OUTCAST Ops: African Firestorm

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Using the conference call app on their smart phones, the four OUTCAST members in the field listened to both Danielle and Dante's descriptions of the hotel situation.

"Any chance we're being paranoid?" Liam asked.

"Not from where I'm sitting," Naomi replied. "According to Ashcroft, Hassan has eyes everywhere, and we know for a fact he had people watching Ashcroft’s house."

"And they're armed," Dante added. "Just pistols as far as I can tell, but they might have heavier firepower hidden nearby. A couple of them were carrying briefcases."

"Dani," Tanner said, "are there any other guests who might have something these guys would be interested in? Or is it only us?”

Danielle’s reply was immediate. "I've checked. Mostly tourists and businesspeople that are in fields not usually associated with criminal activity. There's ten or twelve Arabs loitering around the hotel, which is a hell of a lot for a robbery or kidnapping."

"Then it’s us," Tanner said. "We have to assume that. Let’s talk strategy."

Stephen chimed in for the first time. "They could try hitting us in the lobby.”

“I don’t think so," Liam said. "They'd want to get all six of us at once. If they try and hit us in the lobby, it would alert Dante and Dani and give them a chance to get away, right?”

"We can't be sure of that," Stephen said. "They could easily stage it as a terrorist attack. A lobby full of people would handicap us more than it would them. They don’t care about mitigating collateral damage."

"Assuming they just want to kill us," Liam continued, "they want to do it fast. The police are already on high alert after last night, so a prolonged gun battle is out. They might think we'll be easier to surprise in our rooms than in the lobby."

"I think they'll wait until we’re in our rooms and hit all three rooms at once," Tanner said. "They want answers to who we are and how much we know. They may want prisoners, but they also want our technology, especially any computers we have."

"It would be quicker and easier to grab it all at once," Liam said.

"Here's what we're going to do." Tanner outlined the plan quickly, finishing with, "Dani, Dante, make sure you sanitize the rooms, then call us when you're ready. Any questions?"

There were none, and the conference ended. Danielle packed up her computer equipment while Dante moved through the suites, wiping down all surfaces and objects with cleaning solution and cloth. They gathered everyone’s belongings and consolidated them into duffel bags.

Then they carried the bags back to Tanner and Liam's suite, and while Danielle watched the security cameras on her laptop, Dante went out, down the hall, past the elevator lobby, to a small vending area. At the back of the alcove was a door leading to a housekeeping room where linens, bath towels and other housekeeping supplies were stored. The room was locked, but Dante picked it in less than fifteen seconds, wedging a bottle of cleaner between door and jamb.

He returned to the suite and grabbed all the bags and carried them down to the linen room, putting them inside. Danielle followed a few seconds later, toting the still-open laptop. They entered the linen room, and while Danielle placed the laptop on a shelf, Dante closed and locked the door behind them. While Dante took his phone out and dialed Tanner, Danielle pulled out her H&K pistol and threaded on a sound suppressor.

Tanner answered and Dante told him they were ready.

Tamrez watched the two men enter the lobby. Both were dressed in suits and ties, but they didn't move like normal business men. Instead of the ambling of men who spent most of their time sitting and talking, these men moved with purpose. Both wore sunglasses, but Tamrez got the impression they were aware of their surroundings. Tamrez shifted his gaze to the clerk, who gave him a nod.

The pair stopped near one of the chairs and began a quiet conversation, standing close and keeping a hand over their mouth to make it impossible for anyone to lip-read. Tamrez wondered what they were discussing.

After a couple of minutes, another pair, this one consisting of a man and a woman, walked into the lobby. They were dressed less formally than the first two, but walked right over to them and joined the conversation. Another glance at the clerk confirmed that these were the other two Americans they'd been waiting for.

Tamrez found his gaze lingering on the only woman of the four. The African woman had an attractive figure and was easy on the eyes. He decided then that she would be one of the ones they took alive, for further "interrogation."

As a group, the foursome headed for the elevators, still talking amongst themselves. Tamrez waited until they had walked out of sight before he said to Dahab, "Tell the others we move in ten minutes." His man nodded and left the table.

The ten minutes passed slowly, and Tamrez, who considered himself a patient man, found it hard not to fidget. After glancing at his watch yet again, he decided it was time and stood.

Followed by Dahab, he walked out of the restaurant and into the lobby. As he made his way to the elevators, the rest of his men began to walk toward him. By the time he reached the elevator bank, he was surrounded by the rest of his team.

Tamrez directed four of his men to take one elevator, while he and the rest took the other. Once the doors closed, he and the others checked their firearms. Tamrez and two of his men had pistols, while the fourth carried a VZ-61 Skorpion machine pistol. After he had put his Browning Hi-power away, he closed his eyes and mentally prepared himself for the imminent battle.

"Six to all: Tangos in the elevator."

Danielle's voice was steady in Stephen and Liam's earpieces as they fast-walked in opposite directions from the elevators on the fourth floor. Both operators were headed for the emergency stairs at each end of the building. They reached the doors at about the same time and stopped.

"Numbers, Six," Tanner said.

"Eight in the elevators, two in each staircase," Danielle came back over the radios. "The two on the northeast staircase have just reached the second floor, while the ones in the southwest are half a floor behind them. I'm seeing only pistols and machine guns."

"Any civilians in sight?"

"Not at the moment."

"Start scrambling the security footage … Now!"

"Security footage scrambled. Hotel security is now looking at snow. We still have eyes on the Tangos."

"Copy," Liam said, reaching the northeast stairwell door. He looked back at Stephen while he screwed on his sound suppressor. "Ready?"

"Yeah.”

"The northeast pair of Tangos are on the third floor now, guns in hand," Danielle interjected.

Liam put his ear to the door and listed. When he heard echoing footsteps growing louder, he shoved hard against the door and moved into the staircase, pistol pointing down into it.

The two men charging up the stairs were caught by surprise. The first man was a third of the way up, and before he could raise his own pistol, Liam fired at him twice, the .45 rounds echoing despite the suppressor. Both rounds struck the gunman in the chest, ripping through clothing and flesh and knocking him off his feet. As the would-be killer fell, Liam shifted targets and shot the second man on the landing below. One round punched into his face while the second took him in the throat. The force slammed him into the landing wall, leaving a bloody smear on the off-white wall.

Liam tracked back to the first target, but the blood-soaked shirt told him that he was down for good. Pistol ready, he descended the stairs and checked both bodies, careful to avoid the blood.

"Two to Prime: Both Tangos down and out. Northeast stairwell secure," he transmitted, putting both men's pistols into his pockets, then rifling through the men's clothing for ID and any other useful information. He found a couple of cheap wallets and pocketed them.

Looking over the rail, Liam saw that the stairs went down more than four flights, all the way into the basement. He hauled the first body up and tossed it over the rail. It fell silently, except for the wet smack when it hit the floor. It’s not the fall that kills you…it’s getting shot before you hit the ground. The ex-SEAL chuckled grimly to himself as he hoisted the second body and disposed of it as with the first.

Danielle’s voice crackled over the comm channels. "Six to all: Tangos exiting the elevator.”

"This is Two. I'm on my way up," said Liam. He started up the stairs three at a time.