The Hunt For Atlantis

FIVE

After confiscating the group’s belongings, the soldiers directed their prisoners outside at the point of their rifles, locally made copies of the German Heckler and Koch G3. Hajjar followed with the briefcase containing the artifact, a gloating smile on his pudgy face.

Chase saw Hafez kneeling with his hands behind his head by the Land Rover, all its doors wide open. Two more soldiers guarded him. Other troops surrounded the building. He immediately realized what had happened: the soldiers had been hiding at the top of the steep slope above the farmhouse, using ropes to make a fast descent.

He saw that a couple of the Iranians were carrying Russian-made Dragunov sniper rifles, equipped with laser sights as well as telescopic scopes. That explained why Hafez hadn’t gotten off a warning. Being pinned under the needlelike line of a laser, with the knowledge that a high-velocity bullet could explode against the glowing red spot in an instant, encouraged a person to keep very, very still and quiet.

“I’m sorry, Eddie,” said Hafez. “There were too many of them.” One of the guards kicked him.

“I think we all bollocked things up this time,” Chase replied. The possibility of Hajjar enlisting military backup hadn’t even occurred to him. The dealer’s corruption spread much further than he’d thought.

In the distance he spotted a dull brown truck rumbling up the dirt road. It must have been parked out of sight, responding to a summons now that the soldiers’ mission had been completed.

Hajjar approached an officer, hanging the briefcase from his hook as he shook hands. “Captain Mahjad! May I introduce my… business associates?”

Mahjad, a lanky, bearded man, grinned at the group of captives. “A pleasure. So, Failak, what do you want done with them?”

“The blond woman and the Russian, I’m going to take them with me.”

Mahjad leered at Kari, who shot him an icy look in return. “I don’t know about him, but I can definitely see why you’d take her.”

“It’s nothing like that. Although…” Hajjar looked thoughtful, then laughed again. “As for the others, I don’t really care. Just as long as they don’t come after me.”

“Not a problem. The Ministry of Culture has been cracking down on foreigners trying to steal our treasures. They should get at least twenty years in prison-if they live to reach trial.”

“I’ll leave that up to you.” Hajjar snapped his fingers at his bodyguards. “Handcuff them,” he said, indicating Kari and Volgan.

“Where are you taking her?” Chase shouted. One of the soldiers slammed the butt of his rifle into his back, sending him reeling.

“To my home. Don’t worry, nothing will happen to her. As long as her father cooperates.”

“You’re going to ransom me?” Kari asked, appalled. One of the bodyguards pulled her hands behind her back, clicking a pair of handcuffs around her wrists.

“I think another ten million dollars seems fair, don’t you?” said Hajjar to Chase, ignoring her. “If I had such a beautiful daughter, I’d think it was a bargain.” He dropped his voice to a more menacing tone. “To make sure she stayed beautiful.”

“You do anything to her,” Chase growled, “and I’ll kill you.”

“Is that the best threat you can come up with?” scoffed Hajjar.

“After you beg me to.”

Hajjar shrugged. “Better. I’ll worry about it… in twenty years.”

“Mr. Chase,” said Kari as the bodyguards pulled her and Volgan away, “remember what you were hired for. Protect Dr. Wilde. That’s your top priority.”

“But-”

“Do you understand?”

Chase nodded reluctantly. “Yeah.”

“Good.” She turned her attention to the helicopter, then to Hajjar. “You only have five seats, and there’s six of us. Or are you going to dangle from the skids by your hook?”

“You can ride on Yuri’s lap,” said Hajjar with a lecherous smirk. “He deserves a last pleasure… before I sell him back to Qobras.”

The blood drained from Volgan’s face. “What? No! No, Failak, we had a deal!”

“And I’m sure Qobras will have a better one. Why should I settle for three million dollars when I can keep all ten million, and have Qobras pay me even more to get you and the artifact back?”

“No!” Volgan shrieked. Even though his hands were cuffed behind his back, he threw himself against the bodyguard holding him, slamming him off balance.

The other bodyguard whirled, releasing his hold on Kari’s arm-as the Russian drove a kick deep into his stomach. Volgan jumped over the bodyguard as he fell, and ran awkwardly for the farmhouse. The soldiers overcame their surprise, weapons coming up.

“Don’t shoot!” cried Hajjar. Mahjad looked startled, then urgently repeated the order.

The soldiers paused for an instant, caught between trained instinct and the orders of their superior officer.

The instant was all Chase needed.

He grabbed the barrel of the nearest soldier’s rifle, jerking it out of the startled man’s grip and twisting his wrist to flip the gun over onto its back as his other hand stabbed at the trigger.

He felt the heat of the bullet through the metal barrel as the gun fired, scorching his palm. The soldier lurched backwards, the bullet ripping right through him and showering the Land Rover with blood and mashed lung tissue.

Before any of the other soldiers could react, Chase flipped the gun over again, jamming the selector switch to full auto and unleashing bursts of fire at the soldiers with the Dragunovs. They fell. If the remaining soldiers fired at him, they ran the risk of hitting their own comrades, which would deter them for a moment.

“Nina!” he shouted. She stared uncomprehendingly at him, totally unprepared for his lethal flurry of action. He reached out to grab her arm, but one of the soldiers reacted more quickly than his companions and tackled Nina to the ground. Chase couldn’t shoot him without hitting her-

He immediately changed tactics. “Hugo!” he yelled, jerking his head at the Land Rover. Castille was already following his example, grappling with a soldier for his rifle.

Another soldier smashed his rifle onto the back of his skull. Castille collapsed.

Chase snapped his head around at the sound of a pained gasp. Hafez was trying to get to his feet, but one of the guards kicked him back down. The other was aiming at Chase with his G3-

Chase dived into the back of the Land Rover. He had just enough time to slam the door shut before the window blew apart, bullets chunking through the 4×4’s aluminum skin.

“Eddie!” Nina screamed as the soldier pulled her to her feet, hauling her roughly away from the Land Rover. She struggled and kicked, but he was too strong for her to escape. Another two men pinned Castille to the ground.

The soldier kept firing, emptying his entire ammo clip into the vehicle.

For a moment, everything was silent. Then he grabbed the handle of the bullet-riddled door and yanked it open.

The Land Rover was empty. The soldier stared in confusion. Then he heard a faint noise and looked down.

In the rear footwell, the hand grenade rolled to a stop.

He opened his mouth to scream-

The scream never emerged. The grenade exploded, blasting him backwards in a storm of jagged metal.

The soldiers holding Castille were caught in the blast, as was Hafez’s remaining guard. But their prisoners, flat on the ground, escaped unharmed as the deadly shrapnel shot over them.

Lying against the rear wheel on the other side of the Land Rover, Chase clamped his hands over his ears as the door above him was blown from its hinges. He watched it whirl away like a giant square Frisbee and crash down on the slope below.

Chase looked under the vehicle. The nearest soldiers were all either injured or dead, but the others were recovering from the shock of the explosion. At least ten of them, all armed.

All angry.

Kari’s long white coat immediately caught his eye by the helicopter. One of Hajjar’s bodyguards held her, and the Iranian captain was covering her with his pistol as he screamed orders to his men.

Nina-

The soldier who’d tackled her had his arms wrapped around her in a bear hug as he dragged her backwards.

No way he could risk a shot. And his G3 only had a few bullets left anyway.

Mind racing, he assessed the situation.

Nina was relatively safe for the moment, even as a captive, but it wouldn’t take long for one of the Iranians to get the idea to use her as a hostage, forcing him to surrender. Hajjar and Captain Mahjad spoke English-and they had heard Kari order him to protect Nina above everything else…

Which meant that to protect her right now, he had to abandon her.

He grabbed the G3 and crouched in the cover of the smoking Land Rover as he backed away-then sprang up and fired his remaining bullets in a sweep. He was deliberately aiming high, not trying to hit anyone but instead forcing them to duck, confusing them as he ran, sprinting for the steep slope down to the valley floor.

Rifles crackled behind him as the solders opened fire.

The valley opened out below, the lazy curve of the railway lines vanishing into the tunnel.

A bullet hissed past his head, close enough for him to feel its shockwave. He jumped, clearing the edge of the slope, and flew through the air to land on-

The Land Rover’s door!

It skidded down the hill in a flurry of dust and gravel, Chase clinging to it like a child on a speeding sled.

He knew it wouldn’t take him far-the slope was too rocky. But he didn’t need it to. He just needed the extra yards it could give him before the soldiers reached the edge and fired down after him.

A boulder loomed ahead, poking out of the hillside like a bad tooth. Chase jumped again, throwing himself sideways and hitting the ground hard as the door smashed into the rock and crumpled like cardboard. He tried to use his feet to brake himself, but he was moving too fast and tumbled helplessly down the hill. Grit spat into his face, blinding him.

Gunfire from above!

Something whipped against him. Not a bullet, but plants, tough grass and scrubby bushes. That meant he was near the bottom. But how near?

He forced his eyes open against the stinging dust… and saw the ground drop out from under him.

With a yell that echoed all the way back to the top of the slope, Chase fell into empty space.

One of the soldiers winced. “Ow. That’ll hurt.” The foreigner had shot right over the top of the entrance to the railway tunnel and plunged out of sight onto the tracks.

“Serves the bastard right!” snarled the man next to him. Special forces or not, a drop that high onto the unforgiving steel and concrete of a railway line would break a bone or two, maybe even kill a man.

Mahjad strode over to them and looked down. The Englishman’s route down the steep slope was easy to follow, a trail of drifting dust winding down to the tunnel. “Get the ropes,” he ordered. “I want three men to go down there and find him. If he’s dead, take his body to the train yard. If he’s alive…” his face twisted with a mix of anger and sadistic humor, “take his body to the train yard.”

“Sir!” The soldiers saluted, three of them preparing to descend the slope.

Mahjad walked back to Hajjar. The fleeing Russian had been recaptured, and now stood under guard with the other prisoners. “This is all your fault!” Mahjad snapped, jabbing a finger into Hajjar’s face. “You didn’t tell me he was some sort of trained assassin!”

“I didn’t know myself!” Hajjar blustered. “I thought he was just an ex-soldier she’d hired as a bodyguard!” He gestured at Kari, who glared back with chilly disdain.

“I’ve got four dead men and another three wounded! How am I going to explain this? How?”

Hajjar licked his lips nervously, sweating even in the cool breeze. “Perhaps… a donation of some sort to their families? And their commanding officer?”

“I’ll tell you what sort of donation, Failak,” snarled Mahjad. He paused for a moment. Hajjar’s nervousness grew. “A very large one.”

“I’ll make the arrangements as soon as I return to my home,” said Hajjar, relieved.

Mahjad regarded him coldly. “You’d better.”

“You have my word. Now,” he said, giving Kari another look, “I have to leave. There’s some urgent business I need to take care of-and it would be best if we’re not seen together at the scene of this… unfortunate incident.”

Mahjad nodded reluctantly, and his soldiers drew Nina, Castille and Hafez away while the others boarded the Jet Ranger. Volgan, now too scared to protest, sat in the center rear seat, one of Hajjar’s bodyguards on either side, while Kari was forced onto his lap. With her hands cuffed behind her back, there was little she could do to resist as the seat belt was tightly secured around her waist, effectively tying her to Volgan.

Hajjar took the copilot’s seat. “Oh, Ms. Frost,” he said, reaching back to take her chin in his one hand, “no need to look like that. You won’t be mistreated-you’re far too valuable. As long as your father cooperates, at least.”

Kari jerked out of his grasp. “You’ve made the worst mistake of your life, Hajjar.”

He gave her a smug smile. “Now, now. There’s no need to make this unpleasant. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. And if you want to help Yuri relax…” he glanced at the ashenfaced Volgan behind her, “then by all means wriggle about. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. The last pleasure of the condemned man, hmm?” The smile turned cold. “Just don’t wriggle too much. It would be unfortunate if my bodyguards thought you were trying to escape and shot you.” One of the men poked the muzzle of his gun into her side for emphasis.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she sneered.

“Good!” Hajjar turned to his pilot. “Let’s go.”

Nina watched in shock and disbelief as the helicopter took off and wheeled away. From New York academia to Iranian prisoner in the space of two days-what the hell had happened to her life?

And now Kari was being held for ransom, and as for Chase…

She couldn’t understand much of what the soldiers were saying, but from their unhurried pace it was clear they thought he was dead.

A large military truck arrived at the farmhouse. As the soldiers shoved her, Castille and Hafez aboard, she had to fight not to cry.

Chase took a last deep breath and braced himself.

He had just managed to twist around as he plunged over the edge and caught a small outcrop of rock with one hand. Dangling like a puppet, it took him almost a minute to bring up his other hand and fully secure himself.

Not that it helped.

He was hanging directly above one of the railway lines. The tips of his toes were a good eighteen feet above the track, which even for an SAS man wasn’t a drop to be taken lightly, and there was absolutely nothing to soften the fall. About the only way his landing could be any nastier would be if he were over a bed of spikes.

But he had no choice. Shouts and a warning rattle of stones skittering down the slope told him he was about to have company.

So-drop!

Even though he was ready for the impact, bending his knees and rolling, pain still ripped through his legs as if they’d been hit with an iron bar. He fell heavily, gasping in agony as the unyielding metal of the railway track smashed against his chest. Fighting through the pain, he forced himself to crawl off the line.

Damage assessment. Both legs hurt like hell, and his left ankle had taken the brunt of the impact, but nothing was broken. He knew what that felt like.

He sat up, grimacing at another throb of pain from his ribs. On the plus side, it would have been a lot worse if he hadn’t been wearing his tough leather jacket. After a few deep breaths, focusing himself, Chase got to his feet-

And let out a roar of fury.

It wasn’t so much an expression of agony as a way to release it, to control it. Some of the SAS’s pain management techniques were rough and ready-but they worked.

“Oh, now I’m pissed off,” he rasped.

A noise from above attracted his attention. Not the soldiers coming after him, but Hajjar’s helicopter, disappearing over a ridge. The hook-handed bastard was taking Kari away, planning to force a ransom from her father.

What to do?

Kari Frost was his employer-and he doubted her father would be very understanding if he let anything happen to her. A failure like that would probably end his career on the spot. Nobody would ever hire him again.

On the other hand, as his employer she had given him a very specific order-the reason he’d been hired in the first place.

Protect Nina Wilde.

And if the soldiers had her, they probably had Castille and Hafez as well. The truck he’d seen could only go one way, back down the road past the train yard.

The train yard…

If he could get there in time, he might be able to find another vehicle, a way to follow them.

And rescue them.

Gritting his teeth as pain jabbed through his ankle, Chase ran along the railway line.