The government workers acted as though nothing was going on. It was suddenly clear to Henry that they must be Chilean military masquerading. They unfolded sheets of plastic as though preparing a dig. Two of the men began excavating the earth, swinging pickaxes and shovelling dirt, while the others milled around distractingly.
Henry watched, fascinated, as two further “government workers” came out of the Hacienda to join their fell ows.
Everything was happening with such an orderly calm that Henry had to remind himself he was seeing three people get abducted in broad daylight and in plain sight. When they’d finished cutting the hole in the fence, the SEALs spirited the woman and the two security guards off the lawn. The woman’s grey suit was removed and used to disguise a slim member of the SEAL team.
Within a minute she lay next to Henry in the shrubbery, out cold in a sexy pink silk slip.
Almost immediately, a SEAL covered her body with a tan blanket. The man knelt briefly next to her, holding a pistol with a silencer to her temple, checking she was full y unconscious.
“If she screams when she wakes up, kill her,” hissed Grimes, crouching nearby, overseeing the operation. He checked a small automatic weapon that had an enormous clip of ammunition. Noticing Henry’s eyes on the woman, he couldn’t resist a jibe: “Keep it in your pants, hero. One piece of ass at a time not enough for you?”
Not waiting for a retort, he ordered Hoy to send a message to Hayes. “Tell him the perimeter is breached and secured.”
Grimes didn’t mention the hostages. Henry wondered why, but he let it pass.
This was no time for questions.
“Grab your dog and your balls, hero,” said Grimes.
“We’re going in.”
Amid the deliberately contrived confusion, Henry and Shep walked past the digging men, across the lawn and into the Hacienda, with Grimes walking ahead of them and Hoy behind. Ahead of Grimes, strolling casually, were more “government workers” and the rest of the SEALs, including the one in the woman’s grey suit. All were hiding automatic weapons beneath their coats. They entered the Hacienda and found themselves in a large glass-lined room.
Henry was impressed by the opulence of its decor.
Large graceful columns of white marble supported a white ceiling decorated with gold floral relief. Flowers and small palms along the windowed outer wall gave the place an airy springlike appearance. The room appeared to be a banqueting hall. Everything focused on a long mahogany dining table, now bare except for a centrepiece of artificial flowers.
There was no evidence of Suarez’s security force — only maintenance workers on hand to assist in any necessary cleanup. They looked confused when they saw the dog, and started to protest, but were promptly herded at gunpoint into a back room.
Henry looked at Grimes. “That was sort of easy, wasn’t it?”
Grimes ignored him. He ordered his men back against a far wall, where they stood watching for further instructions. Then, holding a map of the Hacienda in one hand, he began issuing commands with hand signals. He pushed Henry towards Hoy, who grabbed Henry’s arm and Shep’s leash and led them quickly to join the other SEALs.
The SEAL in the woman’s clothes ran silently to Grimes’s side and handed him a pair of sunglasses one of Suarez’s men had been wearing.
Grimes studied them briefly, then threw them aside. “Earphones,” he hissed. “Oh shit…”
After Suarez’s announcement, the regular staff of TransAm Optical had simply resumed their duties. Despite the boss’s warning, most of them felt there was no real cause for worry. Their security force could surely deal with any emergency. All that had changed was that they were armed, and that they had a new story to tell about their boss’s strangeness.
Suarez was tired. He stood for a moment admiring the view through his Lexan window, and yawned.
“What’s going on out there?” he suddenly asked.
Remo shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll check.” He went into an adjacent office, returning within seconds.
“Those sewer men have started digging up the outside yard,” he said.
“What in hell for?” said Suarez, instantly alert.
“There’s some problem with the drainage.”
“Are we keeping a close eye on them?” said Rudolfo angrily.
“Of course we are. But it’s okay, boss — they’re not armed. Our security people checked them at the gate. Every single one was frisked.”
Suarez was uneasy as he and Remo walked to a side window where they had a clear view of the workers outside. Something was wrong but he couldn’t tell what. Then his eye caught movement beyond the fence.
“What’s that?” he said, pointing. “Who’s over there?”
Remo saw nothing unusual. More of his boss’s paranoia, he reasoned. “I don’t see anything.” He stroked his moustache thoughtfully.
“Arm yourself, Remo. Something’s going on.”
Suarez was as always carrying his laptop. Quickly dropping it onto a nearby side-table, he flipped it open and punched a few keys.
Immediately the gong sounded again throughout the Hacienda.
Security men throughout the building started running from room to room looking for him. One even ducked his head into the large dining hall where Grimes and his men waited.
He looked at them incredulously and had just opened his mouth when…
Grimes had ducked behind the door as it opened. As the security guard began to speak the SEAL grabbed him and twisted his head.
There was a crunching sound and the man fell dead to the floor.
Grimes pulled the corpse full y into the room and pushed the door closed.
“Time to move out. That fucking gong. I dunno how, but we’ve been noticed.”
He pointed to the door at the opposite end of the room and gave a hand signal. Half the SEAL team headed for the door and opened it careful y. Seeing no one there, they disappeared into the room beyond.
“Stick by me, hero,” said Grimes as he reopened the door beside them and pulled Henry through it. Hoy, Walters and O’Doule followed, their silenced sub- machine guns at the ready. Wake Michaels, the SEAL who’d put on the woman’s suit, took the lead next to Grimes.
They found themselves in a corridor that ran the length of the Hacienda. It was, merciful y, empty. They slunk along it, staying close to the wall s.
A door suddenly opened in front of Michaels and two female employees appeared — maids, by the look of them. Both carried weapons over their shoulder, but they seemed ill-prepared to use them.
The woman’s suit fooled them for a split second before they realized it was being worn by a man.
One of them managed a short squeal, but Michaels grabbed her and, covering her mouth with his hand, pushed her head hard into the wall. She slumped to the floor.
The other woman jumped away, mouth agape, ready to scream, but Grimes’s reflexes were too quick. He shot her between the eyes.
The back of her head exploded, spraying blood on a large portrait hung from the wall.
Henry turned away, gorge rising.
“Jesus, Kai…”
A door near them swung open and two security guards erupted into the hall way, spraying bullets. The weapons specialist, Hoy, gave a cry of pain. He collapsed on top of Shep, who yelped in fear.
Before the two men could fire again they were mown down by Grimes and Walters.
Michaels cursed. “What the fuck they firing? These flak jackets are fucking useless.”
Hoy rolled over to face the ceiling, and groaned.