Rendition Protocol Read online

  The man looked at her hand and swallowed. “I’ll have to call it in.” He turned toward the guard shack.

  Shit, this is not working. “Do you?” Her tone was playful. Just out of his line of sight, she felt for her purse. “I wanted it to be a surprise for Diego.”

  “I am not permitted.” He picked up a phone but when a silenced bullet ripped into his skull, brain matter splattered onto the guard shack and he collapsed. “I guess I’m going in hot,” she said as she hopped out of the Jeep. “It was a boring conversation anyway.”

  On the hillside, Stone watched the man collapse. He glanced to the guards at the front of the house to see if they had heard when he again saw movement out of the corner of his eye. It had come from the same place. “What the hell is that?” He trained the scope on the spot but there was too much foliage blocking his view. But then he saw color behind the dense green and caught a glimpse of Cade’s face. “Rookie,” Stone said. He looked back at the guards and saw one of them raise a walkie-talkie and begin to speak. Stone shifted the rifle into position and locked onto the guard. “That’s not good. They know. Dammit, they know.”

  Jana pushed the button inside the guard shack and the massive steel gates began to lurch open. She jumped in the Jeep and drove calmly up the drive and toward the estate.

  At the front door, the first guard motioned to the second and started down the steps toward Jana’s approaching car.

  “She’ll never make it,” Stone said. He exhaled and held, counted slowly, then tapped off a single round. Across the silencer, the discharged round sounded like a muffled whump. The sound the bullet made when it slammed into the man’s skull, however, was loud, something similar to a slapping noise. The guard’s body spun and flopped onto the ground just as the Jeep crested the hill.

  The second guard turned at the slapping sound to find his partner in a pool of blood. Stone lined the crosshairs and began to apply light tension to the trigger. But before the weapon could discharge, he saw the man’s body fling into the air. Jana had run him down with the Jeep.

  Stone watched as she hopped out and without hesitation pumped one round into the man’s head on her way up the steps.

  “Christ,” Stone said to himself, “I’ve created a monster. Oh shit!” he said as another guard came out of the open doorway.

  Jana dropped to the ground and fired upwards into the man’s throat. The .380-caliber hollow point tore into the soft flesh and exited through his spine. He was dead before the empty brass shell casing tinked onto the stone landing. She leaned against the door jam and scanned the massive, glass-lined room with her weapon forward. On the veranda, she saw Diego Rojas shake hands with a well-appointed man who had a black beard and a devilish grin. The men stood with their backs to Jana and pointed up and down at a woman standing across from them. Her long, shimmering black hair draped gently across the straps of her full-length, form-fitting sequin gown. The woman was the only one facing Jana’s direction and Jana knew, she was another sex slave.

  The Middle Easterner placed a hand on Rojas’s shoulder and laughed as he presented her as a gift, a gesture of good will. Just the thought of what would happen to the woman caused Jana’s pulse to explode, but when she saw the petrified look on the young woman’s face, her eyes flared even further.

  The center-most scar on Jana’s chest began to burn and she heard voices. She turned behind her but the voices were distant. One towered above the others.

  Do it, the voice taunted as it laughed. It sounded like the hissing of a snake. Do it now. You know what they are going to do to that girl. You know you can stop it. Dooo it. Jana tightened the grip on her firearm and her breathing became erratic.

  The laughter from the trio of voices sent a new shockwave of nausea through Jana’s system, and the edges of her vision, once crisp and sharp, began to blur. She looked down and saw the body of the last guard she had killed, then turned around to see the other two.

  You killed them without hesitation, the voice said. It was a thing of beauty.

  Jana’s fingers ran across the scar and she winced in pain. She glanced back at Rojas and the other man.

  Do it. Kill them, the voice taunted. Kill them all!

  Jana’s knees began to shake.

  The others would have killed you. They were justified. But these two, you’ll walk over and kill them in cold blood. Once it is done, your journey will be complete.

  Tears began to stream and Jana struggled to breathe. The gun lowered. “Kyle, I’ve got to get to Kyle.” She dropped to one knee and shook her head violently, then said, “Think back. Think back to the fort. You’ve got to find the fort.” She gritted her jaw and allowed her mind to drift back to her childhood, back to her precious fort, her bastion of safety. When she was finally inside it, her breathing began to normalize.

  She looked up to find the woman on the balcony staring at her, her eyes glazed in fear. Jana put a finger to her lips and mouthed shhh just as the woman’s eyes drifted onto the dead guard in the doorway. She looked petrified, but seemed to register that Jana was there to help.

  Jana grabbed the dead guard by his jacket collar and dragged him across the slick stone floor, out the door, then rolled his body down the steps.

  At least he’s out of direct view, she thought. She crept back to the door casing and motioned to the girl with an open hand, a signal for her to stay put. The woman blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek.

  The magazines held only five rounds and Jana withdrew a full one from the Velcro strap and charged it into her weapon. She quick-stepped over to the glass staircase and began to descend. About halfway down she saw an armed guard on the lower level looking out the wall of glass at the floatplane still at the dock. She stood upright and clasped her hands behind her back, shielding the gun from view, then descended the stairs.

  When he heard her approaching, he turned in an abrupt motion and spoke in a thick, Colombian accent, “What are you doing here?”

  She continued toward him and said, “What is that supposed to mean? Did you not see me here the other night? I am the guest of Diego, and I will not be spoken to in that manner.”

  His mouth opened as if he were choosing his words.

  Jana closed to within eight feet. Her hand flicked out from behind her back and she pulled the trigger. His body folded to the ground. She rifled through his clothing and jerked out a set of keys, then darted to the wine cellar and its mysterious steel door.

  It took her three tries to find the right key, but when she did, it slid in easily. When she opened the door, however, the real trouble started.

  63

  Committed

  Back at the safe house, Cade’s laptop chirped once as the small icon of a spinning globe turned green. The satellite connection blinked to life. A video window opened and Uncle Bill in the NSA Command Center said to someone off screen, “Are we on yet?” He looked at the monitor. “Cade? Jana? Christ, where are they? We’ve got to warn them!”

  Standing in the safe house, just behind the monitor, was Richard Ames.

  Uncle Bill said, “Look, if you can hear me. There’s something big about to happen. CIA has ordered an F-18 into the air. It’s coming your way, and it’s armed with the mother of all bombs. We’re tracking it now. Given the fighter jet’s current airspeed, flight time, and maximum range of that missile, we estimate you’ve got twenty-eight minutes. I’ll repeat that. Time of impact is fourteen hundred fifty-six hours; two fifty-six local time. Whatever you do, don’t go to that compound!” Bill looked just off camera. “Dammit! How do we know if they got the message?”

  When the satellite call terminated, Ames looked at his watch. He then withdrew his phone and conferenced together the phones of Jana, Cade, and Stone. It took a few moments, but each answered the call in turn.

  It was Jana that picked up last. “I don’t have time for a chitchat, Ames.”

  “All three of you,” Ames said in a calm voice, “listen closely. There is an airstrike inbound at this time
. ETA is two fifty-six local.”

  “An airstrike? What are you talking about?” Stone blurted from the hillside above the Rojas estate.

  Ames said, “I told you, there’s always a higher agenda. NSA just cracked through the satellite blockage and called it in.” He looked at his watch. “You’ve only got twenty-five minutes. There’s no way you can get inside and get MacKerron out in time.”

  “Too late now,” Jana said. “Already inside the gates. Twenty-five minutes? I’ll have him out in six. Baker, out.” She hung up.

  “She’s right,” Stone said. “It’s too late. We’re committed.”

  As the call ended, Ames looked at Stone’s bag sitting on the safe-house floor. He leaned down and unzipped the long duffel. When his eyes landed on an object that piqued his interest, he said, “They’re going to need some help.” He withdrew it from the bag and looked in the mirror. “Say hello to my little friend.”

  64

  Incoming

  Cade pushed his way through the dense foliage toward the guard shack. Speaking of the phone call, he said, “Twenty-five minutes? Shit.” When he saw the open gate, he could only assume Jana had made it through. Though his heart was pounding, he crept closer to the shack. He became emboldened when he did not see anyone sitting inside. He peered into the tiny outpost. Blood was splattered along the walls. His heart pounded harder. He edged around the rear of the building and his eyes landed upon a set of black boots. Those boots were attached to a dead man, and Cade averted his eyes. He looked over his shoulder to ensure he could see no one.

  If what Ames said is true, he thought to himself, this hillside is going to be laid flat in a few minutes. He grabbed the man by the arm and was starting to drag when his phone buzzed again. It scared him so badly he flattened to the ground. He looked at the phone.

  “Stone, what the hell do you want?” he said as he looked in all directions.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Are you watching me? I don’t have time for a social call. I’ve got to move this body out of view. If anyone sees it, the game is up.”

  “That body is nothing compared to the three lying around the front door of the estate. Don’t bother with it. Grab his automatic weapon and get back in where you can’t be seen.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do. I’ve been in the field before. I know what I’m doing.”

  “So glad to be working with another operator,” Stone jabbed. Their rivalry lived on.

  Cade pulled the automatic weapon’s strap from the man’s shoulder but when he saw the dark blood coating the back of the strap, he leaned over and gagged.

  Stone watched in the distance. To him it appeared Cade was about to be sick. “It’s blood, Cade. He’s dead. Sometimes it happens. But I’m glad to see you can handle it.”

  Cade straightened. “Very funny, asswipe. It was the brain matter I wasn’t too happy about.”

  “Look like rotted cottage cheese?”

  “God,” Cade said, “that’s awful,” he said as he fought back nausea.

  But then Stone said, “Wait a minute. I’m hearing something.” Stone paused, then said into the phone. “Do you hear that?”

  “Hear what?”

  “It sounds like an engine. It sounds like several engines.” Stone raised binoculars and scanned the road in the distance. “Cade! We’ve got incoming. Get that security gate closed and get out of there!”

  65

  Breathe

  As the door scraped across the gritty cement floor, Jana scanned the darkness with her weapon forward. The stench was overwhelming. When she saw just a single silhouette, a man lying on the floor, she lunged in and pointed the gun behind the door to ensure there was no guard. She turned back and could see that it was Kyle. He was lying on a filthy mat, one arm chained to the wall. She knelt down and shook his shoulder. “Kyle, Kyle. Wake up.” She shook harder and finally he began to stir.

  “Hey, man. Leave me alone,” he said in a groggy haze.

  “Kyle! Get up, we’ve got to go.”

  Jana fumbled through the keys until she found the one that fit the padlock on Kyle’s wrist. She shook him again and pried apart one of his eyelids to examine the pupil. It was dilated. She checked his arms. Both showed telltale bruising where needles had been injected. “They’ve drugged you.” She pulled until he sat upright. “What are they giving you?” But the answer didn’t really matter. She put his arm over her shoulder and struggled to her feet.

  “Kyle, help me. We’ve got to go. We’ve got to go right now.” She glanced at the open doorway.

  As Kyle steadied himself, he said, “You’re not that dude. Where is that dude with the stuff?”

  “Come on, we’ve got to go.”

  She walked him forward but he stopped. “I’ve got to get some stuff, man. Where is that dude?”

  Jana squared off in front of him and slapped him across the face. “There’s no time for this! This is our only chance.”

  “Hey, man, that hurts. Hey, Jana? Hey! What are you doing here? Did you bring me the stuff?”

  Jana rethought. “Yes, Kyle. Yes, I have the stuff. But it’s outside. We’ve got to go out there to get it. Just come with me, okay?”

  “Alright, man.”

  The pair stumbled forward as Kyle tried to gain his footing.

  “Hey, is that a gun you’re carrying, or are you just happy to see me?” He laughed. “Why the hostility? These people are awesome!”

  Jana had not counted on Kyle being in this condition. She couldn’t decide if it was his weight she struggled with more or if it was the terror of getting him out before a missile slammed into the roof. She held the gun in a half-raised position.

  As they came out into the lower-level room, Kyle squinted at the wall of glass. Jana scanned back and forth. She looked up at the underside of the balcony. The woman, she thought. I’ve got to get her out of here. But with Kyle in this condition she strained to come up with an idea.

  Kyle looked at the dead man sprawled against the wall. “Hey, dude. Wake up,” he said. He snickered. “No sleeping on the job.” But as he looked closer and saw the dark pool of blood, he looked to Jana. “He doesn’t look so good. Maybe we should get him a Band-Aid or something.” She started to drag Kyle away when he said, “Dude’s got a boo-boo, that’s for sure.”

  She looked out at the large, open expanse at the back of the compound. The floatplane sat at the dock and was flanked by two of Rojas’s guards. Shit, she thought. Can’t go that way.

  She spun Kyle around and headed to the glass staircase. She steadied him then heard several voices from upstairs. She turned Kyle back toward the massive bay doors and walked him onto the patio. On the balcony above, Rojas, the Middle Eastern man, and his bodyguard still held the woman. It was then that she heard men coming down the glass stairs, speaking in Spanish. She began to panic.

  She pushed Kyle to the far side of the patio and laid him down just behind a bench seat. She ran back and grabbed the dead man and dragged him onto the patio just beyond Kyle. Two sets of feet came into view on the staircase. She grabbed an oriental rug and pulled it over the bloodstain, then ducked onto the patio.

  She crouched against the edge, shielding Kyle with her body, and held her weapon at arm’s length. Keep quiet, Kyle. Please, God. Keep quiet.

  The two guards ambled down the last steps in the middle of a conversation.

  Jana’s mind raced. Did I close the door to Kyle’s cell? Will they notice the carpet out of place? The harder she tried to control her breathing, the harder it became.

  As the two heavily armed men approached the giant bay doors, Jana glanced at silhouettes of people on the balcony above. There is no way they aren’t going to hear this, she thought, referring to firing a silenced weapon in such close proximity.

  The men stepped onto the patio. Jana clasped her lips and dared not breathe. If she were forced to kill them, Rojas would hear and she would have no choice but to try to escape with Kyle. In his conditio
n, they didn’t stand a chance. She held for what seemed like an eternity and could almost hear the ticking of her wrist watch. The missile, she thought. We’re out of time. She applied light attention to the trigger.

  66

  Hell Hath No Fury

  The men stood in the breeze. Jana was three feet away. Their conversation continued as one pointed to the floatplane. She applied more pressure to the trigger. But then in the distance, she heard popping sounds, like automatic-weapons fire. The men turned and ran back up the stairs and Jana drew a long breath. What the hell is that? Oh, God, Stone is out there. Her phone buzzed. It was Cade.

  “What’s going on?” Jana whispered into the phone. She heard yelling on the balcony above and watched as the people there emptied into the house.

  “Oficina de Envigado is here!” Cade yelled over the gunfire. “And they’re pretty pissed off.”

  “What about Stone?”

  “He can’t decide who to shoot next.”

  “Tell him to shoot them all. Wait!” Jana said. “This is the perfect diversion!” She watched the two guards at the floatplane break into a sprint.

  Cade said, “It looks like they’re about to breach the gate! This place is going to be overrun. Rojas’s people are fighting back, but they’re dropping like flies.”

  “Forget all that! I need help. They’ve drugged Kyle. I can’t get him out on my own.”

  “Oh, shit!” Cade said. “Where are you?”

  “Back patio. Ground level. Tell Stone to rendezvous at the dock behind the estate.”

  “And do what?”

  “There’s a floatplane there.”

  “What are we going to do with a floatplane?” Cade said.

  “Shut up and move!”

  67

  Shards of Glass