Solomon's Scrolls, page 18
part #1 of A North and Swiftwater Thriller Series
Kim eyed the maps at the end of the table and strolled toward them. At the last second, she faked tripping over her own feet. Kim brushed her hand against the maps, knocking them off the table. She instantly dropped to one knee and caught the maps before they could touch the floor. “I’m sorry,” said Kim, getting up and gently placing the maps back on the table. “I get nervous sometimes around such precious items.”
“It’s all right,” said the auctioneer. “Have you seen what you needed to?”
Kim smiled. “Yes, thank you, sir.”
Connor addressed the auctioneer. “Unfortunately, my client can not afford these items, so we will have to withdraw from the auction.”
“As you wish,” replied the auctioneer.
Kim and Connor casually made their way back to their seats.
“Do you have it?” whispered Connor.
“Uh-huh,” she replied.
“Where? I didn’t even see you take it?”
“It’s in my shirt. See, I told you I was good.”
Connor looked over his shoulder at the exits. “Now all we have to do is get out of here before anyone notices the map is missing.”
“I doubt the bearded man will care, but Vallin and Rin sure as hell will.”
“I think it’s time we got some fresh air,” suggested Connor.
Kim stood. “Yes, let’s.”
Behind them, the auctioneer rang his gavel, recommencing the auction. “Please, let us continue. I had a bid of twenty-three million dollars. Do I hear twenty-five?”
“Twenty-five,” said the bearded bidder.
Kim and Connor were almost at the door when Vallin stood. “Sir, I just spoke with my client, and he also wants me to examine the lot before the bids go any higher.”
The auctioneer placed his gavel down. “Please approach.”
Connor swore under his breath. “Time to go.”
They hurried outside and stopped in their tracks, desperately looking for a way out. Luckily, there were only a handful of soldiers hanging around their vehicles. The rest were off-duty or asleep already.
“That’ll do,” said Connor, taking Kim by the hand toward a soldier cleaning the windshield on his parked Humvee. Connor looked around to ensure no one was following them and clenched his right fist. The unsuspecting private turned and smiled at Kim, only for Connor to cold-cock him. The soldier dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
“Is he okay?” asked Kim.
“He’ll be fine in a few minutes,” said Connor, helping himself to the soldier’s keys.
They had just opened the Humvee’s doors when an alarm rang through the air.
“Get in,” said Connor firmly as he jumped in and started the engine.
Kim slid onto her seat and slammed the door shut.
Connor placed the vehicle in gear and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. Mud and rocks flew into the air behind the Humvee as it sped off. Kim quickly buckled her seatbelt.
“Where are we going?” asked Kim.
“Cambodia,” replied Connor, skirting a fuel truck. Then, with his hands clenched tight on the wheel, he aimed their Humvee straight at the front gate like a battering ram.
A soldier on guard duty saw them coming and fumbled for his pistol. In mere seconds, the Humvee was only meters from running the guard over. In an act of self-preservation, he panicked and dove to one side, landing facefirst into the mud. Then, with a curse on his lips, he got to his knees and opened fire wildly at the Humvee as it smashed through the wooden main gate. One of the guard’s poorly aimed rounds struck the bulletproof glass at the back of the vehicle, chipping a small hole.
Kim cried out and ducked at the noise.
“It’s okay,” reassured Connor. “We’re in an up-armored Humvee. It’s going to take a hell of a lot more than a pistol to stop us.”
Kim slowly sat back up. “Thanks for the warning.”
“Sorry, I didn’t have time to explain why we stole this vehicle. Now, help me find a trail heading south-south-east toward Cambodia before they send an angel of death to stop us.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Are you sure?” demanded Major Chakrii, dropping his cigar into a full glass of champagne.
“Yes,” said Vallin, standing next to the auctioneer. “There are supposed to be four, not three maps. Those people must have stolen one when they examined the lot.”
“He’s right,” said the auctioneer. “One of the maps is missing. Why they took that one is beyond me. In my opinion, it was the least useful of the four maps.”
Chakrii swore in Thai and ripped a Motorola radio from his belt. “Stand to. I say again, stand to. This is not a drill. On my orders, the base is sealed until further notice. No vehicles get in or out.”
A duty officer reported. “Sir, it’s too late. Someone stole a Humvee and crashed it through the front gate.”
“Where is it now?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
Chakrii could see his career ending before his eyes. His mouth turned dry. General Kirdpan was not the kind of man who forgave and forgot. He had to do something. Chakrii brought his Motorola to his lips. “Operations, this is the XO, I want an armed drone in the air in the next five minutes, or you’ll have to answer to me.”
“But sir, only the general can order the launch of an armed drone,” objected the duty officer.
Chakrii had had enough. “Do it, or you’re dead!”
“Yes, sir. Right away,” replied the panic-stricken officer.
“Five minutes,” grumbled Vallin. “They’ll be in Cambodia by then.”
“What the hell do I care about a line drawn on a map?” said Chakrii. “They’re not going to get away. Not on my watch.”
“Major, I used to be a soldier. Would you mind if I watched the hunt from your operations room?”
Chakrii spat on the ground. “Sure, why not? Let’s go.”
“Don’t forget me,” said Rin, walking close behind.
“I can’t see a thing,” said Kim, staring out the reinforced front windshield of their stolen Humvee as they barreled through a dark jungle trail.
Connor had switched off the vehicle’s lights the instant they left the main road to help make it harder for anyone to spot them from the air. He knew it was, at best, a stopgap measure, as any UAV sent to find them would most certainly have a thermal camera on it. But he reasoned every little bit helped.
Tree branches whipped the side of the vehicle, making it sound as if something horrible outside was trying to claw its way inside.
“How far do you think it is to the border?” asked Kim.
Connor shrugged. “We could be in Cambodia now, for all I know.”
Kim gnashed her teeth together and stared out into the night, desperate for a sign, any sign, that they were safe.
Major Chakrii paced the operations room, talking to himself. Then, finally, he stopped to butt out a cigarette in a half-empty coffee cup and light another.
“Sir, I’ve got something,” announced the drone operator.
“What is it, Sergeant?”
“It looks like a Humvee heading southwest on a jungle trail.”
Chakrii looked up at the screen. His eyes lit up. “It has to be them. Lock a missile onto the target, and then fire.”
The sergeant looked over his shoulder. “Sir, they’re in Cambodia. We don’t have that kind of authority.”
Chakrii drew his pistol and aimed it at the operator. “I don’t care. I’m ordering you to blow them to pieces!”
“Yes, sir,” the sergeant stammered as he tagged the speeding Humvee with a laser and activated one of the drone’s missiles. “Firing in three-two-one.”
The air in the operations room grew still as everyone held their breath and watched the missile race toward its target. Three seconds later, a bright white flash filled the ops room’s screen. The mood instantly turned euphoric. Men cheered and clapped each other on the back in celebration. They’d done it.
Chakrii let out a loud whoop and slid his pistol back into its holster. “Quiet down, everyone! It’s not over yet. Launch the QRF. I want their bodies returned here to the base, along with the map, if it survived the explosion.”
“Yes, sir,” said a junior officer, picking up a phone to dispatch the quick reaction force.
Major Chakrii collapsed onto a chair. His hands shook uncontrollably. He lit another cigarette and inhaled deeply, trying to calm his shattered nerves. Because of his quick thinking, for now, at least, his life wasn’t in danger. He sat back, closed his eyes, and listened as the QRF boarded a helicopter and prepared to fly into the night.
Kim slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the stars through the jungle canopy. Wet and confused, she couldn’t understand why she was lying on her back in the middle of a stream in a jungle. She went to roll over and sit up, but her stomach had other ideas. In a flash, her innards turned, and Kim moaned as she emptied her stomach onto the dirt. Waves of nausea wracked her body until she painfully arched her back and drained the last of the bile from her guts.
“Oh, God, what have I done?” said Kim, resting on her knees and wiping the drool from her face. Aside from the ringing in her ears and the feeling that she’d been in a fight that she’d lost, Kim didn’t think she had broken any bones or suffered any internal injuries. Kim fought to remember what had happened. In her mind, she could see Connor driving, and then the sound of something like a jet engine speeding right at them, and then nothing.
She splashed some cold water on her face and blinked her eyes. Slowly, a large, dark object came into view. Instantly, Kim knew where she was and what had happened. There had been an explosion that must have thrown her from the Humvee onto the soft mud. But where was Connor? Kim’s heart began to race. “Connor, where are you?” called Kim, getting slowly to her feet. Her head began to spin. Kim held her hands out to steady herself. She breathed in deeply and warily walked to the Humvee. “Connor, are you all right?”
The Humvee lay on its side, with a plume of steam hissing as it escaped from the destroyed engine. Kim walked to the overturned vehicle and bashed her hand on the side of the Humvee, trying to get Connor’s attention. When she didn’t hear a response, Kim climbed up onto the side of the vehicle. She was relieved and horrified at the same time to see the blast had taken off the driver’s side door. She looked into the darkness and called out, “Connor, are you in there?”
There was no reply.
With her heart rapidly sinking into despair, Kim grabbed her cell phone and switched on a light. There, just out of reach, lay Connor dangling off to one side, still strapped into his seat. Kim could see blood trickling down from a cut on his forehead. But, apart from that, he looked in one piece. A pained moan escaped Connor’s lips, telling Kim he was still alive. She could have leaped for joy but kept her mind fixed on the problem of how to get Connor safely out of the vehicle without hurting him. Kim crawled closer and reached down to unbuckle Connor’s seatbelt. No matter how hard she pushed on the buckle, the belt wouldn’t budge.
“Come on, come on,” willed Kim, tugging at the belt. It was pointless; the seatbelt was jammed. Kim paused momentarily and recalled that Connor had hidden two ceramic knives in his belt. If she could reach them, she might be able to cut him free.Then, all of a sudden, a new noise caught Kim’s ear—the rhythmic beating of a helicopter’s rotors growing closer by the second.
“No, no, no,” she said at the realization that a helicopter from the base was on its way. Panic filled her heart. Kim took a deep breath, grabbed Connor’s seatbelt, and gave it one last tug with all she had left. It was hopeless; it never budged an inch. There was only one last thing she could do. Kim took hold of Connor’s right arm and brought it up until she could see his watch.
A searchlight suddenly shone down from above, lighting up the jungle.
Kim had seconds. She depressed the GPS tracking button on Connor’s watch, slid off the Humvee, and hobbled into the jungle. Kim didn’t stop until her aching and battered body begged her to stop. She dropped onto all fours, taking deep breaths to fill her lungs. In the distance, Kim could hear men calling out to one another as they searched the area around the Humvee. Exhausted, Kim dropped back and rested against a tree. She patted her pants, relieved she hadn’t lost her phone running through the jungle. Without it, she would be in far deeper trouble than she already was.
“Here goes nothing,” Kim said, activating her watch’s GPS tracker. Hopefully, Yuri would get their signals and come to help rescue them. No matter how slim, there was still some hope. Kim sat there for a few minutes, listening to the buzzing insects and the howls of the animals calling to each other. Finally, she let out a tired sigh and shook her head. Maybe Connor was right. Perhaps they had pushed things a bit too far. For the first time since they’d met, Kim figured that they’d bitten off more than they could chew.
“For the love of God, no,” Kim uttered, moving her hand under her shirt. Her hand began to tremble. She looked up at the stars and then let out an anguished cry. The map was gone. Kim had never felt so alone and lost in her life.
“Roger that,” said Major Chakrii into a radio handset.
“What’s up?” asked Vallin.
“The QRF has found the Humvee and is on its way back.”
“Survivors?”
“One.”
“Which one?” Vallin shook with rage. Why couldn’t the major be more specific?
“They report they have a man with them.”
“And the woman?”
Chakrii shrugged. “Dead, I expect.”
“Major, I wouldn’t make that mistake if I were in your shoes.”
Chakrii narrowed his eyes. “For a simple soldier, you seem to know quite a lot about my job.”
Vallin raised his hands. “No offense intended, Major. I was just caught up in the excitement of everything.” He lowered his voice and indicated at an exit with his head. “Why don’t we step outside for a second, Major? I have a business proposition that you’re going to like.”
Chakrii followed Vallin out into the brisk night air. He lit another cigarette and faced Vallin. “So, what’s this business proposition of yours?”
Vallin got straight to the point. “How much?”
Chakrii shook his head. “How much for what?”
“The man.”
“Why do you want him?”
“Why do you care?” Rin asked, joining the conversation.
“I don’t, really.” Chakrii licked his lips. “Okay, if you want him, you can have him, but it’s going to cost you.”
“How much are we talking about?” asked Vallin.
“One hundred thousand dollars in cash.”
“It’s a deal,” said Rin instantly.
“But not here. If you’re going to interrogate him, you can’t do it here.”
“Not a problem.” Vallin glanced over at a neat line of military vehicles. “Say, could I borrow one of your trucks for a few hours?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
How did my life come to this? Kim thought darkly, staring at a muddy track in the middle of nowhere. She was tired, miserable, and soaked to the bone. She’d spent hours on her hands and knees in the muck, searching for the map to no avail. It was well and truly lost. It had rained on and off all morning, and no matter how hard she tried, Kim couldn’t find enough cover under the leaves of a tall Chankiki tree1 to keep her dry.
Her stomach gurgled, reminding her it had been hours and hours since her last meal. Kim glanced around at her surroundings but couldn’t identify anything edible. And she certainly wasn’t going to take the risk, either. Kim didn’t want to venture far, either, knowing that there could be soldiers looking for her, but food would become a high priority very soon. She glanced skyward at the cloudy sky and grimaced; the last thing she wanted was to sit through another torrential downpour.
The sound of a vehicle’s engine caught her ear. Faint at first but growing with each passing second. A pair of trucks had passed Kim’s hiding spot first thing in the morning, but it had been quiet ever since. She edged forward slightly until she could get a better view of the road. A blue and red minivan was slowly making its way down the path. She crossed her fingers for luck.
Unexpectedly, the van slowed and then stopped. A door opened, and Yuri stepped out, holding a tablet in his hand.
Kim’s heart soared like an eagle into the sky. “Yuri!” she yelled, leaping onto the path and running toward Yuri, her arms open wide.
Yuri turned and was almost tackled by Kim, who enthusiastically embraced him.
“Pretty lady, you look like hell,” said Yuri, looking down at Kim’s torn and mud-splattered clothes. “Luckily, I thought ahead and brought some coveralls for you to change into.”
Kim let go of Yuri and smiled. “Was it hard to find me?”
Yuri chuckled. “Yes and no. The signal in your watch was easy to track, but the roads in this part of Cambodia are nothing more than muddy trails hacked from the jungle. Come get inside; we have a long drive ahead of us.”
Yuri slid open the door on the side of the minivan, and Kim climbed inside. She picked up a blanket and wrapped it around herself to warm up.
“Good morning, miss,” said the driver, startling Kim.
“Sorry,” said Yuri. “Kim, meet Lek. Lek, meet Kim. He’s here because I needed someone who could drive while I tracked your signal.”
Lek smiled, exposing his yellow tobacco-stained teeth.
“Okay,” replied Kim, guzzling a bottle of orange juice before ripping open a bag of freshly cut carrots and devouring them as if they were the best meal she had ever eaten.
Yuri climbed back into the passenger’s seat and did up his seatbelt. He looked over his shoulder at Kim. “You might as well get changed out of those wet clothes and then get comfortable back there. It’s a long ride back to Bangkok.”
Kim instantly straightened. “Why Bangkok?”
“Because that’s where Mister North’s signal is coming from.”
“Are you sure? I thought he’d be back at that secret drone base.”
