Redemption (40 page)

“Gonzo, Twinkie! Take the back and cover us!” yelled Taz.

The two about-faced to guard against attackers while the rest of the group worked on the door. Mike drew a .12-calibre sawed-off shotgun with ceramic cartridges, aimed at the padlock and fired. The padlock exploded under the impact. Taz cleared away the chain.

Inside were six steel-barred cells holding twelve young Mexican girls who looked at them with horror.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” shouted Taz.

Namara headed in first, followed by Mike and Taz.

“Shit, there they are!” shouted Mike.

“Yeah, get them out!” said Namara.

“Get them out and get the hell out!” cried Taz. “Let’s go!” he retorted.

“We’re going to get you out, don’t be afraid! Get back from the door, we’re going to blow the locks!” Mike shouted in Spanish.

The girls recoiled fearfully into the corners of the cells while Mike loaded his shotgun with more ceramic bullets. He fired at the first lock. There was a blast and the lock exploded in a shower of metal. The door creaked open and the girls began to look hopeful.

“Get out, get out! No time to lose!” said Mike as he blasted the lock on the neighbouring cell.

In a few seconds, the girls were free and regrouped, ready to go. The fear in their faces was undercut with relief. Despite the chaos and the gunfire, they knew the men were their salvation, whoever they were.

“The package is ready to go!” shouted Taz from inside the barn to Twinkie and Gonzo.

“Clear!” shouted Twinkie.

“Go! Go! Go!” shouted Namara to the girls – it was now or never for their escape.

They left at a run in a group. Outside, they fell into step behind Gonzo and Twinkie, who began to run toward their point of extraction where three concealed vans awaited them. Namara, Mike and Taz covered the other three sides of the procession. Namara at the left sprayed fire at a man concealed in a grove. There was a phantom
bang
from Guerra that took down a man who none of them had seen. Most of the women ran with bare feet on the sand. They left the village and were engulfed in the obscurity of the desert. In vans, they left behind them that which had several minutes ago been Sauvalito. There was nothing left but for a heap of cadavers that burned in a huge inferno under and open sky.

CHAPTER 65

Guardjana, Mexico.

They drove for several hours in the darkness until they could see the reflection of the Pacific Ocean on the horizon. The vegetation and the countryside had changed suddenly. The vast sandy plains of San Matanza were traded for red rocky reliefs interspersed with huge cacti. The arid land seemed surreal for Namara and his group that watched through the windows. They found the rendez-vous point where they parked their windowless van. Ming Mei and Kamilia were hidden in the back while Namara and Guerra waited patiently for their clients, leaning against the vehicle, looking at the moon. Shinsaku, Taz and the others were concealed, scanning the horizon. At the indicated hour, an automobile arrived. Two bald, black-clad Mexicans climbed out. Namara tried to make out the tattoos on their necks, but was unsuccessful in the obscurity. Everyone was on their guard. Namara greeted them with a nod. One of the men broke the silence when they drew within earshot:

“We’ve never seen you before.”

“Ed recruited us recently. It’s the first time we’d done this for him,” said Namara in Spanish.

The men furrowed their brows and scrutinized them in silence.

“Where’s the kid?”

“In the back of the van. You can have her when we have our money.”

“Naturally. May we have a peek?”

“Of course,” said Namara, motioning them toward the back doors.

One of the men grabbed the handle and opened the door. Ming Mei and Kamilia launched themselves outside, smashing their knees into their faces. Namara and Guerra drew their pistols and pointed it toward their prone bodies. Ming Mei and Kamilia frisked them and took their concealed guns.

“Surprise, gentlemen!” said Guerra.

“What do you want!?” asked the more conscious of the two, who was struggling to get up.

“Now, I don’t recommend that,” said Guerra. The Mexican reconsidered and stayed on the ground. “We want to know where we can find your boss!”

“Out of the question. You’re going to have to kill me.”

“If you insist!”

Guerra shot him in the head. His partner was splattered with brains.

“And you? Do you agree with your friend?”

“I… I’ll drive you,” he babbled through the blood of his friend.

*     *     *

“We’re here. Go down that path. You’ll find his house,” he said dully, the dried blood cracking on his face.

“How many men?” asked Guerra.

“You wanted me to tell you where you could find him. If you want to know more, ask him.”

“You’re telling me we have no further use of you, is that it?”

The Mexican stayed mute. Kamilia reached up from behind and broke his neck. The body collapsed onto the red ground. “What are we waiting for!?” she crowed triumphantly.

“Onward!” said Namara.

The gravel road descended into a small valley dug into the red rock walls. The valley, shaped like a funnel, was full of dense vegetation, and the group used the black mud to camouflage their faces and hands. The mud removed all traces of humanity from their skin and rendered their descent slippery and dangerous. At the base of the valley was a veritable manor of eccentric modern architecture. It was built into the rock wall and coloured a similar shade of red. It appeared to be made out of huge rectangular panes of glass, and it seemed that the mountain was eating it whole. There were two floors that they could see. It was still night when the group approached Brakan’s manor. They could distinguish nothing through the panes of glass – everything was heavily curtained. No trace of resistance. Such silence, and a house in the middle of nowhere… they waited in the darkness.

*     *     *

The first lights of dawn signalled them to take the house.

“What’s the plan?” asked Shinsaku, katana by his side.

“We go in through the front. We wipe the first floor and then the second,” said Namara, fitting a silencer over his MP5 and indicating the rest to follow suit.

“Leave the second floor to me, Kamilia and Ming Mei. We’ll go in through that half-open sliding floor. We’ll wipe the second floor and meet you half-way. We’ll go in ahead of you. Give us five minutes head start, then follow, ok?”

“All right. But silence, understand? The more they’re ignorant to our presence, the quicker we can take control! If there’s anything, communicate by radio,” said Namara, pointing to the radio strapped to his neck, the better to pick up on his vocal chords.

“Ok, let’s go!” said Shinsaku, who began his descent toward the house, followed by Kamilia and Ming Mei. The rest stayed camouflaged in the vegetation, watching them close in on the house. They were looking for signs that they’d been identified; as of this point, there was no trace of enemy activity in sight. Shinsaku inserted his fingers in the rock walls of the house and began to climb with surprising agility, as though gravity had no effect on him. Kamilia and Ming Mei did the same, reaching the balcony several seconds later.

“I’ve never seen anyone climb like that!” murmured Taz. “They’re going in with no firearms! Are they crazy or what?”

“Don’t fret, mate, they’ll be fine,” retorted Guerra.

They saw Shinsaku, Kamilia and Ming Mei enter by the sliding door on the second floor and disappear inside.

“Five minutes, starting…
now
,” said Namara, looking at his watch.

CHAPTER 66

Never had they seen such a structure in their life. The door gave into a grand corridor finished with pale greyish tiles, deserted and half-lit. All that moved were great white curtains draped over the panes, fluttering in the air currents. Ming Mei took the lead, treading silently down the hallway. She didn’t like the feel of this place; there was a clear evil presence. She followed the curtains and arrived at an intersection, where two of the same types of corridors continued out of sight in opposite directions. She proceeded straight and stopped at a half-open door.

Three shaven-headed men sat watching television in a room that was completely bare, but for a red sofa and the aforementioned television. With an unheard-of lightness and speed she approached the sofa and broke the necks of its two occupants. The third rose in panic, but she bounded forward and planted her shoulder in his solar plexus, then his chin. She stopped his backward projection by seizing his neck and finishing him off. She left the room and rejoined the two others. Kamilia took the lead this time to the next opening. Inside a man sat reading a document at a desk. Behind him was a huge steel door, like that of a safe. Wasting no time, she planted her knife into the base of his spine. The pain was such that the man was incapable of crying out. She pulled the knife out and slit his throat, taking care to catch the body before it hit the ground loudly. Without any ado, they continued their advance, eliminating everyone they encountered room by room along the empty corridors.

Shinsaku finished off their work on this floor. He spotted a man walking by the top of the grand staircase that descended to the ground floor. With a silent step, he approached the man and, with an upward swipe of his katana, parted his head from his shoulders. The bald cranium spun away, ricocheted off the wall, and rolled down the stairs like a billiard ball.

*     *     *

The second five minutes was up, Gonzo silently picked the front door lock. Smeared with dried mud, Taz and his men entered, their submachines on the hunt for potential targets. They penetrated what seemed to be an immense modern lounge. The decoration was Mexican, and several chandeliers cast their dim light over the space. The high ceiling left room for palm trees and ancient Mayan vases the height of a man, situated everywhere in the maze that was the house. South-American tapestries were hung along the walls. The group traversed the room and slipped into a corridor in which two armed men patrolled, firearms at their shoulders. Taz fired at their heads, killing them instantly. Covering his fire serendipitously was the sound of a flush: a third guard exited the bathroom behind them nonchalantly. Gonzo spun around the second he heard the click of the door handle and raised his gun to his chest. He fired two shots with dull, muffled bangs. The man took both bullets in his heart and tumbled backwards onto the floor of the bathroom. They continued along the corridor and arrived at another branch, which disappeared into a downward slope.

“It’s all hallways here. Where the hell does this one go?” murmured Twinkie.

“Underground, apparently,” said Guerra.

“We should separate to save time. James and I’ll take this one and you all keep on with clearing the floor,” said Namara.

“Ok, but be careful!” Taz warned.

Namara and Guerra were soon swallowed by the corridor. The group continued to advance and arrived at a room that seemed to be a break-room for the off-duty guards. There was a huge illuminated bar that took up an entire wall and two billiard tables. Several divans were arranged about, holding a combined dozen of potential targets upon first glance, all bald and tattooed. A mini bowling alley at the back completed the setting. Most of the men were awake, but some slept, stretched out on the couches.

Immediately, Taz and his men charged into the room in line, side-by-side to avoid crossfire and to demarcate their field of fire. They advanced quickly, fired constantly, and landed all their targets in a few seconds. A rain of lead had suddenly hit and the targets hadn’t time to take cover. Not a single shot had been fired by their opponents and the room was quiet, except for the silenced shots and the occasional shattering liquor bottle.

“Clear! Ten confirmed neutralized targets,” muttered Twinkie over the radio.

“Continue,” said Mike as he took the lead. The group left the room quickly behind him, like a snake creeping fluidly toward her prey. They had killed a total of twenty men before they had completely secured the floor.

“Let’s go give them a hand on the second floor!” said Taz, and they took to the grand staircase.

CHAPTER 67

Mike was able to leap aside just as the bloody head rolled by him.

“Son of a bitch, what was
that
,” he exclaimed, before he saw Shinsaku at the top, his katana raised and dripping.

“We came to see if you needed a hand up here, but it looks like you’ve got it covered,” said Taz.

“The second floor’s clear!” said Kamilia.

“Same down here,” said Taz. “Namara and Guerra went off to the basement.”

“We found a safe up here, and computers,” said Ming Mei.

“We can open a safe,” retorted Taz.

“Ok, then I’ll try to pull whatever I can find from the computers,” said Ming Mei.

“Mike, Gonzo! Go find Namara and Guerra! Twinkie and I’ll take care of the safe.”

Mike skirted the head as he descended the staircase, reloading his submachine gun as he walked. “Beautiful work,” he murmured at the head, and then headed for the underground corridor, Gonzo at his heels.

*     *     *

The roof of the corridor curved in a semi-circle. Several wall sconces emitted a red light. The lower Namara went, the purer the air seemed, as though a purification system had been set up in the bowels of this house. Guerra followed closely in silence. The slope was light, but they were certainly several meters underground by now. The silence was deathly and they figured they’d been going for several hundred meters now. At the end, they arrived in what seemed to be a vast, round cavern. A huge pentagram was drawn on the ground, confirming that they were in fact in the presence of Satanists. Namara paused to scan the space and realized that it must have been a theatre – there was a raised platform in the middle of the room. Stone benches dotted the periphery. Namara didn’t stop to wonder what horrors might have passed in these places, but he knew there were horrors. The platform was decorated with dark red curtain that attracted Namara’s attention. “Go look behind those curtains, I’m going to continue on down the corridor,” he whispered.