“That’s all, miss. I don’t usually get into running gun fights,” Burr yelled above the noise. He took the next curve a bit too fast and fish-tailed the rear of the Jeep, almost spinning the vehicle out of control.
“That was close, Burr,” Eli said looking behind and seeing the ominous vehicle still on their tail. “They can take these curves better than us with the weight of their vehicle. It’s only a matter of time before they catch us.”
“We have to lose them somehow,” Burr responded, regaining control of the Jeep and speeding down a straightaway towards the next turn.
“It’s only another seven miles to Guimar and the main highway,” Maria said from the back seat.
“We’ll never make it before they catch us,” Burr said as he came around the next sharp turn in the road. Coming out of the turn, Burr spotted a road leading off the access road to the right. He quickly applied the brakes and spun onto the smaller road in an effort to lose the oncoming assailants.
“No!” Maria yelled in anguish. “This road leads to a stone quarry. There’s no way out.”
“Damn it!” Burr yelled in anger as he headed up the small road to the quarry, which sat upon a hill overlooking the eastern slope of Tenerife. “Maybe we can get help there,” he said fearfully. Eli looked behind them. The big SUV that originally passed the turn was now backing up and following them onto the road to the stone quarry.
Two quarry night shift workers noticed the Jeep coming up the steep gravel road. Thinking that it was part of the day shift reporting for work, they went back to their duties monitoring the portable cone crusher, protected from its deafening noise by the ear protection they wore.
Burr finally reached the old facility at the top of the rise and drove up to the main entrance next to the cone crusher building. He slammed on the brakes and slid the vehicle to a halt just as the black SUV reached the summit. It stopped one hundred fifty feet away from them.
“Get out of the Jeep, now!” Eli yelled, throwing the door open and jumping out. He ran to the facility’s main door only to find it locked. He pounded on the door as the others finally reached him. Unfortunately, the deafening sound of the CAT diesel engines that ran the plant drowned out any hope of anyone hearing him beat on the rusty, steel door.
“They can’t hear with all this noise,” Eli yelled as he turned to see the two men climbing out of the back of the SUV, while two remained in the front. Eli and the others froze in their tracks as the men slowly approached and leveled their weapons at them.
Eli tugged on the rim of his hat defiantly and said, “Maria, I’m going to make a run for it. I want you and the others to make a dash for the Jeep and try to get around them.”
“Run to where? This whole place is surrounded by chain-link fence,” Burr yelled in panic as the two Yakuza mercenaries closed in for the kill, taking aim at the helpless group.
Their deadly intent was suddenly interrupted by a noise that overwhelmed the loud quarry diesels. They quickly turned; surprised to see the Big Iron Sikorsky rising up from the ridge beside them. The two guards calmly waved to the chopper thinking they were sent help from the Bishamon facility. The hovering craft spun on its axis, revealing to them the open loading bay and a man aiming a monstrous 50-caliber machine gun at them.
As the Sikorsky swung around to face the SUV, Josh Turner saw the two men raise their weapons at him. Pulling the trigger, he quickly unleashed the deadly firepower of the Herstal 50-caliber machine gun. Splintering bone and flesh, the two men were instantly torn apart by the two hundred rounds-per-minute discharge of the frightening weapon. Turner, furious at seeing his father and Maria so helpless against these murderers, then turned the weapon on the big SUV and unleashed its steel-jacketed fury. The vehicle was shredded inside and out by the Herstal’s horrific firepower; pieces of metal and blood stained glass flew everywhere from the lethal onslaught.
Turner, shaken by what just transpired, stared at the shattered remains of the vehicle and what was left of the two mercenaries lying at its side.
“For what?” he whispered silently as Captain Saune swung the helicopter around for a quick landing on the quarry compound. “You died for what?” He let go of the gun, weary of this nightmare, and wishing it would end.
As the big chopper set down, Turner ran down the loading ramp to greet his father, who was running over to join him.
“Are you all okay?” Turner asked in a weary voice as Maria, Yashiro, and Burr followed the elder Turner.
“We’re fine, Son,” he replied, seeing the distressed, weary look on his son’s face. “Another minute, Josh, and those goons would have done us in for sure. Those guys definitely weren’t here just to talk.”
Maria reached for the younger Turner and hugged him tightly as she cried tears of relief.
“It’s alright, Maria. No one is going to hurt you. We’re going to get out of here now,” he said softly as she trembled in his arms. “Go into the chopper,” he said to the rest of the group, motioning them to the loading ramp.
“You had to do it, Josh,” the elder Turner said gently to his son. He put his arm around his shoulder as they walked towards the waiting aircraft. “They didn’t leave you any other choice, Son. It was either them, or all of us.”
“I’m just tired of the killing, Dad. When is it all going to end?” Turner replied as they reached the safety of the helicopter's cargo bay. Samuel, in the flight deck, activated the stow switch on the loading ramp, removing from view, the grizzly scene outside.
“You saved us all, Son. I’m proud of you,” Eli said in an effort to comfort his son. “When we get back to Santa Cruz, we’ll get help to expose Pencor and Osama’s dirty plans, and we’ll be done with all of this.”
“Hey, amigo,” Samuel yelled, coming to the rear from the flight deck of the helicopter. “The Captain says he’s going to take us to his Guardia Civil base in La Laguna where we can get a hold of the authorities.” He then plopped down in one of the many crew seats in the rear of the craft.
“I’m afraid this isn’t over; not by a long shot, Dad,” Turner said. “I’m sure that they will have men scouring the island looking for us after they realize we’ve escaped. We have to find a safe place to regroup. Professor Santiago’s house at the university is our best bet. We will go there and then decide what our next move is going to be.”
“But, Son, the authorities can—”
“Dad, from what Yashiro has told us, they will never react in time to stop the landslide on La Palma,” he said, interrupting his father.
A weary Josh Turner sat down next to Samuel and closed his eyes, endeavoring to wipe out the images of death engrained in his mind. All sat in silence as the noise of the huge Sikorsky filled the void of the large cargo bay, each of them wondering what the next few hours would bring.
16
It was another tranquil island morning on the western beachfront of La Palma, with scores of tourists enjoying their breakfast at the Los Tilos restaurant located in the Sol La Palma Hotel. The four-star establishment, built in 1999, was renowned for its luxurious amenities, beautifully decorated suites, and world class dining.
Located in the midst of a banana plantation, just off the Calle Del Remo highway, the luxury hotel offered its guests a lavish view of its black volcanic sand beaches along with panoramic excursions to the natural parks on the island for the more adventurous.
The tourist and locals went about their daily lives, while waiters of the Los Tilos hustled back and forth serving a variety of breakfast dishes to its many guests. A slender, dark-haired woman, fit from years of rugged work, sat alone looking out the restaurant window to the blackened beaches below.