The Last Operation (The Remnants of War Series, Book 1) (9 page)

Daniels turned and suddenly caught the image of Carlos, his arm straight out, holding the Berreta steady in his direction. There was no time to move. Soon as he saw him, Carlos fired the weapon.

Chapter 10

Richard Daniels heard the bullet buzz, felt the air pressure by his head. He crouched and whirled in time to see Rat, his hand holding a large revolver pointed at him. Rat had a surprised expression on his face and a round red hole in his forehead from Carlos' bullet. He pitched face forward in the red dirt. A little puff of dust kicked up and some flies began to settle on the two corpses.

Carlos walked over to Daniels, the Berreta hanging limp from his arm. His eyes were wide open and the bushy mustache danced on his quivering lip. His hand trembled slightly as his head shook from side to side.

"Caribbean Stone Fish, eh?" said Carlos.

"I thought you didn't like National Geographics?"

"
Madre de Dios
, you took down El Toro. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it. But tell me
Pandejo,
tell me just one thing, how did you know he would come at you with the knife? What if he had pulled out that little machine gun he keeps in his car, how did you know he wouldn't do that?"

"I know the type. I studied it. He's a sadist. He wants to feel the pain he inflicts, the death at the end of his arm. He can't do that with a gun. Plus he's a big man, not used to meeting someone who can take him. For him, it was going to be recreation."

"By the way," added Daniels, "what's a
Pandejo
?"

"You don't want to know,
Amigo.
But I tell you one thing: You done a lot of good killing that big
Maricone.
"

"Didn't do so bad yourself. Definitely saved my ass from this one," said Daniels, pointing to Rat's corpse.

"So how'd you know, how did you know, like I wouldn't run on you?"

A narrow hint of a smile flashed across Daniels' face as a devil-hot gust of wind blew dirt around them.

"Maybe I know
your
type."

Carlos held Daniels' gaze and shrugged
.

"This is going to lighten the odds a little for us when we go in," Daniels said, looking down at Toro's corpse, speckled with flies like foul raisins.

"No it won't,
Compadre
, on the contrary. When El Toro doesn't show up by morning, they'll be stirred up like an overturned anthill. You're going to have to cancel this."

Daniels shook his head. "No. We're going in tonight."

* * *

They dragged the corpses into the ruins of the mill and drove the Mercedes under an overhanging rock ledge. At four PM Daniels hooked the laptop to the Landrover cigar lighter plug and deployed the satellite antenna.

* * *

He entered ALPHA-00X. The immediate Go signal.

The replies came instantly.

BETA-002X

CHARLIE-003X

* * *

All teams had given the immediate ready codes. Daniels turned to Carlos

"Okay, you're in
Amigo
. Here's how it's going down..."

Chapter 11

The guard's jaw dropped when Carlos drove up to the gate in his old truck with the blonde sitting on the front seat. She was that stunning—Hollywood beautiful with long blonde hair, blue eyes and classic Nordic features. Light makeup and pink lipstick highlighted a model's face that could have come straight out of Vogue or Elle. The guard strained to see a little more as he keyed the remote operating the Ferro-cement gate. A tight, black and red dress highlighted the blonde's generous breasts swelling the thin cotton fabric. The guard let out a low whistle as the truck passed through.

"
Cuidado
," said his partner, have a care. "This fine
Guapa
is reserved for Miguel only. If she tells him you annoyed her, Miguel will have your
Cojones
drying in the sun by morning."

"
Si
, but a woman like that can make your cock sing like a Caruso."

"What's the difference," said the guard with a shrug. "You know Miguel. She probably won't see the morning."

Carlos drove the truck past the second guard post to the end of the mile long gravel covered driveway. He parked in front of the main entrance where two men stood holding machine pistols. One of them nodded toward the large carved wood entrance door. Carlos accompanied the tall blonde inside. The two men stared openly as she walked the three steps into the entrance. Her hips and rear shimmered under the tight dress, the red spike heels clicking on the stone floor.

"
Dios Mio
, what a beauty," said one of the men softly.

"What a shame, she will be our most beautiful
desaparecido
," disappeared one, replied the other.

From the balcony of his second floor apartment, Miguel Aquelino watched the blonde get out of Carlos' truck. That was one fine
puta
he had found. He wondered where he got her. It would be worth keeping him around if he could locate fine women like that. But the best was Carlos' sister. It won't be too long he thought before I will enjoy her. Yes he thought, I will enjoy her beauty, her pain and at the end, after many hours, her death. That
Cabron
, El Toro had once told him, I don't know which one you like best, to fuck them or to kill them. But Miguel knew. He liked to kill them. He liked the power that raged through his veins when he looked in their eyes, when they suddenly realized the only direction their torments could take, the only way it could end.

Tonight, he thought, I will enjoy this fine blonde one. I will enjoy her body, her pain and her death.

Miguel came down the broad staircase into the spacious reception hall where Carlos and the blonde waited. His eyes drank her beauty and his hand shook slightly with anticipation.

"Senor Aquilino, this is Carena," said Carlos.

The blonde cocked her head and smiled as Miguel took her hand in both of his, the fingers lingering inside her palm.

He nodded to Carlos in the direction of the door. Carlos turned and left.

He led the blonde up the stairs to his apartment. Inside he poured two glasses of champagne and spread four lines of cocaine on the mirrored bar top. The scar that ran across his face seemed to pulse white and scarlet pink. Miguel inhaled a line with a silver straw and held it toward the blonde. She shook her head, her eyes sparkling and languorous at the same time. Her voice was husky and breathless.

"Later lover. I want to feel every inch of you first."

They drank the champagne and Miguel held the blonde, his arms around her waist, his hands kneading the firm flesh of her ass. She kissed him, her tongue probing, her breasts pressing against Miguel's chest. Miguel pushed her toward the four-poster bed in the next room.

"Wait... wait," she said, her breathing fast and hard. Miguel smiled as her hand lightly traced the outline of his rock-hard cock in the loose white cotton pants.

She reached behind her with both hands, her breasts thrusting out, pushing harder against him. Miguel heard the metallic whispery noise of the rear zipper of her dress coming down.

With the zipper undone, the dress hung loose on the blonde as she reached with her left arm behind Miguel's head, her right hand sliding between their bodies. The blonde pulled Miguel's head to her in a sudden move, surprising with both speed and strength as her mouth opened wide, grasping both Miguel's lips in the iron grip of her teeth, fusing his mouth shut. The blonde's right hand shot upward between them with a powerful thrust. The foot long ice pick blade that had been concealed in the zipper of the dress slid between Miguel's ribs, stabbing upwards, piercing his heart through and through.

He convulsed as the shock overwhelmed his system. His mouth attempted to open but was held fast by the blonde's teeth. A muffled gurgling rattle from deep within his throat was the only sound Miguel Aquilino made as he died.

* * *

Kurt Rhineman lowered Miguel Aquilino's corpse to the thick-carpeted floor. Just a small amount of blood spread from the protruding ice pick handle in the deadman's chest. He removed the blonde wig, kicked off the high heels and stepped out of the dress. He dragged Miguel's corpse to the broad fully mirrored bathroom and propped him up against the Jacuzzi so his face was visible in the mirror.

Kurt retrieved the pocketbook he had carried, removed the make up case, returned to the bathroom and set to work.

Chapter 12

Matt Kelly had been crawling, wearing the "Ghilie" suit for seven hours. The suit was a Marine Corp sniper cover consisting of mats of gray material and vegetation that blended in perfectly with the surrounding semi-desert clay and scraggly plants. Her movements were slow and measured. She was invisible in her surroundings as she reached a spot one hundred yards from the fenced compound and about midway between the two guard posts. She'd crawled directly out of the west the sun her ally as it sank low and eventually disappeared under the horizon. She had scorpions run across her and once a Pigmy rattler slithered inches from her face. The Marine Corp training paid off. She'd reached her vantage point unseen without setting off the motion detectors. Later it wouldn't matter.

Lashed to the Ghilie suit and camouflaged with brown tape, clay pads and vegetation, she carried a Remington .308 with 10X Sniper scope and magazines of 168 Grain hollow point munitions. Lashed to the other side of the suit were four olive drab cylinders, each about three foot long and similarly camouflaged. Before darkness enfolded the compound, the spotlights came on, lighting up the entire oval surrounding area. Matt lay just outside the pool of light. Waiting.

* * *

Kurt Rhineman examined himself in the mirror one last time. He felt confident he could pass a casual, not too close scrutiny. The voice and accent would be the main problem. He felt he knew how to handle that also. He had practiced it enough at Langley.

He dragged Miguel's corpse into the main room and wrapped it in a sheet. He then rolled the body in the area carpet, lashing both ends securely. Then he pushed the button that would summon the security guards on duty inside the house.

* * *

Sanchez and Cruz were sitting in the kitchen playing cards when the red light indicating Miguel Aquilino's apartment started to blink.