Corps Justice Boxed Set: Books 1-3: Back to War, Council of Patriots, Prime Asset (26 page)

The group stood transfixed as the pilot
zoomed in on the main house. It appeared to be a one-story ranch.
The infrared camera easily picked up the heat signatures in and
around the house.

HELO #2
:
Six, I’ve got what looks like twelve bodies on location. You
getting this, Six?

TRAVIS
:
Roger, Mobile Two. Can you really get it there with the zoom and
pan around the house, over?

The pilot did as instructed and panned from
room to room. There were six people in the house itself. Four were
in what looked to be a back bedroom or master suite.

TRAVIS
:
Zoom in some more on that back room, Mobile Two.

HELO #2
:
Roger.

The screen enlarged and the team could see
the white outlines of two people sitting on the ground and another
two pacing around the room.

CAL
: That’s
gotta be them.

TRAVIS
(nodding): Mobile Two, can you give us a better look at the
perimeter?

HELO #2
:
Roger.

The video slowly zoomed out and panned
around the property.

HELO #2
:
Six, I’ve got what looks like four teams of two patrolling the
perimeter, over.

Silence reigned as the team continued to
follow the moving video. Each man was analyzing the battlefield in
a different light. They could already make out the patrol
patterns.

TRAVIS
: Are
we patching this to the assault teams?

NEIL
: Yep.
I gave them some tablets that have the video streaming live. Each
two-man team has one.

TRAVIS
:
Good. I want to make sure we’re all seeing the same
things.

They continued to watch the live feed
knowing that the landscape they now observed would soon be under
foot.

+ + +

The fourth patrol had just checked in.
Nothing but a bunch of deer and turkey. His boys weren’t used to
farm landscape but none had complained. They knew better than to
gripe now. West walked to the master bedroom and addressed the
captive couple.

DANTE
: You
have about another hour until your hero gets here. Don’t go
thinking you’re gonna try anything. Both of my boys here have
orders to shoot you if you run. Don’t worry though. I told ‘em only
to shoot you in the legs. It’ll hurt like hell but it’s better than
being dead.

The bound pair said nothing for fear of more
beatings. They’d already silently agreed to wait until Cal showed
up. They believed in Cal’s abilities and, more importantly, Frank
secretly hoped SSI would be involved.

+ + +

MSGT TRENT
:
You ready, Cal?

CAL
: Yeah.
Thanks again for loaning me your truck.

MSGT TRENT
(smiling): No problem. I know if anything happens to it,
you’ll buy me something better.

CAL
: You
bet.

Travis walked over to join Trent and Cal. He
had the look of brotherly worry already etched on his face.

TRAVIS
: Are
you ready?

CAL
: Jeez.
How many dads do I have around here? I’m fine, Trav.

TRAVIS
: Had
to ask.

CAL
: I
know.

TRAVIS
:
Anything else you need?

CAL
: How
about you have a nice glass of The Famous Grouse waiting for me
when we get done?

TRAVIS
: You
got it. But really, Cal, are you sure you’re ready for this? You
did just get shot like two weeks ago.

CAL
: I’m
still a little sore and weak, but I’m not planning on doing any of
the heavy lifting. I’ll let the assault teams take on the bad
guys.

TRAVIS
:
Good. Like we talked about, keep your head down and our boys will
take care of the rest.

Travis patted him on the back. Cal nodded
and jumped in the truck. He had to adjust the front seat to
accommodate his smaller frame. Starting the engine, he looked back
as his friends gathered next to the truck.

CAL
:
Alright, boys, I’ll see you on the other side.

He closed the door and didn’t look back.
Pressing on the gas, he wondered if this would be the last time
he’d see them.

+ + +

Dante played the scenario out in his head.
He knew that the Stokes kid would probably try something. Hell,
he’d try some little trick too if he was in the same boat.

It didn’t matter though. The plan West had
concocted couldn’t even be foiled by an FBI raid. Revenge was fast
approaching.

C
al
pulled into the dirt driveway that led to the appointed rendezvous
point. He knew the assault teams were simultaneously tracking their
targets and getting ready. Taking a deep breath, he drove the
oversized truck up the lane.

Around a bend, he caught the winking beam of
a flashlight. He figured it was probably two of the guards sitting
by the interior fence. Sure enough, as he pulled up he saw two
thugs armed with rifles flagging him down.

He slowed and approached the gate.

GUARD #1
:
Get out of the truck.

CAL
:
OK.

Cal complied and slowly opened the truck
door. He came out with his hands raised.

GUARD #1
:
You have anything on you?

CAL
: Just
my cell phone.

The guard shouldered his weapon and expertly
frisked Cal. He took out the cell phone and gave the other guard a
thumbs-up.

GUARD #1
:
Get in the truck. We’ll be in the back with our guns pointed at
your head so don’t try anything stupid.

CAL
: I
wouldn’t think of it.

The three men climbed into the truck and one
guard directed Cal to drive up to the house. Cal did as instructed
and they made it to the modest structure without further
interference.

The other guy in the cab ordered Cal out of
the truck. For the second time that night, Cal carefully stepped
out of the cab. He looked up to the porch and saw another thug
standing in front of the door. He motioned for Cal to come closer.
Once again, Cal was subjected to a thorough frisking. These guys
weren’t messing around.

The first guard handed Cal’s cell phone to
the house guard and walked back to the truck.

GUARD #3
:
Go in through the door right there. Dante’s waitin’ for
you.

Cal nodded and headed to the door trailed by
the third guard. He opened it and stepped inside. The guard
motioned to the right. Cal walked towards what he knew was the
kitchen. As he moved, he imagined the assault teams quietly moving
into their final positions, drawing beads on West’s patrols.

He walked into the kitchen and tensed as he
saw the familiar face of Dante West.

DANTE
:
Welcome to my humble abode.

CAL
: Where
are Jess’s parents?

DANTE
:
Right down to business, huh. Okay, (yelling) bring them
out.

Cal heard footsteps and waited anxiously for
his one time future in-laws to appear. They shuffled slowly into
the room. Jess’s mother looked disheveled and scared. Frank’s
appearance made Cal’s blood boil.

CAL
: Are
you guys ok?

FRANK
:
We’re fine, son.

CAL
: I
thought you said they wouldn’t be touched.

DANTE
(shrugging): It’s not my fault the old guy wanted to put up a
fight.

CAL
: You’re
going to regret touching them.

DANTE
: I
don’t think you’re in a position to do much threatening, white boy.
So anyone tracking you with that cell phone?

CAL
: I told
you I was coming alone. Now let them go.

DANTE
(to
the guard with the cell phone): Take the battery out of the cell
phone and give them to me.

The man did as ordered and gave them to
Dante. West looked at it briefly then put it in his right pant
pocket.

West pointed to his two prisoners and spoke
to his men.

DANTE
: Take
these two out back and get rid of them. I’ll take care of the
hero.

CAL
(screaming): You motherfucker!

Cal lunged at Dante trying to make contact
with his enemy. West side-stepped and watched Cal drop to the
floor.

DANTE
: It’s
time for you to take a nap, white boy.

West pulled out his pistol and slammed Cal
in the back of the head. The last thing Cal remembered before
blacking out was a foggy image of a screaming couple being dragged
out of the house.

+ + +

NEIL
: Oh,
shit.

TRAVIS
:
What?

NEIL
: Cal
and West just disappeared.

TRAVIS
:
What do you mean they disappeared?!

NEIL
: One
second they were there, clear as day, on the infrared video screen,
then there was a scuffle and the two disappeared.

TRAVIS
:
Could they be in a basement?

NEIL
: It’s
possible, but we’d still have even a weak signal if they were in a
typical basement.

ANDY
: Wait.
What if it’s not a typical basement?

TRAVIS
:
What do you mean?

ANDY
: Neil,
what does it look like on the screen when someone walks into a
secured bunker?

NEIL
: They
disappear.

BRIAN
: But
this is a normal house.

ANDY
:
That’s what it looks like from the outside. Neil, can you pull up
the ownership records for the property again?

NEIL
: I’ve
got it right here.

ANDY
: OK.
It says here that the property was quitclaimed over to some entity
called Williamson Enterprises, LLC.

NEIL
: Yeah.
I already looked that one up. It looks like a typical shell entity
used to hold real estate.

ANDY
: What
if this LLC is controlled by West?

NEIL
: You
really think he’s that sophisticated?

ANDY
: You
heard what Dr. Higgins said. This guy’s been underestimated his
whole life. I think he owns this property and has built something
under the property.

TRAVIS
: Is
that even possible?

ANDY
: I
wouldn’t put anything past this guy, Trav. You better
tell…

NEIL
(nervously excited): Hey, guys, it looks like some of the
guards are dragging Jess’s parents outside.

TRAVIS
(into his microphone): All teams this is Six, mission is a go.
I repeat, mission is a go.

+ + +

Silently in the dark night, each of the
teams launched their quiet drones. Every man knew how critical it
would be to hit their targets with their one and only non-lethal
shot.

In staggered intervals, each team took out
their targets with swift precision using the drone’s dart
capability, save one.

The pair dragging the prisoners outside got
halfway to the backyard before one of the men was immobilized. The
second gang member bent down to pick up one of his stumbling
prisoners just as the dart meant for his neck sailed harmlessly
high and into the side of the house.

Standing back up, he looked to his left and
noticed his partner unconscious on the ground.

Guard #2
:
What the fu…

Two muffled rounds in the face silenced the
man forever. The assault team moved in quickly to secure Jess’s
parents.

Each pair called in to Travis to report
their success.