Chapter 32

"Cash is nice but the books work better with a cheque."

"Cash I could give now but the cheque will have to wait for a few days I'm afraid."

"You carry almost four million in cash?"

"I have more, the reason of this trip was to buy property."

"Are all those suitcases filled with money?"

"I have quite a bit of cash. Do you have any qualms about carrying it with us?"

"If you're into drugs I can't deal with you."

"Tom, I work hard to remain ethical. I don't like drug dealers. I do not like gangsters either or their methods. Sadly, governments are not much different than the mob in the way they operate. I work in the grey area where I follow most of the laws and skirt a few to assist my people."

"Your people! That sounds like you are a feudal lord."

"In many ways, that's very close to the truth. Now, how do you wish me to pay for the trip?"

"Cash works for me this time."

I paid the man in hundreds and in fact that was the largest bill I could use. Canadians had thousand dollar bills but with drug money perhaps they wouldn't be used much. The pilot got a scanner and ran twenty bills through without a hitch so he put the money in the safe and shook my hand.

I asked again, "Tom, I'm going to invest my money in goods and real estate. It's all in cash. It's just that it's a lot easier to get this into the system if I go to one of those grey areas."

"How much do you have?"

"Almost a thousand pounds."

The man did some mental work and said, "That truck?"

"Yes. Money is bulky."

I had to wait a long time until he said, "I'll take it for you but we can't let anybody else see what we're loading."

"Thanks, Tom. I want to say again that I sold no drugs or stolen property to get that money. What I did to get the money, you would probably do the same."

The girls drove the cars near the hangar. I moved the truck near the hatch for the luggage. Tom and I threw a lot of large heavy suitcases into the plane. When we finished, Tom was sweating. "Was that all," and in a whisper, "money?"

"Sure was."

The family was not as frightened of flying this time even though it was in the daylight. Gus used a portal to detect those nodes and we had our own unit. It took little care other than to make sure it was charged.

We didn't have much sleep and we snoozed for the first part of the flight. We landed for refuelling outside of Atlanta. Tom got some papers and we began to go over the points we discussed in our deal.

Camsa and Porta were close, listening to what was said and when we finished the business I said, "I want everybody with me to try to get a pilot's licence. Some people are not suited to flying though and some would never be intrusted with a plane like this."

"I've met lots like that."

"Then perhaps you could talk about flying in general to us?"

"I'd love to. Why don't you move up toward the cockpit so I can show you. Marc will have a chance to add his comments."

"That sounds great."

We moved up and the lesson began. It hadn't finished by the time we landed near Miami to refuel again. After that, we were over the water.

Tiffany said, "Are we in the Bermuda triangle yet?"

"We sure are," Tom said. "Ships and planes disappeared in this area for centuries. They vanished in the area from Miami, San Juan and Bermuda. A better shape also includes Norfolk as a forth point. I understand we are going there later. Even modern ships with all sorts of navigational aids, radio and alarm beacons have been lost without a trace."

Casma looked so earnest when he said, "Really," that I had to smile.

Tom saw this too and began a talk of pirates and worked up to lost planes in the Sargasso Sea.

We were well rested when we reached Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. A man in a suit accompanied by two military officers met the plane. Our guns were hidden but would not do us much good if these people were hostile. I did have the lightning bolt weapon and the fulcrum which could do a lot of damage if used creatively.

The man came up to me and with a smile said, "Good day, Mr Smith. My name is Federico García. I am assisting your representative, Mr Jones."

I shook the man's hand and said, "I'm glad to meet you. I would like to get out of the sun if we can."

"We have brought sufficient limousines for all of you. They're airconditioned for your comfort."

"That is very kind of you. Are we required to go through customs?"

"I have already taken care of that matter. I was told you wish to see the property before completing the transaction."

"That's true. I understand that it's not far away."

"It is just a hundred and forty kilometres but only some of it is with good roads. It will take almost three hours. Perhaps you would like to rest first and refresh yourselves?"

"Let's stop at San Pedro de Macoris."

"As you wish."

"Tell me about your two escorts."

The men were a Captain and a Lieutenant in the local army. They quickly explained how there were still bandits around. The next words were that we needed protection since we must have the cash to complete the deal. I just smiled and allowed them to feel that they were here for my good.

Our property was taken out of the plane and put in the cars. Sixteen large suitcases full of money had to be stored securely. We found enough room when we filled the trunks and the front seats of the limos. The family kept their pretty packs they had bought to imitate students in the university. Tom and Marc were going to enjoy a vacation for a day or so then take us back.

I sat with the first vehicle with the Captain and García. I listened with my mind to the girls and they told me about the troop truck and a car with army markings on it following right behind us.

This situation smelled so I used the heart and the other icon to get the Captain to nod off before I worked on García. By the time we stopped for a break, I knew that we were heading into a trap.

Lauren said mentally from the car behind me, "What's your plan?"

"It's in the mountainous region before we reach Santa Cruz del Seibo. The Captain and the lawyer are to be called away. We get stopped, I get shot. The Captain likes you girls so you would take a while to die. The soldiers will be pinned down and after the bandits are finished with all of you they will be driven off. I figure some of us move the car behind the troop truck. I will arrange for the column to stop. We use our guns to take the soldiers' rifles so we can use them."

"Who babysits the soldiers?"

"We all use our weapons to keep this civilised. We start up again but all of you are in the troop truck. The soldiers will be a few kilometres back on the road and without any babysitters. When trouble is near, we stop before the trap to let you off and I go forward."

We had a bathroom break in shifts so we could watch the cars and our belongings. Caiti came out with a smile so I knew her guns were handy and ready to use.

We managed to get the lieutenant alone for a moment and I found out his part in this arrangement. The soldiers in the truck were more thieves than soldiers and only knew that we had a lot of money.

It was about forty klicks to the city but the road was in poor condition. The ambush site was only a vague area so the people springing the trap had some leeway.

When we were in the general area, I pulled the 45 out of my holster and prodded the driver's neck. He looked at the weapon in the mirror and started to talk rapidly in Spanish. Our always helpful lawyer told him to slow down and stop. When the car did stop, I got the keys for the ignition and stepped out of the car.

Christiane, Caiti and Camsa, my three 'Cs', stood at the windows of each car with a gun at the head of the driver while the rest hurried to surround the military car and truck. I heard some auto fire and Jonna called out to us, "Nobody hurt, just making a point."

The soldiers were kicked out of the truck as the family confiscated the AK-74s. These weapons were a lighter calibre and we only had a few of them but they were nice.

We kicked the drivers out and had the lawyer drive since he was under my control. We stopped at three possible ambush sites until I saw what looked like a trap. The girls used the truck to block the road behind us. Taking to their feet, they moved up the hill to get behind the bandits.

It took longer than I thought but soon I heard that the girls were ready. The lieutenant drove the front car alone and the other two followed. An explosion blew up in the road ahead of the car and the procession stopped. Men came charging out of bushes or from behind trees. By the time they got to the car the girls opened up with single shots.

There were a dozen men and I scanned the area for reinforcements. The men dropped quickly and took cover behind the car. I used my rifle on full auto and killed or used it to flush out the rest. The girls and Camsa made sure there were no survivors.

A hidden car took off and I used a half dozen rounds on it but it got away. The family came out and tried to shoot too but the road wound around the hill sides. In the distance and below us I saw a road about two klicks away that may be the same as the one we were on. I could hear the roar of the car's engine and then I saw it on the exposed road.

Two klicks was far for a sniper weapon and I only had a rifle. I took out the silver lightning bolt and aimed it at the car. I didn't have time to be exact. I just thought of the car exploding and burning, then I included the gun. The car made it behind a small rise just as the gun fired. The beam shot out of the front of the weapon. The bolt was immediately surrounded by static and smaller lightning discharges that emanated from the main beam. The discharges becoming larger and more potent as the distance increased. As the car went behind the little hill, the beam followed it, cutting through the obstruction between us like a knife. We couldn't see the vehicle at this point, but it seemed to have been hit.

We patrolled the ambush site and found nobody alive including the lieutenant that had been in our lead vehicle.

The girls double timed it back to the truck. The Captain and Jonna drove the vehicle back to pick up the soldiers. Traffic, though sparse, was now starting to back up. The Captain eventually got his men gathered up. Apparently some were not willing to be found. The Captain provided the story of how the soldiers fought off a dozen bandits only to learn that their lieutenant had died in the battle.

The truck returned and the soldiers were given empty guns to hold. Some of the soldiers had seen and heard the horizontal lightning bolt that struck the car and were not interested in disputing anything we said.

The radio in the truck was used to call in a report. This would bring a lot of unwanted attention so we got in the remaining undamaged limos. Our lawyer was now our only guide. We were more crowded with the additional suitcases.

The top section of the hill I fired at was now missing. There must have been at least twenty tonnes of soil and road destroyed to hit the back of the car. There was still steam coming from the damp soil. A reflection of glass was seen all along the cut. When we passed the vehicle I destroyed, we slowed down to see the damage. It was still burning when we arrived and I saw three charred corpses thrown from the vehicle by the explosion. We were just able to drive around it and then past the line of gawkers that had stopped at the fire. If I had directly hit the car with this much power, there would be very little left to see.

I listened on our mental party line as everybody talked about the fight. Instead of being gross like some of the warriors I knew, they talked about their weapons and tactics. Usually it was what we would do different if we had to do it again.

Christiane was overexcited at the battle. Camsa pushed her down to the floor and give her something to nurse on that would relax her. The driver could not see but I was sure he was guessing. Some of the others were excited too, but able to control themselves better. Before too long Christiane's lips were passed to the next one in the car.

With the battle over, I told the rest what I had learned from Federico García. Gerald Hicks was the owner of the business we were purchasing. He was the one that suggested this ambush so he could pocket the deposit and share in the spoils and sell his property to somebody else.

We bypassed our stop so we could get to our destination quicker. There was a turn off before we entered the town and we came to a chain link fence with two armed guards. I looked at their expressions and didn't see any amazement that we had arrived. Then again, the ambush would be kept secret. García got us through and we parked near a two story commercial building.

The drivers took the suitcases out of the trunks and front seats before dutifully carrying them into the building. Caiti always had her hand in her pack as if searching for a doll but actually clutching her Glock 19.

We were ushered into a nice reception room and I saw a man of fifty get up from his chair in an office and hurry to us. He looked at me and then at García. The smile on his face was far from believable.

García did the introductions and Hicks shook my hand and said, "I hope your trip here was enjoyable."

"Actually, it was."

Hicks looked at my face and said, "How so, Mr Smith?"

"We had some entertainment. A group of fifteen or so ruffians wanted my money and I turned my army loose on them. None of the men escaped. A lieutenant in the army sadly died in the crossfire. I got to shoot a few of the thieves for the inconvenience they caused me."

Hicks looked like a fish out of water. "What about the army unit?"

"We were not sure about their loyalty so they were disarmed. We did the job they were supposed to do. To avoid unpleasantness, the army is taking the kudos for killing some robbers."