Flawlessly Executed (Dark Horse Guardians Book 3) (8 page)

Toweling off, Lara kissed Ben with a lingering French kiss, savoring the moment. Ben did just what she was hoping he would do. With a fiery look in those blue eyes, he lifted her and carried her toward the bed.

Gently he eased her down and stood above her staring for a brief moment. He traced his fingertip across her lip and she shivered with delight. The calm was shattered with the hunger of his kiss. He was instantly on top of her kissing her lips, her ear, the hollow of her neck, then her breasts. She was shocked at her own eager response to the touch of his lips.

Surprising him, Lara switched places. Suddenly she was on top. She saw him smile and sensed he was ready, willing and able to enjoy whatever she had planned. Lara wanted Ben to stay and this was her physical expression of that wish.

She kissed him again as her hair tumbled onto his chest. His hands were in her hair, then on her body stroking the soft skin of her thighs. As she straddled his muscled form on the bed, in between kisses, she whispered, “Ben, don’t go. Ben, don’t go.” She was hoping to hypnotize him. She couldn’t stand the thought of him leaving again. She lightly kissed his brow, his eyes, his nose, then found his lips. She kissed him with a hunger she never knew she had and felt his body arch. His desire intensified to a fever pitch.

~ Ben ~

For a moment he wondered what had come over Lara. She usually did not take the lead in lovemaking like this, but he wasn’t going to question it. She was on top of him and he was in heaven. Her kisses were driving him crazy. When she ran her hands over his chest and abdomen she nearly drove him wild with anticipation. A moment later her fingers were opening the fresh blackberry sauce from the cheesecake. She drizzled the sauce on his abdomen and slowly licked it off.

Exploring and stroking, he watched her and his body automatically responded. Pushing him to the absolute limit, she stopped momentarily as he caught his breath. Then with reckless abandon she linked her body with his in such a way that it caused him to inhale deeply with a shock of pleasure.

It was wild and unexpected to have her running the show, and he watched as she moved above him in a rhythm that became exhilarating. He scrutinized her beautiful face as she seemed to fall into a trance of pure pleasure. For the first time, Lara was totally in control and Ben absolutely loved it.

Afterwards, they both collapsed with exhaustion. Ben curled his body around hers and whispered, “Wow. That was amazing, darlin …I love you.”

“Ben, don’t go.” Lara whispered. Her words broke his heart. At that moment, he realized she did this for him. She needed the release, too, but she put all of her energy into this dramatic moment for
him
. He had never felt so happy and so sad at the same time. He swept her hair aside and kissed the nape of her neck, “Oh darlin – I’ll be back. It’s only another mission. It will be a little while, and I’ll be home with you…” She was still breathing heavily and he heard her sigh.

He moved to the bathroom to get a washcloth and retrieved a cold bottle of water. As he returned to Lara, she looked sleepy and sexy. He washed the blackberry sauce off his body and fed her a few bites of the cheesecake. Smiling, she whispered, “That’s yummy!” She drank half the water and he embraced her tightly until he felt her fall into deep slumber against his chest.

But after she fell asleep, he wasn’t thinking of Lara any longer. As he moved off the bed to finish the cheesecake, the mission was on his mind. And even though he was exhausted, he had difficulty falling asleep.

He ended up on the computer for three hours with Moshe. The Dark Horse game continued as one more man was marked. The target used the same elevator everyday like clockwork. The game was a delicate choreography of patterns and timing.

~ Hawk ~

Moving into the bungalow with his crew was a great pleasure on the crisp late September day. Landscaping was slowing down but it was good timing because Hawk was preparing to meet Lara for the first client visit. He had to admit, he was nervous. But knowing she’d be there with him made all the difference. He took a deep breath as he gathered his materials and got into his truck. He would meet Lara at the address in Cumberland. It was an old colonial filled with charm. The moment he pulled into the driveway, his mind was alive with ideas for the landscape design.

Lara was already there. She had purchased a red Mercedes SUV and she got out to greet him, “Hey, don’t you look professional…” she greeted him.

Hawk blushed a little. He dressed as she had requested, in the charcoal suit. He shaved and showered and wore the cologne she liked. Just being with her gave him a shot of confidence. Lara was a comforting mother hen with him. When she turned to make eye contact, they both instantly smiled as if they shared a secret joke. In a way, they did. He had no idea what he was doing with multi-million dollar clients and Lara was well aware of his apprehension.

“It’s time to introduce ourselves.” Lara whispered. Hawk was so nervous he was trembling a little, but Lara took him by the arm and steadied his nerves.

Together they walked to the back door of the colonial and an attractive middle-aged woman answered. Turned out she was the maid. Hawk followed Lara to the parlor in the front of the house and his eyes roamed around the room filled with expensive antiques. Even though he was dressed the part, he felt out of place. But Lara fit right in. She looked beautiful today in a cream-colored pant suit that fit her as if it was custom designed for her body. Her hair was loose but pulled away from her lovely face with a gold barrette. Her green eyes sparkled when they met his. All he could think about was how thankful he was she was with him on this appointment.

A young blonde woman came into the room and introduced herself. Hawk immediately felt at ease once he sat down on the sofa and tapped the iPad that held his portfolio. He went through a well-rehearsed brief introduction, then sat back and listened as Lara had instructed. He took lots of notes.

~ Ben ~

Moshe was on the satellite phone with Ben all day. The mission planning was complete, for the moment. It actually was never complete until the plan was executed. There were sixty-five terrorists, each one was located with pinpoint accuracy thanks to Moshe’s genius. Moshe anticipated the prisoners would be freed sooner or later by the Americans and he didn’t want these bastards to get away, thus he meticulously attached GPS tracking devices smaller than a dime to their vehicles. The thought of attaching an incendiary device was tempting, however Ben and Moshe decided that could be too risky. The car bomb might kill innocent people, or might kill the wrong person and tip their hand.

No, this type of killing had to be up close and personal. The heinous crimes these animals had perpetrated could not go unpunished. The city of Aleppo in Syria was where the majority of the terrorists had gathered. It had become radical central planning according to the latest reports from the CIA. But Moshe had even
better
intel because he had several people who had infiltrated the dangerous Islamic State. These were dedicated warriors, willing to die for the cause. There was nothing better than having human intelligence on the ground, giving you updated first-hand intelligence daily.

The Dark Horse Guardians had been contacted for the trip overseas to begin on November 9
th
. The date got changed to accommodate the work-ups. They’d catch a ride on two C130’s supplied by the United States Navy. Moshe had several safe houses located in Syria and Jordan and the group would go underground for training once the wheels touched the ground in Qatar and Israel.

This would not be a killing frenzy, but a masterfully choreographed mafia-style hit. The movements of each terrorist fugitive had been studied for months. Ben was beginning to feel joyful anticipation to be in Moshe’s war room with a new generation of drones and the best high definition satellite pictures money could buy.

A platoon of Navy SEALs would participate, but Moshe was lead man. That was the deal. The U.S. government didn’t like it, but they wouldn’t have their fingerprints on the hit.
That part they liked.
As long as nothing went wrong, it would appear that the militant factions turned upon one another, which wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

In reality, the Middle East was in a state of total chaos. Since the beginning of time, repressive regimes dominated the people of the region…Communists, Ba’athists, the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and the spin-off terrorist group of the week.

The radical Islamic fighters were being joined by all manner of rebels, and this was the opportunity that Ben and Moshe would exploit. Unknown to the radicals in charge, there were groups living in their midst who wanted them defeated as much as Ben did. The radicals made one huge mistake when they executed all non-Muslims in Mosul. They pissed off the Yazidis taking their land, causing them to live as refugees.

The Yazidis were taken in by the Kurdish people. In addition, the radicals managed to piss off a large group of Kurds and Shia Arabs. And, the latest intel revealed many Sunni sects who were turning against the Islamic radicals. Moshe’s men were now actively arming the Kurds and women joining the fight. Ben had to tip his hat to these women; he admired their strength and courage in the face of such adversity. If anyone deserved his expertise and support, it was
this
group. He would go to the wall for them.

Thus, the mission would be carefully coordinated assassinations. It would consist of flawlessly executing sixty-five terrorists released by the corrupt President of Afghanistan. The targets to be eliminated had led armies in horrific crimes of terror, participating in and ordering rapes, kidnappings, mass murders, beheadings, and crucifixions. And, as if that wasn’t
bad
enough, these animals filmed the atrocities and put them on YouTube in an effort to recruit more sick individuals.
And, it was working
.

The purpose of the mission would be to disrupt, and possibly defeat, the radical Islamic group that had morphed into an army before his eyes, thanks to the United States pulling out of Iraq prematurely without a Status of Forces Agreement. This mission could possibly cut off the head of the snake and Ben felt it could even turn the tide in the Middle East.

However, it had to be done so that no one would know there were boots on the ground. He laughed whenever he heard that term. How naïve to think there weren’t boots on the ground twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. There was a constant presence of shadow-operatives along with dedicated U.S. military men and women doing the most difficult work in the world. The geo-political significance of flawlessly executing sixty-five horrible radicals gave Ben an adrenaline rush.

His felt his phone vibrate and saw it was Rashida. He was surprised to hear from her so soon. Her dialect was a mixture of Pasto and Arabic, with English slang tossed in, and he couldn’t suppress his happiness as he heard her voice, “Hello Chief. I want to thank you my medical treatment.”

Ben’s heart was in his throat, but he managed to speak, “Good. I’m glad things worked out. You are happy?”

Rashida handed the phone to someone else in the room and Ben recognized Nate O’Neal’s voice, “Hey, I’m going to call you on the other line.” He clicked off.

The satellite phone chimed. Nate continued, “Hey, listen. Rashida wants to join us in the tactical takedown.”

Ben felt a wave of panic wash over him, “Oh, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. If she was captured, you know what would happen.”

Nate’s tone was persistent, “You’ve got to meet with her. She has skills and abilities. She’s brilliant. We could utilize someone like her. She’s much tougher than you think.”

Finally, Ben acquiesced, “All right, but our meeting has to be someplace out of the way. And, I need Jake Wilson there, too.”

Nate replied, “I’ll have them both at the hut. I need to pick up some stuff there anyhow. How about Saturday night?”

Ben ruminated for a moment, then said, “Okay, be there at 8 PM. I’ll listen to your proposal, but I’m not sure I’m going to marry you!” Nate clicked off.

It occurred to Ben that this could be the best opportunity to show Lara the black site. It was a long drive, but it would be a good chance for her to learn more about his consulting work. And, he was sure she’d be interested to meet Rashida.

He sent Lara a text saying, “We have a date this weekend, especially romantic.” He smiled to himself as he thought how
unromantic
this date would really be, on a logging road hidden away in the Allagash wilderness of Northern Maine. Not a great place for romance, but perfect for a black-op meet.

~ Lara ~

Looking forward to the weekend with Ben, Lara sped home from the firm, exhausted from the turmoil of the day. Thank God for Finn Murphy. He managed a balancing act with the contractors that was more delicate than a perfectly choreographed ballet. Some restoration projects lagged behind while others were progressing more rapidly than expected. Thus the ability to shift and change contractors around was constantly needed in Finn’s position.

Ben had sent her a text saying he had a romantic weekend planned and asked her to be home early. This made her curious and happy, although she wondered what he had up his sleeve. He could be so cryptic sometimes in his messages to her; but she knew that was all part of who he was and what he did. Einstein heard her car pull into the driveway and Ben was standing on the porch with the dog holding his collar so he wouldn’t run in front of her vehicle.

As she emerged, Ben laughed, “Go ahead -- give her a kiss.” She kneeled to rub the dog’s ears and thought it odd that Ben met her there in the driveway.

She called out, “Hey, mystery man, what’s cooking?”

As usual, he embraced her the moment she stepped into the screened porch. “We need to talk about this weekend.” He wasn’t romantic but somber. “Lara, I need to bring you to a place you haven’t been before. Then we’ll drive on to Prince Edward Island for some time at the cottage. Would you like that?”

She was thrilled with the idea, although it seemed like a long drive.

As if Ben read her thoughts he continued, “I’m meeting someone at a black-site in Northern Maine. You’ve never seen the place, but Nate and Jake will be there, too. It was going to be tomorrow night, but I changed it to tonight. Then we can drive on to the cottage on the island and spend the weekend. Don’t worry about driving back, we can take a flight home. I need to leave a vehicle up there anyhow.”

Lara was intrigued by this well-planned weekend and was up for whatever Ben proposed. “What should I pack?” Ben smiled and replied, “Very little. It’s on the cool side up there now. Sweatshirts and comfortable pajamas. Hell, forget about the pajamas, I’ll keep you warm. Let’s get our gear and head out. Harris will take the dog.”

The next few minutes was tumultuous as Lara threw her things into the rental car and they dropped off Einstein with Professor Harris at the old colonial. Harris was thrilled to have the dog for the weekend. Then Ben headed in the general direction of Mud Pond and Wisdom Lake.

Lara noticed his voice had a hint of excitement, “I’ve got to tell you about Rashida. She was there at the compound on my last mission. She was captured during the Arab Spring in Egypt. Her family was killed. She was brought to the compound on the pretense of being a cook. She was a cook all right, but she ended up being a sex slave for this bastard named Salim. She was beaten and raped repeatedly. One night she fought off Salim with a kitchen knife when he came to rape her. But he was much stronger than Rashida. She managed to slice his face with the knife, but in the end he beat her badly and held her face on the burner of the stove. The burns were horrific. I arranged for plastic surgery in Boston. She is still healing, but doing better. There will most likely be a second surgery, but she is so grateful. And, Salim, by the way is no longer among the living.”

As she listened, Lara became fascinated and wanted to meet this woman. A wave of pride swept over her as she listened to Ben’s gallant rescue of Rashida. And for a moment she felt relieved to be away from the frenzied pace at the firm. She needed a weekend away to clear her mind. Ben certainly had a way of capturing her attention and shifting her priorities.

~ Abby ~

Abby was thankful to have Lucy Adams to help her during the weekend as she searched for an apartment. One thing was for sure, Ben Keegan was not useful. He took off and wasn’t answering his cell phone. Lucy was coming with her today to view an apartment within walking distance from the university. Abby sat on the front steps waiting for Lucy’s car and within seconds she pulled up. Standing, Abby waved then slid into the passenger seat.

“Hey, Lucy. Thanks for the lift.” They drove to the pink Victorian and met the landlord to view the apartment.

The place was tiny and had just been vacated by a teacher who leased it for the past five months. As she walked through, Abby exclaimed, “This is very small, but I love the tiny butler’s pantry kitchen. I never cook anyhow. Look at this beautiful Victorian hall tree with the mirror.” The landlord waited patiently. Abby finally squealed, “I’ll take it. Oh, one more thing. I have an English Bull Terrier, and her name is Lola. She is well trained. Will I be able to keep her here?” The landlord agreed, charging extra for the dog and Abby signed an additional document.

Excitedly, Abby dialed Ben’s cell number one more time. This time he picked up, and she heard his deep voice, “Keegan.”

Lucy thought that was an odd way to answer the phone. But, she spoke with zeal, “Thank you, Ben, for mentioning this pink Victorian house. I just rented the most wonderful little condo for a fairly reasonable amount of money. And, the best part is, I can keep Lola here with me!” As she waited for his reply, Abby could hear what sounded like the inside of a vehicle as it was moving at a high rate of speed.

Then Ben spoke, “That’s great, Abby. I’m happy for you. I’m driving right now, so we’ll talk later. But, that’s great news. Glad it worked out.” He hung up the phone before she could get another word out.

Lucy Adams wrinkled her nose, “He isn’t going to help you move in. He’s out of town. Probably taking his sweet little wife on another junket. I’ll help you move your stuff. Come on, let’s go down to Boston and clean out your old place.” Abby was thankful to have Lucy’s help and took her up on the offer. Besides, Lucy’s younger brother, Paul offered his pick-up truck and strong back. How could Abby turn down such an offer?

~ Ben ~

As Ben pulled onto the logging road, he flipped on the high beams to illuminate the black night and drove slowly. He was hoping to avoid hitting a moose or deer, but didn’t mention that. He didn’t want to worry Lara. The drive was nearly four hours, but they finally pulled into an overgrown yard surrounding an enormous steel hut. Alvin Nichols met them at the front door. Nate, Jake and Rashida were already there, but their vehicles were concealed beneath dense foliage around the back of the place.

The door was bolted shut after Ben escorted Lara inside. Nate was excited and took care of the formalities, “Rashida, this is Lara.” As the two women spoke to one another softly, Nate and Jake pulled Ben aside.

“Hey, have you heard about the bounty placed on some of these heads we’re hunting?” Nate asked.

“No. How much are we talking about?” Ben feigned ignorance,

“One guy has seven million on his head. Let’s get him.” Nate squeaked.

Ben smiled, “Don’t worry, we’ll get him and all of the others, too. Moshe has the plan in place. We just need to do the dance and it needs to be perfectly organized. No mistakes. No second chances. There’s a two-week work-up prior, starting November 9
th
.”

The men then turned to Rashida. She was making her case already, “I want to go undercover. I can do this. I will pretend to be an Islamic woman joining the jihad. I don’t care what they do to me. In the end, they will get what they deserve: a knife in the neck.” She spat the words with such passion, Ben, Nate, and Lara fell silent for a moment. Rashida continued, “I’m
serious
. You don’t understand. I will do anything. I want to help. This has become part of who I am. I want to help you kill them. It will bring me great pleasure!”

“Yeah, that’s the attitude we need.” Nate fist-bumped Rashida and smiled.

Ben throttled the discussion back a notch. “Look, Rashida, this isn’t a revenge type of thing. If you go into it with that attitude, it will all go wrong. You need training. Not just technical training, but training of the mind. A true assassin is cold and calculated. There is no feeling, no emotion, no hatred, nothing. When we kill these men, it is as if we are killing an insect. It’s just what we do. There’s no excitement except for a burst of adrenaline. And, if you do it enough even the adrenaline decreases. Once that passes, the kill becomes just one more in a series of many. It’s no big deal. It’s business. And, very dangerous business at that. Do you think you can force yourself to leave off the anger and hatred? You must be able to empty your mind of emotion. There is no feeling. No remorse. No hesitation.” Ben exhaled slowly waiting for Rashida’s reply.

“Train me.” She beseeched him. “I am willing to learn.” Rashida was now calm and collected. Ben assessed the possibility. “I’ve got to talk with the team and we would need to work with you twenty-four hours a day for the next few weeks. Are you up for that? You are not healed yet from your reconstructive surgery.” Rashida’s eyes were vacant now, “Yes, I am ready. I will be healed in a few weeks the doctor said. I will be fine. Train me. Take me with you.”

Ben conferenced privately with Nate and Jake, “Look, if we’re taking her along, she needs to be ready for it. Can you and Gus train her up here? It’s probably the best place. She can do a basic SEAL fitness plan for the next few weeks, but it’s the
psychological
training she needs most.”

Nate agreed to dedicate himself to Rashida’s training.

“I’ll take care of this. I have some ideas formulating and there’s another former SEAL I’d like to bring in. He can take her on the psychological journey for a few weeks. I think she has what it takes. We should place her in the Kurdish unit. The women there need someone like her.”

“Moshe already has a role for her to play, if she’s up to it.” Ben whispered.

Before leaving the hut, Ben spoke softly to Rashida, “Okay. We will instruct you, but you need to dedicate yourself to it. Nate will be your trainer and there will be others who will come here. You are safe at this location and far away from civilization. If you need anything, Nate will get it for you. Alvin is a great resource, too. He is a Viet Nam veteran and well versed with combat and training. He will be your firearms instructor. He’s a good man. But understand, my decision is still not made. At the end of your training, I’ll decide if you are going. Don’t be disappointed if I leave you behind. This is something that needs planning and thought.”

Ben waved Jake Wilson into a private office and closed the door. Jake was Ben’s man on the ground in Manchester New Hampshire. Ben knew his wife had left him but wanted the rest of the story.

“Look man. I’m with you. Shit, we made it through BUD/S together. Hell Week. Ramadi. What could be worse than that? Ben whispered. But Jake wasn’t responding. Somberly, Ben looked into Jake’s bloodshot eyes, “What’s up with Wendy leaving?”

Jake looked away. It was as if he couldn’t speak about the subject for a moment. When he did speak, his voice cracked, “I don’t know what happened. We’ve been together for eight years. Damn it, Ben. There’s another guy.” Jake stopped talking.

Ben put his arm around him for a moment. “You’ve got to take care of yourself. You’re not drinking again, are you?” Jake moved away and sat in a chair in the corner of the room. Ben sat in the chair next to him. He had to get him to talk.

Jake couldn’t seem to make eye contact, and his voice sounded weary, “Yeah, I’ve had a few beers. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I just don’t know how to live without her. You know? It was different when I was younger. Getting laid was all I thought about, then chicks would leave. When I met her I just knew she was the one for me. Wendy’s a beautiful person inside and out. The first night I came home to a dark empty house, man, I sat there and lost it. I sat on the floor and lost it. I called her that night and begged her. I heard another person in the background. She was with a guy.”

Jake stopped speaking.

“Why’d she leave?” Ben whispered, “Did she give you any reason?”

“She wants a baby and I said no, not yet. So, she found a guy who
wanted
to give her one. Now, it’s too late. She’s with another guy and I can’t live without her. I’ll give her a baby. I’ve called her to tell her that, but now she won’t talk to me.”

Concerned, Ben was seeing signs of desperation in Jake’s body language. He had the slumped posture of a man who had given up. Ben knew he had to get through to him somehow, “Listen man. You’ve got to get some help. Stop drinking. Let me talk to Wendy. I know you two had a great relationship. You lasted for eight years. Damn, she stayed with you while you were
deployed
~ that’s somethin’ right there. Listen, are you going to be okay to go on this mission?  You are critical to it, but I only can have you if you can do it safely for all involved.  If you need time, now is the time to let me know.”

“No, man, I’m good.”  Jake seemed to be strengthened by the words.  He looked Ben in the eye and said, “Hell yeah, I’m all in.  I’ll deal with this when we get back.  Being on a mission will be good for me.  When I work, I don’t think of anything else.  I think it will help me.” The two emerged from the private office with Jake promising to end the drinking and get in touch with a counselor. Ben made a mental note to follow up with the counselor to make sure Jake made contact. And he promised he would call Wendy after the mission and convince her to meet with Jake.

~ Lara ~

Lara was stunned to observe her husband in his Dark Horse Guardian role. This was Ben, the man she married…the man who held her tenderly and kissed her passionately. She had never seen him quite like this. The drive to Prince Edward Island was made in the wee hours of the night. Ben seemed preoccupied while driving and Lara wondered what was going on in that handsome head.