CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The men sat around the long, slender table on the redesigned Osprey. At the helm were Chipper and Evie, the best they had. Along with CJ were Gator, Ham, Patrick, Christopher, Matt, Kev, Rush, BJ, JB, Tobias, Abe, Nate, Dan, Rett, Eazee, Moose, U-Jin, Leif, Major, Brix, Sebastian, Fitch, Leo, and Sor. And one final teammate. A bit of a surprise. Marcel.
“Listen up,” said Gator. As senior leaders on the team, Gator and Ham were chosen as command for this mission. “The tech team was able to send Mikella a message that the shipments were to be transferred to the docks for her ship to pick up under the name of their front company, Red Guard.”
“What if they open the containers?” asked Eazee.
“We took care of that,” said Leo. “We got some boys from Quantico to create a front at the container openings. It looks like the cargo they want, but behind it is nothing but empty boxes except for forty-five-pound weights laying at the bottom to ensure that the weight dynamic matches the manifest.” Ham nodded.
“The ship is picking up the cargo now and has asked for expedited leave, which was granted. Once the ship is in the open, we’ll be refueling in Bermuda and waiting for them.”
“Excuse me, sirs, but are they stopping in Bermuda?” asked Leo.
“No. They won’t stop for anything. We can count on that. Which is why we’re going to be taking over the ship,” said Gator. Leo’s eyes rose up and down, and then he looked at the other men, all calm and nodding in agreement.
“I’m sorry, sir. Did you say you would take over the ship? In mid-ocean? In the open?” he asked.
“Do you know how to swim?” asked CJ.
“Yes, sir. I’m an excellent swimmer and dive certified.”
“Stop with the sir stuff. CJ. That’s it. Listen to the bird, Leo.”
CJ and the others were quiet for a moment, watching as Leo’s face recognized what was happening. Nothing. There was no sound coming from the bird at all. They were speaking in a calm, natural tone, without having to yell over rotors or engines. It was literally unheard of.
“How is this possible? I don’t hear anything,” he said.
“That’s the point,” nodded Gator. “The bird is equipped with special technology that will allow it to fly right on top of that ship, and it won’t be seen or heard over the ship’s own engines. We will hover over her, drop down, overtake the crew, and have a surprise for Mikella when we land in Cyprus.”
“Holy shit,” he muttered.
The others just laughed, nodding at him. They’d all been shocked at the technology at one time, but now it seemed like second nature for them all.
“How many men on the ship that we know of?” asked CJ.
“According to the drone footage, we’ve got twenty-three crew. We’ll round up and say a possibility of thirty. Twenty-six of us, plus Chipper and Evie. I’d say they’re outmanned,” said Ham.
“The plan is that Red Guard and Mikella will be at the docks to sign and inspect the items along with Fayha, Messina, and Tehren. We made sure that Irena, aka Tanner, got confirmation that they will all be with her. This will be the most critical time for us. If she brings an army, we might be the ones outmanned. The good thing is we have the stealth netting for all of us until we know for sure.
“We’ll post shooters at the top of the ship, here, here, and here,” said Ham, pointing to the outline of the ship. “There will be shooters on the tops of the cargo crates, and we’ll be lying in wait to surprise the black widow and her friends. If we’re right, she’s going to have her own shooters waiting at the docks. Those are the first you’ll take out.”
“Not that I don’t love having him here, but why is Marcel along?” asked Rett.
“I know this one,” smiled U-Jin. They all looked at him with raised brows, smiling at the smallest man in the room, but also perhaps one of the deadliest. “I mean, I believe I know this one. You bought and traded cargo from Cyprus as a young man. Textiles, wine, sugar, and cotton. You know that port intimately, although I’m sure it’s changed vastly. However, the waters most likely have not changed a great deal.”
“You are correct,” nodded Marcel. “Cyprus was owned by the British Empire at the time, and I was quite familiar with the port. It has changed, but not as much as you might think. I’ve been researching all the information that Tanner and AJ provided for me. I believe, should we have trouble, that I could navigate us in or out of the gulf. If something should go wrong, I have a few unusual routes out that could help us.”
“I’m so confused,” said Leo. “Cyprus was owned by the British Empire in the eighteenth century.” Ham grinned at the young man.
“Leo, we have no doubt you’re going to be a part of our team should you want to be. We trust that whatever is said here, whatever you see, experience, or do, you will not let anyone know.” He nodded at Ham. “As you’ll discover, Belle Fleur is a very interesting place with an interesting history. We have a dozen or so resident ghosts. Marcel was one.”
“W-was?” frowned Leo, staring at the other man. “But you’re as real as any of us. I shook your hand.”
“I cannot explain it myself,” said Marcel, “but because of the love of my wife, Amy, I am whole and alive. Mama Irene and Julia believe that because my death was a wrongful death, taking me before my time, I was given another opportunity. I will forever be grateful for being given the life I was meant to have.”
“You’re shittin’ me,” smirked Leo.
“I assure you, I am not,” said Marcel. “There are others at Belle Fleur as well. Some are relatives of myself and all the Robicheauxs. Some are family members, like Trak’s grandfather. Others were unfortunate victims of foul play while at the property. Yet we’ve all found a new, if you will, a new beginning by being in this magical place.”
“We wouldn’t lie about this,” said Gator. “Believe me, this only makes us all sound crazy, and not a damn one of us is crazy.”
“Maybe me,” said the voice.
“Shit!”
“Damn you!”
“I will kill you, Hiro!” laughed Rett.
“You needed a tech guy on board, and you weren’t very nice by not asking for one. I’m here, and AJ and Tanner stayed behind to help from home. We’re not crazy, Leo, but we often do crazy shit. This op here might be right up there with the best of ‘em.”
He touched Marcel’s arm and then poked his chest. It was like poking an oak tree. Solid, hard, and muscled like every man there. But there was an otherworldly look about him that made Leo believe every word the men said to him.
“I don’t understand it, but I believe you. I’m honored to be here,” he said, nodding at them. “Colonel Masters said that he will provide air support should we need it, but he’d like for us to do this without U.S. military involvement. If I’m captured, you have to leave immediately.”
“You won’t be captured,” said Ham. “And we won’t leave anyone. That’s not our style. You’ll learn that we go in together, and we leave together. In our entire history, we have never left a man behind. In fact, we’ve done a lot of stupid shit to go back in and get men and women from behind enemy lines. This will be no different. You will leave with us, Leo.”
Leo just nodded, smiling at CJ. A few weeks ago, he thought his career was over. Now, thanks to Jill and Georgie, his career was thriving, and he had a future career waiting for him when all this was done.
Hiro handed the tablet to Ham and Gator, signaling for them to read what was there. The two men looked down, then back up.
“We’ve got an interesting turn of events.”