The Colonel's Daughter (32 page)

Dallas ran a hand over his hair then scratched his growing beard. “I don’t know man.” He leaned against the jagged cave wall. “I still think its suicide.”

“I’ve seen you take on worse situations than this. I can’t believe I’m the one trying to talk you into going.”

“Things have changed for me, Jav. I want to go home and be with my little girl. I want to see my wife, I don’t want to die.”

“And you’re not going to. You’re a gifted soldier, the most athletic guy I know, with God on your side, you’re an unstoppable force.”

“Listen, Javi…” Dallas stood up. “You and I have seen the best of the best get shot and killed in a split second.” He walked towards the opening to the cave. “I say we wait for the rescue team.”

Javi was silent and clutched the cell phone.

Dallas looked out at the meteor shower. “The first time I looked up at the sky with my NVG’s, we were way out in the middle of the Afghan desert, I just stood there…staring…there were more stars up there than any black spots.” He looked up at the festive sky. “Some of those meteors…they look like roman candles up there.”

Javi sighed, “I can see you don’t want to talk about turning this guy’s opium industry into ashes.”

Dallas turned back, “Alright bro, you win. Let’s do it, let’s burn that heroin pushing opium piece of shit mother fucker once and for all.” He grabbed a carved arrow and blew dust off its tip.

Javi picked up the cell phone, “Colonel, change of plans.”

* * * * *

At dawn, two heads emerged parallel to one another as they scaled the stone walled garden at Faisal Shahrivar’s—resembling a medieval castle—estate. A scent of ginger permeated the cold air. Javi, with a spring pushed away from the wall and ran into the garden. Dallas, straddling the top of the wall drew his bow and arrow to cover his partner. He executed a near perfect shot taking down the tower guard. He quickly turned his precision archery to a courtyard guard and killed him instantly. Dallas jumped off the wall and followed Javi, who was now armed with the dead man’s weapon.

They made their way into another open courtyard and they trotted past small pool at its center. They caught sight of three armed guards that were pacing back and forth between the high arches of its corridors. Hiding, they leaned against the adobe wall, Dallas grabbed an arrow while Javi double-checked his newly acquired AK and ammo.

Suddenly a man’s voice called out in Arabic. He had found the dead body. Ten armed men in full Arab dress careened across the courtyard and in one steady motion Dallas drew the bowstring to his cheek and released the arrow striking one of them. He repeated the steady, methodical movement while running towards his victim. He fired his last arrow, grabbed the fallen man’s assault rifle, and opened fire. Like a skilled magician, misdirecting his audience, Dallas gave his partner the opportunity to slip past the guards and enter the adobe building.

Inside the archaic castle at full tilt across its ivory floors, Javi spotted a carved cedar wood stairwell. He pointed the assault rifle and shot two guards as they made their way down the steps. One of the men triggered a round off his magazine and its ricocheting bullets sent Javi rolling on the ground. Back on his feet, and after taking his loot of ammo from the bleeding guards, he charged up the stairs. Midway, he caught sounds coming from the intense firefight outside the window. He had a bird’s eye view from the half moon window. Assuming the role of his sniper best friend and brother, Javi unloaded his weapon. This gave Dallas enough time to climb the wall and release the iron gates locking the wounded fighters in.

Taking advantage of their confidence in the efficient reconnaissance of the castle’s construction, Dallas and Javi strategically pinned the group of fighters along the axis connecting the estate to the main entrance.

Dallas then climbed a schist stone column into a balcony and marched inside through its opulent fabric curtains. As he entered, a gust of wind sent the gossamer veil into a tangle over the canopy of the princely bed. From its arctic emptiness, he caught a chill and searched for a quick exit. A torn crossover strap from his loafer flapped as his heavy foot came down on a cluster of pictures scattered on the floor by the gust. He looked down and picked up a handful, recognizing the protagonist in every one, Maurice Shahrivar in orgies of men.
He wanted to marry Abby to get back at his father. He never touched her
,
hmm, figures
…he thought.

Suddenly like a flash off the corner of his eye, he found himself pointing the barrel at a moving shadow. “I almost shot you Javi.”

Javi, who had made a mad dash past the double doors of Maurice’s old bedroom, struggled to keep a grasp on the arm of a detainee. “Look who I found.” He brought her into the room.

“Susan?” Stunned, Dallas dropped his arm letting down his weapon. “Abby thinks you’re in Coco Beach.”

“Of course she does darling. Although…” She ran her freed hand of red fingernails into her knotted hair. “I suppose the Colonel thinks otherwise. He never did trust me.”

Javi tightened his grip. “And with good reason, it’s all about the money with you Suze.”

“Money brings security, Captain Santos.” She puckered her lips at Javi.

He shook his head in disgust, letting his guard down, as Susan seized another opportunity to get away. Terribly annoyed, Javi gripped her arms. Distracted and struggling to keep her still, Javi didn’t notice Faisal emerging from a mural passage behind Dallas.

With a quick jerk of the large tapestry hanging over the adobe wall, Faisal pointed his gun at the back of Dallas’s head. “I will kill you.” His hand shook. “You murdered my nephew and his father. I will kill you.” He squealed.

With his back to the gunman, Dallas cocked his head coming face to face at point blank range with the barrel of a 9mm. Unaffected, he uttered, “Your nephew was a barbarian.”

“His father was the barbarian.” Then he yelled, “My sister’s husband was an animal!” Taking the bait to converse even further, he excused Maurice’s behavior, as he had grown so used to doing throughout the boy’s life. “I kept that boy alive all those years when his father would beat him mercilessly. My nephew was a disgrace to his father.”

Javi, after having had his rifle swatted away by Susan with a painful kick to the groin, grabbed his pocketknife and pressed it to her throat. “Drop your weapon, Faisal.”

Faisal aimed for Susan, “I will kill her myself. She means nothing to me,” and while his nervous hand changed its target, Dallas sent a skillful karate chop to his throat crushing his windpipe and sending him to the ground. Upon hitting the floor, Faisal pressed the trigger sending a bullet to Susan’s chest.

Catching her in his arms, Javi repeated, “Susan, Susan.” He immediately applied pressure over her bloodied blouse, and kept her from going unconscious. “You’re gonna be alright.”

Faisal, while struggling to breath pointed his weapon at Dallas. Dallas fired first and when Faisal was no longer a threat, he ran over to Susan, “I’m gonna get you some help.”

“No,” she panted. “I’m not gonna make it. Leave me here.” Her pale face became translucent and her eyes empty.

Putting a knee to the floor Dallas said, “Abby needs you Susan. She would want us to save you.”

“Why did you have to drag her into this kind of life, Dallas? Her father promised me that he would never bring her into the CIA with us.”

“What?” Javi regretted having bruised her, “I had no idea Susan, I’m sorry.”

Dallas added, “How could the Colonel allow you to come out here all by yourself?”

“I wasn’t alone. You killed a couple of my men out there.” She gave Dallas a weak grin. “Besides, James can’t tell me what to do, I’m his boss.” She drifted in and out of consciousness. “Dallas,” she whispered, slurring her final words. “Don’t tell Abby, don’t blow my cover.”

* * * * *

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