board, including the pilot and crew. It was decided by Leandro that everyone on board was to be considered a threat. Sean didn’t argue, but decided within himself that
he was not about to shoot an unarmed man just because he happens to drive a boat for a rich bastard, or pass his canapés.

They waited on the deserted beach while the other teams got into position further up the road. They would come from the bow, while his teams approached from the stern. It was a pleasant night with a mild breeze blowing in off of the water. He could hear the distinct sound of a violin playing in the night. It was likely that the people in the area seldom went to bed before late in the evening, or early in the morning, depending on how one looked at it.

It was evidently time to get started as the leader of their group gave the signal to carry the boat down to the water. It wasn’t much of a beach, but rather a small expanse of shoreline that had to be crossed before putting into the water. The launch was successful and they all kept a low profile as they dipped their oars quietly into the calm waters and silently moved ahead. At first, it seemed to Sean as if the small surface waves were holding them in place, negating their efforts. After a minute or so of continuous attempts, they broke free from the shoreline and were now on their way.

There was a singular light visible inside the yacht which they used to guide the way. To Sean, every movement inside the boat resonated within his mind as if it was somehow amplified. He knew that the sounds themselves would carry no further than to the men in the boat, but it unnerved him all the same. His senses were becoming more acute the closer they came to their target. He looked ahead to see if he could locate the other two
teams coming from the opposite direction—a little reassurance that they would have the right amount of firepower—but was left with nothing more than darkness and the occasional turning of a wave. He knew he wasn’t likely to actually see them, but his nerves were on edge as they approached the large vessel.

The man beside him mildly jabbed the top of his oar into Sean’s ribs. Before he could show his irritation, the man pointed upward. They were at the back of the boat. He didn’t need to paddle anymore.

They secured their small boat to the anchor line of the yacht. Their leader decided they could take the fourth man with them because of this. Sean was happy at the prospect; just in case the other boats didn’t make it in time.

They quickly made it on board and Sean heard the unmistakable sound of a man being shot. It was a silent popping
noise caused by the disturbed air, followed by the sound of a body falling to the floor. Sean took his place in line, at the very back. The men split in pairs as they went up a flight of stairs—one around the port side, the other around the starboard side—and he followed his man in through a door to the main cabin.