Page 83 of Secrets Along the Shore
CHAPTER
EIGHT
June 8
11:21 p.m., Outside Vukovar, Croatia
The van hit another bump,pitching Tyler into one of the crates stacked beside him. He grunted. This wasn’t the best way to travel, but he couldn’t stay in the passenger seat with the Ruka if he wanted to remain unnoticed. By the sound of rocks crunching under the tires, they must have turned off the main road and pulled onto the dirt road to the fortress.
The Croatian kept quiet about the agreement. At an old warehouse, he’d helped several Rukas load crates into the back of the van. About thirty boxes of weapons needed to be loaded. Tyler waited until the men stepped away from the vehicle before sneaking into the back and hiding between two stacks of crates. He stayed in the tight space for the last eight hours, with only two stops allowing him to stretch his legs.
He’d be sore when he got out, but he couldn’t fix that.
The van hit a pothole. A loud thud echoed through the back as a crate tipped over and crashed onto the floor. It narrowly missed Tyler’s outstretched leg. He pressed his spine against the van wall and bent his legs to avoid getting his leg smashed.
The boxes weren’t secured. Had the Croatian done that on purpose?
Tyler glanced up front, but the darkness prevented him from seeing anything aside from the driver’s ear. He grabbed the radio on his vest. “Adam, you with me?” Two armored SUVs trailed the van. Adam drove one that would be the getaway vehicle. The other held mercenaries whom Von had sent with them to Vukovar. Those men had introduced themselves and said that they typically worked with Von’s weapon business, but they had weapons training. Since Adele and Gage were both snipers, they stayed behind, as did Paul.
“Copy. About twenty meters out. I think we’re approaching the fortress.”
Tyler leaned up to look out the short window into the van cab. A tall dark structure rose from the trees about a hundred meters out. “Back off a little. We’re a minute out.”
“I see it.”
The van continued at a steady speed, before halting outside a large gate. On either side, a towering stone wall kept animals and people out. It looked too smooth to climb. Which meant that Adam would have to drive through the gate to get to them once Tyler had the targets outside the building. The armored vehicle could handle the impact.
The Ruka rolled down his window and spoke to someone.
Tyler adjusted his grip on his M4. He’d go in alone to keep the element of subtlety. The rest of the team would wait outside for the inevitable car chase to the private airport where Von had sent a plane to pick them up. The normal drive there took about twenty minutes. If they sped—which they would be—it’d be ten.
He checked his watch. Could they get in and out in thirty minutes? There was a lot at risk. The quicker they moved, the better. The priority remained to retrieve the targets unharmed, which might delay him. Their safety was of the utmost importance. Knowing the time helped ensure the team was in place for the exfil.
The van got into motion again and rolled past the gates. Spotlights shone overhead from the large building straight ahead. Tyler sat up a little, using a crate for cover so he could see the area. A few vehicles were parked in a neat row. A man exited a shed on the right. He wavedat the driver, who waved back. The van turned left, parallel to the building, then cut right toward the back. A few SUVs and cars were parked at random places about the property.
Nothing seemed strategically placed. But maybe Viktor didn’t care with the nine-meter wall surrounding the area. It definitely kept the average person out.
Tyler shifted more upright as the van engine cut off, leaving him in silence for the first time in hours. The front door opened, then slammed shut. Footsteps brought someone around to the back doors. The Ruka better not have tried to signal any of the men outside. Tyler aimed his rifle at the center of the doors ready to fire if necessary. Someone might come over to help him unload even without him signaling them. When the back opened, the Ruka hesitated. His hands raised.
“Get your hands down,” Tyler growled as he slid out of the back into the brightly lit area. He didn’t need anyone to notice the Ruka at gunpoint. With a sigh of relief, the man grabbed a crate and pulled it out. He let his guard down way too soon. He may have brought Tyler there, but Tyler didn’t trust him not to tell someone.
Shifting the rifle to his back, Tyler grabbed a syringe out of his pocket. He pulled off the cap that kept him from getting stabbed with it. The drug it contained would knock the Ruka out for an hour. Tyler stepped behind him and sunk the tip into the side of his neck. The Croatian swayed, then dropped. Tyler hooked his right arm around the man to keep him from falling.
He tossed the syringe into the back and lifted the unconscious man into the van. He pushed the legs inside and retrieved the vehicle keys from a pants pocket. After shutting the doors, he locked it. Lifting the M4 with his right hand, he used his left to shove the keys into a pocket in his black tactical pants.
The bright spotlight overhead made him duck to the shadowed side of the van. His gaze drifted over the back of the building. No balconies. No way to climb up or down. On the second floor, dark windows were spaced evenly every several feet. The overhang of the floor above shadowed the first floor entrance.
Someone yelled nearby. Close. Way too close for his liking. Maybearound the corner of the building on the opposite side of the van. Tyler remained still and listened for any telltale sounds that the person had come closer. The voice grew farther away. He grabbed his radio. “I’m on site. Moving in.”
“Copy,” Von replied from her place back in Dubrovnik.
After checking the far side of the van for possible threats, he stalked to the door, keeping his M4 ready. With a flick of his wrist, the door opened. Too easy. Maybe they’d unlocked the door for their man that he’d drugged. He closed it behind him and took cautious steps down the dark hallway. Light flickered under a door on his left. He passed the room and paused at the end of a hall.
A grand room had a twenty-foot table in the center surrounded by chairs. It sat unoccupied. Tyler didn’t enter it and instead turned right down a short hall. It took him around the edge of the room and brought him to a staircase. The hall continued past the stairs, but in the darkness, Tyler couldn’t see where it led. Why was everything so dark? Men were working. He’d seen them outside. The lights should have been on. At least in the hallways. He doubted they were trying to reduce their power bill.
Turning to his left, he climbed the stairs up to the second floor. The door on his nine o’clock was cracked open. He nudged it open more and checked down the hall. Men’s laughter made him hesitate. Light flooded the hallway from an open room where several Rukas gathered. He remained still, listening for Elara or Rian. Only men’s voices reached his ears.
He headed right. Going left was a last resort. He needed to avoid contact with the enemy as much as possible. He walked along the gangway, keeping pressed against the opposite wall to remain hidden from people downstairs. The hall forked off. The left one went along a line of rooms at the outer part of the building. The right took another turn and had more rooms inaccessible from outside. The more likely option.
