Monster (32 page)

“Loud and clear,” Rasheed replied. “Do not blame me for the short comings of your plan. I will keep her as safe as it is possible to do from here. Mr. Mountain, do not take the head.”

Rasheed saw McDaniels tense for a moment and then look back at him. Rasheed waved. McDaniels moved rapidly, veering to the extreme left of their position and his intended destination. Rasheed kept his glasses on the slight rectangular outline McDaniels had pointed out. McDaniels moved rapidly to a point nearly two hundred yards from his intended target, slightly above and to the right. He stopped with his eyes closed and remained dead still as he listened to the sounds around him. After contemplating the noise level, McDaniels moved on.

Chapter 23

Feel The Force

Rasheed used both the heat scanner and his field glasses, keeping them locked on the intended target. He shifted his attention momentarily to the picnic table the Russian had picked out as a meeting place. No one was in view. Rasheed looked quickly back toward where he knew McDaniels should be but McDaniels had seemingly disappeared. Rasheed scanned the grounds between the sniper’s lair and where McDaniels had started his approach in earnest. He could detect nothing. The hairs raised on the back of the Iraqi’s neck. He shifted his focus again to the picnic table.

“I fear for your soul, my friend,” Kay whispered, transmitting directly to McDaniels. “You are an abomination. I will insist on you wearing an electronic ankle bracelet as my comrades have urged.”

“Shut up, Kay. Keep an eye on what you’re supposed to be doing.”

“As you wish but… Cold, the Russian is coming.” Rasheed watched a man dressed in hat and parka approach the picnic table. “He glanced around slightly and then directly at the spot you already pinpointed. You have done well, young Jedi.”

McDaniels stopped and clapped both hands to his mouth, rocking silently in amusement at Rasheed’s words. Minutes later, McDaniels moved forward again toward his objective.

“I spotted you, Mr. Mountain,” Rasheed lied, hearing the suppressed sounds of laughter from McDaniels.

“Bullshit! Shut the chatter. This is a secured line, you clown.” After a moment, McDaniels ignored his own order “I didn’t know you were into Star Wars, Kay.”

“Feel the force, Luke.” Rasheed watched Tomashevsky sit at the picnic table. “Tomashevsky is seated.”

McDaniels struggled silently to prevent letting go with laughter, clasping his hands into fists, the incongruity of what he sought to do and the words of his long time comrade clashing in intense competition.

“The Boss is approaching with the dog. Five minutes until they get down to business. Sorry, Cold.”

“Forget it. Besides, you’re not sorry a bit, you pirate. I needed it. From here on out, don’t expect a reply.”

“Acknowledged,” Rasheed focused intently on any fluctuation in the heat signature he was targeting. “The sniper is still playing dead. Wait one. I have movement along the edges of his cover. Yes, he is popping up ever so slowly. I have a very slight heat signature now.”

“The Boss is approaching,” Rasheed announced, glancing over at the picnic table. “The Russian has spotted her and has taken a book out of his briefcase. He’s pretending to read it. The Boss has Dino up tight to her side while she sits next to the Russian. Shifting to the sniper again - he’s holding position.”

“Kay?” Rutledge’s voice came on in his ear.

“I am here, Jen. You are loud and clear. Cold and I have radio silence now at least from him. He will hear whatever you have to update.”

“Does he have the sniper spotted?”

“He is already on approach. Have the negotiations begun?”

“The Russian already checked Diane for a wire and Dino gave Tomashevsky an attitude adjustment warning growl just for looking at him. The Russian was none too pleased with Diane having the dog. He thinks he’s setting her up so he doesn’t care that much. They’re just dancing around right now.”

Rutledge heard a gasp of disbelief from Rasheed.

“What’s wrong, Kay?”

“The sniper rose slightly to position his weapon. Cold just slit his throat,” Rasheed explained, excitement in his voice. “I did not even see him get into position. Give Dino the word, Jen.”

“Acknowledged.” Rutledge looked over at Barrington, who was monitoring Reskova and Tomashevsky. “Cold slit the sniper’s throat, Tom. Give Dino the call.”

“Christ, the Colonel is freaky,” Barrington mumbled, switching to Dino’s collar mike. “Nunca, Dino, Nunca!”

At the picnic table, Dino sprang up from where he had been lying at Reskova’s feet, a low growl like hum emanating from his throat. Reskova released the leash. Tomashevsky jerked back from the dog, waving his hand up in the air, obviously signaling for the sniper fire that would never come. By the time he reached for his shoulder-harnessed automatic, Dino tore into him just above the elbow of Tomashevsky’s right arm, yanking the Russian to the ground. Tomashevsky screamed in pain as Reskova moved to disarm him before calling Dino off.

Moments later, the team converged on the picnic table, weapons at the ready. Reskova plastic tied the Russian’s hands behind his back. She helped him up into a sitting position, letting him lean on the picnic table. Dino lay next to the Russian, eyeing him with malice. Reskova looked up from her charge as Barrington and Rutledge ran up. She lowered the 9mm Barreta the Russian had carried.

“That was fast. We hardly said hello.”

“The sniper broke cover and… well… you know.” Barrington pulled Tomashevsky to his feet.

“No prisoners?”

Rutledge shook her head. “Sorry, Diane, Kay says no.”

“What is the meaning of this outrage?” Tomashevsky blustered, looking fearfully at Dino. “Do you know who I am?”

“We sure do, Stevie,” Rutledge answered. “We’re going somewhere nice and warm for a long talk.”

Rasheed and McDaniels walked down the path toward the group. McDaniels held what looked to be a camouflaged scoped rifle. When the two men came into Tomashevsky’s view he saw what McDaniels carried. Tomashevsky glanced up at the spot where his sniper backup had been positioned in disbelief.

“Your friend will not be joining you,” McDaniels told the man in Russian.

“I demand to be taken to the Russian consulate.” Tomashevsky tried to maintain some aspect of anger and outrage in his voice.

 “Give it up Stevie,” Barrington said. “If we took you to the Russians, we’d have to take along some of the evidence as to what you’ve been doing. What kind of treatment do you think you would get from them?”

Tomashevsky continued glancing up at the spot where he had expected his backup to be firing from. He looked over at McDaniels, who was examining the rifle taken from the sniper, pointing out areas of it to Rasheed while commenting on the probable modification. The Russian returned his gaze to Barrington.

“I want to see what you have for proof. I will say nothing until I see it.”

Barrington looked over at Reskova who nodded her okay. “Fine, my partner and I will show you why it would be in your best interest to cooperate fully.”

Barrington helped the Russian along with Rutledge walking slightly back from the Russian on the other side. They guided him toward where they had parked. McDaniels put up a hand gesturing them to a stop.

“Boss, I think we better have Dino check this guy’s car over and do a perimeter search of the area around where he parked. Until Dino checks it out, I don’t think we should go near the parking area,” McDaniels suggested.

“My friend is right,” Rasheed added in support.” This man may have a backup plan in case something happened. He could have someone watching the parking lot.”

“We checked out the surrounding area pretty thoroughly,” Rutledge said, but she saw McDaniels looking at Tomashevsky intently. “What’s wrong, Colonel?”

“Something’s up. Want to make this easy on all of us, Stevie? I saw the look in your eyes when my friend was talking about the parking lot. You are not very good at this game.”

“I know nothing of what you are talking about,” the Russian replied, looking at the ground in front of him.

Reskova glanced at McDaniels and then at Dino. “Cold, did you ever see that movie with Jim Belushi, called K-9?”

McDaniels smiled in appreciation. “Oh yeah, and I see Stevie boy has seen it too.”

Tomashevsky looked at Dino with dread. It was obvious he knew of the movie. “You cannot do this in America. You…”

“What is he talking about?” Rasheed interrupted as he saw Barrington and Rutledge trying to keep from laughing aloud. “I am missing something?”

McDaniels put an arm around Rasheed’s shoulders, watching Tomashevsky every moment. “There’s this movie where a cop goes into a bar and is in the process of getting his butt kicked. His canine partner, a huge German Shepard, comes in the entrance and growls. The bar’s full of bad guys. This dog tears into them like they’re dog treats. The dog stops the attack when he has the leader up against the wall with the guy’s balls in his mouth. That’s when the cop begins interrogating the bad guy who tells the cop everything he wants to know. It just so happens there must have been a K9 movie buff in the training program Dino came from. The commands are in the manual.”

By this time Rasheed is laughing and nodding his head in enjoyment while glancing knowingly at the Russian. “I see why you are upset. I want to see this movie very much, my friends.”

“Why settle for the movie, Kay,” Reskova said, surprising her team. “Let’s make our own movie, without the camera of course.”

“You do not scare me.” Tomashevsky turned away from the agents.

Barrington stepped back from the Russian.

McDaniels barked out a command. Dino bore a screaming Tomashevsky to the ground, pinning him helplessly. The Russian tried to curl away from the dog’s snapping jaws but Dino simply shifted position and continued his assault. McDaniels then shouted something else. The Russian yelped in pain as Dino nipped at his legs until Tomashevsky moved, exposing his groin area. Tomashevsky cried out as Dino gripped the whole middle of the Russian’s pants in his jaws, shaking his catch minutely.

“Did you want to tell us something, Stevie?” McDaniels asked.

“Yes…yes…I…I… please….please get him off me.”

“Not until I hear something very informative about the parking lot. The next command I give Dino will make you a eunuch. Speak quickly.”

“There…there are explosives in my car trunk.” His voice shaking, Tomashevsky stared into Dino’s eyes with dread.

“And?” McDaniels prompted.

Dino shook the Russian’s groin area slightly, eliciting another yelp of misery.

“Dino’s getting impatient, Stevie.”

“The…the parking lot is under surveillance. They will trigger the explosives if they see me in restraints.”

“How many and where? Don’t make me ask you all this like I’m pulling teeth.”

“Two…two across the main road.”

“You covered all your bases, Stevie, I’ll give you that.”

Reskova called Dino to her. The dog reluctantly released the Russian who rocked back and forth on the ground gripping his groin area. “Can I call in our Special Ops team?”

“Not if you want Stevie to remain incommunicado,” McDaniels answered. “Those boys will have to file reports.”

Reskova gestured for McDaniels to walk away from the others. When they were out of earshot she slipped her hand into his as he turned. “What did you plan to do with the sniper?”

“Bury him a little deeper. We can have him picked up in the spring.”

“Oh boy,” Reskova whispered.

“Look Red, I kind of have my orders,” McDaniels said, squeezing her hand. “We are to take no one into custody other than the Russian. How else did you think we could pull this off and make Stevie disappear?”

“When did you talk to Aginson?”

“He called me right after you updated him on what we decided to do about Stevie. They don’t want anyone talking to Tomashevsky but us.”

“What’s the bottom line, Cold?”

“They know nothing and they want no live complications.”

“You can’t keep sticking your head onto the chopping block. If not for the media in the Mercado affair…wait a minute…you…”

“They wanted no complications in the Mercado case,” McDaniels answered the unspoken question. “We have idiots in this country who want to give our legal rights to terrorists. Aginson didn’t want to make the Mercados into the Rosenbergs. They had a baby. If they had lived, it would have screwed up your entire investigation. The press would have made them into poor misunderstood dupes. Even Dreyer was out of the loop.”

“This was all need to know and I didn’t need to know. So why tell me now?”

“I love you, Red, and you need to know. I have to go take care of a couple other loose ends. Kay and I will stay behind to tuck everyone in.”

“These people could kill you. You don’t have backup.”

“I have Kay. The sniper was using a Dragonoff. Kay is very familiar with it. He and I will go locate Stevie’s boys. Kay will have a bead on them in case I need help. I know how this seems to you with all that I’ve done and then getting hidden out in Iraq for a while. This is a rough war and getting rougher. Your team is on the front line here at home now. That’s why I ended up with your group. Think of it from Aginson’s standpoint. I’m leaving again for Iraq shortly. I pull this off and then I disappear for a while just in case anybody digs around here at Fort Marcy.”