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“That’s a good idea.”

  “But?”

  “Government troops attacked one of our camps last week. We kept a lot of our weapons and supplies at that camp,” Gomez said. “We had a plan to hijack the next shipment of guns coming from the U.S. They travel down the Pan-American Highway. But those shipments have stopped.”

  “We blew up the last load,” Dane said.

  “You mean I blew up the last load,” Nina said.

  “She did.”

  Major Gomez said nothing.

  “Did they destroy the weapons or take them?” Dane said.

  “Little bit of both. What was left was taken to a depot near the airport.”

  “Then we need to strike there. Take as much as we can. From there, take advantage of whatever intel you have and hit the capitol, along with the airport and broadcast facilities. You’re familiar with coups?”

  “I’ve been paid to knock over a country or two,” Dane said. “This time I work for free.”

  Gomez ground out his cigarette in the dirt. “I have to talk to my squad leaders.” He called for Paco. The boy eagerly rushed over. Gomez told him to find a spare tent and uniforms for Dane and Nina. He added, “We have showers but they aren’t much. Paco will show you.”

  “Come on,” Paco said.

  Dane and Nina followed the boy. As he walked, Paco kept adjusting the strap of his M-16 because it constantly slid off his shoulder.

  15

  Battle-Ready

  THE SHOWERS had only cold water, stored in a tank, but it still felt good. Dane and Nina cleaned up and donned the uniforms Paco presented. The clothes fit better than the ones Lassen had given them.

  The uniform T-shirt was short-sleeved, however, and Paco took an interest in Dane’s right arm.

  “Did that happen in a fire?” the boy said.

  “Yes.”

  “How?”

  “Back when you were maybe five years old, the Gringo Dragon wanted me dead. I was snooping where he didn’t want me. His men sabotaged a helicopter I was on, and this happened in the crash.”

  “How come it’s taken years to get back at him?”

  “That’s a long story.”

  Paco started to respond when Nina, in uniform, stepped out of the shower and handed her dirty clothes to Dane. He bundled hers and his together. “Can we burn these somewhere?”

  Paco nodded.

  Nina tied back her wet hair.

  “I’ll show you your tent,” Paco said.

  THEY HAD to assemble the tent, and Paco helped Nina string up the top of the tent while Dane hammered spikes into each corner, the sharp metal-to-metal pounding echoing a short distance.

  “Where are you from?” Paco said to Nina.

  “Russia.”

  “Why did you leave?”

  “I wanted to see the world.”

  “I’ve never been out of Nuevo Cádiz,” Paco said.

  “Where would you like to go?”

  “Where else is there to go?”

  Dane pounded home the final spike, and Nina and Paco tightened the tent’s support rope to a pair of trees on either side.

  The war council continued in Gomez’s tent. Other troops went about their business. Only Paco acknowledged Dane and Nina.

  Nina said, “How long have you been fighting?”

  Paco counted on his fingers. “Four years. I hid with my mother until she died. Then I joined Papa.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “She got sick and we didn’t have a doctor.” Paco picked up his rifle from the tree and slung it over his shoulder. “Dinner’s not for a while, but I can get you a little food if you want.”

  “Sure,” Dane said.

  Paco ran off.

  Dane moved behind Nina and rubbed her shoulders. Her muscles relaxed and she let out a low moan.

  “Poor kid,” she said.

  “We’ve seen it a hundred times.”

  “It’s sad that we get used to it. The world shouldn’t be like this.”

  “The only way to end it is to not have any people at all. I’m not sure that’s the answer, either.”

  Paco returned with a steaming metal cup in each hand. He handed them to Dane and Nina.

  “Tortilla soup,” he said. He pulled mashed pieces of bread from his uniform blouse. Dane and Nina each took a piece.

  “Be right back.” Paco ran off again.

  Dane and Nina sat in front of the tent and dipped the bread into the soup.

  AFTER A full dinner of more soup with beans and chorizo, Major Gomez joined Dane and Nina at their tent. They sat on the ground. Paco wanted to stay for the conversation, and his father said okay. The boy sat quietly while his father did the talking.

  “My team is ready and we’ve convinced headquarters as well,” Gomez said. “We’ll hit the depot while other teams start their own campaign, which includes a series of assassinations. After that, I figured you would want to revisit Lassen’s property.”

  “For sure.” Dane said.

  Paco said, “Can I go?”

  “No, you stay here.”

  “But, Papa—”

  “I need you here, Paco. If we do not succeed, you need to escape with the rest.”

  “You won’t fail.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears.”

  “So I can go?”

  “No.”

  “Papa—”

  “This discussion is over, Paco.”

  Paco let out a sharp breath and glowered at the ground.

  “We’ll need some weapons, Major,” Dane said.

  “We had an argument about you two,” Major Gomez said, lighting a cigarette. “Some of my men don’t trust you.”

  “We’ve been here long enough that if we had government troops behind us, they’d be here already. You’d all have been wiped out.”

  Major Gomez rose. “I know. Paco, get them some weapons.”

  Paco kept his mouth shut and departed.

  “He’s good in a fight,” Dane said. “Saved our lives.”

  “I know. That’s why I sent him there.”

  “You’ve been planning this operation all along, haven’t you?” Nina said. “Paco was there for a scouting mission.”

  Major Gomez shrugged and walked away.

  Nina turned to Dane. “So the kid can recon but not fight?”

  “He’s a father. Nothing he does makes any sense.”

  “Remind you of anybody?”

  Dane smiled. “Maybe a little.”

  PACO PUSHED a handcart over to Dane and Nina. On the cart were a pair of beat-up M-16s and pistol belts containing Beretta 9-millimeter 92F auto-loaders.

  “They work, but they’re old,” Paco said. “Need help with them?”

  Dane lifted one of the M-16s and faked a frown. He knew the weapon backward and forward from his Marine days. He said, “It’s been a while. Why don’t you show us?”

  “All I know is the AK-47,” Nina said.

  Paco leaned the rifle against the cart and gave a lesson on how to work the M-16, from loading to shooting and aiming. He had Dane and Nina demonstrate back to him and beamed with delight when they did everything he showed them correctly. He then helped them stuff cartridges into magazines.

  Major Gomez came over and inspected their gear, nodding in approval.

  “Our depot strike team goes out tonight,” the major said. “But not from here. Headquarters changed the assignment. We’re to study the presidential palace and wait for a delivery.”

  “Is it Christmas already?” Nina said.

  “They have mortar tubes at the arms depot, and I requested a few of them.”

  “That’ll help,” Dane said. “If you have pictures of the palace, we can go over what we know.”

  “Follow me,” Major Gomez said.

  Dane and Nina joined Gomez in the main tent, where the major and his team leaders set out photos and a hand-drawn map of the presidential retreat.

  The meeting continued, with Dane offering strategy sugg
estions. When a lieutenant brought in a radio and set it up on another table, Gomez ended the meeting and they listened to the strike team hitting the arms depot.

  The chatter was all in Spanish. Paco came up to Dane’s left and translated for him and Nina.

  “They’re in two groups, cutting through the perimeter fence.”

  More chatter.

  “First group is through.”

  A burst of excited radio traffic blasted through the speaker. Gunfire crackled in the background.

  “Second group’s been discovered,” Paco said.

  The speaker fell silent. Gomez and his team leaders stared intently at the radio. Gomez flicked his lighter with shaky fingers.

  Dane let out a sigh. If the first strike force could take advantage of the second group’s discovery, the first could hit the depot while the government troops were diverted. But the cost in lives would be high.

  That was always the trade-off, no matter the conflict. If they lost too many, the strike team would have to withdraw. Mission failed. If they somehow broke through, only half the force would accomplish the goal. Some was better than none, but if the rebels were as hard up as Gomez let on, “some” would hardly give them the required tools.

  More hurried chatter crackled over the speaker.

  “They’re in,” Paco said.

  Dane nodded.

  Major Gomez finally lit a cigarette. Nina waved away a cloud of smoke that drifted her way.

  A group of rebel troops gathered around the front of the tent, all of them silent. Only the rusting trees made any sound.

  The silence lasted for what seemed like forever. Nobody moved.

  Eventually a male voice echoed over the speaker, and the rebels cheered.

  “They did it!” Paco said. “They’re loading the trucks now!”

  DANE STEPPED away and walked beyond the perimeter of the camp with the M-16 in hand. Okay. Now the team had to make their deliveries. Like Santa Claus.

  After that, the final battle would commence.

  He tapped the trigger of the M-16. He wanted Lassen. He wanted Royce—but there had been no sign of Royce at the palace. Had he been hiding? Or was he somewhere else?

  Dane felt more energized than ever. Even if he perished in the fight, the enemy had to fall.

  That was all that mattered.

  Leaves crunched behind Dane and he turned. Paco stopped mid-step. Dane gestured for him to come closer.

  “Do you get scared before a fight?” Paco said.

  “Always.”

  “Why do you fight?”

  “Because there are people who can’t fight for themselves,” Dane said.

  Paco nodded. “I’m fighting so kids like me can play football whenever they want. And so we have doctors for when somebody else’s mother is sick.”

  Dane looked into the distance. Paco was too young to be thinking things like that. He said, “Don’t be mad at your father.”

  “But I want to be there.”

  “This fight isn’t as important as the next one. You won’t need a gun but it’s just as intense.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When you get rid of El Presidente, you’re going to need a new government. The new government will need new leaders. You can be one of those leaders, Paco.”

  The boy blinked a few times.

  “Your father wants to make sure you get to do that.”

  “What if I’m not smart enough?”

  “Paco, if you can sneak over to spy on the Gringo Dragon, you’re smart enough, trust me.”

  “I’d rather be a soldier.”

  Dane smiled. “Tell me that again when every joint in your body hurts.”

  “That won’t be for a while yet,” the boy said.

  Dane stifled a laugh.

  “Am I interrupting?” Nina said as she approached.

  “Just guy talk,” Dane said.

  “The strike team got the mortar launchers,” she said. “They’ll be here in a few hours. We move out at dawn.”

  “Finally,” Dane said.

  16

  The Dragon’s Castle

  CYRUS LASSEN paced on one of the presidential palace’s upper balconies. He wore a gray suit and a scowl as he spoke into a phone with Perry Royce on the other end. Lassen updated Royce on the rebel strike. The sky steadily darkened, the jungle beyond the property melting into the night.

  “Did they get everything?” Royce said.

  “They got enough.”

  “Is there a Dane connection?”

  “I’m positive. Same as I’m sure that he was intercepted by a rebel patrol. They’re coming back. The rebels will hit the capitol, and Dane will lead the charge here.”

  “Taking you out won’t stop anything,” Royce said.

  “Dane will have his revenge.”

  “Or you will.”

  “Indeed. But if I fall, Perry—”

  “I will hunt Dane to the ends of the earth, and this time I won’t stop for anything.”

  Lassen nodded to himself.

  WHEN THE strike team contingent arrived with a trio of mortar launchers and a supply of rockets, Major Gomez rallied the troops for a final briefing. They would be part of a simultaneous push against the capitol. Rebel agents in the city were already targeting El Presidente’s associates using car bombs and bullets. The presidential palace, the TV and radio station, and the airport also had a force assigned to take those targets down.

  He showed the group a map of the Gringo Dragon’s retreat and divided up his people into four teams. They’d hit on all sides and rally in the front courtyard.

  Finally, Major Gomez ordered everyone to prepare their gear and get ready for inspection.

  WITH BARELY any light to see by, Dane and Nina packed the last of their gear by feel. They stepped out of the tent to find Paco waiting.

  “Don’t get hurt,” the boy said.

  “We’ll be back,” Dane said.

  “Not here; we’re moving as soon as you leave.”

  Major Gomez called the raiding party to the center of the camp for the promised inspection. Presently they marched into the jungle. Dane waved at Paco before disappearing into the foliage. The boy’s eyes never left him.

  DANE AND Nina broke off from the group and found a rise overlooking part of the retreat wall. Once the mortar shells started to fall, they’d advance. The major’s soldiers would follow shortly thereafter.

  Dane’s focus was the patio doors across the grass from the wall. No front door for him.

  It wasn’t a long wait. When the mortars began sailing overhead, they made a momentary whoosh before exploding on the ground inside the walls of the Gringo Dragon’s lair. Lassen’s troops scattered for cover, the randomly aimed bombs dropping mere feet from where they sought that cover, blasting the walls of the mansion, with debris filling the air and creating more hazards. The blasts shook the ground, smoke rising in the compound, held in by the wall but drifting skyward.

  Dane and Nina lay flat about twenty yards from the wall, watching the smoke, hearing the screaming. The mortar barrage would end with the last shell blasting a hole in the wall for Dane and Nina to run through. The wait was excruciating. An anxious Dane breathed deeply, wiping his sweaty right hand on the seat of his camo pants before grabbing the grip of the M-16 once again.

  The bombardment ceased, the crackle of automatic weapons and the shouts from onrushing troops replacing the explosive cacophony.

  “Did they forget?” Nina said.

  Dane rolled onto his side to scan the sky.

  Then the whoosh came once again. Dane shouted, “Incoming!” and rolled on top of Nina. The blast hit with the force of a thousand hammers. Dirt and concrete debris pelted the ground around them, and when Dane looked up through the dust and smoke, an entire section of the wall had been reduced to chunky rubble.

  The dust drifted over them and they coughed, then Dane and Nina clutched their weapons close and charged into the fray, climbing over the debris to ste
p onto the palace grounds as men fought and died all around them.

  Rebel forces moved in from the main entrance and another hole in the western side of the property. Dane and Nina dropped low and crawled to a hedgerow.

  “This is lousy cover,” Nina said.

  Bullets whistled overhead, snapping through the top of the hedge, whining off the wall behind them.

  “This isn’t cover at all,” Dane said.

  Presidential troops fired from positions on the ground, but the rebel advance faced the worst resistance from the balconies of the palace, where troops used the low walls for cover and fired down at the rebel troops. The rebels were focused on the front and the western side. The eastern walls Dane and Nina had come through did not present a major threat. They may have thought a stray shell had hit the wall, nothing more, Dane thought. He examined the length of wall to their right.

  “What’s the plan?” Nina said.

  “Stay low along the wall and hit the side of the house. Through that patio to the French windows.”

  “It’s getting hot here; let’s go.”

  Dane moved out through the smoke with Nina behind him, the ground near the wall slightly slanted, making a steady advance difficult. Two presidential troopers exited the French doors at the patio. One carried a Kalashnikov rifle, while the other cradled a shoulder-fired rocket launcher in his arms, with three more strapped across his back.

  “Take ’em!” Dane shouted, dropping and rolling away from the wall. He targeted the trooper with the AK. The M-16 bucked against his shoulder; the trooper tried to bring his weapon up but wasn’t fast enough. The M-16’s tumbling bullets tore into the trooper’s midsection. The man fell forward, his partner not far behind as Nina’s rounds blew one knee apart. Both men tumbled to the ground, the second losing the cradled rocket launcher. As he tried to move, Dane fired again, sending a round straight through the man’s head.

  “Hurry!” Dane said. He ran to the dead man with the rocket launchers, slinging one across his back, taking another in his left hand while gripping the M-16 in his right.

  “Get down!” Nina shouted, shoving Dane with a foot while she snapped up her rifle, looking for a target along the wall.