Wilco- Lone Wolf 17 Page 18

  ‘Talk soon.’

  ‘Wait -’

  I called Tomsk.

  ‘Ah, how is it going? Carlos said you killed many men.’

  ‘We have done, yes, but we are just getting warmed up. Listen, how about you talk to the ministers in Panama, use some money, and organise a National Petrov Day. It will help you as well as my persona.’

  ‘That would piss of the DEA and FBI, so I love it. I’ll supply free drink at my hotels!’

  ‘And, the icing on the cake, and the reason for you to get a documentary film crew – a good one. We just rescued a pregnant lady at the border, a few hours from giving birth, left for dead by people smugglers. She’s a doctor, and from La Palma.’

  ‘From here? My god, yes, we can make a story. When I meet visitors at my hotels, they always ask how you are.’

  ‘How is my girl, Tiny, doing?’

  ‘She kicked a man in the balls and hit him over the head with a bottle, in front of everyone, then took a necklace from his pocket and handed it back to the woman that lost it.’

  I laughed. ‘Subtle, yes.’

  ‘Well, she caught him, no matter how. We tortured him, caught his partner and hung them both – a sign around them saying pickpockets. I gave her a small bonus.’

  ‘Don’t let her get too comfortable, I have to explain where she is.’

  ‘How long will you stay there?’

  ‘A few weeks maybe.’

  An hour’s trek south on a good track led to a compound not unlike the one we were now living in, fifty armed men seen.

  ‘Boss, that’s a shit load of armed men for just an ice cream factory,’ Nicholson told me as he studied the compound. ‘Looks like they’re expecting trouble.’

  ‘Someone saw us?’ Rizzo puzzled.

  ‘No,’ I assured him. ‘But they know I’m in the area.’ I glanced over my shoulder. ‘Move to the ridge over your right shoulders, solid fire positions. Sasha, aim north and watch the rear, they will have patrols out.’

  We moved quietly, and with Stretch I found a hollow, soon stacking up rocks at the front. He walked out and dragged back a lump of concrete, dumping it down. It was long, and square in cross-section, maybe part of a house that was never finished.

  With rocks laid down we put it on top of them and could fire out underneath. Rocko went out with Rizzo and found an exact same piece, lugging it back, Tomo and Nicholson copying.

  It took twenty minutes, but we were soon all snug. I transmitted, ‘Nicholson, Tomo, use the cheap rounds, rags over silencers, don’t be seen. Steady fire, when ready. Sasha, get ready for random fire coming in and hitting you in the arse.’

  ‘There is a ditch, we are in it, deep enough. I hope.’

  ‘Everyone else, watch the sides, they will try and flank us.’

  The first round cracked out, a man flying off the wall, a second hit before they ducked. But they ducked down, heads still peering up over walls, so the next two shots blew holes in skulls, the following two shots doing likewise, now more men hiding behind the walls.

  Rounds landed near us, random fire, but such fire could still kill and wound a man.

  Nicholson came on with, ‘They’re sneaking out on the right hand side.’

  Two cracks, and a jeep caught fire, some illumination to use, a few men caught out in the open as a roar of outgoing fire registered, rounds cracking overhead, a few rounds hitting the dirt near us, a twang as the concrete above me was hit.

  ‘That was naughty,’ Stretch noted. He set automatic and sprayed the dark area to the right of the compound – his brass hitting my left shoulder, and the incoming firing eased.

  I could see muzzle flashes in the blackness, and so carefully fired at the flashes, silencing two weapons over ten minutes.

  ‘They’re sneaking up on the right,’ came from one of the Russians, in Russian.

  I responded, in Russian, ‘Let them get close, but not inside 100yards. Fire when ready.’ I aimed off to the right, sights set for 400yards, and a glint caught my eye, my trigger finger reacting. I was unsure if I hit the man, but saw muzzle flashes, soon targeting those flashes as the dirt in front of me was hit.

  Jeep lights appeared, and they accidentally highlighted men out in the open, a volley of fire killing twenty men quickly, the rest ducking down. The jeep turned away, but as it parked behind the compound it again illustrated the men off to the right, and I killed five quickly, many rounds sent their way by my lads.

  And the jeep, it parked and left its lights on, the front half visible. Nicholson fired, the engine hit, the tyre hit, the driver killed.

  ‘Wankers,’ Stretch let out. ‘Take that driver’s name, he’s on a charge.’ He fired. ‘Got one, in the arse, as he was thinking of leaving.’ He fired again. ‘Got his mate, also in the arse.’

  ‘Good job Major Bradley is not here,’ I noted.

  ‘Fuck, shooting people in the arse in Northern Ireland. Was that twenty years ago?’ Stretch quipped.

  ‘Feels like it.’

  I could hear the Elephant Guns firing. ‘Snipers, what are you firing at?’

  ‘There was a hole on the wall, so we made it bigger, lumps falling out. Hit a jeep inside, and a man.’

  ‘Try and take the wall down, smartarse.’

  They continued firing, and I focused on the hole through my sights as it got bigger, and wider. The section of wall above it eventually fell to much laughter, a hole in the wall to half its height.

  Now I could see an internal building with windows, those windows soon smashed, a door hit, a second jeep hit.

  A flash, and the internal building was alight.

  ‘It’s Nicholson, and I hit the gas cylinder in the window. Do I get a bonus?’

  ‘No, because I never offered a bonus in advance.’

  ‘Spoil sport,’ came back.

  Men ran out the compound, seen and shot, men seen running away from us, south in direction as the dark night was illuminated by a bright flash, the blast reaching us a second later.

  ‘That wasn’t me,’ Nicholson transmitted.

  ‘Pity, I was going to give you a bonus for that.’

  A second blast had us up and looking, debris raining down, men in white lab coats seen running, and duly shot and spun. Other men ran out the side door, also shot and spun.

  The compound burnt for ten minutes, no one seen moving around, a final third blast lighting up the night sky, a bigger blast than the first two.

  ‘What the fuck was that?’ Rizzo asked.

  ‘Chemicals maybe,’ I responded. ‘Prepare to withdraw backwards, after the light dies. Look for anyone still alive and shoot. Ten minutes.’

  After ten minutes I led Stretch out, a leopard crawl for twenty yards before running bent double to Sasha and his team, beyond them and down the slope as men followed. Upright, I checked teams and sounded off over the radio, a brisk pace till we were 600yards north, and I turned west to move around and to flank the compound.

  A hard slog south for a mile, the burning compound being a handy navigational aid, and I turned southeast, slowing down, the teams wary now. 400yards from the road south and we saw lights, jeeps approaching. At a fast walk I led them south to a broken stone wall and a tall crop. That crop was behind us, and would afford some good cover if we needed it.

  ‘Get in, get down, get ready. Sasha, two men behind this crop, aiming west.’

  Kneeling, I took aim with Stretch, the convoy coming on.

  ‘Are these guys stupid?’ Stretch scoffed. ‘They got news that their hobby farm has been shot up, and they drive up with their fucking lights on.’

  ‘They’re used to fighting civvies, not soldiers. Or we’d be in trouble here.’ I took aim, at the lead jeep tyre, and tracked it left till it was opposite me, my shot causing the lead jeep to slow and stop, the column slowing as my lads opened up, the drivers all hit, men in the back hit, but twenty men had jumped down and had run into the dark night.

  ‘Down and hide, and wait,’ I transmitted.

&n
bsp; Tomo fired, a jeep set alight, Nicholson copying that move, and now anyone moving around near the jeeps would be highlighted. I fired twice and set a jeep alight, others copying. Then we waited.

  The jeeps burnt down as we cooled down, and the hidden men stayed down. Either that or they had run off east then south.

  I transmitted, ‘Move out, around the crop then south. Go!’

  We were three hundred yards off when fifty cal fire, coming from up near the compound, peppered the crop we had been near.

  ‘Snipers, get the fifty cal! Everyone else, get down.’

  Four rounds discharged, and the fifty cal fell silent. I waited ten minutes in the dark, a cold breeze blowing, before we moved off south, a distant town seen southeast, at least three miles away.

  Stopping for a rest and some food, Nicholson reported a convoy – a convoy of police vehicles.

  I transmitted, ‘They’ve been paid off, but still … leave them alone.’

  The convoy drove past, the road perhaps 600yards east of us, and it made its way up to the compound, what was left of that compound.

  Pressing on south, we passed a few farms, dogs barking in the distance, but I had not seen any angry farmers, and no rounds had come our way.

  A mile from the edge of the town the police convoy again passed us, this time heading home to a warm beds and fat wives, the police no doubt annoyed at being called out at this hour. Their wives, no doubt, would be even more annoyed.

  I had Nicholson scan the town, and he reported bars closed, cafes closed, little movement. It seemed that we were a bit late for an evening’s killing spree, so I turned due west, up and down gentle hills for an hour.

  Stopping to consider a nasty deep gorge in front of me, I got a whiff and dived down, the men copying. Whilst lying on my back I transmitted, ‘Men ahead of us, so face the wind. Get to cover, heads down, no silhouette on the ridge, dead quiet. Snipers forwards to me.’

  Stretch leopard crawled back to a depression and hid as Nicholson and Tomo leopard crawled over the hard ground to me.

  Whispering, I told them, ‘Nasty deep gorge in front on you, up the other side is someone smoking. Try and spot them, count them first.’ I crawled to Stretch and eased into the depression, aiming into the wind, hard to see anything it was so dark.

  After five minutes Nicholson transmitted, ‘Two cigarettes seen, orange glows, but fuck all else, Boss.’

  ‘Get back to something solid, then hit the men holding those cigarettes. Sasha, back up a hundred yards and turn around.’ I heard rocks displaced as men moved around.

  Nicholson and Tomo eased in to the side of me, got comfy, and finally fired. I ducked my head as a volley of automatic fire tore into the ground around us, and it felt like one or more M60s pumping out rounds; it did not sound like AK47s.

  I transmitted, ‘Sasha, go around and flank them, we’re pinned down!’

  ‘Moving.’

  A blast registered, close, but in the deep gorge.

  ‘What the fuck was that?’ Stretch scoffed. ‘A fifty yard attempt at a grenade throw? Wankers!’ He set automatic, pushed his rifle up and emptied the magazine at the flashes across the way.

  Shouts could be heard, so someone was wounded, perhaps several off them.

  From ten yards south Rizzo fired, letting loose a magazine, a good idea where the incoming fire was coming from, the men over there not all behind something solid. More shouts registered on the cold breeze. I eased up and took aim.

  From the right Sasha opened up, a heavy volley of fire brought to bear. Seeing muzzle flashes dead ahead, I fired at those muzzle flashes, Rocko and Rizzo pumping out rounds with us, Nicholson and Tomo taking careful aim at silhouetted men up and running away.

  Our combined fire finally wore them down, stragglers seen running away, and I called ceasefire. ‘Get down, hide, wait!’

  Moans could be heard on the breeze, nothing seen, and I waited till I was sure that the able-bodied men had legged it away – the wounded left behind. ‘Back-up, crawl away, slow and steady.’

  I crawled back with Stretch, hearing Rizzo and Rocko crawling.

  ‘Shit!’ came through the dark.

  ‘What?’ I asked.

  ‘Fucking snake,’ Rocko complained.

  ‘They get rattlers around here.’

  ‘They dangerous?’ Rizzo asked.

  ‘Fucking deadly.’

  We eased up and ran bent double rather than crawl, north and around to Sasha as he came in with the Russian team, onto a track and a slow jog north for 500yards before walking.

  ‘That’ll do for tonight, let’s not press our luck.’

  Rizzo noted, ‘At this rate there’ll be no fucker left in a week.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ I told him as we trekked west towards home.

  When we reached the compound I made radio contact, Monster perched up on the wall, and inside we claimed a happy home, the burners in the huts lit, warm drinks made. I checked who was on stag before I had a quick wash, a corned beef sandwich downed with a beer, my bed claimed, boots off.

  In the morning, which for us was noon, Carlos arrived in convoy. ‘No wounded?’

  ‘Not yet, no. How is that woman?’

  ‘She gave birth to a boy, my wife ignoring me now.’

  I smiled widely. ‘A new baby gets the attention, yes.’

  ‘You destroyed a factory, six miles east?’

  ‘Yes, a good tally last night.’

  ‘The man who was being supplied by it now wishes to buy from me, orders to fill, and two other groups. I put the price up a little, but it is good business when I don’t need to ship it.’

  ‘Something burnt and exploded. What was that?’ I asked.

  ‘Chemicals, yes, gas burners maybe. They use a lot of heat, petrol for the generators.’

  ‘And who is getting the blame?’

  ‘You are, by name, and the rumours are spreading far and wide that you will take over this area.’

  ‘I will be gone in a week,’ I told him. ‘Have my actions caused you problems?’

  ‘No, we now make good money locally, but some make threats, small gangs, not an issue. What shall we do with the doctor and her baby?’

  ‘If she agrees, I’ll fly her back to Panama, some money in her hand, enough to live well on.’

  ‘She wanted to go to America?’ he puzzled.

  ‘Because of the gangs, and no work in Panama. I can find her work in Panama. I have an idea.’

  ‘Oh, OK.’ He shrugged.

  ‘Last night, after we hit the compound, police drove up to it. Do you know why?’

  ‘From the town, yes. Like here, the local police are under my control, so they are in that town.’

  ‘I made sure we did not fire on them.’

  ‘They would have fired on you, paid to do so. Don’t surrender to such men.’

  ‘Surrender?’ I asked with an amused smile. ‘They would not even see us.’

  At 8pm I sent out three small patrols, curious to see if anyone was watching our compound, my snipers hidden four hundred yards north of the compound, but dressed warm for some “hard routine” of lying still in the cold wind on a hard uneven surface. And they had two ponchos each in case it rained, Tomo noting that they were not real Mexican ponchos.

  At midnight gunfire was heard, cracks on the breeze, soon a radio call; two men had been spotted sneaking in, both killed.

  I transmitted from the wall. ‘I want the bodies brought in. Now.’

  ‘Who do you reckon?’ Monster asked, wrapped up warm next to me.

  ‘Rival gang, or someone wanting the prize on my head. Thing is, that reward is being offered by the FBI, and if I was abducted or mistreated on my way to the FBI they could not prosecute me. Original rewards, from the drug cartels, lapsed, they’d not pay.’

  I sighed. ‘No, the rumour of the rewards is far larger than the actual rewards, a bit like my reputation. So, how was your holiday?’

  ‘Good, yeah, I hadn’t had a lad’s holiday fo
r years. Great lap dance bar, but we burnt through some money. Still, could be dead next week so why keep it.’

  ‘A good outlook,’ I commended.

  ‘Guy I know has a bar down there, we went to see him, but it would bore me to death running a bar.’

  ‘You weren’t tempted to leave us then,’ I teased.

  ‘Not yet, I like the work, and this is – like you said – irregular.’

  When the two bodies were dragged in by Tomo and Nicholson – both now sweating and complaining, I sent my snipers straight back out, Rada and his men examining the bodies, IDs checked. They were men from this region, but dressed in greens, black balaclava facemasks, hunting rifles and pistols carried. As well as a nice new sat phone.

  Using that phone, I called Langley and asked for it to be traced, report to be sent the Deputy Chief. I repeated that with SIS.

  ‘Where are you?’ came from the SIS duty officer.

  ‘Jamaica, on leave,’ I told him.

  ‘Yeah, right.’

  ‘No really, in the Hedonism Hotel.’

  ‘I saw that on the TV…’

  ‘Don’t bother, middle-aged ladies walking around naked.’

  ‘Depends on how old you are, and what you fancy I guess.’

  ‘Get back to me with that number please.’

  ‘As you enjoy a relaxing break,’ he scoffed.

  Rada approached me ten minutes later. ‘These men are Lobos gang.’ He seemed worried.

  ‘Where are they based?’

  ‘All over, but the most of them are in a town sixty miles east.’ He pointed west. ‘And south some.’ He pointed northeast. ‘They have members in the gang, tattoos on chests. You join, you stay for life – or die.’

  ‘How many men could they bring here – if they know east from west that is?’

  He shrugged and made a face. ‘Thousands.’

  ‘Ask Carlos about the RPG that should have arrived by now.’ He stepped away as I called Tomsk. ‘I have a shopping list.’ He handed me to a manager, so I detailed the weapons I wanted delivered, no doubt a form being filled in with neat handwriting.

  When Tomsk came back on, he began, ‘Carlos said you knocked back his local rivals, so he sells more, buys more from me, so it is working.’

  ‘So far, but we now have Lobos men spying on us.’