Two days later
Friday night
South Chicago
8:00 P.M.
"What the hell are we doing here?" Shadow asked.
"Where exactly is here, anyway?" Jackal asked.
"Wait and see?" I replied, enjoying teasing them.
I punched in the access code and the steel door clicked open.
"Welcome to Safehouse W!" Kick-Ass announced.
"You knew about this place?" Jackal asked.
"Hit Girl and I have no secrets!" Kick-Ass replied seriously.
"You know Kick-Ass knows everything about me – especially all the embarrassing things!" I added.
"Why 'W'?" Shadow asked.
"The 'W' stands for 'water'!" I announced.
"Yeah, I suppose that would be logical, as we are beside the Calumet River," Shadow commented.
Hit Girl switched on the overhead lights.
"Now that is cool!" Jackal announced.
Safehouse W
The building had a large portion of space given over to a water-filled dock and floating alongside the dock was the 'Vigilante'.
The 'Vigilante' was a Sunseeker Predator 53, custom built in the United Kingdom. The performance motor-yacht was just over sixty feet in length overall, with a forty-four and a half foot waterline. The twenty-seven tonne craft had a top speed of around thirty-two knots. The hull was black, while the upper works were purple, which actually appeared almost black in the dark. Mounted on the top of the yacht were a radar antenna and twin domes that housed satellite communications and navigation equipment. There were also two large whip antennae for non-satellite communications.
"That is one of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen!" Shadow exclaimed.
"She's nice, ain't she?" Hit Girl said, grinning from ear to ear.
..._...
"Right, first things first: safety!" Kick-Ass announced and handed a lifejacket to each of us, before taking one for himself.
"This is an assault troop lifejacket, as used by Royal Marines Commandos. It is designed to support extra weight, such as our armour and weapons, but still be compact enough to not get in the way during an assault. It also has a quick release, so it can be ditched quickly, if necessary. You put it on like this…"
Kick-Ass demonstrated on Jackal, showing how the lifejacket was secured, before checking it was fitted correctly on Hit Girl and Shadow, then Hit Girl checked Kick-Ass.
"The red toggle should be pulled if, and only if, you go in the water. Hopefully that won't happen as it will be cold!" Kick-Ass finished.
The 'Vigilante'
Twenty minutes later, after a brief tour of the 'Vigilante', we were cruising at 8 knots up the Calumet River, towards the sea with Hit Girl at the helm. One of the important features of this craft was that she could be controlled from a totally enclosed position behind tinted glazing. The roof above the control station could slide open, turning the control station into an open air control station! For now, though, this made things a little more comfortable than standing out in the driving rain and kept us anonymous. It would take about an hour to transit the river, before we would get to Lake Michigan. We would then have a stormy cruise up to Burnham Park Harbour – a distance of about nine nautical miles. That part of the cruise should take us about an hour, depending on the weather, which was not too good!
..._...
An hour later
The ride was somewhat lively and both Shadow and Jackal seemed to have iron stomachs! Jackal had been allowed to come on the operation as he was healing nicely and he was starting to get really restless and bored. Battle Guy, Hawk and our newest member: Mist, were currently parked up near the harbour, in Lucille and were waiting for us to get closer and begin our assault. They also had Eisenhower, who hadn't had the chance to munch on anything exciting for quite a while!
..._...
Eighty minutes later
Kick-Ass was looking ahead, using night-vision binoculars and he could see the 'Trinidad', which was lit up from stem to stern. She was moored with the bow pointing towards the land, so we would come alongside near the yacht's stern. The crew did not seem to be concerned about an attack. It was after ten at night and it was very dark and the rain was pounding down.
We would all be using Heckler & Koch MP5SD6, silenced, sub-machine guns with collapsible stocks. This would allow us to kill without alerting the entire crew and would be easier to handle within the confines of the 'Trinidad' than the G36C assault rifles. Another added benefit was that the low-velocity nine-millimetre rounds would not penetrate too much of the vessel or targets and potentially wound an innocent, or ourselves – which would have been kind of embarrassing!
We approached slowly and I hoped that the rain would cover the noise of the engines pounding beneath us.
Burnham Harbor
We had a problem – a problem that we really didn't need right now.
"Err, guys! It's the bitches on bikes!" Mist announced, pointing at a video screen.
"Fucking hell!" Battle Guy responded. "We can't afford this distraction!"
"Mist, let's go!" Hawk said, grabbing a G36C and passing over another.
"I'm on it!" Mist announced. As she did not currently have her own combat suit, she was wearing enhanced SWAT body armour and a mask.
Both girls dived out into the driving rain and moved to attack the Nightingales and prevent them from interfering in Hit Girl's activities.
"Hit Girl! Be advised that the Nightingales just turned up! Hawk and Mist are engaging!"
The 'Vigilante'
"Fucking brilliant!" I responded to Battle Guy's warning.
We were just a few dozen feet away from the 'Trinidad' and we had not yet been spotted. Jackal and Shadow were on the bow ready to engage, while Kick-Ass was at the stern. We would board from the stern of the 'Vigilante' and jump across to the low stern of the 'Trinidad'. As far as we could make out, the guard force were all watching the land and the pier. I cut the engines and we drifted alongside. Jackal had already kicked over several fenders to protect our hull and reduce the noise of the two vessels coming together.
I ran aft to join Kick-Ass and secured us alongside with a loop over a bollard on the 'Trinidad' – Jackal would be doing the same at our bow. I rechecked my MP5 and jumped across to the 'Trinidad'. At that moment I started to hear gunfire from the direction of the land and then shouts from people on the 'Trinidad'.
"Let's use the distraction, Fusion!" I called and as agreed we started our attack.
..._...
We had boarded via the stern on the port side, which was to the water. The opposite, starboard, side was against the jetty and that was where the armed guards were, guarding what was to them the obvious line of attack and now that there was gunfire on shore that would also attract their attention.
We had a decision to make; go inside and chase down our primary target, or remove the threat of the armed guards. I opted for the latter and while Jackal kept watch on the deck that ran up the port side, all the way to the bow, Shadow kept an eye on the sliding glass doors to the main salon. This left Kick-Ass and myself spare, to clear the upper decks on the starboard side.
Burnham Harbor
The damn Nightingales were not welcome right now!
"Mist, keep with me – we need to make sure that they stay away from Lucille and the water!"
"I'll do my best, Hawk!"
"If you can do it – kill the fucking bitches!"
We both opened fire at the Nightingales, who it seemed only had their pistols – tough luck!
The 'Trinidad'
I went first, with my MP5 raised while Kick-Ass followed behind, as he was taller and he could fire over my shoulder. As on the other side of the yacht, this deck ran all the way to the bow, but also had the gangway that angled down to the dock. The gangway was only a few yards along that deck and we could see four large men, all looking down the jetty towards the gunfire. Now, I have a thing about shooting people in the back (except of course for Dave) – not cool!
"Hey, motherfuckers..."
As each man turned, Kick-Ass and I dropped them before they could utter a sound by mouth or by the firearms that they carried. I noticed two more men on the jetty, who were dropped in the same way. Nobody further away than a few feet would have heard anything other than the bodies dropping to the deck or the jetty!
Next, Shadow kept watch over the starboard deck, while Kick-Ass and I headed for the exterior stairs, on the starboard side that took us up to the main sun deck. In front of us was a Jacuzzi, which understandably was empty and covered over. We moved forward, past an enormous wooden table and into the upper salon. Here we found a gigantic, 'U'-shaped, couch that could seat almost a dozen people! A head appeared at the top of the stairs to the lower deck – I saw a pistol and the man received a bullet in the brain for his trouble, without ever knowing where it had come from. Beyond the stairs was the control station – naturally unmanned, while alongside.
"Jackal, Shadow – we're coming down, amidships! Clear the main salon!" Kick-Ass said.
I waved Jackal forwards and he slid open the glass doors, while I provided cover as he moved. Once the doors were open, I followed Jackal through and entered a long room with comfortable right-angled couches, an enormous TV and a massive dining table, plus a bar. There was also a pistol pointing at us!
Several rounds came at us, shattering the glass behind us – Jackal shoved me to one side and fired several rounds into the man, through the far couch. The man jerked and a pool of blood appeared and spread across the deck.
"Thanks – Jackal!" I said, feeling both annoyed and turned on? Get your mind into the game, Shadow!
We saw no-one else until we approached the door at the end, where there was a dead body that had fallen down the stairs.
"Coming through!" Jackal called, to prevent getting himself shot by Hit Girl or Kick-Ass.
..._...
We found the pair of them in a well laid out galley. Three crew members were secured with plastic ties and seated on a corner bench around a table. Hit Girl led the way forward, while Jackal and I provided cover against attack from the rear.
I entered an office, with large cupboards of clothes off to the left, then came the master suite.
"Damn! It's bigger than our own fucking bedroom!" I complained.
The room was empty, but we could see that somebody had been in the bed recently. Further forward was a monster bathroom, which was empty. We re-joined Shadow and Jackal before heading down to the lower deck. Kick-Ass remained in the salon to watch out for trouble.
At the bottom of the stairs to the lower deck I paused and Shadow went aft to check one of the two large cabins on this deck, while Jackal checked the other large cabin. I kept watch on the other cabins further forward.
I pushed open the door of the cabin on the port side.
The first thing that I saw was a bed, then a flash as a bullet was fired in my direction; it had come from the bathroom, beyond the bed. The man was hiding to the right of the doorway. I pulled out my FN Five-seveN and sent half a dozen rounds through the bathroom wall and the man fell down and through the doorway, very dead!
"Clear, I called!"
I turned and headed back out of the cabin – Jackal had come up empty with the starboard cabin.
..._...
Hit Girl went forward. To the left and to the right were two, smaller, twin cabins – just as Hit Girl looked into the starboard side cabin, a man dived out of the port side doorway – but nobody blindsides Hit Girl!
Hit Girl lashed out with her left hand, which held her Tanto and the man came to a sudden halt as the blade entered his chest and cut his heart in half. Hit Girl let the body slide off of her blade and sink to the deck, blood pooling around it.
We rapidly finished clearing the lower deck, which as well as the two larger cabins and two smaller twin cabins, also contained the crew spaces. We secured the crew with plastic ties before heading back up to the salon.
Kick-Ass went with Shadow to check the engine room and the boat garage; both were clear. We had searched the entire vessel, but we had not found the man that we had come for - I was seething! He must be hidden somewhere aboard. Then I suddenly had an idea – should have thought of it straight away!
"Battle Guy – I need Eisenhower!"
"I'll send her out – we're a little bit busy here!" Battle Guy responded.
Burnham Harbor
"Hawk, Mist – cover Eisenhower!" Battle Guy called.
"Will do!" I called.
I turned away from the Nightingales and saw the big dog jump out of Lucille and head towards the 'Trinidad'. Eisenhower looked kinda awesome and cool in her body armour! I watched her run – very fast and ensured that the remaining Nightingales' attention was on us and not on Eisenhower.
The 'Trinidad'
I waited at the gangway and watched as Eisenhower come racing down the jetty and then powered up the gangway. She looked immensely pleased with herself and had obviously enjoyed the run!
"Come on girl! I need you to find this bastard!"
Eisenhower barked once and I led her into the yacht.
I started in the main salon, then went up to the sun deck – nothing. I then moved back to the main salon and it wasn't until we got to the master suite that Eisenhower started to growl menacingly and she ran around the suite and over the bed before finally stopping outside a large walk-in cupboard that we had checked earlier – but Eisenhower obviously thought that we should check it again!
"Somebody in there, girl?" I asked and Eisenhower barked, then growled at the cupboard.
I pushed the clothes in the cupboard to one side and I pulled out my Tanto and stabbed the panel at the back of the cupboard. I heard a loud, verbal, exclamation!
"Oh my God!" A man's voice.
I withdrew my Tanto.
"You have five seconds to show yourself!" I ordered.
Nothing happened.
"Five – Four…"
I heard a noise, then a panel slid sideways and a man appeared - it was him – Richard Montfort.
"Eisenhower, Schwanz!" I growled.
The dog shot forward and grabbed the man, pushing him backwards and down onto the floor.
"Fucking Christ!" The man exclaimed.
"Yeah! There's a fucking dog on your balls – what about it?" I growled as Eisenhower got a better grip.
"You fucking, inhuman, bitch!" Montfort snarled.
"That's me – I thought we hadn't met!" I growled in response, with a smirk.
"Now – before Eisenhower has her dinner – where is the stash?" I asked, as Eisenhower tugged excitedly at her mouthful.
"It – oh my God – it's behind the panelling, on the right, in the large starboard cabin, beside the bed..."
That explained the armed man in that cabin that Shadow had shot.
"On it!" Shadow announced and vanished at a run.
I quickly reached the cabin that the cunt had suggested; the dead man was still there in the bathroom. I started attacking the panels, to the right of the doorway, beside the bed with my Balisong. The panel was thin, but thick enough not to be easily detected. The back of the panel had a thin aluminium sheet and I quickly found the hidden panel release and pulled the whole panel away.
"Damn! Hit Girl – I have hundreds of packets of drugs, not to mention cash!" I called. "A whole shitload of cash!"
"How much?" I asked the fallen capitalist.
"Three-hundred and eighty kilos of cocaine. There – is – oh my God – thirty-three million in Dollars US, eighteen million in Pounds Sterling, eight million in Euros – please..."
"Beg all you fucking want, asshole!"
"Please... I – "
"Jackal, Shadow – start packing – it's time to wind this up!" I ordered and readied my Tanto.
"You made mistakes – you killed Cops in your attempt to take control of Chicago, but even worse you hurt people that mean a lot to me and that is unforgiveable..."
"No – please – I can... I didn't know..."
I turned away from the remains of the dead man and headed aft, pausing in the office just long enough to seize the dead man's laptop. I made it to the main salon and could see Jackal and Shadow passing up packages of cash.
"Petty cash?" Kick-Ass asked.
"Hey, rounds are expensive and running that gas-guzzler out there ain't fucking cheap!" I growled.
"Just an observation!" Kick-Ass laughed.
"Battle Guy, 'Trinidad' is all clear and the target has been neutralised!" I called.
"Great news, Hit Girl – we have one dead Nightingale and the others are trying to escape!" Battle Guy reported.
"Let them go – we need to finish up and leave!" I responded.
..._...
Then, as if the night wasn't busy enough – she arrived!
The young woman was tall and well formed. She wore tight pants, a dark leather jacket and solid boots. Her hair was long and dark, with subtle curls. In her right hand was a silenced Heckler & Koch P30 pistol.
"Regina, I assume?" I growled at the woman standing on the jet-black speedboat, on the other side of the jetty.
"He was mine, Hit Girl! My mark!" Regina announced angrily.
"To the victor go the spoils!"
"So, you are my competition!" Regina announced with derision.
"There is no competition," I growled in response. "I am the number one assassin - period!"
"Oh for fuck's sake! They'll be seeing who can pee the furthest next!" Kick-Ass quipped and got a glare from both me and Regina.
"Hit Girl is a 'has been'; I can hit harder and with way more accuracy!"
"Okay, you've both got balls of steel… Let's move on!" Kick-Ass suggested.
He was rewarded by a hail of gunfire from Regina and a blast of engine exhaust, as she vanished into the darkness. I fired back at the receding muzzle flashes, but knew that I wasn't hitting anything.
..._...
"Hit Girl – Lucille is rolling, with Hawk and the sharp-shooting, Mist!" Battle Guy called.
"Copy that – we're just loading up the 'Vigilante'!" I replied, then shouted into the main salon. "Eisenhower, stop munching and get up here, we're leaving!"
The 'Vigilante'
"You get your gas money?" I asked Jackal, with a grin.
"A few Dollars..." Jackal said.
"...Plus a few Pounds and Euros!" Shadow finished, dropping into the seat to my left at the control station.
I pushed the twin throttles forward with my right hand and aimed the bow into the storm-lashed waves and set the auto-pilot.