The Zimmer Doctrine (Corps Justice Book 11) (18 page)

Chapter 35

Great Sale Cay

The Bahamas

August 29th, 9:10pm

They reached the front door which was thankfully unlocked. Cal put Liberty on the floor and she spun around in a happy circle before peeing on the floor. He’d have to work on that.

“You guys okay?” Cal asked.

Neil was breathing hard and leaning with one hand against the wall. “Still in one piece.”

Jonas nodded but didn’t say anything. He’d taken a nasty hit from a flying tree limb, and he had his shirt pressed against the left side of his face.

“Find a small room or closet. Stay there until I come to find you,” Cal said. Even as they did, he heard footsteps coming from the winding staircase. He put his finger against his lips and motioned to the nearest room.

There they waited as the footsteps came closer. Cal stepped out of the room and waved.

A host of weapons were trained on him in a split second.

“Cal?” one of the TJG operators asked.

“Have you seen Top or Daniel?” Cal asked.

The man shook his head.“We came from the roof. Benny crashed our bird.”

Cal didn’t have any idea what the man was talking about. There would be plenty of time to find out later.

“Who has an extra weapon for me?”

Two men held up weapons for their boss. Cal walked over, grabbed one along with two sets of extra magazines, checked the chamber (although he knew it was loaded) and asked, “Where to?”

“We’ve cleared everything from here up. We’re going down.”

“What kind of resistance?”

“Heavy at first, but after the initial battle, we’ve only found house staff.”

Cal nodded and pointed to the hallway. “Then lead on, dear friend. Lead on.”

The man grinned and took point. Cal followed right behind. He wanted to be there when they found Baxter. For some reason, Cal found himself hoping that the bastard would put up a fight. Every muscle in Cal’s body throbbed with anticipation. He had his friends' lives to avenge.

+++

He had designed the safe room/escape pod to drop into the conveniently deep ocean hole below and then be pushed by the current out to sea where it would wait until the homing beacon brought in assistance. Baxter was just finishing the pre-plunge checklist when a warning appeared on the computer screen. Someone was trying to open the door. The warning only came up when the buttons of the keypad were pressed.

Baxter was the only one with the code so he wasn’t worried. He busied himself with the final preparations which included coding the encrypted homing signal. Thus, he was surprised when the computer screen flashed again. The door started sliding open.

“Oh, it’s you,” Baxter said, stepping to the door.

“I thought you might like to have her along, Mr. Baxter,” George said, grabbing Hannah’s arm and pulling her forward.

She would have kicked, punched, or done anything if she thought she had the slightest chance of getting away. But her supposed rescuer had just handed her back to the very man she’d wanted to run from. And that man, the billionaire with the charm of a harpy, now stood in front her, a long filet knife in his right hand.

“Just tell me what you did with Maya. Where is she?” Hannah asked, the desperation taking over.

“Maya?” Baxter looked confused.

Hope sprang once again in Hannah’s chest, only to be crushed for the last time, this time with the words, “Ah, you mean the young lady.” Baxter shook his had sadly. “I’m sorry to say she is no longer with us. Now, if you don’t mind, we really must go.”

Hannah's legs crumpled, but George caught her in his strong hands. He half dragged, half carried her over to one of the empty seats and strapped her in like a child. Then he went back to his employer and asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?”

Baxter patted the man on the shoulder fondly.

“No, George, thank you. Thank you for everything. Do buy us a minute or two, will you?”

“Yes, Mr. Baxter. Good luck.”

He gave his familiar half bow and left the compartment. The door slid closed and Baxter said to the others, “That George is a wonderful man, maybe the best who’s ever served the family. He will be missed.” He let out a barely audible chuckle.

And with that, Baxter pushed a couple of buttons and the chains holding the pod in place began to creak overhead. Baxter strapped himself into the last remaining harness and he grinned at his unwilling occupants.

“I hope none of you get motion sick. It should be a fun ride.” He rubbed his hands together expectantly and the pod commenced its slow descent.

+++

They’d reached what Cal believed was the lowest level of the building. The place really was massive. The man running point was just peeking around a corner when a shot rang out up ahead. He ducked back.

Cal grabbed a flash-bang from the man’s vest and chucked it down the hallway. In response, a flurry of rounds bit into the wall across from them. A split second after the flash-bang went off, they made their move. They’d practiced the next part so many times that it was second nature as they rushed around the corner, scanning for targets.

Cal saw him before his partner did and, as the pistol came up, Cal fired his own volley. The rounds tore into the prostrate form and the pistol clattered to the ground. They kept moving and they didn’t let up until they’d confirmed George was dead.

“What was he doing down here?” the lead man asked.

Cal pointed at the door and stepped up to the keypad. It had been destroyed and he was certain it wasn’t by his own rounds - probably by the dead house manager.

“Did you bring a breach kit?” Cal asked. The man nodded and went back to get it. When he returned, it took him less than a minute to mount it to the door.

They ran back around the corner and ducked down. The charge blew and the explosion rocked the hallway. After assessing the damage, they found it had bent the sliding door inward and it dangled off the edge. Cal looked over. The shaft was lit from below, and there was a chain running from a winch at the top of the shaft down to the water. There was something in the water, and it was glowing like a submerged chem light.

“What the…?” and then he realized what it was. “Who’s got rope?” Cal asked. Someone produced a coil of black rope. “Tie the other end off.” He handed his weapon to one of the men and stripped down to his boxer briefs. Before anyone could stop him, Cal took the other end and dove into the dark water below.

+++

“This is where things might get interesting,” Baxter announced. The descent had gone smoothly and now they were drifting on the natural current that would take them into the bay and then out to sea. He’d designed the craft himself. He knew every capability it had and the only feature he wished he had added was a form of propulsion. No matter, the ocean would do the work, and like a hamster ball inside another hamster ball, they would remain relatively level the entire ride. There was enough oxygen stored to last them three days and, the further they went out to sea, the craft was programmed to sink increasingly  deeper. Once they’d signaled for help and help was on the way, it was as simple as releasing an inflatable tether that would float to the surface, get snatched by the rescue helicopter, and they would be airlifted to safety.

He’d gone simple with this one. Baxter’s fear had been the more advanced the escape pod was the more likely it could be found. That wouldn’t do. So, instead they would hide and wait. They would live like astronauts in space, suspended, a bit uncomfortable, but otherwise safe. Baxter closed his eyes and waited.
I should have brought a book
, he thought.
I’ll have to remember that for the next time
.

+++

Cal was almost out of breath when he finally reached the craft’s hull. He scrambled to find where it had been attached before, and he found it just as the blackness came to the edges of his vision. After breaking the surface and taking a few seconds to catch his breath, he swam back to the opening, now clearly marked by the flashlights of his men overhead. The current was strong, but at least he was sheltered by tons of rocks above from the onslaught of the storm.

There was another rope dangling near the surface when he made it back. He grabbed it and looked up, “Pull the other rope, but take it slow.” The last thing they needed was for the rope to break.

It did not break and, even though it took longer than he thought it would, Cal watched as it inched back toward him. When it reached his position, he took the hefty chain and latched it back onto where it had been minutes before.

He gave the guys at the top of the shaft a thumbs-up, and then he and the craft were slowly hoisted into the air.

Chapter 36

Great Sale Cay

The Bahamas

August 29th, 9:37pm

The use of explosives was not an option because Cal didn't know who was inside the pod. Johnny Powers came up with the solution.

“How about we knock?”

There were incredulous looks all around but, after a minute, Cal did just that. He rapped on the sealed door with the butt of his rifle and waited.

+++

The four passengers hadn’t felt the shift. Baxter’s design was so flawless that when Cal caught them during their outward drift, and they were once again hauled back into the complex, none of the occupants ever felt it.

So, when the tapping sounded at the door Baxter’s first thought was that they’d somehow drifted into some underwater abyss and were being crushed by the immense pressure of the deep ocean. How long had he been asleep? And then he remembered that there was no such chasm near Great Sale Cay.

The tapping resumed and Baxter frowned.

Perlstein asked, “What is that?”

Baxter leveled him with a bored look and said, “Someone’s obviously knocking on the door.”

Baxter ignored the shocked look on the Israeli’s face and unfastened his harness. As nonchalantly as if he’d planned it this way, he typed in the correct code, and the door slid open.

He was greeted by the muzzles of multiple automatic weapons.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” Baxter said grandly. “I assume you’d like to chat.”

+++

“Come out, slowly,” Cal said, his sights trained on the billionaire and master of Great Sale Cay.

If the man was worried, he didn’t show it. Once Baxter was safely cuffed by one of the TJG operators, Cal entered the escape pod. He recognized Dr. Nahas immediately. The man looked like he’d just seen a ghost. There was another man there and Cal was about to ask who he was when the man spoke up.

“I am an Israeli citizen, a friend to the prime minister himself, and I demand that you take me to the nearest consulate immediately.”

You had to admire the man’s bluster but Cal saw the fear in the man’s eyes so he ignored him. He attended to Hannah Krygier instead, gently unbuckling the harness that held her in place. Her skin was cold and her eyes vacant.

“Where is Maya?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

“I don’t know, Ma’am,” Cal answered honestly. The last time he’d seen Maya was just before they’d plunged off a cliff. She was probably dead. He didn’t want to tell Krygier that, although he believed it to be true. He helped her up and he handed her off to one of the operators.

“Take Dr. Nahas with Ms. Krygier. Bring this one up to Baxter’s office,” Cal ordered. Then he padded back down the hallway, gun in hand, feet still bare, wearing nothing except his boxers.

When Cal entered Baxter’s office, he was wearing the only set of clothing he could find. Liberty was once again at his side, and she didn’t seem to mind all the TJG newcomers. She pranced along like she’d won the day and maybe in a way she had.

“Where is Layton? I want to talk to Layton,” Baxter insisted as soon as he spied Cal entering the room.

“Why? So you can buy some goodwill from a fellow billionaire? Well, sorry pal, but I’m in charge here.”

Baxter actually had the nerve to turn his nose up at him.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with, young man.”

Six months prior, Cal might have done something different. He might have walked across the room and decked the smug asshole.

However, he’d been through the pits of hell since that time. He’d lost Travis and, if he was being honest with himself, he’d almost lost his own life. That fact hit him hard as he stared back at the billionaire. Men like Baxter were what was wrong with the world. They thought that their billions of dollars provided them a free pass to whichever show they chose. No, that wasn’t right. Men like Jonas were the good guys, using their money to serve the greater good, not merely to inflate their egos or self-worth. Baxter’s billions were used foremost to serve himself, despite what his philanthropic efforts might be.

Cal didn’t feel anger for the man, just a raw sadness for the world that it should have to contend with men like Baxter.

“So, tell me, who am I dealing with, Mr. Baxter?” Cal asked.

He expected a torrent of lies to spew from the man’s mouth, deluded thoughts brought on by a lifetime of percolating narcissism.

“I’m just like you, Mister —?”

“Stokes. Cal Stokes.”

“I’m just like you, Mr. Stokes, a patriot and a warrior fighting for the betterment of my country.”

“So, that’s why you came up with this plan to wage war against the United States?”

Baxter’s eyes twinkled with merriment.

“Oh. Oh, this is very good. You really don’t know, do you?”

There was something in the man’s tone that Cal didn’t like. He saw Neil look up from where he was working on the computer they’d nabbed from Baxter’s escape craft. Neil was confused too and Cal took a moment to try to read his friend’s face.

Baxter clapped his hands together despite the cuffed wrists and pointed at Neil.

“See. Tell him, my friend. Tell Mr. Stokes my little secret.”

Neil looked down at the computer screen and then back up to his friend in utter disbelief.

“What is it?” Cal asked. Neil’s expression was more disconcerting than Baxter’s glee.

Neil shook his head and then said, “He works for the CIA, Cal.”

“Wait, what?” He must have misheard. Maybe the salt water was clogging his ears or maybe the breach charge had dampened his hearing.

“It’s all here. He’s been working for the CIA for years. It was their idea to put this operation together.”

As Cal’s mind spun down the dark path of possibilities, Chance Baxter laughed at them. He roared as if it were the funniest thing he’d ever heard. When he finally settled down, he smiled at Cal and said, “Now that you know the truth, why don’t you go along and inform the CIA that you have me in custody? I cannot wait to see what happens next.”

Cal didn’t move. Everything suddenly became clear. He remembered what the others had told him about Brandon’s speech at the U.N. He remembered Travis going on endlessly about the broken political process. He remembered who he was.

“Well, I don’t have all day,” Baxter said, irritated now. Cal grinned. “Oh, I see, this is where you act tough and tell me what a shit I’ve been. Go ahead and get it out, Mr. Stokes. I am sure you have plenty to say about my carte blanche status, about how ironic it is that your government allows me to kill - so many I’ve killed. Yet all the while they keep you chained to a stake. It is fun, you know. I live the life of a socialite by day while playing 007 by night.” He chuckled. And then he traced his bottom lip with his finger and mused, “What I wouldn’t give to have seen the looks on your friends’ faces as they plunged into the roiling sea.”

Cal’s smile disappeared.

Baxter cocked his head in amusement. “Ah, so you haven’t found them – such a pity.”

Cal brought up his weapon. It would never end. Baxter had learned to skirt the law and the law had given him everything he wanted. Some asshole in the CIA was going to get his due. However, the handler would probably just make excuses for the power they’d given Baxter. But Cal was no longer listening; it had to stop.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Baxter, you must have me mistaken for someone who actually gives a damn.”

Baxter’s mouth was just opening to respond when the burst from Cal’s weapon tore into his face. Baxter fell back over the chair in which he previously been seated. There he remained lying motionless.

No one moved. Then there was commotion coming from the hallway. Top burst in, Maya’s unconscious form cradled in his huge arms. He had cuts all over his face and along his arms. Daniel arrived virtually unscathed with Gaucho's arms draped over his shoulders. The Hispanic was grumbling something about water and how he would never go on a boat again.

“What happened?” Top asked, laying Maya gently on a couch.

Neil and the TJG operators who’d just witnessed the altercation remained speechless. Everyone was waiting for Cal to speak; finally, he did.

“I took out the trash.”

Trent looked down at Baxter’s body and then back at Cal. He put out his hand and Cal accepted it gratefully.

From behind them Daniel whispered, “Welcome back, Cal.”