Page 14 of Forty Days and One Knight
It was then Darius realized he didn’t hear any of the team chatter. His hand flew to his ear. At some point, probably in the fight with Secada, Darius had lost his earpiece. There was no time to go back and look for it. He glanced at his wrist and felt a small measure of relief. While he wouldn’t be able to hear what his teammates were saying, they could still hear him.
Leaving Tahira, Darius hurried over to one of the windows and peaked out through the blinds.
Shit.
It was a war zone out there. Bright bursts of light indicated bullets being discharged from three directions. The bodies of several of the cartel’s thugs lay where they’d been hit as they’d exited the bunkhouse. A fire was burning near the house below Diaz’s bedroom, and a second explosion shook the house again. Someone had something stronger than handguns and rifles out there, and it wasn’t coming from his own team.Double shit!
It would be impossible for Darius to cross the property into the wooded area that would eventually lead him to the Bravo exfil site, while carrying Tahira. In fact, even without her, it would still be too risky. That meant he had to come up with a plan C. What else was new? During his SEAL and Trident missions, things weren’t truly FUBAR until at least a plan D or even E was needed.
“Batman to Lead One,” he said, holding his wrist to his mouth. He paused for a moment, listening for a response before his brain kicked in, reminding him his earpiece was gone. “Batman to Lead One or Tampa Base. I’ve lost my comms. If you can hear me, I have the princess. Can’t make it to Exfil Bravo. Will head to Rendezvous Oscar. Repeat, I have the princess, and we’re heading to Rendezvous Oscar for exfil.”
Hopefully, Ian and the others had heard him and would know he’d be taking Tahira to the orphanage, where Sister Patrice would be able to hide them, if necessary, until the team could get them out of there safely. The orphanage was about ten miles through mostly thick woods, which would give them cover in case they encountered any bad guys along the way. A ten-mile hike was not a problem for Darius, but the storm and Tahira’s unconsciousness would slow him down. It was a toss-up if things would be a little easier had she been awake and able to run, but this wouldn’t be the first time Darius had needed to exit a mission in a hurry while carrying someone.
Lifting the strap of the duffel bag over his head, he hung it from his shoulder, across his chest. He then adjusted the sling of his AK-47 and brought the weapon around to his right hip. Next, Darius pushed a button on his watch which would give him an open connection to his team without interfering with their transmissions. If things went further down the rabbit hole, at least they’d be able to hear him.
“Stop fucking jinxing yourself, you idiot,” he muttered.
Turning back to Tahira, he quickly lifted her up and placed her over his left shoulder. It was a far cry from being a dignified way to carry a member of royalty, but fuck protocol. He needed at least one hand free to open doors and shoot if he had to. After making certain she was balanced correctly and wouldn’t slip if he had to make any sudden moves, he hurried to the door leading to the hallway. After a quick check that nobody was out there, he opened the door all the way and stepped out. There was a sunroom downstairs at the opposite side of the house with reinforced French doors leading to the large flower and shrubbery garden Diaz’s wife loved to enjoy. It would provide Darius with some cover until he was able to sprint across the manicured lawn to a small gate in the stone wall surrounding the property. From there, it was only two or three hundred feet before they’d reach the tree line that would provide a moderate measure of safety as they trekked through the woods.
Descending the stairs with one hand on the back of Tahira’s thighs and the other holding his rifle ready, Darius could hear the gun battle again. The explosions must have blown out a few of the first-floor windows. As he reached the foyer, the front door flew open and two men with guns didn’t wait to see if there was an enemy within sight. Their expressions of surprise were met with a hail of bullets from Darius’s gun. The men never had a chance to fire their own weapons before death dug its greedy claws into them as they dropped to the floor.
Without hesitation, Darius moved quickly down a small hallway that led to the sunroom. With the glass walls and ceiling now surrounding them, it would really suck if one of those grenades or rockets someone was using came too close. Darius and Tahira would be cut to ribbons. The torrential rains pounded against the glass, as if a thousand horses were in a stampede. It was almost deafening, but not enough to block out the thunder and continuing gunfire which seemed to still be coming from the other side of the property. Hopefully, that meant all the tangos were too busy to notice the retired SEAL carrying an unconscious woman.
Trying the handle of the door leading to the garden, he was relieved to find it unlocked. Peering through the darkness of the night, he didn’t see anyone who might be in his way. Just to the left of the door was some equipment that must have been left by the gardener. A small, black tarp covered a portion of the pile. Darius grabbed it and hastily covered Tahira with it. The water-proof material would keep her dry until he could find them a defendable shelter for a few hours to wait out the worst of the storm.
After Darius reaffirmed Tahira was settled securely on his shoulder, he took a deep breath and darted out into the downpour.
13
The pelting raindrops stung his face and hands, as Darius made his way through the garden, not giving a shit about all the colorful blooms he smashed with his feet along the way. He was grateful he’d covered Tahira with the tarp, since he’d been soaked within seconds of leaving the confines of the mansion, and the horrors it held, behind.
Tahira.
Darius forced his hand holding the AK-47 not to clench in rage. He’d failed her. The beautiful woman he was carrying had been violated in a way no one should ever have to endure. Darius wished he could kill Secada over and over again until the bastard had suffered enough for what he’d done. His mind flitted to the night he’d surprised her in the kitchen at Clearwater Beach estate. That was the real woman he’d met that night. Not the princess the public saw. Not the spoiled brat he’d dealt with on prior details. She’d been real that night. No makeup, no designer clothes, no sign of a privileged life most people could only dream of. When she’d smiled at him before returning to her bedroom, he’d felt it all the way to his toes. He remembered thinking later that it was too bad they came from two different worlds—he would have liked to get to know her better and maybe take her on a date. But Tahira would always be in the spotlight, surrounded by the chaos that came with being a crown princess, while Darius was the furthest thing from royalty one could get.
At the end of the garden, using a large shrub to conceal their silhouettes, he scanned the expanse and surrounding area between where he stood and the stone wall. The battle still raged on the other side of the property, and Darius wondered why this end seemed to be clear. Not that he would complain.
After checking his grip on Tahira’s motionless body, Darius took off at a dead run. The muddied soil of the lush lawn tried to suck his feet into its depths as he zig-zagged across it, making each step more difficult than the last. Moving in a straight line made a person an easy target, and even though it seemed they were in the clear, Darius wouldn’t risk going against his training.
Reaching the gate, Darius cursed when he saw a lock and chain keeping it shut. Pointing the muzzle of the automatic weapon at the lock, he fired a burst of bullets, destroying the hinderance keeping him from getting Tahira to safety. Hopefully the storm and gunfight on the other side of the property had muffled his shots. He kicked open the gate, then glanced back to make sure they hadn’t been spotted. Water rolled down his brow into his eyes, and he shook his head to clear his vision.
It was a short run to the tree line, but the mud he was now dealing with was worse than before. Each sinking step was a struggle to stay upright and moving. He’d give anything to have his favorite military boots right then. The construction boots he had on had been part of his cover. He’d arrived at the Diaz compound with summer clothes. Apparently, the spoiled rich kid, “Glenn Hamilton,” thought the entire continent of South America was sunny and warm all year round. Members of the cartel had laughed at theestúpido gringo. Carlos had been ordered to take him shopping the next day for more appropriate clothing.
Once he hit the edge of the woods, the ground was harder, and it was easier to maneuver. He jogged into the shadows of the tall canopy of pine, eucalyptus, and willow trees for about a hundred yards before, ducking behind a thick, bark-covered trunk and peering around to see if he’d been spotted or followed. There was no sign of life, human or otherwise. The wildlife was probably hunkered down against the teeming fury released by Mother Nature.
Turning his head into Tahira’s hip, he put his mouth as close to his watch as possible. “Batman to Home Base. The princess and I are clear, heading to Rendezvous Oscar. Blow the place to kingdom come.”
A few seconds ticked by as Darius wondered if his transmission had been received. Without his earpiece, he could only hope Egghead and Cookie were just making certain all the good guys were also out of the blast zone. Once they got the go-ahead, they’d send a signal to a satellite they were patched into, which would then set off the explosives Darius had hidden throughout the mansion the day before. Some might think it was overkill, but the less evidence a US-sanctioned agent had spent the past few months living there, the better. It had been a relief to know Diaz had sent his wife and kids out of the country, and Secada had dismissed the innocent housekeeping and kitchen staff for the day. Darius would have hated for any of them to have been killed in the destructive maelstrom taking place.
Just when he thought they hadn’t heard him in Tampa, a tremendous roar filled the night, drowning out everything but its destruction of the house. Maybe he’d used a little too much C4 because even from that distance, he could feel the scorching heat of the fire. Letting the rifle hang from its sling, Darius reached back and found Tahira’s wrist and quickly checked her pulse. She was already ice cold, and her heart rate was too fast.Damn it.He could lose her to hypothermia before they reached the orphanage. It was too far a hike in the crappy conditions to risk it. He had to find shelter for the night and get her dressed and warm. Hopefully, she’d be awake by the time the weather cleared. If his teammates had gotten his transmissions, they’d start working their way from the orphanage toward the Diaz property, looking for him and Tahira when they failed to show up right away. But the team knew he’d do what anyone of them would have done and that was get the unconscious woman dry and protect her until it was safe for them to travel again.
Turning his back on the fiery ruins, he set out to find a shelter to hunker down in for a few hours.
14
Tahira clawed her way toward the light, desperate to escape the clutches of the demon intent on keeping her in the pitch-black abyss she’d fallen into. The heat was unbearable, her body sweating profusely as she struggled to get away from the heaviness pinning her down. Her mouth was parched, and her body ached, but she ignored the discomfort. She had to run away, if only she could just get to her feet. But where would she run to? She couldn’t see anything in the darkness surrounding her.
A deafening explosion had her nearly jumping out of her skin. She screamed, but it was cut off when a hand clamped down over her mouth, making it even more difficult to breathe. A damp, putrid stench of decay assaulted her nares.
