Jake said nothing.
“Decision time.” Collins pointed his Beretta at Jake’s head.
“Drop the gun.” Wiley shouted. The old man was pointing Jake’s gun at Collins.
“Mr. Wiley, get out of here. He has Kyli. He’ll kill her. Look at the monitor.” While Collins was focusing on Wiley, Jake slipped his hand into his front pocket.
“Let her go.” Wiley moved closer to Jake while keeping his gun trained on the assassin. “I agreed to your terms, I met my end of the bargain. I delivered Jake to you, as you demanded, unarmed. Now release my granddaughter.”
“Dammit. Get out of here.” Jake said.
“She’s all I have left, Jake.” Jake noticed sweat running down the old man’s forehead. His voice cracked. “Let her go Mr. Collins.”
Collins laughed.
“We had a deal.”
“Sorry, old man. I just cancelled it.” Collins pressed the
Enter
key, the counter started. He turned and fired at Wiley.
Wiley fell to floor grasping his shoulder, his gun tumbled in front of Jake’s feet. Before Collins could move, Jake dropped to a knee, flipped open his knife, and hurled it at the assassin.
Collins fired and missed.
Like a spear, the razor-sharp blade impaled Collins’ left leg. He dropped his gun and clutched his wound with both hands.
Jake grabbed Wiley’s gun and glanced at the timer. 30 seconds left. Jake reached down and pulled Wiley to his feet.
“Must…save…Kyli.” Wiley said.
Collins moved for his gun.
Jake focused on the Irishman as he reached his long arm toward the Beretta. Jake fired and the bullet pierced Collins’ hand. “Decision time, Shamrock.”
“Jake.” Wiley interrupted. “Kyli. Save Kyli.”
20 seconds.
Jake saw Collins’ face twitch. The Irishman’s plan had backfired and the big man looked worried. “Only a few more seconds and none of this will ever matter again.”
“Jake.” Wiley shouted.
“Mr. Wiley, get out of here…now.” Jake noticed Collins was sweating. “Ian, you killed the woman I loved, now I’m going to kill you.”
15 seconds.
“I can stop it.” Collins said. “All I have to do is hit the escape key.”
Jake aimed his Glock at Collins. “Stop it then.”
Collins pressed the escape key. The counter kept counting down.
10 seconds.
Collins pounded the keyboard. “I don’t know what’s wrong. It’s not stopping. We must get out of here now.”
Collins started to move and Jake fired.
Ian Collins’ head exploded, his lifeless body fell to the floor.
Jake glanced at the monitor.
5 seconds.
Wiley fell to his knees. “Oh my god. What have you done? What have I done?”
Jake grabbed the old man, threw him over his shoulder, and ran for the door. As he crossed through the threshold, the villa exploded.
EPILOGUE
3 Days later
Athens Medical Center
Athens, Greece
J
AKE WAS TALKING to Kyli when The Toymaker regained consciousness.
The blast had hurled Jake and the old man thirty feet in the air before they crashed into the stone villa across the narrow street. The thick exterior stone walls of Collins’ villa remained intact after the explosion. Windows blew outward, glass and debris covered the streets. When Jake came to, smoke was billowing from the windows. He heard the firefighters say that the floor had collapsed and crumbled into the basement where everything soon engulfed in flames.
The old man suffered first and second-degree burns, a concussion, broken left wrist, left clavicle fracture, and multiple contusions. Jake escaped with only minor burns, bruises and a knot on the back of his head when he was thrown into a bicycle parked in front of the adjacent villa.
Kyli leaned down and kissed Wiley on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay, Grandpa.”
“Kyli? Is it really you?” Wiley tried to rise up but Kyli pushed him back down. His voice weak and strained, almost faltering. “I thought you were dead. What happened? Where’s Jake?”
“He’s right here.” She said. “He’s fine. He saved your life…and mine.”
“Jake…come here.” Wiley said.
Jake stood and walked to Wiley’s bedside. “How are you feeling?” Across the bed from him, Jake saw tears well up in Kyli’s eyes.
“Blown up.” Wiley grabbed Jake’s arm. “How did you know Collins was lying?”
“Simple, it was exactly as you said, a trap. Collins was trying to trick me into the basement.”
“Obviously…Kyli wasn’t in the basement.”
“He had her locked up.” Jake paused. “Just not in the basement.”
“How did you know that?” Wiley asked.
“From the data you gave me and what I gleaned from Collins’ villa.” Jake said. “The information was all there, all I had to do was put the pieces together.”
“I don’t understand.” Wiley said.
Jake glanced across at Kyli, then back to her grandfather. “At first, I was shocked when I saw Kyli on the monitor and was ready to comply with Collins' dare. Then I remembered what you said as we arrived on Ios. I knew the only way Collins could be found was if he wanted to be found. It all made sense to me then.”
“Jake, who’s talking cryptic now?” Wiley lifted his head from his pillow. “How did you know Kyli wasn’t in his basement?”
Jake smiled. “My first dealing with Collins goes back eight months. I studied everything I could about that man. One thing he always does, is keep women for his own pleasure. After you and I were out of the way, he was planning to have Kyli to himself.” Jake glanced at Kyli. “You’re lucky. When Collins doesn’t kill a woman, he makes them wish they were dead.”
“He was a scary bastard.” She said.
Jake turned back at Wiley. “The video feed was the biggest give away. He used the video to try to lure me into the basement, where I would have been blown up. Then he would have killed you and left you in the rubble.”
“But you couldn’t be sure.” Wiley said.
“I was one hundred percent certain she wasn’t in that basement. I spent a lot of time on boats and ships when I was at Annapolis, and then again in the Navy. First time, for several weeks on one of the Academy’s forty-four foot sloops. Then for several months on the USS Mount Whitney. When I saw the video feed of Kyli, I knew she was on a boat. The sun’s reflection off the water is unmistakable, the way it shimmers and dances across a room. I realized then Collins’ plan was to kill both of us, get to his boat, and sail away with Kyli onboard.” Jake looked at Kyli. “Eventually, he would have killed you too. Probably dumped your body at sea.”
“Where did you find her?” Wiley asked.
“It took a couple of hours to get back on my feet.” Jake walked around Wiley’s bed and stood next to Kyli. “While you were on the helicopter ride here, I went down to the waterfront looking for Kyli. It took me a while, but I finally found her on a sailboat moored in the harbor. First, I checked the docked boats, and then I rented a skiff and searched the boats in the harbor. I knew I found the right boat as soon as I read the name on the transom.”
“What was it?” Wiley asked.
“
Shamrock’s Revenge
.”
“I’ll be damned. What about the authorities?” Wiley asked. “Any trouble with them?”
“None. I told them we were walking up to see the church at the top of the hill when the villa blew. Wrong place, wrong time.”
“Kyli, I need to speak to Jake alone.” Wiley stared Jake in the eyes while he spoke to Kyli.
“But, Grandpa, you just woke up,” Kyli protested.
“Fifteen minutes.”
Kyli smiled and walked to the door. “Fifteen minutes.” She walked out.
Wiley grabbed Jake’s arm. “Jake, I owe you an apology for—”
“You don’t owe me anything.” Jake placed his hand on Wiley’s hand. “I understand why you did what you did…and I’m not upset. If I were in your shoes, I would have done the same thing. And I’m holding you to your job offer.”
Jake heard the door open behind him.
“Nice work, rookie.”
Jake turned around and was surprised at who he saw. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you if you didn’t get yourself killed, I would see you again.” She walked to the hospital bed and handed Wiley a large manila envelope.
Wiley took it and placed it on his lap. “Jake, I believe you already know Francesca. I had to fight with her over which one of you got to kill Collins. You both had grudges to bear.”
Jake placed his hand on his cheek. “Collins do that to you?”
“Yes.” Francesca said. “One day, maybe, I’ll tell you about it.”
Jake looked at Wiley. “What’s she doing here?”
“She was on Ios, in case we failed.” Wiley explained. “Her instructions were to kill Collins if he came out of his villa and we didn’t.”
“After the explosion,” she said. “When I knew Mr. Wiley was being taken care of, I stayed around to make sure Collins was dead.” Francesca smiled. “After the authorities found his burned body, I left and came to get you.”
“To get me?” Jake looked at Wiley for an explanation, but none came.
Jake looked back at Francesca. “Get me for what?”
Francesca pointed to the envelope on Wiley’s bed. “That is our next assignment.”
“Our?”
Wiley handed Jake the envelope.
“We’re working together on this one.” Francesca turned and walked toward the door. “Come on, rookie, we have a plane to catch.”
Jake looked at the old man. "What about Kyli?"
"She'll be fine." Wiley smiled. "There's plenty of time for you and Kyli. Right now, I need you."
He glanced at Francesca then back to Wiley. “We’re leaving now?”
The Toymaker nodded. “Welcome to The Greenbrier Fellowship.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
While playing around in literary wonderland, I’ve discovered how important it is to have friends in your corner, whether it be to offer advice, criticism, or support. Before I mention them, I want to thank the most important people—the readers. If you’ve followed me from
The Savannah Project
, or whether
The Toymaker
was your first of my novels, I thank you for your support.
The idea for
The Toymaker
came from a man I met a few years ago whose identity, for obvious reasons, I can’t reveal. It was actually the suggestion of my wife to include his character (and title) in this book.
There are several others I wish to thank for their contribution. G. J. (Cos) Cosgrove, Jeannine DeBrule, Tim and Kathy Eyerman, Debbie Mastro, Cheryl Duttweiler, Arlene and Terry Robinson, and fellow author Richard C. Hale.
Once again, for another awesome book cover, I want to thank my good friend, Mary Fisher.
Saving the best for last, the force that keeps me driving forward, my wonderful wife, Debi. As I’ve mentioned before, you are my biggest fan, toughest critic, and best friend. Thanks for your undying support. I love you.
AUTHOR NOTES
As you know by now, no one setting defines this book.
The Toymaker
moves fast and from locale to locale. That happens when you’re chasing a terrorist. Throughout this story, Jake Pendleton gets to utilize some really cool gadgets along his journey. All of the technology mentioned in this book is real and exists today in some form or another. With that twisted disclaimer, I did take literary license to
enhance
the features of a couple of the technologies to advance the story.
The copper mesh tent, and everything associated with it, is accurate.
Miniature drones with varying capabilities are in existence today and utilized by the acronym agencies, Special Forces, and even intelligence organizations from other countries. The wasp is my creation. The idea for the wasp came from an actual miniature hummingbird drone. It’s real—Google it.
The radio tomographic imaging (RTI) technology is real and was invented at the University of Utah. Elmore Wiley’s version offers enhancements above and beyond the original design…but well within our technological capabilities.
The world of DNA, and what can be done with it, makes technological leaps and bounds daily. Do not be too quick to rule out the possibility of DNA assassinations. It has likely already occurred.
Which, lastly, brings me to Elmore Wiley’s special gliders. Motorized gliders exist. Composite gliders exist. The jet-assisted-take-off (JATO) add-on was my enhancement. JATO technology exists and has been in use for many years—just not on a glider to my knowledge. Every other technology about those gliders exists today, including the ability to mask them from radar detection. So I figure if some nut can strap a rocket to a backpack and fly through the mountains with nothing else on but a flying squirrel outfit, then I can strap a JATO bottle to a glider.
It’s all within the realm of possibility.