Mack Bolanâs combat senses cried out
Killing his flashlight, he hovered in the darkness for a moment and stared at the bend in the tunnel twenty feet ahead of him. Seconds later, he saw white beams of light playing over the surface and heard the roar of air bubbles expelling from regulators coming out of time with his own breathing.
His opponents had to know he was lying in wait for them. If he could hear them, it stood to reason that the reverse was also true.
Fisting his knife, he waited until the men rounded the corner, one after the other. Each was armed with a speargun and wore a light affixed to his forehead. Bolan surged forward, slicing in a downward arc and skimming along the tunnelâs bottom. As he descended, a pair of spears fired overhead, cutting through the space he occupied moments before.
Bolan didnât give the men time to reload.
I cannot be intimidated from doing that which my judgment and conscience tell me is right by any earthly power.
âAndrew Jackson 1767-1845
I will show the true meaning of justice and terror to those who would hurt or kill innocents.
âMack Bolan
Nevada
Some men became killers reluctantly, accidentally. Not Talisman. He loved a good blood bath and had traveled halfway across the world to immerse himself in one. The big African soldier checked his watch and knew that in another twenty minutes heâd be rewarded for the sweet anticipation that had nagged him for days.
He checked the load on his AK-47, then stared at Trevor Dadeâs campuslike home. The thirty-acre compound rose out of the desert like an ostentatious oasisâbright lights, fountains, palm trees, glittering swimming pools and hot tubs dotted the landscape. Three Mercedes convertibles were parked along the circular driveway fronting the luxurious home.
The compoundâs big gates rolled open and a convoy of SUVs glided into the night, headlights slicing through the inky blackness. They would follow a series of access roads and ultimately catch Nevadaâs highways, taking the afternoon shiftâs guards home for the night.
The third-shift crew was inside, getting its briefing. Talisman checked his watch: 11:02 p.m. In six minutes the anal-retentive crew chief would usher the guards outside, just as he did every evening, and send them to their positions.
Talisman ran his fingers over the control board of the small device sitting on its rocky pedestal next to his right knee. A series of lights and beeps told him the device was ready to go.
The Russian had said the apparatus would knock out communication between the security team members and their home base, the Haven. Suddenly, the guards would find themselves isolated and would fall in short order. Or so the Russian said. And considering how badly he wanted Dade, Talisman was inclined to believe what the man told him.
At the same time, the InsiderâTalisman didnât even know the Russianâs nameâwith the help of that crazy bastard William Armstrong, planned to ignite a series of explosions miles away, creating a disturbance sure to draw the helicopter security teamâs attention.
In twenty-four hours, Talisman would be back in Africa a little richer and his blood lust satiatedâat least for a while. Shadows drifted in and settled around himâa group of his best soldiers and former Spetsnaz commandosâand they waited to spill blood on American soil.