Shadow War. Don Pendleton

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СКАЧАТЬ very well.

      She had accepted her first assignation—Bellucci did not turn tricks—at twenty. Her current lover, an assets manager with the World Bank, had come to her frantic. Somehow a South African intelligence agent had gathered evidence of his insider trading involving relief funds going into Liberia.

      Desperate enough to offend his beautiful mistress, he’d pleaded with her to get into the man’s suite and steal the documents, knowing full well what it would require of her. The thrill that had shivered through her body when she felt the weight of the envelope containing the equivalent of ten thousand U.S. dollars—and what that money was buying—had been unforgettable.

      She wore out the overweight, middle-aged South African government agent then rummaged his embassy-provided suite at her leisure and obtained the documents. Making copies for her own, soon-to-be-growing personal files, she’d promptly demanded another ten thousand before turning them over to her lover.

      Realizing the potential of the situation, Bellucci had turned professional for the diplomatic community. Soon after, she quickly learned she liked her sex rough and her little black book, actually a PDA database, was filled with men, occasionally their wives and often their full-time mistresses, as well as a handful of female clients, who craved the release of a mistress with a capital M.

      Almost immediately she had come to the attention of Henri Galli upon the recommendation of a powerful Venezuelan businessman named Marcos Sincanaros. She knew little about the man except that he was tied to the government in some shadowy fashion and that he paid very well. Under his patronage her career had truly blossomed.

      She brought the cut-glass tumbler to her full, surgically enhanced lips and sipped. The gin gave off a scent that reminded her of pine trees as it sparkled tart on her tongue. Setting her drink down, she opened her purse on the bar and pulled out a blunt.

      She licked the end of the marijuana cigar until it was wet, then took a vial out of her handbag and sprinkled a liberal amount of cocaine across the moistened end. Bringing the blunt to her mouth, she used an oversize lighter to fire it up.

      The pungent smoke and aromatized cocaine filled her lungs as she dragged and held it in. The blood from her pounding heart rushed to her head, making her dizzy, followed immediately by a wave of pleasant euphoria. She felt simultaneously mellow and keyed up. The feeling would continue as her body absorbed the primary agents of her OxyContin painkillers.

      She left the smoldering blunt in a fine crystal ashtray and wandered deeper into the suite, looking for the stereo system.

      

      H AWKINS ENTERED THE ROOM on the fifth floor of the resort, some seven floors down from al-Shalaan’s penthouse suite. Inside, the rest of Phoenix Force was going over its last-minute preparations for the operation.

      Calvin James sat on a chair in front of the wrought-iron-and-glass coffee table situated in the center of the room. With quick, efficient motions he was securing the glass vials of Versed and succhyil chlorate into the loading chambers of the pneumatic injectors each of the team would carry in addition to a personal backup pistol.

      James, a former medic with the U.S. Navy SEALs, had explained the drug in detail to the team prior to deployment from Stony Man. Erring on the side of safety, for his team, James had calculated doses for a 210-pound male. The pistol-shaped injectors made sharp clicking sounds as he set them down on the glass tabletop.

      He looked up as Hawkins entered the room. “What’s up, T.J.?”

      â€œEverything’s still good. I waited around until al-Shalaan showed up to confirm the numbers on his entourage. We’re still five-by-five for our sitrep.”

      James nodded, then spoke into his throat mike. “T.J. confirms sitrep,” he said to the team leader, David McCarter. The ex-SAS commando was the team member with by far the most driving expertise on the team. He was waiting in a H3 Hummer converted into a stretch limousine downstairs across the street from the loading dock at the back of the five-star hotel. The vehicle was perfect camouflage in the upscale setting.

      James listened to the reply for a second, a grin growing larger on his face. “Copy. Out,” he said.

      â€œLet me guess,” Gary Manning said from across the room. The big Canadian was attaching a sound suppressor to the specially threaded barrel of a Glock 17 pistol. “David’s still pissed he’s not cracking skulls on this one.”

      â€œOh, you know how you alpha males like your skull cracking.” James laughed.

      Manning snorted. “If that anesthesia works half as well as you say, there shouldn’t be any skull cracking going on.”

      â€œIt’ll take a minute,” James admitted, and set the last injector down. “But with the adrenaline going, their hearts’ll push the drug through their system just fine. They’ll be out of commission even before they go under.”

      Rafael Encizo spoke up. “I’ve told Barb we’re about to go live.”

      The stocky little Cuban walked into the central living area from the master bedroom. Like Manning, he wore a shoulder holster holding a silenced Glock 17. He shrugged on a leather jacket to hide his shoulder rig and tucked the tail of his short-sleeved shirt into the back of his faded jeans.

      Manning stepped forward. “Okay, Rafe,” he said. “You lost rock-paper-scissors, so you’re the drunk.”

      â€œIt’s bullshit, you know,” Encizo answered, crossing to the bar. “If anyone should be the drunk, it should be T.J.”

      â€œThis is subterfuge,” James said. “Not real life.”

      â€œI’m right here,” Hawkins complained. “I’m standing right here.”

      â€œYou want to be the drunk?” James asked, his voice dry.

      â€œNo. I’m good, thanks,” Hawkins said.

      â€œNot the vodka,” Manning said as Encizo picked up a bottle of clear liquor from the suite bar. “It doesn’t stink enough. Use the Beefeater gin.”

      The Phoenix Force pro upended half a bottle over himself. Instantly the room stank of pine needles over the abrasive smell of grain alcohol. Hawkins and Manning quickly backed up to keep from being splashed. Encizo kept a grip on the bottle and grinned at them.

      â€œDon’t be shy, boys. I’m not heavy, I’m your brother.”

      Manning and Hawkins quickly took their auto-injectors from James and tucked them into the small of their backs. Encizo put his arms around the shoulders of the two men, prepping for his role as incoherent drunk.

      â€œThis is all very Nancy Drew,” Hawkins muttered.

      â€œNancy Drew used to pretend to get drunk?” Manning demanded, incredulous.

      â€œShe wore disguises and stuff,” Hawkins said. “Besides, Rafe’s really more of a Bess.”

      â€œBess?” James asked from behind them. The team began to move toward the door to their room. СКАЧАТЬ