“I just want this one little whore,” the man said, dragging the frozen Natalya to her feet.
“Hey, buddy,” Tom said, walking up behind the man and tapping him on the shoulder. “These are my girls.”
“What, you own them?” the man scoffed.
“He’s the bad man,” Natalya said, so quietly it was hard to hear over the music. “He’s come for me.”
“Yeah, I rented them for the day,” Tom said angrily. He’d been drinking steadily all evening and Katya was pretty sure he had to be drunk. “I bought ’em, they’re mine. So take your hands off of her.”
“I want this one,” the man holding Natalya said, reaching into his pocket. “I’ll pay you for her.”
“Wait,” one of the guards in the club said, walking over. “Is no fighting.”
“I don’t want your damned money!” Tom snapped, slapping the man’s wallet away. “Just get your hands off of my girl!”
“Katya, what’s going on?” Vanner asked.
“Problems,” Katya whispered. “Big problems.”
“So, why are we watching this?” Captain O’Keefe asked, watching the real-time video from the Predator drone.
“Because we care?” Pierson asked, shrugging. “In case there’s anything we can do to help?”
“Well, we can’t drop JDAMs on the town,” O’Keefe pointed out. “And we can’t send in a SEAL team to help out. And we can’t interdict with Tomahawks. So what exactly are we going to do?”
“Sweep around the edge of town,” Pierson said into the microphone. “You really think that the President isn’t going to want to know how it went down? And getting an after action report from Jenkins is like pulling teeth. So… we watch.” He paused and leaned forward, keying the communicator again. “Whoa. Head down Highway One. I think I saw…” He paused and blanched. “Zoom in on that group of busses. Get an angle from the side if you can.”
“That’s not normal,” O’Keefe said, leaning forward, then looking up at another plot. “And they’re already in the air.”
“No, it’s not,” Pierson agreed. “And, yes, they are. Zoom in more on the windows.”
“Crap.”
“Kildar, Vanner.”
“Go,” Mike said, looking around the helicopter. The Keldara were as prepared for the mission as could be arranged, but he still was unhappy. As he watched, one of them reached into his blouse and pulled out a silver “cross”; the device was actually a hammer disguised to look somewhat like a Christian cross. The Keldara kissed the relic and replaced it in his blouse. For what we are about to receive…
“We have two major issues that have just come up,” Vanner said, calmly. “The girls are still at the club and someone is trying to extract Natalya. Katya believes that it may be the person who was impersonating Grantham.”
“Shit,” Mike said. “You got a facial visual?”
“Yes,” Vanner said. “I’ve uploaded it to Colonel Pierson. However, they have a Predator drone up and he has just informed me that there is a convoy of armed personnel headed for the town. ETA is about forty-five minutes.”
“They’ll hit us in the middle of the op,” Mike said, thinking furiously. “Where?”
“They’re coming in on Highway One,” Vanner replied.
“So are we blown?” Adams asked.
“Any other indicators?” Mike asked.
“Nothing in the club,” Vanner said. “Nothing in town.”
“I don’t think it’s coincidence,” Mike replied. “But we’re still locked on the mission. I’ll work on it. Good job. Tell Katya to stay with Natalya if at all possible. Time for her to use her toys.”
“Roger,” Vanner said. “I’m going to roll part of my security team to follow.”
“Concur,” Mike said. “Continue the mission. Adams?”
“Go.”
“Get me Team Padrek.”
“All I want is this one little bitch,” the man snarled at the guard. “I’ll fucking buy her from you!”
“She’s bought and paid for, buddy,” Tom snapped. “Get the fuck out!”
“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” Boris said, walking over. “There is no need to argue about whores; there are plenty of whores.”
“Then let him have others,” the man said, reaching into his pocket again. “Here,” he said, pulling out a thick wad of hundred euro notes. “Five thousand euros. Now I leave with her?”
“Now you leave with her,” Boris said, nodding as he riffled through the money. “And you do what you want as long as she comes back alive.”
“Fine,” the man snapped, pulling her along with towards the door.
“Hey!” Tom shouted. “I paid for her!”
“I give you money back,” Boris smirked.
“I go with you, too,” Katya said, stepping in front of the man. “I give you good time, you give me money!”
He paused and looked her up and down, then smiled.
“You want to go with me, too?” the man asked. “Okay, you want to play with the big boys, you can come along, too.”
“Bitches,” Tom shouted. “Nothing but fucking bitches! All you care about is the money!”
“Yes?” Katya said, laughing in his face. “So? And I was never fourteen!”
Tom snarled at her and started to draw his hand back, but then stormed out of the club.
“Now I go with you,” Katya said, putting her hand on the man’s arm. “And I show you what I can do.”
“Where is she?” Mikhail asked as the Lada screeched to a halt in front of the club.
“Gone,” Vanner snapped. “Looks like west towards Highway One towards the hills. We’ve picked her up on two vids so far, but in just a minute she’s going to be outside our reception range.”
“I’m on it,” Mikhail said. “Keep an eye on Tanya for me.”
“Tanya,” Vanner said, as the girl opened the door. “We need a big favor. A very important, and dangerous, favor.”
“Padrek,” Mike said over the radio. “Change of mission. There is what looks like a reaction force headed for the town. Take the half your team that was supposed to secure the Forward Aerial Assembly Point down Highway One about two klicks and block the road. Once the road is blocked I’ll have someone pick you up. Try not to get engaged.”
“Understood, Kildar,” the team leader said.
“Your entry portion will shift to Team Oleg,” Mike said. “Good luck. Try not to get your asses shot off.”
“Where is Boris?” Bezhmel asked the guard inside the club as he hurried through the doors.
“In back,” the guard said, indifferently. “We close.”
“Let’s hope not permanently,” the security specialist said, hurrying across the almost deserted club. “Boris!”
“Ah, Yarok Ivanovich!” the Albanian said, smiling unhappily. “What do you want?”
“You know this girl?” Bezhmel asked, pulling out the picture of Natalya.
“Natalya,” the pimp said, nodding. “What is so important about one little crazy whore? First two Americans fight over her, then you want her. She is gone.”
“Gone!” Bezhmel shouted. “Gone where?”
“With American,” Boris said, frowning. “You shout at me in my own club?”
“Fuck,” Bezhmel cursed. “Look, there is an attack coming, but I have to find this girl. I have a group of soldiers coming to stop it, my people, former Spetznaz. They will take care of it but you must get your guards up, now! And I need to know where the girl has gone, now! You said she went with American…” Bezhmel said, pulling out the other paper. “Was he one of them?”