Falcon Falls Security Boxed Set: Books 1-3, page 67
“Alpha Five and Seven, prepare to take out their tower overwatch,” Gray ordered Jesse and Thatcher, and God, Jesse hated that Thatcher had a call sign. “Bravo One, on my mark, you’ve got the guard out front.”
“New information,” Carter rushed out a moment later. “The drone also caught sight of Zoran’s son.” He quickly provided the boy’s location. “If he’s in the castle, Zoran must be there as well.”
Which meant Carter had been right. Yuri had more than likely planned to bring the three of them to the castle after exploding the C4 in the mine to take down the rest of their teammates. Zoran wanted his revenge. He wanted to watch Jesse and Ella die.
“No innocents are to become collateral damage,” Carter commanded. “Understood?”
“Roger that,” the two teams answered over the radio in unison, and of course, they’d do everything in their power to prevent a child from dying or any of the other innocent people inside getting hurt.
“Alpha Five and Seven, send two headshots in thirty seconds,” Gray told them, and Jesse readied his rifle.
“Just like in Bulgaria, the two of us are about to fire at the same time,” Thatcher said. “But maybe kill your mark this time?”
Jesse gritted his teeth once again, ignored his former boss, and remained steady. “This is Alpha Five,” he said when it was time. “Target acquired and locked. Preparing the shot in three, two, one.” He and Thatcher fired at the same time.
“This is Alpha Two, breachers up. Clear to infil.”
Jesse quickly stood and patted Thatcher on the shoulder, signaling for him to move. If Yuri wasn’t aware that three of his men had just been taken out, he’d know in a matter of seconds that his plan had backfired because Jack and Oliver were setting the breaching charges at the backside, and Bravo Team would breach the front.
The blast would be localized, just enough det cord to get the team inside. And thankfully, Sydney’s drone had provided the location for the kid and other innocents inside so they could ensure their safety.
Jesse assumed Zoran was in the same room as his son, given the circumstances. And that prick would be his to deal with tonight for putting a revenge hit out on Ella.
“They know we’re here,” Carter said over the line a moment later. “Alpha Six and Four are now inside.”
Jesse kept his body low, his boots softly crunching across the snow, as he peered through the green-tinted scope, searching for any other tangos. When he heard the ripple of gunfire and a bullet whizzed past him, he quickly took a knee and crouched for cover behind a tree to determine the location of the shooter. “This is Alpha Five. We have a new tango in the tower. Working to get a shot to clear our way.”
“Roger that,” Gray replied, and more gunfire popped like fireworks from within the castle.
“When you have eyes on our HVT, don’t forget, he’s mine,” Zoey reminded the team, and despite her British accent, she sounded just like a Southern woman, one in particular. Hard-headed and stubborn to the core. Ella.
“Ignore her directive,” Carter snapped out, making it clear their high-value target, their HVT, was his. He wanted to finish what he started with Yuri years ago.
Jesse quickly rounded the tree, locked the shooter in the tower in his sights, and pulled the trigger. “Tango down in the tower,” Jesse alerted the team. “We’re clear to continue.” He swiveled his focus to Thatcher, now at his six, who nodded, and they began moving again.
“This is Alpha Four,” Jack said. “Advancing to the second level. First floor now clear for entry.”
“This is One,” Gray replied. “That’s a good copy. Advancing in now.”
“Stop.” Thatcher suddenly grabbed hold of Jesse’s arm and yanked him back just in time to avoid a headshot from an unexpected tango. Seconds later, Thatcher pegged the shooter near the bushes by the castle.
Jesse let go of a deep breath and purely out of reflex, gave Thatcher a nod of thanks for saving his ass.
He’d thought he had his head on straight, but he’d nearly lost it. Distracted. Yeah, I’m still distracted. Fucking great.
“This is Six,” Oliver said as he and Thatcher entered the castle from where his team members had blown the door down not long ago. “Second floor now clear. Two more tangos down.”
Jesse rounded a corner, checking the hallway for new threats as Carter instructed, “Bravo One, send two men to the boathouse in case any men from the mountainside escape our snipers there and head this way via water.”
“Roger that,” Bravo One replied just as a crackling sound came over the castle’s intercom system.
“Dominick,” a voice rang out from the built-in speakers, most likely used for the daytime tours. “This is unexpected.”
Jesse set his back flat to the wall and moved his NVGs back in place, scouring the dark hallway as he let the sling take his rifle and reached for a sidearm and knife. He had a feeling he knew what was coming next.
Yuri would attempt to pressure Carter and the others into revealing themselves in exchange for the hostages on the third level. What choice did he have?
“You’ve got us outnumbered,” Yuri went on. “But I have four innocent people here with me. If you don’t want their blood on your hands, then you’ll allow my men to disarm you so we can have a face-to-face. Zoran Mestrović wants Jesse though. I’m sure he’s here, but without the lovely Ella.” Yuri’s use of Ella’s name had Jesse’s skin crawling.
“You kill the hostages, and you lose your only leverage,” Carter responded, and he must have grabbed hold of one of the castle’s radios from his current location because his voice sounded over the intercom speakers. “You have another card up your sleeve. What is it, Yuri? How do you really plan to get us alone?”
Static filled the line for a second. “You’re right. You do know me well. Unfortunately, you were correct in assuming the mine was a decoy, a way to separate you from your team. I’d always planned to bring you here. But there is a bomb in the village. I don’t lie, remember?”
Jesse’s stomach turned, and his body went rigid at what he was suggesting.
Ella and Sydney. No. Fucking. No.
“Come upstairs and order your men to back off, and you can have the location. I’ll take Zoey in exchange for Ella. She comes upstairs as well,” Yuri announced.
“Ella will be okay,” Thatcher said before moving toward a panel on the wall.
The intercom. What are you doing?
“You want me, Zoran, not Jesse,” Thatcher remarked, his voice filling the speakers. “I was the one who killed your wife.”
“What are you doing, damn it?” Jesse hissed at Thatcher. They were running out of time, and no way would the man sacrifice himself for Jesse. Thatcher must not have trusted Jesse to get the job done. He wanted to be in the room with Yuri.
Thatcher held up a hand, a request for Jesse to let him handle the situation.
“We’ll sort it out. The four of you come, then. I’ll let you make a call to deal with the bomb once you’re with me,” Yuri said. “Order the rest of your men to stand down and leave the castle grounds.” He went quiet for a few seconds. “If you don’t, I make the call to detonate the bomb now, and you turn me into a terrorist.”
“This is Alpha Two,” Carter transmitted over their radios, “we have no choice. Alpha Six, get Juliet on the phone and tell her what’s going on. Let her know I’ll call the second I get the location, and you’ll need to explain to her how to defuse the bomb over the phone.”
What if they were too late? What if Yuri detonated the bomb anyway?
This is my fault. He shouldn’t have left Ella across the lake. Or maybe he should’ve . . . what? What could I have done?
“Focus,” Thatcher ordered, standing before him now and gripping his shoulder. “If you don’t want her to die, think about Ella as motivation, not as a distraction.” God, how he hated getting a pep talk from this man. “You made a promise, remember?” Thatcher reminded him of his own words. “Now it’s time to fucking keep it.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“His men are gone,” one of the guards said upon entering the room. The place was dark with two wall sconces as the only source of illumination, which afforded them just enough light to see. Three windows faced the mountainside on one wall, three the direction of the lake on the other.
Zoran was in his wheelchair alongside his son, who had his back to the wall where he sat on the floor, hugging his knees, eyes on the ground. Zoran appeared frail, not like the robust man Jesse had scoped eighteen months ago. His too-long brownish-gray hair was partially hidden by the popped collar of his jacket, and his hair nearly concealed his eyes from view as well.
Jesse diverted his focus from Zoran to check on the four hostages tied up, thankfully within range of one of the windows that Sydney’s drone had spotted them through earlier. Their hands were tied behind their backs as they sat in what looked like dining chairs that’d been brought into the room. Black cloth bags hung over their heads, and since they were quiet, Jesse assumed their mouths were taped as well. But there were twitches of movement to indicate they were still alive.
Two men armed with AKs flanked them, standing just off to the side of the window and out of range for any of Alpha or Bravo Team’s men to take a shot.
But where was Yuri?
Jesse, Carter, Zoey, and Thatcher had been stripped of not only their weapons and ammo, but their chest plates as well. Not a great sign.
“You’re the one who shot me.” Zoran’s wheelchair whirred as he moved closer, but Jesse tore his gaze over to Zoran’s frightened ten-year-old boy.
This asshole isn’t going to win Father of the Year anytime soon, Jesse thought bitterly.
“I am.” Jesse had his only “weapon” ready to go, his fists locked at his sides. “I didn’t shoot your mother though,” he said, speaking to the kid, causing the boy’s eyes to dart his way.
He saw something of himself in that boy. A father was supposed to protect his child, not hurt him.
“Where’s the bomb? Where’s Yuri?” Carter stepped away from the wall where they’d been lined up, but in doing so, one of the armed men trained his AK on him.
“You killed my wife?” Zoran asked, his tone sharp as he looked at Thatcher instead of answering Carter.
“Your brother and your right-hand man offered you and your wife in exchange for intelligence. I did what I had to do,” Thatcher remarked.
Zoran tipped his head, quietly studying Thatcher as he lifted a 9mm from his lap. “Tell me why I shouldn’t end your life.”
“You want revenge for the death of a woman who cheated on you with your brother?” Thatcher asked.
Zoran rolled closer. “Your intelligence is inaccurate. My wife didn’t cheat on me. Yes, my brother is the boy’s biological father, but only because I’m sterile.” Zoran kept his weapon steadily focused on Thatcher. “I wanted our son to have my blood, at the very least. My wife was, what is the saying, artificially inseminated.” His eyes remained locked on Thatcher. “My brother wanted the boy. He betrayed me. Aleksa Stanković betrayed me. My wife? No, she was no traitor.” And with that, Zoran abruptly fired. Thatcher snarled and clutched his shoulder as he went down on a knee, but the stubborn SOB didn’t make a sound, unlike the hostages who cried out, their voices muffled.
Two weeks ago, Jesse would’ve knelt alongside his old boss to help. But now? He hated that even a small piece of him worried Thatcher might die. After everything Thatcher had done, and with Ella still in danger . . . he should’ve asked Zoran for the gun and killed his former boss himself.
“You put me in this chair,” Zoran noted, his eyes and now the gun in his hand pointed to Jesse. Biting down on his back teeth, Jesse prepared himself for the bullet that was sure to come.
“I told you to wait,” a man barked out as he strode through the open double doors with a few armed men. Jesse breathed a quiet sigh of relief, pretty sure Yuri had just saved him from taking a bullet.
“Yuri,” Zoey whispered, stepping forward alongside Carter.
“Hello, Zoey.” Yuri strode closer to the four of them.
The lighting wasn’t good enough for Jesse to make out the man’s eye color, but he was well-built, at least six-four, and had dark hair. The light from the sconces, though dim, highlighted the scar on his cheek that Carter had gifted him years ago.
“Where’s the bomb?” Jesse asked, needing to cut straight to the point to save Ella and Sydney. And a thousand others.
“My men won’t interfere and risk you killing us or the hostages if that’s what you’re afraid will happen once you share the location.” Carter managed to keep his tone steady when Jesse knew he wanted to rip the man apart.
Yuri stroked his jaw, his eyes roaming over Carter as if he’d been waiting for this moment for so long he almost didn’t believe Carter was really there. “You know, tonight hasn’t gone much differently than I originally planned. You’re still here. The bomb is still there.” He pointed to the window, the direction of Hallstatt. “And we’ll have our . . . what do you Americans call it? A Western showdown.”
“The bomb,” Jesse prompted, holding himself back from lunging forward and getting their showdown started right the fuck now. If that’s what this hitman wanted, he’d happily go up against him.
Yuri lifted his wrist and checked his watch like he had all the time in the world. “In fifteen minutes, a bomb inside the Bone House will detonate. Hidden in the room where the decorated skulls are located. That’s not enough time for your men to get across the lake, so I hope you have someone there who can defuse it.” He shrugged, then flicked his finger, gesturing for Carter to make the call.
Fifteen minutes? He struggled to remain calm, but his pulse raced and his stomach knotted.
He doesn’t want to be labeled as a terrorist, Jesse reminded himself, hoping the assassin wouldn’t suddenly change his tune tonight. If anything happened to Ella . . . so help him.
But Yuri, a man who’d been so clever for decades, had to be off his game. Otherwise, he’d have anticipated Falcon Falls’ arrival, and the team could use that to their advantage. Press the right buttons to guide the narrative their way.
Jesse pivoted his focus to Carter holding the phone, speaking to Sydney. He searched his memories for what he knew about the Bone House from his research on Hallstatt. The Bone House was in St. Michael’s Chapel, a stone’s throw away from their lakefront lodge.
When Carter lowered the phone, he looked at Jesse with a slight nod, letting him know Sydney was on it.
“How do you want this to play out?” Carter asked coolly after pocketing his phone. “You’re armed, and we’re not.”
Yuri stepped alongside Zoran’s wheelchair. “He’s unable to fight for his revenge, but others can do it for him. Unless you want to just go for him now?”
Zoran looked over his shoulder at Yuri, sweeping his hair away from his face as if needing to get a good look at the man, seemingly confused by his cryptic words.
“On second thought,” Yuri started while pivoting to face Zoran, “I’ll take care of it.” He shot Zoran twice in the chest, and more cries erupted from the hostages.
Yeah, you’re nuts. Jesse ripped his focus toward the boy who’d watched his father executed before his eyes, but the kid didn’t budge.
“That wasn’t ideal,” Yuri said after Zoran’s body had slumped forward in the chair. “But he insisted on being here, which means he saw my face. My deal with him was to kill you and Ella,” he added, “but I never promised he’d leave alive.”
The last thing Jesse had expected was for Yuri to eliminate one of their problems for them. Evidence Yuri wasn’t stable, especially in Carter’s presence. But to be honest, Jesse wasn’t so sure if he’d be able to kill Zoran in front of the kid.
“And what of the boy?” Zoey whispered, her attention riveted toward the ten-year-old.
Yuri followed her gaze to the kid. “I’ll train him. A new me, what do you think?” He sported a slight smile, eyeing Zoran in his wheelchair, and then he handed off his weapon to one of his guards and gestured for him to remove Zoran.
Jesse needed to try and get Yuri as close to the window as possible. Griffin was their best sniper, but he wasn’t with them tonight, so Jack was on the long gun. With any luck, he was already perched on high ground, his scope trained on the window, ready for when he had a clean shot.
“Are you giving us guns to even the playing field?” Carter asked as Yuri began to roll one dress shirt sleeve to his elbow. “I thought you wanted a face-off? Or do you plan on being like Stalin? Line us up and shoot?”
Yuri winced at being compared to a Russian. Smart thinking, Carter. While waiting for Yuri’s next moves, Jesse glanced at Thatcher, still on his knees and holding his shoulder.
“Fine, fine.” Yuri did a three-sixty in the room to peer at his men. “Rifles down.”
The guards looked at each other, their fear on display that their boss was losing it. That it was becoming more inevitable by the second that they’d end up dead just like their counterparts who Falcon had taken down upon infiltrating the castle.
“Now,” Yuri yelled, spit flying from his mouth. He smoothed a hand over the scar on his cheek, a gleam in his eyes as he looked at the man who had put it there, no doubt excited that he was on the cusp of the payback he cherished.
Yuri’s men slowly set down their AKs as if more afraid their boss would turn on them than Jesse and the others at the moment. They kicked them away, but Jesse had to assume they were also packing sidearms and knives.
“You’re mine, Yuri. You deal with me,” Zoey calmly said.
Yuri grinned as if impressed by her boldness, but Carter grabbed hold of her arm when she tried to move past him.
“Zoey, Zoey.” Yuri shook his head as Carter restrained the woman who appeared to be hell-bent on her own revenge. “What if I were to tell you I didn’t kill your fiancé that day?”
“You’re lying,” she responded, and Yuri flinched as if offended.
