The Desert Lion's True Colours (33 page)

Everyone was silent for a moment before Leon said ‘So before you knew we were related, back at the hotel. Why didn’t you just let those guys kill us?’

Na’talia replied ‘At the very last moment Aaron decided to change the plans. He told me if anyone was going to kill you it would be him, so he sent me in to make sure you stayed alive.’

‘So he told you to kill the same people he’s working with?’

Na’talia nodded. ‘He needed to divert attention. The men who picked you up at the airport work directly for Karim however the men who carried the bags are the ones Aaron implanted into Karim’s entourage several years ago. Usain was one of the first, worked his way up to one of Karim’s trusted guards. With a couple of his own guys dead, Karim is going to want to have extra security. This means he is going to want Usain right by his side.’

‘And that is exactly what Aaron wants.’ Leon cut in. ‘. . . I know what’s going on and what Na’talia has just said proves it.’

‘Proves what?’ Jay asked.

Before Leon gave a reply he looked up through the windshield and noticed that they had left the Cross Bronx Expressway behind and was now travelling on the George Washington Bridge heading towards Fort Lee
-
the Combined Arms Support Command. However they did not make it there as they followed the car Black was in and took Exit 74 onto Palisades Interstate Parkway north.

Finally Leon said, ‘It proves Black thinks he is on his way to meet up with Mr Red Death himself, but he is actually going to get double crossed. Not by Karim but by Aaron.’

Leon suddenly stopped talking. He was reminded of something and felt horrible for not thinking about it before. With urgency in his voice he turned to Na’talia and said, ‘You told us Carter was brought onto the case by you.’

Her eyes widened as if someone had just told her that her house was on fire.

‘What was his real mission?’

‘I’m sorry.’ She said.

‘No time for sorry Na’talia. What was he really sent to Miami for?’ Leon’s voice was stern and callous.

With complete remorse in her voice she replied ‘To eliminate Pyro and the Chief.’

‘So Aaron’s plan to take over Camistock was a lie?’ Jay asked.

Na’talia nodded again. ‘I don’t know why. But he said for his plan to work he had to get rid of all the Desert Lion’s and the only ones left are Chief Edwards, Pyro and Aaron.

‘How was it supposed to go down?’ Leon enquired.

‘I’m not sure,’ she replied hesitantly. ‘But Carter has a thing for explosions, big ones.’

Leon and Jay spoke in tandem. ‘
The
airplane
.’ They said.

‘On their flight to New-York…’ Leon started to explain. ‘. . . He’ll take out the plane.’

‘We gotta warn the Chief!’ Jay insisted.

‘I
need
to
warn
Kerry.’
Leon thought. ‘Pass me one of those phones you got back there Jay.’ Leon said.

‘Sure thing.’ He replied, handing Leon one of the dead guy’s mobiles.

Shaking his head at the weird turn of events Leon used the stolen phone to text Kerry a message he hoped she would not just read but believe and then instead of calling the Chief sent him a text urging him to call him back discreetly.

They had been driving for 20 minutes in the middle lane, with the Mercedes carrying Black and Perry in the lane to their right. They were definitely heading towards Up-State New-York but which part was anyone’s guess.

CHAPTER 20
 

T
ime was passing and Leon was becoming increasingly concerned with the fact that he had not heard anything from the Chief or Kerry
–
More so Kerry.

Na’talia however, despite keeping a close eye on their target, was deep in thought. Her main question being
-
how
was
she
going
to
kill
Aaron?
-
He killed her father months before she was born. He made her mother give her up for adoption. Lied to her about the truth and then made things look like he had Na’talia’s best interests at heart. She felt used and abandoned, hurt, angry and most of all foolish. She tried to rationalise that she was ignorant of Aaron’s true colours and had no way of knowing. But that was not enough to cover the feelings of stupidity. He abused her trust in a way that resembled Camistock’s objective. The realisation made her feel sick. Right at that moment as if he knew what she was thinking, Leon rested his hand on her shoulder and said ‘Everything’s going to be ok.’ Na’talia took her eyes off the road to look at her half-brother. The corners of her mouth gave way to a slight smile, before it quickly vanished and she said,

‘I want him dead.’ She said.

‘Who?’ Leon replied.

‘Aaron.’

Leon stifled a chuckle. ‘You’re not the only one.’

The car fell silent again.

Thirty miles north of their location, Aaron had just ended a call with Usain,
-
Finalising the last part of his plan. Despite it being mid-afternoon, Aaron had the door of the home office almost closed and the long silk ceiling to floor curtains pulled together. He was sitting in the dark smiling to himself, comfortably reclined in a brown leather armchair, behind a large oak desk. It was about 6'ft x 4.5ft and the only things on it was his phone, a lamp sculpted into the shape of a naked woman holding some sort of water vessel on her shoulders, a leather writing pad
–
no pen. His two P-266 Smith & Wesson’s and to the right of the lamp was a humidifier holding real Cuban cigars
–
‘Diplomaticos’, his favourite. He took one from the box, ran it gently across his top lip and breathed in deeply. He then turned his attention to the other items on the desk, a single glass tumbler and a bottle of ‘Pyrat XO’ Reserve Rum he had taken from the decanter across the room. Smiling, he poured himself a double.

‘That’s what you call the good stuff.’ He said. He was about to take a sip when his phone started to vibrate on the desk in front of him. Picking it up quickly, he said ‘Talk to me.’

It was Kevin Carter O’Neal.

‘Everything is in place.’ He said. ‘They should be boarding the plane at 5' o clock.’

‘Good.’ Aaron replied. ‘I need them gone. For this to work; there can only be one Desert Lion alive who knows the truth.’

‘I understand.’ Carter paused for a moment then asked, ‘Has Na’talia contacted you?’

Aaron did not reply straight away. He switched the phone into his right hand, picked up the glass of Anguillan Rum with his left and drank it down in one go. After savouring the taste he said ‘No I haven’t heard from her.’

Carter was concerned. ‘Should we be worried?’ He asked.

Aaron did not reply so Carter continued with ‘Do you think Nathan and Dean got away? Or even killed her?’ Carter heard Aaron chuckle to himself so he said, ‘Sir, how is that funny?’

‘It’s not.’ Aaron replied.

Confused Carter said ‘Sir, I’m not with you.’

‘You’re not supposed to be.’ Aaron barked. ‘. . . You and Na’talia were given two different assignments. I could have picked anybody but I went against my better judgement and allowed myself to be coaxed into choosing you. I was told you had been cooped up in an office for your little indiscretion so I decided to give you a chance. So if Na’talia is still alive, should not be your concern. However if she isn’t, I will make sure her assignment is completed. The same goes for you.’ Aaron paused for a second and then said, ‘Don’t call me back until they have all been sent to their maker.’

‘As you wish.’ Carter replied. ‘Sir… ?’

‘Yes Carter. What is it now?’

‘What about the District Superior? He sent word that he would be flying from New-York to Miami to discuss Chief Edwards impending investigation.’

‘Don’t worry about that.’ Aaron said smiling. ‘I don’t think the District Superior Upson will be making that flight.’

With that, Aaron ended the call and looked over to the only part of the room that had any light. There was a long wool coat hanging over a leather briefcase
-
an executive looking luggage carry-on with grey rubber wheels
–
and next to that was Superior Upson tied to a highly polished rocking chair.

In between chuckles Aaron said ‘Your boy
-
Sorry, I should say
my
boy
Carter seems to be concerned about your future plans. But I don’t think we need to worry about your flight to Miami. Do you?’

District Upson could not respond. His mouth was taped shut and his hands and feet were tied. He was bleeding from his lip and head. Before tying him up, Aaron had used the butt of his gun to beat him up pretty bad. Aaron had entered the house from the night before and waited in the attic until the morning to take out the security from the inside out. Aaron may have been in his mid-sixties but his honed ability to take out the enemy was alive and almost reborn. After he neutralized the security staff he made easy work of the two maids and butler, which left the District all alone.

‘I told you I would kill you.’ Aaron said.

Through the pain District Upson raised his head so his face was now in the shadow and mumbled something behind the silver duck-tape strapped across his lips. Aaron let out a hearty laugh. ‘You’re pathetic… !’ He shouted. ‘. . . With all your money and power, where is all your security and peace of mind now? Where are all your political contacts? Your friends in high places…’ Aaron paused and then in a low voice said ‘. . . Where your Camistock buddies?’

Hearing that, District Upson let out a noticeable groan.

‘I’m sorry. What was that? I can’t hear you.’ Aaron said smiling. ‘You know, for years you played the middle man between the Camistock Board and the Department of Defence. You pushed as hard as you could for their bills to be passed and then tried to screw over all those that helped to make it happen.’

Superior Upson was in a lot of pain but he was far less dazed, leaving him cognisant and fully aware of what Aaron was saying.

In the direction of the shadows that were hiding the superiors face Aaron said ‘You guys made two fundamental mistakes. The first was the implementation of the ‘Desert Lions’ and allowing us so much unlimited access to shit that could bite you in the ass. The second was the mission in Belize.’ Aaron stopped talking just in time to hear District Upson use up the little energy he had to try break free of his restraints. But it was futile.

Aaron’s laugh returned. ‘You guys should have killed me in prison. But what can I say. You didn’t. Your chance is gone and now I will have the Credit Bonds you wanted us to kill six thousand people for… All $22 billion.’

District Upson was desperately trying to say something but due to the tape across his mouth his pleas just sounded like noise.

Aaron cleared his throat and then said ‘And three guesses who’s bringing me the Bonds. Black
-
Remember him? He thinks he is on his way to meet you-know-who, with the bonds YOU gave him. However I’m sorry to tell you, your plan to pay off Karim is not going to happen because Black was never in contact with Karim. It was me.’

Aaron was laughing so much he ended up spilling some of the rum onto the desk.

‘He doesn’t know it yet, but after he hands over the money he’s going to kill you, leaving me the Bonds that hold the unofficial money from the deal with Belize, Nicaragua and Haiti for the drugs and weapons. All signed off by you and several other members of the Board. And along with the signed names I’ll soon have the account codes to the offshore banks holding every cent…’ Aaron paused for a moment and then said ‘. . . So I’m sure you can imagine if a photocopy of a bond with all your names on it was to find its way into the wrong hands
-
Let’s say a reporter or the Aljazeera network;
-
it could bring society as we know it crashing down. Camistock doesn’t want that.’

Superior Upson craned his head so that the beam of light coming through the door cut across his eyes. Aaron watched the old man and shook his head. He started to think about how many years the Superior along with the government used the American public’s Tax dollars to broker arms deals to destroy economies for their own gain, while simultaneously spinning the truth, twisting the public’s mind in order to cover up their real agenda.

Aaron let out a sigh. Sure he was not perfect, far from it. He had had his own demons and aside from Camistock he had a gut feeling he would have to face the effects of past decisions soon enough. But compared to them, to Superior Upson, to Camistock
–
He was a living saint. Turning his attention back to the rum, he poured himself another round, drank it straight and then called Karim’s brother, satisfied everything was going to plan. Upson was soon going to be a distant memory, Black was on his way to him with the bonds and Usain was on his way to pick up Karim for their meeting later that night. It was turning out to be a good day.

CHAPTER 21