Reign of Evil

CHAPTER 29

Yank was the worst off. He’d sustained a concussion and had trouble coming to. There were no bruises or contusions, but he couldn’t explain what happened.

Sassy Moore’s migraine was so bad, she could barely open her eyes, brought on by the vicissitudes of astral combat. She claimed that she had fought and defended herself against no fewer than five warlocks. She held a long package to her chest that Laws was pretty certain she hadn’t had at the start of the mission.

Ian had two black eyes from where he face-planted on the ground.

With the exception of exhaustion and a few contusions from flying granite, the others were fine.

After conducting a three-hour surveillance detection route, including three changes of vehicles, they made it back to Chicksands. Ian got them through the gate, and they were soon pulling into the hangar and unloading their gear. The SEALs and men of Section 9 had already broken down their weapons and cleaned them. All they needed to do was add a light coat of oil and wipe the weapons down once more.

But that would have to wait.

They had company.

Hoover stood, head low, growling at a well-dressed hulk of a man standing between two bodyguards and with three more arrayed behind them. They each had enough goon genes in their DNA that they could have been related. The central man’s demeanor was anything but calm. His hands strangled invisible children while his face threatened to transition from red to purple.

“Do you realize the damage you did? You broke a dinosaur skeleton!”

Ian and Holmes exchanged glances. Ian turned to the man and sighed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“You don’t—” He seemed to get some control. “Hundreds of thousands of euros in damage and the loss of priceless artifacts. Do you realize that those bones were given to Queen Victoria by the Crown Prince of Prussia?”

“Must have been someone else, Sir Robert.” Ian turned to head toward the back of the hangar.

“Don’t turn your back on me.”

Two of his men drew Glock pistols from shoulder holsters.

They shouldn’t have.

The SEALs brought their rifles up at once and began to create separation between themselves and their targets. Trevor paused a moment, then joined them.

Soon all five goons had pistols trained on the SEALs and stepped in front of the man Ian had called Sir Robert. The SEALs had realized he must have been the Member of Parliament Ian had told them about.

It might have remained a standoff, but they forgot to account for Genie during the fracas. Laws watched stone-faced as he came up behind the MP and placed a pistol barrel to the side of his head.

“Drop your weapons or the white guy gets it!”

The goons stepped aside and stared at the African-American squid with a gun to their boss’s head.

“We’re all white, asshole,” said Sir Robert. “Now let me go.”

“Maybe that’s your problem. You had a brother with you, he’d have watched your back.”

Trevor and Walker collected the guards’ weapons and tossed them into the back of their SUV.

Holmes came up and placed a hand on Genie’s shoulder. “You can let the man go, now.”

Genaro Stewart snapped his wrist back and stepped away until he was standing by Laws.

Laws grinned. “The white guy gets it? Did you really say that?”

Genie shrugged. “I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Got their attention, didn’t it?”

Laws laughed. Moments like this were why he loved being a SEAL. “It sure did, man. It sure as hell did.”

Sir Robert snarled at his men and whirled on Holmes. “So this is SEAL Team 666.”

Holmes remained silent.

“Are you going to deny it?”

Holmes smiled grimly. “You don’t have the need to know.”

“Need to know? Do you know who you’re talking to?”

Holmes merely stared at the angry MP, letting the moment draw out until it was Sir Robert who broke it.

He spit on the floor. “You Americans think you can throw your weight around anywhere you want. You wouldn’t be anywhere if it weren’t for—”

Laws couldn’t help himself. “—an Italian discovering North America, a German monk creating the Protestant Reformation, and a handful of dissidents you didn’t want along with a bunch of profiteers who wanted to rape the land? Is that what you were going to say?”

But he knew the response he’d get. So when Sir Robert spun in Laws’s direction, he beamed his very best smile.

Before the British MP could faint from apoplexy, Ian interrupted. “Sir Robert, was there a reason for this visit?”

The MP was sweating from anger. “Just keeping my eye on you. And If I find out you were involved at all in that cock and bull at the museum, I’m going to have your ass.”

Trevor stepped forward, lowering the point of his rifle as he did. “Did you see anything on the cameras?”

“I’m told there was some sort of disturbance.”

“A lot of that going around lately,” Laws said.

Sir Robert pointed a shaking finger at all of them. “Watch yourselves.”

Ian simply nodded. “Yes, Sir Robert.”

The MP glanced around. When his eyes lit on Laws, he shook his head. “Bloody walking talking Wikipedia entry.” Then he turned with his men close on his heels. As they passed, one looked imploringly at Yank, who stood by the rear of the SUV where their guns were held.

He shook his head once, firm. “I don’t think so.”

The goon frowned and hurried to catch up to the rest of the retinue.

The SEALs and Section 9 watched them until they entered the parking lot and climbed into two sedans.

Trevor plopped down on one of the couches. “Big coincidence he showed up right after the operation.”

“Wasn’t a coincidence.” Ian turned to Preeti, who’d remained sitting and out of the way the entire time. “Did he see our prisoner?”

She nodded. “They tried to get into the room, but Genie here wouldn’t let them.”

All eyes turned to the big Navy chief, who, apparently unused to the attention, lowered his eyes and blushed.

Laws patted him on the shoulder. “Way to go, big guy. Ever thought of being a SEAL?”

Genie smiled sideways. “Too broken. Bad knees. I’m support. It’s what I do best.”

“That’s okay,” said Holmes, in a rare moment of open appreciation. “You’re a great asset to the mission.”

Laws chuckled. He just couldn’t forget the words or the white man gets it.

Holmes turned to Ian. “You know what this means, right?”

Ian nodded. “I thought we’d have a little longer, but you’re right; we need to move.” To the room he said, “Pack up your gear and break down the electronics. We’ll take whatever we can. We need to be out of here in an hour. We’re moving to Point Bravo.” Then, realizing he’d just ordered the Americans, he glanced at Holmes.

But Holmes was ahead of him. “You heard him, SEALs. Get your ass in gear.” When he saw YaYa and Walker exchange looks, Holmes added, “You want to sleep, you can do it when you’re dead.”

Everyone sprang into motion, using muscle memories from countless deployments, exercises, and inspections. The need to pack and unpack and prepare one’s gear had been imprinted on their DNA.

Preeti hobbled over to Ian, who was packing sheets into a kit bag. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Can this wait?”

She glanced around. “I suppose it can.”

Seeing the conflict in her eyes, Laws interrupted. “Let’s hear what she has to say.”

Ian stopped folding and regarded her. “What is it, dear?”

“The woman in white… the woman who took the pictures in Blackpool… I found out where she lives.”

Ian stared blankly, his jaw dropping slightly. “You what?”

Laws laughed; then he called over to Trevor, “You got a winner here, kid. The girl’s a keeper.”

Trevor looked up from stuffing the kit into his bag. “What’d she do?”

“She made Ian lose his composure.”

Ian turned, his face once again composed. “She did not. I might have been a little surprised, but then I only hire the very best.”

Laws nodded slowly. “Right. Just surprised. Right.” He dramatically looked at the floor by Ian’s feet. “Oh look, there’s your jaw….” Then Laws glanced up at Ian’s face. “Nope. You’re good. You got it.”