Wilco- Lone Wolf 17 Page 23

  ‘I will call the pilots and tell them to get some sleep, ready for … whatever it is you’ll do to provoke them.’

  ‘And the Skyvan?’

  ‘Will be available from Tomorrow, held at the same strip as the helicopters. And Tomsk sends more RPGs, also grenades, many. He wants a war.’

  ‘He will get his war, after the Lobos have been provoked into making a mistake.’

  He nodded. ‘More local men come to me for supply, business is booming. And each man has information for sale, so I have a good idea about Lobos men in the area. I knew of six men in that town you shot at, so I sent men and killed them. Before I would not have risked it, now people whisper about Lobos losing the battle – and they whisper to my men.’

  ‘If you need help with groups of Lobos…’

  He shook his head. ‘We can deal with them, you would be noticed in a town. But the most important factor is your name, spoken on all the lips in the tabernas. Petrov is here, Lobos have no chance against him.’

  ‘I hope I never have to live up to that reputation, people may be disappointed.’

  ‘You fight with your head, that is key, and you make friends of people like the CIA. Lobos men are mad dogs, they know only aggression, so they fail because they only have fear to rely on, and with your name mentioned here – the fear goes for the people.’

  ‘Then maybe I run for office here, governor perhaps,’ I teased.

  He shrugged. ‘We could rig such an election.’

  With Carlos gone, the Deputy Chief called.

  I began, ‘How is it up north with them Yankees?’

  ‘Been a manic day, but a damn good one all round. Coast to coast coverage, the politicians screaming for action against Lobos, so if something you do down there leaks we’re covered, and my ass is covered if anyone suggested that the mercenaries are our people.’

  ‘Good, we’re winning the war in the media.’

  ‘As you say – often – that is the only place to win a war. So what comes next?’

  ‘I’ll provoke Lobos, and hopefully they’ll do something dumb. We have the men, we have the weapons, we just need them to bunch up for us. Oh, get the signals intel in the morning for the town of Cegali and the action tonight.’

  ‘I’ll check it yes.’

  At 2am we were ready, two men shot a few miles north, so Lobos were still sending pairs. The Hueys roared in and touched down, Rocko and I reclaiming the red Huey, Rizzo and Stretch in the green Huey, two young soldiers with us in each, heavy boxes loaded by many hands. Safety line employed and checked, I got the headsets on and gave the pilots a nudge.

  ‘Go due south, over the hills, at least a thousand feet, then to Cegali. Come in from the north, and fly down the main road slowly, say thirty knots, but stay over that road at around 300ft.’

  ‘300ft? The shops will be closed surely.’

  I smiled widely. ‘We are window shopping.’

  ‘OK, one view of the city at night coming up.’

  Easing up with a roar, my hair buffeted and thrown about, we skimmed the ground just a few feet above the scrub, gaining speed, soon climbing away, and below I could only see blackness till I spotted the distant road south and the street lights. I thought I could see the damaged truck on the side of the road as we sped east, and fifteen minutes brought us to the hills north of Cegali, the pilot informing me of features below.

  From 2,000ft he nosed down, and aimed at the main road of the brightly lit city as we took nose caps off the RPG heads, those RPG heads upright in the boxes. Lined up on the main drag, which looked to be six lanes across, I could see my target, parked jeeps on the side of the road under orange street lights, cafes and bars, all closed, no movement seen.

  Our ride slowed down and I leant out to peer behind us, the green Huey just about visible, no lights on. I soon had two RPG heads in my hands, Rocko doing likewise, a young soldier on the M60 ready. He had his orders and knew what to aim at; jeeps, bars and cafes – no people.

  My heart raced as I held the RPGs, but I also smiled. This was very illegal, very dangerous, and if we crash-landed here they would slice us up. But I was loving it; the adrenaline and the fear rush.

  A glance at the M60 lad, a nod, and he opened up as I threw down the first RPG, aiming at jeeps below, seeing many jeep windows turn white as they were hit by the M60. A blast, and my RPG had hit the road and shredded a few jeeps.

  Second RPG ready, Rocko throwing down, and I could see Rocko’s RPG land on a pavement in front of a shop, the windows blown in, jeeps nearby peppered as I threw my RPG towards what seemed to be a beer garden for a bar, the M60s on both sides making a mess of jeeps and cars along the main road.

  Seeing a blast well behind us, it had to be the trailing Huey. I pulled my rifle around as Rocko threw down RPGs, and I aimed at bars in side streets, windows hit, jeeps hit. And I was smiling like an idiot as I blasted out at neon signs and glass-fronted businesses.

  At the end of the main drag we banked left and came around north, towards three large compounds rumoured to be used by the cartel bosses. Either that, or we were about to damage the local ice cream manufacturer.

  First compound approached, and I fired down along with the M60, ten jeeps lined up for us, windows turning white as I aimed at the tiles on the roof. Second compound reached just a few seconds later, and I fired again at the tiles, the M60 smashing glass on a dozen parked jeeps, the second Huey behind us, RPGs dropped, blasts inside the compound as well as outside the walls.

  The third compound offered men with rifles aiming up, my fire hitting the ground and giving them some ricochet, the M60 pumping out rounds and cutting down the men, Rocko throwing down two RPG heads. As we left the compound behind the blasts filled the courtyard with smoke, and anyone stood around would have got some hot metal in a painful spot.

  ‘OK, head for home,’ I told the pilot.

  ‘We took some fire back there, some damage I think.’

  ‘Will we make it back?’ I asked, now worried.

  ‘Yes, but some damage to fix on the skin. My door glass is cracked.’

  ‘Tomsk will pay for the repairs, don’t worry.’

  I leant out and glanced back, seeing the trailing Huey, and it was not on fire. Neither were we, a benefit, definitely a benefit.

  Touching down at the compound, I thanked the pilots, carrying a few remaining RPG heads back into the compound, Monster waiting at the gate.

  ‘How’d it go?’ he asked.

  Rocko told him, ‘We had a smashing time, yes.’

  Smiling, I told Monster, ‘We shot up civilian jeeps and business on the main road in the Lobos stronghold, and the Lobos guarantee protection for those businesses, their reputation on the line here.’

  ‘The business owners will be pissed then, no insurance claim,’ Monster noted as he walked in with us.

  ‘And the Lobos will be seen to be weak, and so will have to act.’

  ‘So what will they throw at us?’

  ‘Good question, and I have no idea.’

  Midday the next day, and I now had an idea, a bomb in Panama City, a note sent to the press that it was the Lobos, revenge against Petrov. Tomsk handed a large pile of cash to the national newspaper, a million dollar reward for information about Lobos men in Panama, the state TV news running the story and the reward.

  I was pissed off, and now worried, innocent civilians in Panama City hit, the soft underbelly that I could not protect.

  Carlos called at 2pm, as I inspected and enhanced our defences. ‘There is word from Cegali, many unhappy people, Lobos losing face – a few public executions of people questioning Lobos.

  ‘The regional news reported the damage, but my sources tell me that the son and brother of a senior man were both killed, many lieutenants wounded. You did, however, damage the local regional post office compound.’

  ‘Ah … that could have been avoided, yes. Anyone hurt there?’

  ‘No, it was empty save a night guard.’

  ‘Anyone hur
t by my attack?’

  ‘I have not heard of any yet, except the Lobos in their compound.’

  ‘That’s something at least.’

  ‘The pig shit plane will be ready soon.’

  ‘Has the pilot been well paid?’

  ‘He will do this job, then leave for Brazil, not to return.’

  ‘I guess he has already picked out the beach hotel he desires.’

  ‘Most likely, yes.’

  ‘Send him just after dark, to spray the main road from 500ft, no lower.’

  After dark, Carlos was back on. ‘The crop sprayer returned from the job, the man now heading for Brazil I think. He flew down the main road at thirty feet – not 500ft, and made two passes of the town houses, which now smell bad I think.’

  ‘I think so, yes.’

  ‘He noted many people in the streets. They will be needing a shower and some new clothes.’

  ‘For sure, yes. Now we wait for a reaction, hopefully a big reaction.’

  ‘I will hear of it when it happens,’ he assured me. ‘Men in Cegali wish to switch sides.’

  I had most everyone on the wire and hidden, patrols out east and north, and we waited, getting chilled as I sat atop the wall with Monster and Sasha.

  In the morning we all yawned and stretched as the sun came out, a quiet night keeping the men bored - cold and bored.

  Carlos called at 11am, waking me as I caught a nap. ‘If have some news, and it is as you expected, a big reaction. A former Army major, now working for the highest bidder, he has sixty former soldiers, twenty American mercenaries, and sixty more hitmen. He also has good weapons.’

  ‘Where is he based?’

  ‘South, well south, but now they travel here.’

  ‘Take your men off the road to the compound. Watch it, warn me, but don’t fight anyone, protect the town and your family.’

  ‘I will get word as they approach, unless they fly in and land on a road, which is common.’

  ‘Try and get me more sandbags, more shovels, and maybe more barbed wire.’

  ‘We have plenty of barbed wire you can have, yes. I will send it.’

  Grabbing a metal pole I had seen, I rallied tied young soldiers and had them make holes in the walls so that a man could stand up and shoot out of them. And now I did think this was the Alamo.

  Others were roused and put on filling the remaining sandbags as Swan knocked out sections of wall top, for men to fire out from.

  I walked out to Running Bear, finding a long trench with ponchos over the top, a happy home and a snug home. He peered up. ‘We got the game on. Ex-Army major and his men, plus some American mercenaries, all told maybe two hundred men, well-armed, well trained. And now well paid and well motivated.’

  His men looked up and around.

  ‘And maybe smart enough not to just walk up and get shot at,’ he noted.

  ‘We should get warning, but one tactic would be the drug dealer’s approach, and land a plane on a road.’

  ‘They won’t land two hundred men in one go,’ Running Bear noted. ‘Need a damn Hercules or two.’

  ‘They can afford a Hercules or two.’ I lifted a finger. ‘We need some radar.’ I stepped away and called Franks via the video porn shop. ‘Listen, I need some radar top cover.’

  ‘Easy enough, AWACs this side will see a hundred miles south.’

  ‘I’m interested in anything like a Hercules touching down on a road near me.’

  ‘Airports are known, so if a plane drops off radar we’d know it was up to no good.’

  ‘Soon as you can, please, and – just to make your life more interesting – a big bunch of American mercenaries have been recruited.’

  ‘Shit … fucking press will give us a hard time. But -’

  ‘But what?’

  ‘Some of those mercs are bound to be on the books. I’ll make some calls.’

  ‘I can provide bribe money, lots of it, so use that fact.’

  ‘I will do,’ he assured me.

  I stood observing the young soldiers making holes, Swan up on the wall and making “v” shaped indents, and I wondered if they did this at the Alamo. Thinking, thinking about Somalia, I called Carlos. ‘Can you get me two fifty cal, with ammo?’

  ‘We have some, yes, common around here.’

  ‘I may have a man on the inside of that group coming for us, we may get a timely warning.’

  ‘That will help, yes.’

  ‘Tell the helicopter pilots to wait, fuelled ready, and to sleep next to the helicopters. Deliver the fifty cal here, please, today. Oh, ask the pilots to turn over the engines every hour or two.’

  ‘OK, I make some calls.’

  Monster yawned and peered through a hole in the wall. ‘We at the fucking Alamo?’

  I smiled widely and shook my head. ‘That was in Texas, and they were all killed, but yes – this is the fucking Alamo. Check the crates, break out the weapons, put them around the walls under ponchos, and make sure that everyone is well armed, check the ammo. Then check the flint and the tinder and the cannons.’

  He shot me a look before he plodded off.

  Rizzo walked up. ‘We expecting them to attack here?’

  ‘Two hundred ex-soldiers and mercs on their way.’

  ‘Proper fight then,’ he approved.

  ‘Not if I can stop them before they get into first gear. Americans will have AWACS up, and if these boys fly in we’ll get some warning. Help Monster check our supplies, get the ammo ready.’

  My phone trilled as Rizzo stepped away. ‘Deputy Chief, can you talk?’

  ‘Just checking the tinder and flint for our cannons.’

  ‘Cannons?’

  ‘I have a square compound, holes being made in the walls ready for the Mexican Army.’

  ‘Ah, the Alamo. That was in Texas.’ I rolled my eyes. ‘I got the news from Cegali, two hundred jeeps shot up, businesses shot up, then they were sprayed with pig shit…’

  ‘Lobos guaranteed those businesses their protection.’

  ‘Ah, and now they’ve lost face big time. You requested AWACs?’

  ‘We have intel on a large force moving towards us, most likely a transport plane or ten landing on a road.’

  ‘And American mercs in the mix…’

  ‘Loads of them.’

  ‘We’re calling old numbers to see who answers, and who’s where.’

  ‘If your radar gets a fix I can hit them when they land, no witnesses, no American mercs on CNN.’

  ‘That would be a plus, yeah. AWACs will be in place in a few hours.’

  ‘Be a night landing I reckon, some long straight road around here with no telegraph poles.’

  ‘AWACS has a good range, they’ll spot them a long way off. Did you hear about the bomb in Panama?’

  ‘Yes, how many killed?’

  ‘Not many, but maybe a hundred wounded.’

  ‘And the feeling on the street there?’

  ‘TV news is mainlining it, anger at Lobos, no one suggesting that they hand you over, a few harsh words aimed at Mexicans - all Mexicans, from commentators down there.’

  ‘It’s the soft underbelly, and using my name hurts.’

  ‘Well, yeah, women and kids hit in your name. I’ll make some calls and check that AWACS, and the signals intel; White House is watching this one closely.’

  I sat eating steak with Edwardo, chatting about his aspirations and disappointments, and he had no desire to serve in the Mexican Army, but had considered Argentina – or Spain.

  Rizzo came and sat, ordering food from our chef. ‘Ammo is all out ready, but there’s fucking tonnes of it. RPGs are ready, box-fed.’

  I nodded as I ate, jeeps disturbing us, our rifles grabbed just in case. Two hefty Browning fifty cal were lugged down and into a hut, followed by some very heavy ammo, the jeeps leaving us - so now we could continue to eat.

  ‘What we using the fifty cal for?’ Rizzo asked.

  ‘I’ll put them on the Hueys.’

  ‘Make a m
ess of a jeep or a truck, aye. No good around here, unless they’re all bunched - up or driving in.’

  Franks called as it got dark. I had cancelled all patrols, but a new hide had been created a mile east, Monster in it with four of the young soldiers, including Edmundo for translation. ‘Two civilian Hercules and one C-160 will take off soon, be with you around 3am, landing somewhere east of you but close, men will then be out and on foot - no jeeps in the planes. AWACS has been alerted, they’ll time it for us.’

  ‘You got a man inside?’

  ‘We called people we figured might be involved, found one, a million dollars offered, so he’s pretending to be sick or limping or something and off the job.’

  ‘They suspect him…’

  ‘That’s his problem.’

  ‘We’ll be ready for 3am.’

  I walked out to Running Bear’s position, radio contact made first as it grew dark. Knelt above their trench, a view of the road south, I told them, ‘CIA got a man inside the group about to attack us, three transport planes landing a few miles east around 3am. I’ll ready a warm welcome for them, because if I don’t then you lot will have to earn your keep, your sleep interrupted.’

  ‘Comfy in here,’ came from a man.

  ‘You need us on the ambush?’ Running Bear’s dark outline asked.

  ‘No, because we may miss them, or they land early. Your AWACS is up, to time it for me. How’re your defences here?’

  ‘Two hundred yards down is a dip, barbed wire in it, and twenty yards on are the flares, so if they run for cover after hitting a flare they get caught in the barbed wire. Flares on the sides as well, 300yards down, where someone might come in.’

  ‘We have twenty-two young soldiers, and they’d react to any section being attacked, so we can bring down some fire, plenty of M60,’ I assured them. ‘And we have mortars and mortar flares, so call it out if you see a large force and we’ll drop mortars on them.’

  ‘Open ground here,’ Running Bear’s dark outline noted. ‘Be damned hard to get to us, they’d lose a lot of men.’

  ‘I don’t think Lobos care about losing men, just about losing face. 3am is kick off, listen for the helos. If the transports land unopposed they’d be here an hour or less later, so if you need a kip – take it now and have the coffee on for 3am.’