Guarding the Treasure (26 page)

“We need to assume that the women we're looking for have been given the drug, too?”

“Yes. The drug is a way of maintaining complete control, gentlemen. And speaking of control, all of the employees are armed with various chemicals and a sidearm.”

“I thought this was a care facility. What's the deal with the weapons?” asked Taylor.

“Think about it. If anything should go wrong with a resident, they need to be able to keep things calm, hence the drugs. And the weapons are for people on the outside who may not agree with what's happening on the inside. There are employees who know that not everyone who lives at the Regal should be there, and let's face it, the Regal is quite an unexpected place for a detainee.”

Commander Young held up four photos. “Here are the pictures of the women we are looking for, and here are the photos of the two men suspected of kidnapping them. One is Professor Kian Smith and the other is one of our own, Detective Gipson. Gipson is highly intelligent and is ninety-nine percent accurate with any type of firearm. If you're in his sights, you're a dead man. Have I made myself clear?” He scanned the room. “Good, let's move out.”

Taylor stood, throwing his gear over his left shoulder. He looked down at Gates, who was still sitting. “Hey man, are you coming?” he asked a grin on his face.

“Yeah, I'm just trying to get into Gipson's mind. Smith won't be a problem, but Gipson?” He shook his head. “That man is another story.”

“You're not in this alone, Gates. There's a team of trained men working on this now. Remember what the Sergeant said. No heroes.”

Kevin grinned. “Copy that, Taylor.”

“Gates, I need a word with you,” sounded a voice from the door.

“I'll meet you in the van,” Taylor said, moving past the commander.

“Sir?”

“Gates, it's highly probable that Ms. Hanes is among those being held against their will. I know you have a personal connection with her. Are you going to be able to handle the pressure of what may go down in there if things get messy?”

Kevin curled his fingers into a tight fist then slowly relaxed them. “I can follow orders, sir,” he said, his voice firm.

“Good, I'm counting on that. Now head out, your partner's waiting.”

Kevin heaved his pack into the open side door of the van and then slammed it shut. He felt eyes on him. “I'm good, man,” he said, knowing what was on the tip of Taylor's tongue. He cracked a smile at his partner as he adjusted his cap. “Let's get this done.”

“Copy that, Gates.”

 

Sophie pulled the diary from under her pillow. Her lips separated in disbelief at what she was reading. She could hear a different tone in Anya's words ringing through the pages. “What's going on?” she asked as she turned the page.

“It has been several days since I have written. My days and evenings have been mixed up, but my mind seems to be clearing. This has happened only with the help of Three, who is constantly at my side. I am able to manage my emotions better, too.

“I have spent little time with Mr. Dubois since my first two encounters with him when I first arrived at the castle two weeks ago. I find it strange. He is the man who requested my brother send me to France. Perhaps he grows tired of me. If that is the case, then I am glad. All I see are beautiful people dressed in the finest clothing. Even I am pampered and allowed to roam around the castle freely for a time, but then when I least expect it, I am treated cruelly. I have decided it was to trick me, to wear me down. It has worked. I have given in and realize I will be at the mercy of Mr. Dubois for the duration of his agreement with my brother.”

“Why are you giving in?” Sophie asked, looking squarely into the diary. “Don't do it. You need to fight for yourself.”

“No, she had no more strength, Sophie. I have taken over. This is now my fight, and you would be wise to follow her example. Allow me to fight for you.”

“Three, I accept you and want you to be with me, but to give up? I will not allow Gipson or any other man to use me the way Anya was forced to do,” she said, standing near the edge of her bed.

“Sophie.”
The soft sound came as if riding on a light breeze.
“A gentle spirit turns away wrath. Do not become as the evil you are trying to stand against.”

She rested her head in her hands. “So you want me to do nothing?”

“Allow your submission to puzzle your captors. They thrive on your defiance. Sophie, you must trust and obey me in this matter.”

She slowly raised her head, pressing her fingertips into her forehead. “It isn't normal to just give in,” she whispered. Once again, her head went into her hands as her mind fought her emotions. Her voice broke. “How can I do what you ask, Three?”

Sophie picked the diary up once more, remembering Three urged her to read it completely. Her eyes caught the next sentence.

“No, I will never stop loving you nor fail to keep my promises to you. I will not break my covenant with you. I will not take back a single word I have spoken. I have sworn an oath and in my perfectness I cannot lie.”

Sophie knew those words were not only for Anya but for her, too. “I will believe you, Three,” she said, wanting desperately to believe his words. “Anya, if you stood strong through all that you went through, then I can also with the help of Three.”

A gentle breeze entered the room at that second. Sophie's mind brightened as she drank deeply of its freshness and continued to read in Anya's diary. She felt a welcome calmness that things would be all right, and hopefully soon.

 

Plot maps were stretched out on a small table in the armored truck which served as the Tactical Command Post for Operation Regal Rescue. The truck was positioned on a raised side road which allowed for a point-to-point view of the outer perimeter of the east and southern regions of the wall. The position also ensured constant contact with all agents for the duration of the mission.

“Men,” Commander Young said, looking first at the map and then addressing them as a unit, “you will each find in your gearboxes a special communication device. It's designed to fit inside your ear and has a microphone secured to the earpiece. All messages and communications will be scrambled. We don't want any ear wigging going on by those we are trying to stay away from. I trust that each of you has been pre-briefed on protocol and is fully familiar with the procedure at hand. It's very important that each of you knows who you are teamed with and your individual responsibilities. This, however, doesn't mean there won't be changes as we get in behind those walls and assess the situation.”

Gates took a long look at the men he would be putting his life on the line for—and they for him. He then looked over at his partner. “Taylor, let me lead. You're a better shot than I am, and you can cover me a lot more accurately than I can you,” he said, tightening his helmet.

Taylor fixed his eyes on Gates for a long moment then gave a smile. “Copy that. I got your back, buddy.” He turned and opened his gearbox. “Let's go over the equipment, make sure we have everything,” he said, doing the standard tests on each piece. “When the commander gives the mark, we want to be ready to move in and get this job done.”

“Got that, Taylor.”

Planting listening devices and cameras in strategic areas was the first order of business. The teams were instructed to secure them to vents, doors, and other areas where the residents and staff would gather.

Kevin was low, almost kneeling at the base of the wall behind Taylor, his mind drawn to Sophie as they waited. The thought of her in there, in that place with—. But professionalism was the name of the game now, not sentimentalism. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was in love with Sophie, and the more he thought about what could happen to her, the deeper the anger lodged in his gut. It was getting harder to maintain. If Gipson had anything to do with this, he knew she was in real danger.

“Gates, we're approaching the north side of the wall.”

“Copy that, Taylor,” he whispered.

Taylor held his hand up to signal all to stay low. “It looks like all the surveillance cameras are positioned at the same height and on an even rotation,” he said, holding his hand in the wait position. “The cameras rotate every forty-five seconds, which gives us plenty of time to place eyes and ears. On my mark, go.” He gave the signal, and each team moved to their designated position. One man set and secured while the other man covered him.

“One set left, Taylor.”

“Get them secured and let's get back to the west wall. Commander, do you read? All eyes and ears are set.”

“Copy that. Taylor. Great job, teams one and two. We're now sending all audio and visual to each member's portable bracelet. Within thirty seconds, each team should have eyes on all points of setting. And keep in mind, your bracelets are capable of picking up body heat and movement behind closed doors and walls with a thickness of no more than twelve inches.

“Copy that, Commander,” Taylor said.

“Your next move, men, will be to wait for activity. Remember, we have four women we are looking for. There must be a positive identification before any attempt to rescue. The dinner hour will be over soon, and with the schedule we've obtained, we know that some of the residents are allowed in the garden area until seven p.m.”

“I hate waiting. It isn't my style,” Gates said, checking the data on his bracelet.

“Hold it together, buddy. We need to be quiet, listen, and watch for movement,” Taylor breathed.

“We have something, sir,” came the voice of a team member on the east wall. “It appears to be a small group of women being escorted to the dining room.”

“I thought dinner was finished,” Gates questioned.

“Yes, we see that. This is one of those unexpected changes you need to be ready for gentlemen. Maintain visual, I want to see if any of the women fit the descriptions of those we're looking for.”

“If so, sir, do you want us to begin penetrating the facility?” Taylor asked.

“No, too many unknowns just yet. Be patient. Let's see where this is headed.”

Taylor's ears perked, and his eyes fixed. “Did everyone hear that?” he whispered.

All nodded their heads as they heard men's voices.

“Let me see if I can identify any of them,” Gates said, slowly standing to look around the wall. He held binoculars to his eyes. “I see two men. One is Smith, and the other must be staff. He's wearing scrubs and packing a sidearm.”

“Copy that, Gates. What are they doing?”

“I can't read lips, but the conversation seems to be guy talk. I don't like it,” Kevin said, shouldering the west wall again. “They're up to something, and we need to know what.”

Taylor gave each a stern look. “Remember what the commander said. We need to be patient. Our time is coming to get inside.”

Kevin struggled with the impulse to move without orders. He leaned his head against the wall, breathing in the evening's damp, musty air and listening for anything that may be a trigger to penetrate. “There must be something else,” he said to himself.

“Gates, what's up? You're too quiet,” Taylor said.

“I was just thinking. Do you remember what Theresa said about reading between the lines of the diary?”

He nodded his head. “Yeah, what are you getting at?”

Kevin stopped listening to the conversation in his earpiece. “Last night when we were going over the diary, do you remember what Anya said about the beautiful people and how they sparkled? How she didn't know why all the different people looked the same for some reason. And when they looked at her, she seemed different from them?”

“Yeah, something about those with blue gems. Gates, I'm still not following you.”

“Let's suppose she was talking about jewelry, and those who lived at the castle wore a certain color, and those who were visitors wore another color.”

There was a long silence broken by Taylor. “Yeah, like a type of ID. I think you're on to something, Gates. Let me radio the commander and get someone working on that hunch.”

An upbeat voice sounded in each earpiece after the theory was forwarded. “Good work, gentlemen. I'll get Jake working on that angle—along with Theresa—in our New York City office. We'll get back to you as soon as we know something.”

“If anything happens to her, Taylor,” Kevin stopped, rubbed his eyes, and blinked to focus again, “heads are going to roll in a big way,” he said, checking the safety on his rifle.

“Gates, take it easy. I'm sure she's okay. We're going to get her out safe and sound.”

“Listen up—this is information for all teams. We have a new twist to identifying our missing woman. Apparently, all residents wear a copper bracelet with colored jewels—red for some and blue for others. We don't know if the different colors are significant, but we're going to assume they are. From what we can tell, most of the residents have blue jewels in their bracelets. We've detected only one with red. We're going with the hunch that the women we're looking for will have red, and that would include Ms. Hanes. One more thing about those bracelets, gentlemen, they're the tool used to administer meds. The time and amount of medication are controlled by the staff. I'm afraid if they suspect anything has gone wrong, they may overdose those we're looking for to keep them from talking.” There was a short, sharp silence after his words. “So men, we have no option. We must not be detected, understood?”

“Copy that,” echoed back to the commander.

“Gipson, have you heard from your FBI friend lately?” Smith asked, looking out over the dining hall from the balcony.

Gipson took a long pull from the brown bottle in his hand. “No, not since he asked me to look out for his girlfriend. Why do you ask?”