With that, we headed back to the hostel. Hank was there waiting for us, the trunk of his car loaded with all sorts of explosives. We went over the plan, then waited until sundown to move out. The ride to the chateau was silent, not one of us saying a word as Ajax drove us deeper and deeper into the woods. When we were a click out, he parked and we disembarked, carrying only what we needed.
The night was dark, the moon barely a sliver in the sky above. We moved through the trees like ghosts, not making a sound as we approached the chateau. The place was enormous, the outline visible in the far distance.
We went around the back of the property and scoped out the rear entrance.
“No guards so far,” Hud said. “Coast is clear.”
I nodded to Hank. “Do your thing.”
He approached the fence, planting a series of EMP grenades. Once they were in place, he hurried back and activated the switch. As far as I could tell, nothing had happened.
“They work?” Hud asked.
“They worked just fine,” Hank answered. “EMP shit isn’t as fun as normal explosives, but they do the job. Right now, the power’s cycling, which means we’ve got about four minutes before it comes back on.”
“Let’s move,” Ajax said. “Stay out of sight as much as you can; only shoot if you need to.”
We hurried over to the fence and scaled it, climbing over and dropping to the ground. Once I was on my feet, I looked around. Right away, I noticed the same thing that the other guys seemed to notice.
Hud lowered his rifle. “Where the hell is everyone?”
There wasn’t a soul to be found on the massive property. It was eerie.
“Stay frosty,” Ajax said. “Get to the house.”
We stayed in a close group, running to the back doors of the house. Hank went to work on those, placing very small explosives that were just big enough to pop the locks. We hurried inside of the massive estate, entering a large hall with wooden floors and cathedral ceilings.
We looked around, not spotting a soul.
Ajax looked dumbfounded, shaking his head.
“Guys, we’re screwed. No one’s home.”
My gut sank as I realized that Jurgen had gotten the better of us.
Where Vic was being held at this point was anyone’s guess.
35
PYKE
Iawoke with a groan. As I came to my senses, I realized two things—one that I was in a hospital. Two, that there was someone sitting across from me.
“Easy, easy.”
I tried to make out the voice. All I knew was that it was a man’s and that it didn’t belong to any of the guys. I blinked hard, the world coming a bit more back into focus when I did. At first, I didn’t recognize the man standing over me. As things unblurred, however, I realized who it was—Bryan, Ajax’s brother.
“There you are,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Take it easy, brother.”
I looked around me, seeing that I was hooked up to the standard hospital gear.
“Where are my men?” I asked. “Where’s Vic?”
“Take it easy,” he said again. “Tell me what you remember.”
I closed my eyes and considered the question.
“I remember the explosion. I remember falling on my ass. And I remember them taking Vic.”