Unearthly Power (25 page)

From time to time he allowed himself to take in the view from the countryside. This was farm country surrounded by the occasional city, and separated by the narrow Finger Lakes. The roads were lightly traveled and he had little trouble finding his destination. It was a beautiful time of the year for the area, and under other circumstances he would have taken the time to explore and enjoy the local attractions.

He hadn’t eaten since the night before, but he wasn’t about to stop to satisfy his hunger. He had a lot on his mind, the least of which was food. He knew he had to instill a certain level of trust with the men he would be engaged with. They could always decide to remove him from the equation and go about their business, but he didn’t think they would go back on their word this late in the game.

Silas was another matter. He was sure Marcel would be there, as well as Finley and the other guy whose name he never heard, and that their reunion would no doubt prove interesting. Leandro agreed to provide him w
ith a gun. Sean was confident of his marksmanship and his willingness to use it if necessary. He was curious as to how Leandro and his men came into the country and acquired weapons—surely they were breaking a number of laws—but he reasoned local members of their Order made provisions for them.

Rounding the northern tip of the very blue waters of Cayuga Lake, he was soon in Seneca Falls. It was a quaint town that seemed more like a village. He followed the directions Leandro had provided the day before and turned onto a dead end road at the edge of town. He followed it until he came to a two story wood framed home. The old house itself looked vacant, but the three vehicles parked outside indicated it was indeed occupied.

Sean was met at the door by one of the men. The man’s eyes grew wide with surprise when he realized what he was carrying in his hand. After he was passed through, he walked into a room he decided once served as the living room closely followed by the man who allowed him in. The nine other men who had been in the middle of a discussion became quiet when he entered. Leandro nodded to him and smiled when he saw the wooden staff. There were various other reactions and quiet murmurs from the other men.

“Please, have a seat,” he offered.

Sean took a moment to look at each of the men seated before him. They were all strangers to him and he decided he should at least try and commit some of their faces to memory; and he hoped they were doing the same with him. For the type of operation they were planning, a second’s worth of recognition could go a long way in a life or death situation. He sat in an open chair and held the rod in his left hand while letting it stand on the floor at his side.

“We were about to go over the operation for a final time,” Leandro said with an expansive smile.

Sean wasn’t sure if the smile was an affectation, or if he was really looking forward to what was about to happen. He decided it didn’t matter and returned the look.

Leandro stood up and walked to a tripod stand which had a thin linen sheet covering it. He pulled this off and Sean saw a map he assumed covered the surrounding area. It looked as though it was enlarged from a previous version. He had a pen in hand which he used to point out specific areas. As the men listened, they occasionally stole glances at what Sean was holding in his hand. Sean felt more comfortable with what awaited them in the next several hours than he did in the company of these men who looked at him as if he was some kind of alien.

Sean looked up at Leandro when he heard his name.

“You, of course, will go with me and half of our team when we enter the main building,” he said, making sure he had his attention.

He continued with his discourse as he pointed to the various targets individual members of their team were responsible for. When there were no questions about the initial assignments, he folded the oversized page over the top and Sean saw an exterior photograph of a very large home placed above a set of blueprints indicating the interior layout. The size of the house left him to wonder if they had enough men. They said their information led them to believe Silas Chandler had a personal security detail of six men. Sean hadn’t asked if that included Marcel and his two companions. They assured him that their abilities and the element of surprise they had would ensure their success. Sean was happy they were so confident.

Leandro dismissed the men when he was finished and told them to be ready to leave in ten minutes. It would be close to 7 p.m. by the time they were in position to begin the assault.

“You spoke to your friend in the FBI?”

“Yeah. He’ll probably meet up with Alex in a few hours. It should give us plenty of time to get in and get this over with before they have time to make it here.”

“Good.”

Leandro looked again at the staff and then at Sean with a curious stare.

“You have used the power of the rod,” he stated as if in accusation.

“Yes.” He wasn’t sure how he had known, but he figured it didn’t really matter and had no need to lie.

He looked at Sean with an unreadable expression on his face, almost as if he wanted to say something more. When he had reached some personal resolution with whatever was on his mind, he turned and walked out of the room without saying anything. A moment later, one of the other men walked in and placed a silenced automatic on the table in front of him with a spare clip full of ammunition. Sean looked up and the man left. He picked up the pistol and pulled the action to the rear just enough to ensure there was a round in the chamber. He then depressed the magazine release to make sure it too was full. Satisfied, he left it on the table as it was too big to stuff in his jeans while sitting down.

Sean knew his role. Leandro’s men were responsible for removing any perimeter security, followed by the main assault on the home itself. Sean would stay close to Leandro with the staff. As soon as they were able to identify the women, they would secure them. Following that, they would take possession of the ark. It was not a concern to them what happened to Chandler or if he and his men got away. As long as they had what they came for, they would be satisfied.

The only question remaining in Sean’s mind was what they would do with it once they had it. Chandler was sure to call in whatever resources he had to get it back before they could get very far, and they had to know the FBI would be close behind as well. He decided they must have some way out of the country, or other arrangements that they were not going to share with him. He was okay with that. What he didn’t know he
couldn’t reveal to anyone else, including his friend Daniels.   

Cornelio drove the lead vehicle, followed by the van. Sean drove his car with Leandro in the passenger’s sea
t. They said nothing on the way, each man respecting the privacy of the other to consider their own concerns. Sean wasn’t really interested about anything other than getting the girls back. What happened apart from that, he didn’t care.
However
, he thought,
seeing Marcel to settle a little unfinished business might be satisfying.

They followed the state road south as it wound its way along the beautiful lake. He thought it would be a nice place to take a quiet vacation. He could get some fishing in and maybe a little hiking and bike riding. They drove by enough wineries to peak his interest in exploring that aspect as well. Every one of them had a ‘Free Tasting’ sign in front.

His attention was soon drawn back to the vehicle in front of them as it slowed to make a right hand turn on a secondary road. He followed the van and saw that the first car had continued on the main road. They drove on for another several hundred yards until they came to a row of dense fir trees. When they were sure that both vehicles were sufficiently concealed, they turned them off and the men exited.

Sean and his passenger got out as well, with Sean opening the rear door to take out the staff. He placed the pistol down the front of his trousers and the extra clip in his left front pants pocket. Leandro had a cell phone in his hand. He was waiting for a text message from Cornelio to let him know when they should proceed. Cornelio was responsible for subduing the man at the front gate, and dropping off two other men to secure the southern side of the estate. When all three of them checked in with the prearranged messages indicating they had been successful, Leandro signaled everyone to move out.

When they cleared the tree line, Sean saw that the sun was setting behind the low lying hills to the west just above the lake. They would wait until the lighting conditions were favorable for them to move closer.

Alex was still upset he had to stay behind. He knew it was necessary; at least Sean had him believe it was, but it didn’t help much. He decided he would get his gratification in dealing with their old acquaintance. He had been watching the television from his bed when the door to his room opened without warning. Agent Cody Daniels and two other men in dark blue suits entered the room. He saw more men standing outside.

“Where’s Rylan?” Daniels demanded.

“Well, hello to you too Cody. How’ve ya been?” Alex answered with a smile. If he hadn’t been expecting such a visit, he would have no doubt been startled by the sudden appearance of the men standing before him.

“I don’t have time for games, Tate. Where’s Rylan?”

“He didn’t say.”

“What do you mean, he didn’t say?” Daniels replied as his men finished inspecting the room.

“Just that: he didn’t say. He did give me a message to pass on though,” Alex said, doing his best to draw out the conversation.

Agent Daniels stood there in expectation. When his patience could no longer hold, he asked, “What’s the message?”

“Let me see,” Alex said as if looking into the recesses of his mind, “Oh yeah. ‘Sorry, change of plans. Look forward to getting together another time. Let me know when it is good for you and we’ll do lunch,’” he finished with a smile, indicating he was happy to have remembered the entire message.

Agent Daniels at first looked incredulous. That was followed by a proficient use of language that would have cleared the occupants of a convent in a matter of seconds. He turned to the man nearest him and gave an order that Alex didn’t quite hear. He motioned to the other man and the two of them left, leaving Alex and Cody in the room together.

“I know you’re only his lackey, but get this through your head; you are dealing with something a lot bigger than the both of you. I don’t know what exactly is going on, but if I find even the smallest reason to
bust
you, you’ll both go away for as long as I can arrange it,” he fumed, barely able to control his anger.

“You know Cody, Sean said you were a little excitable the last time he talked to you. Maybe you should pull up a chair and watch a little of the Andy Griffith show with me. I never paid much attention to it before, but it really is a hoot.”

Knowing he couldn’t justify shooting the man in front of him, he settled for saying, “You and your buddy Rylan will be hearing from me.” He left the room without another word.

Alex was rolling around on the bed laughing. What he had done was something he had never done before. It wasn’t like him at all, but was
exactly like something Sean would do. He loved every minute of it. He also got a brief glimpse into his friend’s mind. “No wonder he acts like that all the time,” he said out loud to no one but himself.

The women were fed in their room that evening. It was the first time Dee had not been invited to dinner. She was of two minds about that. On the one hand, it was a possible indication that something was happening that involved their well-being; on the other, she didn’t mind not having to make conversation with Silas Chandler on yet another evening. The man was vile beyond reform. She had yet to find any leverage in her talks with him.

When the guard came, they thought he was there to collect their dinnerware. He stepped in, revealing another man still standing in the hallway, and spoke to them.

“Mr. Chandler would like the two of you to join him.”

Dee knew it was not
a request, but rather a command, due to the presence of the additional man. She looked at Tori, who was about to let her escort know what she thought of his invitation, and said, “Let’s go. It will do you good to get out of this room.”

Tori looked at her in confusion
and then sighed as if she really didn’t have any spirit left with which to fight. It was as if the look of contempt she gave the guard was all she was capable of. Dee had been worried about her as of late. Even their discussions about Sean had deteriorated to little more than wishful thinking.

Dee took her by the hand and they preceded the man out of the bedroom and followed their other escort. He led them near to the front of the home before taking them to a large living area. He pointed to a settee near the center of the room. The middle portion itself was a sunken square, reachable by three long steps that ran its full length on all four sides. There were two exterior and three interior entrances into the room. On the one side was a wall of glass panels than ran from floor to ceiling. The view beyond was of the lake. Perimeter lights could be seen from high outside of the room providing a scenic view even in the twilight.

Rich marble columns were scattered throughout. A grand piano sat as if in open invitation of a performance. A singular white tiger was mounted on a pedestal-type setting fitted with a tight snarl and a set of ivory colored fangs. There was a well-stocked bar with plenty of crystal stemware against a mirrored wall. Various pieces of furniture were thoughtfully placed throughout. They both took the time to appreciate their beautiful surroundings. While the rest of what they had seen in the house could be considered plush, this room was opulent.