Dark Alliance

The sharp snap of the shot alerted the others. They froze, staring about them. Seeing nothing. Hearing nothing. The forest around them held shadows and light, and somewhere the man they were hunting. Com-sets buzzed with talk.

Bolan circled, picking out more wary figures. His enemies had no idea where he was now he had stopped running.

Target two was ahead of him. Less talkative than the others, he stood and listened to the jungle. His AK was up and ready as he sought his target. This guy was sharp. Alert. But it did him little good because the man he was looking for already had him in his sights.

Bolan fired a single fatal shot and the man went down.

He backed away from the killing ground and left the enemy unsure, searching and finding nothing but the dense forest.

He had counted three more, had observed their relative positions and allowed them to decide what they should do. Bolan was not in a forgiving mood. The people he had encountered since taking up his search for Maggie Connor were unrelenting in their savagery.

Not for the first time the thought entered his head that they were desperate to conceal something far bigger than illegal weapons. Ordnance, like drugs, was everyday trade to these people. The way they had responded to Maggie Connor’s investigation supported the theory that it was on a higher level than narcotics and guns.

But what?

He had to extract himself from his current situation. While he was caught in this jungle, with a trio of unfriendly locals out for blood, he could do nothing at all.

Bolan picked up the tread of a boot to his immediate right. He curled his prone body and homed in on the slow-moving bulk of an armed man. Then he detected movement beyond the man in his line of sight. This one was twenty feet to the right. They were moving in tandem, covering a strip of the forest. They knew Bolan had gone to the offensive and were tracking with more care.

The second man stepped into a clearing. He was waiting for his partner to close in. Bolan braced himself. He saw the man turn, facing his way, presenting a wider target.

He held the image, eased back on the trigger, took his shot.

As the gunman went down Bolan swiveled and tracked his partner. He had reacted to the shot, aware it had come from only a short distance away from his own position. He swung his weapon around and began to pump shots into the foliage. Bolan felt the bullets chew at the greenery close by.

A slug skinned his right arm.

The Executioner held his position, watching the dark bulk of the shooter as he twisted to get a better look at his potential target.

It was a question of who would hit their target first.

Bolan’s refusal to alter his own position allowed him that extra time to settle his aim and fire. He triggered a trio of shots, the Beretta hammering out its heavy sound in the closeness of the forest. The target flinched as the slugs hit him sidelong, angling up through his ribs to puncture lungs. He stumbled back with a heavy exhalation of breath before crashing solidly to the ground.

The Executioner picked up the merest flicker of sound behind him. Someone was really close.

The last man.

He caught a sliver of shadow on fronds to his left. The sliver expanded. Loomed over him. Instinct took over. Bolan rolled. He saw a dark shape towering over him, right arm already powering down, the intent to bury a machete deep into his skull. Bolan caught the blur of the blade as it slashed downward. Heard the soft whoosh as it cleaved the air. The blade pierced the ground as the Beretta fired. Bolan’s attacker grunted as he caught the bullets in his torso. The man toppled and the machete remained buried in the soil, inches away from Bolan.

He pushed himself into a crouch and spent the next few minutes observing the forest around him. Apart from the constant bird chatter, he picked up no other sound. He spotted no further movement. Bolan stretched his wait for another ten minutes. He felt reasonably satisfied he was alone. For the moment. Sooner or later someone would contact the base. When they received no reply men would be dispatched to find out what was happening.

Bolan realized he was far from being in the clear.

5

The first drops of rain against his face woke the Executioner. He sat up, the Uzi on track until he realized what had alerted him. He could hear the heavy patter as the rain increased and became a downpour. Even with the cover of the forest he was soaked as he climbed to his feet. The water washed the camouflage mud from his face and arms. It had served its purpose.

Bolan took stock. Which way to go? Heading deeper into the jungle could be unwise. He might find himself in isolated territory. Miles from anywhere. He was poorly equipped. He had nothing to sustain himself. All he had were the weapons he was carrying. No food or water. No protective clothing. He wasn’t even sure where he had been held.

Colombia?

Venezuela?

The background to Maggie Connor’s investigation had mentioned both countries. Had he been brought to the border district by the subjects of Maggie’s probing? His business in Florida had uncovered facts that pointed in that direction.

Bolan knew he wasn’t going to find answers by standing around in the rain. He came to a decision. His only point of reference was the base he had escaped from. Back there he might find answers. He might also find transport out of the jungle. His captors had to have had some transport to get him to the place. A truck? Jeep? Or had they flown him in by helicopter? The thought registered and Bolan figured it the most likely. If so, the chopper would eventually return. He wanted to be there when it did.

He took his time retracing his steps. The steady pace kept his battered body from stiffening up while exercising his muscles. The rain stayed with him, hammering down with the ferocity only found in tropical climes. The already-soft jungle floor became waterlogged. The downpour soaked through to his skin. Despite the rain the temperature stayed warm, and once the downpour ended, the sullen heat would return with a vengeance. The enclosed atmosphere would trap the warmth in a steamy cocoon.

Bolan came to the edge of the jungle. He stared across the clearing at the silent base. There was no movement or sound. Just the bodies of the gunmen he had taken down on his exit from the cell block. He spent the next thirty minutes circling the area, viewing it from all angles and confirming his thoughts. The place was deserted and he saw no means of transport. On the farthest side of the clearing he spotted a flat patch that bore the imprint of a helicopter’s landing gear. There were dark patches from oil seepage, as well.

He moved back to the cluster of buildings, still cautious.

There were three empty stone huts. One had an open frontage and served as a crude kitchen. There were sleeping quarters, with rough wooden pallets holding blankets. The final hut would have been the HQ and storage area. When Bolan went in he saw a radio transceiver against one wall. Equipment was strewn around the place. He spotted a case of bottled water. He opened one and took a long drink.

Crossing to the radio Bolan flicked on the power switch. The set remained dead. He followed a power cord and saw it disappear through the stone wall. He stepped outside and walked behind the building where a lean-to protected a portable generator unit. He checked out the small motor that drove the generator. About to fire it up he saw that someone had removed the lead that connected to the spark plug in the cylinder head. No spark, no ignition. No power to the radio. Someone had been thinking on his feet. The missing lead was probably in the pocket of one of the dead men back in the jungle.

The Executioner went to the makeshift kitchen and searched for food. In a metal locker he found some cans of corned beef. He broke the ring pull seal and opened a can. The smell of the meat made his empty stomach growl. He used his fingers to gouge out a portion and ate sparingly. He ignored the demands of his appetite. Overeating would be dangerous. He took the can with him as he returned to the HQ hut, and ate a little more corned beef, washing it down with some water. He moved one of the crude wooden chairs closer to the door to see the landing site. He ran a hand over his face, feeling the thick stubble that had grown during his captivity. He waited patiently, allowing his body to recharge.

THE DISTANT SOUND CAUGHT his attention. It rose and faded, broken up by the drumming of the rain on the roof. But it was a sound Bolan recognized instantly. Rotors beating the air.

The helicopter was getting closer. The sound was building. Then he saw it. A red, silver and blue Bell 206B3 JetRanger III. It came into sight above the tree line, angling down as it swooped over the base. Bolan watched it circle a number of times before the pilot settled it onto the landing site. The rotors began to slow as the power was cut. No one climbed out, even after the rotors ceased moving. They were being cautious. The guards had not shown themselves and radio silence remained.

The Executioner knew he would have reacted the same way given the circumstances.

Eventually, hatches opened and the pilot and his passenger climbed out. Both men were armed. Huddled together at the front of the chopper they discussed how to handle the situation. There was no doubt they had spotted the dead men.

Bolan ran a double check of his weapons. The reloaded Uzi was set to one side. He set an AK-74 for full auto mode. He knew the men were not there to ask after his welfare. He saw them move, AK assault rifles in their hands as they double-timed in the direction of the camp. They were aiming directly for the hut where Bolan was waiting.

He watched the two men as they closed in.

The lead man opened fire as he approached the hut. Bolan saw the wink of flame from the black muzzle.

He snapped up his own weapon, returning fire that ripped splinters from the door frame, then continued on to puncture the gunner’s torso in a bloody spray. The man stumbled back, face contorted, mouth open in a warning shout. Bolan hit him with a second burst that rolled him along the side of the hut and dropped him facedown on the sodden ground.

A blur of movement showed in the open doorway. The second man ignored his partner’s warning and ran directly into Bolan’s line of fire. The Executioner held his finger on the trigger and cleared the magazine, blowing his target to shreds.

Crouching, he fed in a fresh magazine and cocked the assault rifle before he did anything else. He climbed to his feet, feeling the overwhelming fatigue returning, and knew if he didn’t get some rest he was going to fall flat on his own face. He had to find out why he’d ended up at the camp and what Raul Manolo was planning. But first he had to make his final escape.

6

Florida

It was late by the time Bolan arrived in Riba Bay. He pulled in at the first motel he saw, took a room and slept through to morning. A long shower helped to clear his head. After a shave he dressed in fresh clothing, hung the shoulder rig under his jacket and walked to the diner across the road. He sat down and realized how hungry he was. The previous day had been too busy to allow him to eat. He ordered a solid breakfast and coffee.

While he waited he called Hal Brognola. The big Fed didn’t sound too happy and grouched his way through the preliminaries.

“That set-to on the highway is going to take some time to settle. I didn’t expect a small war to break out when I asked you to look for Maggie.”

“Same goes for me.” Bolan paused as the waitress brought his coffee. “Has Bear picked up anything else from her intel?”

“A couple of Cubans. Chico Delgado. Turns out he’s a wheeler-dealer. And there’s a government minister. Santos Perez.”

“Mixed up with Colombians?”

“Struck me as curious.”

“Anything on the crew who pulled the roadblock?”

“Bear pulled the rap sheets of the perps from the Florida State Trooper’s database. Fingerprints identified three of them. They were all hard cases with records going back years. All had done time. One of them was linked with Raul Manolo a couple of years back.”

“It’s starting to look like Manolo doesn’t want me treading on his toes.”

“Striker, watch out for Manolo. His sheet reads like he’s a career psycho. He’s literally got away with murder on a number of occasions. It’s like he’s untouchable.”

“Candidate for a visit, then,” the Executioner said.

“Maggie made some mention of weapons trading. She hadn’t pinned it down when her notes ran out.”

“Colombian drug dealers. Cubans. Now guns. This is getting heavy.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. I’m going to pass you over to Bear. He wants to download some images to your cell.”

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