Tears And Terrorists, Book #4 of the Asps Series - Raid starts.

Today’s excerpt is from Tears And Terrorists, Book #4 of the nine-book Asps Series.  The raid on the secret Iranian prison starts.  Enjoy and have a fantastic day. 

m.j.

 

NOTE:  This will be the last posting for this year.  Gonna take several days off for the holidays.  Be back on January 3^rd of next year.  Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

Jim nodded.  “Take him out.”

As the guard fell dead in his tracks, everyone was already headed back to their various vehicles.  Jim started his buggy forward.  When they were about thirty feet from the front entrance to the prison, he stopped.  “Bruce, take Ike and Bear and start going through the out buildings…looks like most of them are homes for the guard contingent.  Take a few rolls of duct tape for wives and children.  Dusty, you and Kye stay with the buggy you’re in, in case we need a fifty…and hope we don’t.  Everyone else, let’s go.”

Bruce, Ike, and Bear headed for the furthest building from the prison, of the eight they would go through.  The rest of the team—except Dusty and Kye—headed for the entrance.  Once there, Jim tried the door and, just as he was about to open it, Tony asked, “Do you see what I see,” as he pointed at the dead guard.

Jim backed away from the door and looked closely at the dead man.  He saw what Tony was talking about.  The man wore the uniform of the infamous Qods Force.  Jim raised his eyebrows.  “Well, that doesn’t really change anything, but it sure leads one to suspect whoever we find inside definitely needs rescuing.”

He went back to the door and opened it slowly.  Sitting inside at a desk was another guard…also of the Qods Force.  He died even as he looked up and saw Jim fire his Asp.  Jim was quickly through the door and headed for the desk.  The others followed him and fanned out in the small entryway to the main prison.  In a matter of seconds, Jim found a map of the building, with each cell marked, as well as guard stations.  The building had two floors and had cells on both floors.  According to the schematic of the building, there would be two guards—in addition to the now-dead one—on each floor.  To get to the cellblock, and the stairs to the second floor, they would have to go through the door behind the desk and off to one side.  While Jim showed the floor plan to everyone, Tony, after looking at it, started rifling the desk, and Hector checked out the guard.  He found what looked like a master key and showed it to Jim, who nodded.  To that point no one had said a word, and wanting to keep it that way, Jim used hand signals to indicate who would go where.  He indicated Tony, Sergeant Major Squires, and the other two SAS men would go up the stairs to the second floor.  When they went through the door, Jim and Hector would go to the right, Dan and Anson to the left.  Everyone nodded their understanding, then Jim took a deep breath and opened the door.

 

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Fido, Book #3 of the Asps Series - Drug lord had a bad idea.

Today’s excerpt is from Fido, Book #3 of the nine-book Asps Series.  The Asps take out the head of a drug operation bent on killing the CIA Station Chief.  Enjoy and have a wonderful day. 

m.j.

 

Without being told, Kye set her sniper rifle down against the wall of the house, as Harry did the same.  Both pulled their Asps out, and waited until Bear and Ike had reached the front door.  When Harry gave a nod, those two opened the door and went inside.  Bear whispered, “So far, so good,” as he and Ike moved to an open doorway.

  Bear took a quick peek and whispered, “Okay, now,” as he and Ike stepped through the doorway and began firing the almost totally silenced weapons.  As they did, Harry tried the handle on the door and found it unlocked.  He opened it and went in, with Kye right behind him.  They started shooting as soon as they entered the room.  In seconds, six of the seven in the room were dead, and the leader of the group in the room was frantically reaching for a gun.

Harry said in Spanish, “Not a good idea.”

The drug dealer was in no mood to listen.  Even as he picked up the gun, Harry shot him in the side of his head.  As the others made sure everyone in the room who had been shot was dead, Harry took out a small can of spray paint and painted a message on the wall.  It said, “Mess with our friends from al-Qaida and die,” and Harry signed the message with the name of the drug group known for having dealt with al-Qaida.  As quickly as they had arrived, the four Asps left the house and villa compound.

They were well on the way back to Bogotá before the wife of the big-time drug dealer found him and his friends.  By then, Harry had called Jose.  “Your immediate worries about being offed are solved.  We left a calling card which may deflect attention from you, for the time being.  But if I was you, I’d concentrate on that operation, since they will eventually get back to worrying about you.”

“You want to give me some details, Harry?”

“No.  Don’t be looking a gift horse in the mouth.”

“Are there going to be any repercussions from this?”

“I wouldn’t think so.  Oh, there might be—but not directed at us…the U.S., that is.  I’d say there may be a drug war or two—and we’re not through yet.  We’ve developed the idea of leaving nasty messages behind on our little deals, blaming other drug dealers for our deeds.”

“Very clever.  If it doesn’t work, I get shit on my face, however.”

“Not really.  Nothing to tie us or you to this deal.  I’d appreciate no report going to Washington about it—if you don’t mind.”

Jose laughed, “Since you probably saved my bacon—at least for now—I think I can forget this conversation ever took place…or some-such movie land comment.”

 

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The Zimo Hunt, Book #2 of the Asps Series - The Asps rescue (he thinks) a terrorist.

Today’s excerpt is from The Zimo Hunt, Book #2 of the nine-book Asps Series.  The Asps and MI6 agent Tony Henry “rescue” terrorist from Pakistanis with the idea of making him feel they are fellow terrorists.  Enjoy and have a great day. 

m.j.

 

The building Dusty and Kye approached was an office building which had a third-floor veranda surrounding it.  At the rear of the building, there was an emergency fire escape-type ladder, which they used to climb up to the veranda.  Moving in shadows and very quietly, they followed the veranda around to the front of the building, until they could see the sniper, sitting half-asleep in a chair, some ten feet past the corner.  Dusty looked at Kye and shrugged, then they both hurried, hoods on their heads, to the sniper, who was totally caught off guard.  Kye fired her stun gun and, as the man flopped toward the floor of the veranda, Dusty caught him in one hand, and his chair in the other.  He also stuck out his leg to keep the man’s sniper rifle from hitting the veranda floor.  Kye quickly helped him by taking the chair, putting it back upright, then she took the rifle and laid it down.  By then, Dusty had put duct tape across the man’s mouth and was tying his feet together with the same material.  With Kye’s help, he bound the man with still more of the tape.  For good measure, he tapped the man rather firmly on the side of the head, using the butt of his Asp.  Done, he whispered into his communication set, “Our guy is out of action.  We’re gonna head back to the street.”

Meanwhile, Harry and Tony had a bit of a climb, to get at the other sniper Tony felt they were likely to find.  When they managed to get to him, they did much the same as Dusty and Kye had.  Satisfied they had their man out of commission, Harry told the others they had also succeeded.  Then they climbed back down to the street, to meet the rest of the team, as planned, at a blind spot near the front gate of the compound.

When the team—except for Ike and Jack—was gathered alongside a rock wall surrounding the compound, only a few feet from the front gate, Harry looked at Bear and nodded.  There was a guard shack just inside the iron-bar gate.  Bear, who had been encouraged to drink all the water and coffee he could hold…and to hold it, now handed his hood and shoulder holster to Dusty.  He rolled his eyes before boldly walking up to the gate, where he unzipped his pants and proceeded to urinate on the guard shack.  The two guards saw, raced out of the guard shack, and out of the gate, yelling at Bear to stop.

As soon as the two guards were outside the gate, Harry, Tony, and Dusty ran up from the shadows where they’d been, and zapped them with their stun guns.  In seconds, the guards had their mouths taped, their feet taped together, and their arms pinned to their sides with the duct tape.  Everyone at the compound, except Bruce—who stayed back to cover their backs and to move the guards into the guard shack—was through the gate and running to the front door of the compound.  Once there, they boldly went right in, and caught the two guards at a front desk totally flatfooted.  Before either guard could react, they both got a dose of the stun guns.  Tony then led Bear (who had taken a jacket and gun from one of the guards) and Kye to the room where he knew Baroom was being held, while Harry stood guard in the hallway, in case anyone happened along.  Tony was well-disguised and went in first.  Baroom was lying with restraints which held him to an iron bed, without any type of covering, and was in obvious pain.  Tony quickly put tape on his mouth and a hood over his head.  He said in Arabic and using a false gruff voice, “Enough of your nonsense.  You will talk to me, or wish you had.”  Tony grabbed Baroom’s free arm and broke it between the wrist and elbow.  Next, he pulled his leg over the edge of the metal cot, and broke it between the knee and ankle.

·          

While that was going on, Harry pulled the two guards in the lobby over behind the desk.  Just as he finished, another compound guard turned a corner from a different direction than Tony, Kye, and Bear had gone.  The guard reacted way too slowly, as Bruce shot the gun he carried with his Asp.  The guard was stunned, as the weapon in Harry’s hand made virtually no sound, and stood there open-mouthed as Harry rushed forward and zapped him with his stun gun.  Harry soon had the man gagged and bound, like the other two, inside the main entrance.  Harry then dragged him to the other two, and plopped him down on top of them.

·          

After Tony rearranged the arm and leg of Baroom, Kye and Bear went into the room, and Bear fired a muffled shot into a jacket taken from a guard, using the guard’s gun.  He said in Arabic, “Drag that piece of garbage out of here.”  Kye grunted and smiled, as Tony quickly walked out of the room.  After Bear freed Baroom from the restraints, Kye pulled the hood off his head and took the tape off his mouth.

Bear said in Arabic, “I’ll carry you to our cars.  Put your good arm over my shoulder and grab onto the strap of my shoulder holster.”  Baroom did as told, and Bear carried Baroom out of the building. 

Seeing them coming, Bruce said into his communication set, “Ike, Jack…cars…now.”

  The cars were waiting for Bear by the time he reached the gate, and he put Baroom in the car driven by Ike.  Bear and Kye got in, while the others piled into the second car.  Once in the car, Kye and Bear took off their hoods, and Bear said, in Arabic, “You’re safe now.  We have a plane ready.  We will be in the air in minutes.”

Baroom, who was suffering a great deal of pain from the torture he’d endured in the past twenty-four hours—not to mention the two newly broken bones—just nodded his thanks. 

 

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Birth Of The Asps, Book #1 of the Asps Series - Bear pulls off a daring move.

Today’s excerpt is from Birth Of The Asps, Book #1 of the nine-book Asps Series.  On their first mission, the Asps and Tony Henry of MI6 find out something about Bear…he’s a keeper.  Enjoy and have a fantastic day. 

m.j.

 

Bear went on down the path, until he saw Dusty.  He stopped, took off his mine harness, and started pulling on the dead man’s clothing over his own.  Finished, he picked up one of the mines and went forward to a spot between Dusty and Kye. 

As he passed Dusty, Dusty whispered, “Kye, the guy coming down the path is Bear.  Don’t shot him.  He’s wearing clothing from a dead guy…I presume.”

Kye didn’t respond, and Bear smiled as he left the path and worked his way down through the vegetation, to the clearing on Kye’s side of the slight ridge that separated the camp’s two sides.

He walked out amongst several of the terrorists, most still trying to sleep.  He nodded to a few and kept on until he found a nice place to leave the mine.  Then he slowly walked back the way he had come.

Three more times, he did the same thing on the other side of the ridge.  After the fourth and last mine was left behind, he found a place to settle in, that was between Dusty and Harry.

Tony watched all of that with awe, and marveled at the audacity of the man.  Dusty watched with a smile, but was neither surprised at his friend nor that he brought it off without a hitch.  The rest of the team knew they had a winner amongst them.

 

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Sedona Chip, Book #9 of the Janitors Series - Some humor as the First Lady and Janitor gals continue their playacting.

Today’s excerpt is from Sedona Chip, Book #9 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  Knowing the French were listening in on everything said in the Oval Office, the President slips out of the office as the First Lady and the Janitor ladies do their playacting to drive the French batty.  Enjoy and have a wonderful day. 

m.j.

 

Claude Basset, who was nearly living in the small office he’d been given in the Embassy, sat bolt upright on hearing those words, and immediately placed a call to his President.  It was just after 8:00 PM in Washington, 2:00 AM in Paris, and after four in the morning in Tehran.  He had already reported the “success” of Maurice Lambourne in “verifying” construction of the super weapon.  Now, after his President woke up from a sound sleep, he reported, “Sir, that General and their President are discussing the target sites.  Hold on, please, while I listen in.”

The President muttered, “Ellis, I think any of these would do nicely.  Let me think about these a bit.  For now, the First Lady and three of her friends are waiting to come in and discuss a few things.”

Basset almost screamed when he heard that, but remembered he had his President on the line.  “Sir, you’re not going to believe this, but that idiot is going to spend some time with his wife and some of her friends, before deciding on a target site.”

The French President rubbed his head, closed his eyes, and sighed.  “Call me back, when you know something.”

“Yes, sir.”

After about ten minutes of conversation, the President quietly slipped out of the Oval Office, as the First Lady, Wendy, Holly, and Janet continued right on with their conversation.  He walked to the office of General Bradley.  “They’re having a grand old time in there, Ellis.  I certainly hope the French enjoy the conversation.  This one is centered around which movie actor is the ‘cutest,’ for pity’s sake.  I understand from my wife that they will shift gears at some point, for a return visit to the hem lines of the female military uniform, on to female undergarments, then finally on to proper clothing for the other ladies to wear when they come to visit at the ranch—which, by the way, they have been invited to do, the next time we go down to the ranch.”

“I hope the French are well-rested, because it sounds like they won’t get much tonight.”

The French listening in were anything but well rested and the situation was due to get much worse.  At the first relay station, where the tapping equipment was set up, the number of men to monitor the equipment and listen in had dwindled.  Of the six men originally handpicked by Claude Basset to do the monitoring, only three remained.  In addition to the one who had quit when summoned to Paris, another two had asked for reassignment.  One was granted his request, the other—on being denied—had quit as well.  The three that remained were going “soft in the head,” as one had grumbled about listening in to the ladies talk about absolutely nothing any of them wanted to hear.  The one listening in that night would be certain that his brain was going soft, and he was going insane before the First Lady and her guests were finished.

In the French Embassy in Washington, at the second relay station, the three men assigned to listen there at least didn’t have to sit around and wait endless hours for conversation to start.  The first relay station alerted them when it was time to listen in.  Nonetheless, they were growing more than weary of the female talk.  The same situation existed in the French Presidential Palace.  In Tehran, Basset had someone monitor the system until conversation began—then he was summoned.  However, since he had learned that the Oval Office was normally only used from six until around ten, he had started listening in from 2:30 AM (Tehran time) until 6:30 AM.  He had adjusted his sleep pattern accordingly.  Of course, calls from Maurice Lambourne and Luc Rapp often interrupted his sleep, as he interrupted the sleep of his President.

This night, the Frenchmen listening in as the American ladies spoke were all reaching the end of tolerance.  On top of that, the French President lay wide awake in his bed, even though he kept telling himself it could be two hours or more before Basset called back.  Finally, after nearly three hours of this, he called Basset and asked, “Anything yet?”

“No, sir.  They are now discussing ladies’ undergarments.  It seems that one of them has a rather robust chest.  But I don’t suppose you want to hear about all that.”

“No, I do not.  Call me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nearly four hours after the President left the Oval Office, General Bradley went to his other office.  “Sir, I think it’s time.  Wendy has to fly all the way to Afghanistan yet tonight.  Though I understand she got plenty of sleep during the day, that’s still a long haul.”

“Right, you are.  Let’s go.”

The President slipped into the Oval Office and sat down.  As he did, he winked at his wife and smiled.  Seconds later, General Bradley knocked on the door and came in.  Before he could speak, the First Lady glanced at her watch.  “Will you look at the time?  Come ladies, I’m sure General Bradley is here with something important.  Let’s call it a night.”

Frenchmen at four listening posts sighed in relief.

After the ladies left the Oval Office, General Bradley asked, “Did you get a chance to look over the list of targets, sir?”

“No, not really, Ellis.  I found the conversation in here quite interesting.  Let’s take care of this tomorrow.  I have a busy schedule, so let’s plan on about four or five tomorrow afternoon.  I’ll look the list over during the day.”

Claude Basset actually cried.  Two other listeners screamed, and one pounded his fists on the desk in front of him.

“Fine, sir.  I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, unless something comes up during the day.”

 

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Devil's Brew, Book #8 of the Janitors Series - Secret landing strip in Iraq under fire.

Today’s excerpt is from Devil’s Brew, Book #8 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  The hastily built landing strip in Iraq comes under attack and Wendy takes off in her C-130 to get it out of harm’s way.  Bruce has other ideas.  Enjoy and have a great day. 

m.j.

 

Seeing that and sure what Wendy had in mind, Bruce jumped into one of the 50-caliber buggies, backed it part way into the plane, and hollered for Phil to help him secure it.  Phil noticed that the ramp wouldn’t close where Bruce had stopped the buggy.  “We can’t close up if you’re halfway on the ramp.”

“Didn’t plan on closing up.  Tie her down.”

Harry, seeing and hearing all that, quickly figured out what Bruce had in mind, grabbed a large satchel of hand grenades, and headed for the rear of the plane.  By the time he got there, the engines of the plane were turning over and Bruce was already to the cockpit.

He handed Wendy one of the communication sets used by the Janitors.  “When you take off, fly over the bad guys and tell me when to cut loose.  I’ve got one of the buggies sitting on the ramp and I’ll hose the bastards down.”

Wendy shook her head and sighed.  “I was just plannin’ on getting’ my plane out of harm’s way, not turning it into a gun ship.”

“Your plan was a good one.  Mine’s better.”

Before Wendy could reply, Bruce ran back to the rear of the plane, as it started moving slowly.  Once to his buggy, he jumped in and got into the gun seat.  Then he looked at Phil.  “Give me something to tie myself down.”

Phil, already having secured himself with a safety line and done the same for Harry, did as asked.  But as he did, he growled, “Hey, Bruce, you better shoot straight.  You start shootin’ up my plane and I’ll toss you and this damned buggy right on out the back.”

By that time Wendy had her engines revved up enough to start her take off.  Just as the plane was about to leave the strip, an explosion near the front of the plane blew a hole in the side.

Wendy grunted, but continued with her take off.  Once airborne she looked to her right.  “Holly, take over.  I’m hit.”

Holly immediately took control of the plane as Wendy stripped off her flight suit.   Down to only bra and panties, she took the first aid kit offered by Holly and quickly wrapped her leg, after placing a compress under the bandage.   Meanwhile, Brent did a fast job of scanning his instruments and found no signs of a serious problem.  Then he ran forward to check out the hole in the side of the plane.  It was very small and he saw no dangling wires or other signs of damage.  He then headed back to his work area, but not before taking time to glance at Wendy standing there in her scant outfit and admiring her physique.  That admiring glance out of the way, he quickly got to his instruments to check for any damage to the flight characteristics of the plane.

When Brent got out of her way, Wendy reached behind her seat and started putting on a spare flight suit she had stored there.  Once that was on, she used her original flight suit to clean up the blood on her seat, then got in it.  “Okay, Holly, I got her.”

Holly glanced over and replied, “You sure you’re okay to fly?”

“What-in-the-hell else am I gonna do?  I sure can’t dance right now.”

Holly just laughed.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Drew, Boris, Suzan, and Dan joined the Seabees and Marines in the fight against the attackers, along with the new team members who had come with them.  The attack seemed to be concentrated in some rolling sand dunes, not too far from the base. 

Dan jumped into the gun seat of one of the dune buggies the Janitors had brought and told one of the new recruits to drive out in a circular route, in the general direction of the enemy concentration of fire.  Both the Marines and Seabees had a Humvee with a fifty-caliber mounted aboard.  Both vehicles headed straight for the attackers, guns blazing.

Seeing that, Suzan climbed into the gun seat of another buggy and yelled to Boris, “Drive, honey.  Follow Dan.”

The attackers had only rifles and a few mortars, so the effect of the fifty-caliber machine guns was a bit more than they had bargained for.  They were soon to get still more, as Wendy turned her plane and lined up on the attackers.  She correctly reasoned that too high an altitude would render Bruce ineffective, down a bit would give the enemy a chance at possible return fire at the plane, so she lined up to come in at a very low altitude…a scant few feet above the attackers.  Using her headset she asked, “You ready back there, Bruce?”

“Sure am.  Give me the word and I’ll start firing away blindly, until I see something to fire at.”

Wendy replied, “I’d say right now.”

Bruce didn’t reply, he just started firing as he swung the gun back and forth, from side to side.  As he did that, Harry started pulling pins and dropping hand grenades out the open ramp.  The advent of the plane flying just a few feet above them had a devastating affect on the attackers.  They had no time to fire effectively at the monster plane, and were systematically being cut to pieces by the fire from Bruce.

After a successful run, Wendy arched the plane up and swung around for another run.  Nearing the beginning of the attackers, she said, “Here we go again, Bruce.  Give ‘em hell.”

This time, one brave attacker stood up on the top of the highest sand dune to fire at the plane.  He totally misjudged the speed of the plane and one of the propellers cut him to pieces.  By the time the second run of the plane was completed, the Seabees and Marines were on what was left of the attackers.  Soon none were left alive.

 

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Dead Silent Calm, Book #7 of the Janitors Series - China raid underway.

Today’s excerpt is from Dead Silent Clam, Book #7 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  Facility breached and the Janitors head in.  Enjoy and have a fantastic day. 

m.j.

 

Wasting no time getting there, Billy, Holly and Suzan soon were standing at what appeared to be a back door to the facility.  Billy gave it a fast once over and whispered into his communication set, “Jim, small problem here.  The door seems to be solid metal and no outside signs of an alarm system…be my guess it’s on the inside if there is one.  Want me to blow it, or wait for you?”

Just as Jim started to respond, Hector muttered, “Hell.”

A roving guard had just appeared from behind one of the other buildings.  As he spotted Billy, Holly and Suzan and reached for the communication set on his right front shoulder, two silent puffs emitted from the silenced sniper rifles pointed his way.  Both Hector and Jessica fired within a hairsbreadth of each other.  Hector’s shot hit him in the base of his throat, Jessica’s in his right eye.  He was dead before he hit the ground.

Jim just nodded.  “Wait for us, Billy, but put a charge on it while we head your direction.”

Billy said nothing, but did as told while Jim, Hector, and Jessica hurried to join the others.  When they arrived, Jim looked over the door and took out the lock picking tools he carried.

With the lock soon picked, Jim sighed and turned the doorknob.  As he pushed the door open, he muttered, “Okay, guys fan out.  I may be setting off an alarm.”

The building had two stories above ground, and one basement floor.  Jessica followed Billy through a door leading down to the basement floor; while Jim and Holly hurried down their corridor in opposite directions.  Hector found a stairway leading up to the second floor and took it in great haste with Suzan right behind him.

 

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The Saltwater Connection, Book #6 of the Janitors Series - White slavery takes another blow.

Today’s excerpt is from The Saltwater Connection, Book #6 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  Billy and Hector rescue woman kidnapped and sold into white slavery to an Iranian businessman.  When they leave in the man’s plane with the woman and the Iranian, they take a good deal of information, gems, and money with them.  Enjoy and have a wonderful day. 

m.j.

 

Billy meanwhile ran into the mansion, heard rustling, and followed the sound to find Dowiat Abadi wrestling to get a gun case open.  Billy grunted and growled in Farsi, “Not a good idea, pal.”

Both Billy and Hector included both Turkish and Farsi in the long list of languages they were fluent in.  But since neither had spoken either language in quite a while, when not sleeping they had practiced both languages on the flight from Andrews to Turkey.

Dowiat Abadi slowly turned and, at the silent urging of Billy with the end of his gun, raised his hands.  Billy gave him a very serious look.  “Okay, as my leader likes to say, here’s the deal.  First: I want to know where the American woman you bought at that Canadian slave auction is.  Then we’re going on a little ride in your plane.  If you’re good, you may live.  Now do be good.  Where is she?”

Adel Dowiat Abadi considered his options and decided he had few.  “Follow me.”

Billy followed as asked, with his gun at the base of Dowiat Abadi’s neck.  They went up a flight of stairs, to a locked room.  There Billy’s captive carefully reached into his pocket and took out the key to the door.

Inside, the young woman, named Julia Bobbit—who, on hearing the key in the door, assumed she’d have to again “service” the revolting creature who had “bought” her—sighed, then she saw Billy and the gun pointed at her “owner.”

Billy nodded in her direction.  “I’m here to take you home.  Get dressed—quickly, please.”

She didn’t have to be told twice.  She jumped out of the bed she’d been in and put on the flowing robe and slippers, which were the only things she had to wear.

Billy nodded toward the bed, which had several large pillows on it.  “Take off all the pillow cases there and follow me.”

Then he herded Dowiat Abadi out and back toward the study he’d found the man in.  On the way, they met Hector who grinned as he saw the young woman running to catch up, carrying an armful of pillowcases.  “Doesn’t seem to be anyone else around.  Must be the maid’s night off.”

Billy nodded and grinned.  While there earlier, Billy had noticed a computer in the study.  He roughly shoved Dowiat Abadi down in a chair, and looked at Hector.  “Secure that idiot.”

“Yes, amigo, with pleasure.”

Hector ripped off a portion of Dowiat Abadi’s shirt and used it as a gag.  Then he pulled off the man’s belt and secured his hands.

While Hector was busy, Billy started filling one of the pillowcases with computer disks and all the papers in and around the study’s desk.  That completed, he did a fast check of the room, found a hinged picture, pulled it away from the wall and looked upon a large safe.  Hector saw that, pulled the gag out of Dowiat Abadi’s mouth, and asked, in Farsi, “Combination?”

Dowiat Abadi gave the combination without arguing.

Billy soon had it open, and emptied the contents into a pillowcase.  Included in the loot were several bank passbooks, a large tray of precious gems, close to a million dollars in various currencies, and another batch of computer disks.

While Billy did that, Hector looked the computer over and, using a letter opener from the desk, proceeded to take the computer apart, well enough to get the hard drive out of it.  That went into another pillowcase.  Then both men looked at each other.  Hector shrugged, Billy smiled, and they soon were on their way out of the mansion, heading toward the plane outside.

Within ten minutes, Billy had checked the fuel, found it full, and had started the engines.  As Billy nosed up, Hector called Jim on his cellphone (which, in fact, wasn’t a cellphone, but rather a satellite phone, as were all those used by the Janitors).

When Jim answered, Hector said, “Hi, boss.  Guess what we got?”

“From the way you asked that, I’d guess you’ve liberated a happy young lady.”

“Good guess, amigo.  As we speak, we are flying Mr. Adel Dowiat Abadi’s plane, with both the young lady and Abadi aboard.  Where do you think we should fly this lovely plane to?”

“Ask Billy if he has enough fuel to make Qatar, and if he has charts on how to get there.”

Hector did as asked and Billy took the phone.  “Fuel, we have.  How-in-the-hell to navigate, I have no idea.  Why do you think we’re calling you?”

Jim laughed.  “For now, fly due south while ‘squawking’ our Janitor code.  I’ll call General Bradley and have you intercepted and escorted to Qatar.  You can land at our facility there.”

“Done and done.  So long.  Oh, wait.  In addition to our two passengers, we have a hell of a lot of computer disks, his hard drive, and a bunch of other stuff.  Plus some money and several bank passbooks.”

“Good job.  When you get to Qatar, check over the disks and give me a call.”

“Roger, out.”

“See ya.”

 

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The Tickleton Affair, Book #5 of the Janitors Series - First step in trap setting.

Today’s excerpt is from The Tickleton Affair, Book #5 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  The Janitors and friends leading the bad guys to where they will eventually set their trap.  Enjoy and have a great day. 

m.j.

 

Nine minutes and counting later, Drew looked at John.  “Good coffee.  We’ve messed with them long enough…let’s go.”

Just as they walked out of the tour office, Ben and Gail were getting out of the van.  They had taken two steps apiece toward the gift shop when Neil, who was looking down toward the tour office, thumped on the side of the van.  Ben turned his head and saw Drew and John getting in the jeep.  “Shit.  Back in the van, Gail.”

Drew glanced that way and nearly burst out laughing as John backed the jeep out and drove on his pre-determined route.

Back in the van, Ben started it up and backed out of his space as well.  He was soon headed the same direction as John.  Two cars had passed him before he could pull out, so he was well back, but could still see the jeep.

In the jeep, John grinned.  “They’re three cars back.  Want me to slow down?”

“Naw, let the bastard earn his keep.”

John chuckled and drove on.  When he reached the turn off from the main road onto another road—which ultimately led to the road toward the ranch—he signaled and made his turn.  Ben had just come around a bend in time to see the turn.  He muttered an oath, as he knew he didn’t have time to pass either of the two cars in front of him and then get back in the right lane.

As luck—bad—would have it, the first of the two cars in front of him slowed and made the same turn as John had.  The driver was an older man in no hurry to get where he was going.  Neil looked over Ben’s shoulder.  “Damn it, Ben, don’t loose them.”

“As soon as I can, I’ll pass this jerk in front of us.”

Just as Ben spoke, the other car turned off.  Ben quickly looked in his rear-view mirror, saw no one behind him and no one coming the other way, and turned off his lights, having earlier rigged them so they could be turned off, since the van was a newer model.

Just as he did that, he passed Evan and Jessica sitting in their car, waiting patiently for the van to pass, as they had seen John and Drew pass minutes before.  While they had been sitting there, Evan had also fixed his car so the light wouldn’t come on when he started it, which he now did.

When Evan had done that, Jessica had watched with interest, as previously she had no idea how that procedure was done.  She had a mind like a sponge and tucked that new piece of information away for possible future use.

As Evan pulled onto the road, without headlights, he could barely see the van, since the night was overcast.  Jessica quickly handed him a set of night vision goggles, which she had shown him how to use earlier.  In seconds, he could see ahead quite nicely, and smiled as the van came into full view.

In front of Evan and Jessica, Ben was having more difficulty seeing the jeep because he and Neil didn’t have night vision equipment—another oversight by the “Ghost”-rattled Chang.  Had Ben been closer to the jeep, his task would have been easier, since John was the only one with his lights on.  That advantage for Ben was lost, however, when John made a turn onto the road that wound around and turned into one of the two gravel roads leading to the ranch.

When John’s lights disappeared, Ben grumbled, “Shit” and floored the van. 

That move caught Evan off guard just a bit, but he had no problem keeping up, as he too gunned his car.  In short order, he was actually gaining on Ben because he could see where he was going much better than they could in the van.

When Ben reached the turn-off John had taken, he nearly missed it, but did catch a glimpse of tail lights and made the turn with very little to spare.

Evan had no trouble finding the turn-off and made the turn with ease.  Then he eased off on the gas to fall back, just in case the cloud cover should break up.

Up ahead in the jeep, Drew, who had put on night vision goggles, glanced back and clearly saw the distant van.  He chuckled.  “They aren’t doing too well keeping up.  Let’s give them a little stress.  How about increasing speed just a bit?”

“Ha.  Not here.  I’ve got a crazy uncle who might speed up here, but not me.  We’ve got some turns and dips coming up real fast.”

Drew quipped.  “Guess us old guys just have better judgment when driving than you young fellas.”

“That’s what he’d say, too.  For me, I think you’re both nuts.  If I wanted to lose those guys, I could…but it’s not worth the risk just to mess with them.”

“You’re driving.”

“Yes, I am.”

 

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Toboggan, Book #4 of the Janitors Series - Horsepoop fire.

Today’s excerpt is from Toboggan, Book #4 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  Out of the blizzard and in a line shack they had found, Nick gets a fire going, then figures out how to keep one going.  Enjoy and have a fantastic day. 

m.j.

 

With little wasted motion, Nick opened four bottles from their stash and poured them on the driest-looking piece of wood.  One of the matches soon had the piece of wood blazing.  Alas, the blaze soon fizzled out.  Nick stood back and thought for a minute.  “Okay, we know how to start the fire.  Now we have to figure a way to keep it going.”

With that he went through the kitchen cabinets and found several cans of various foodstuffs.  Using a knife he found in one of the drawers, he slit the labels off the cans and sat them on the table.  Then he went back out and brought in three more stacks of wood.  Next he went back out and looked around until he saw a shack next to the cabin.  He forced open its door and peered inside.  It was a stabling area for horses.  Without hesitation, he picked up a pile of moldy hay, after piling some dried horse manure on top of the hay.  This he carried back into the cabin and placed in the fireplace, around the wood he had put there earlier.  Now he put some of the labels from the cans around and under the hay and manure.  Then he doused the entire stack of material with the contents of three more bottles from the bag.

When he lit the alcohol this time, the fire sputtered, crackled, and slowly—very slowly—caught hold.  In time the wood logs really started to burn.  Satisfied, he carefully added three more pieces of wood.

When he saw the fire would continue to burn, he turned to Phyllis.  “You better get out of those wet things.”

Without hesitation, Phyllis started undressing.  As she did, Nick got two of the blankets out of the bag and set them on the table as he pulled two of the chairs over near the fire to hang Phyllis’ clothing on.  When she was down to her bra and panties, he wrapped one of the blankets around her shoulders, then pulled another chair over near the fireplace.  “Sit here,” he offered.

She did so without comment as Nick got the other blanket and wrapped it around her legs.  Then he got out two more of the blankets, stripped to his underwear, and placed his clothes on the chairs with Phyllis’ things.  He pulled the last chair next to her and wrapped himself in blankets as he had done for Phyllis.

After he let out a long sigh, she smiled, “Thanks.  My Knight in probably still wet underwear.”

“Speaking of which, how are your undergarments—dry wise, that is?”

“Not bad.  Should be dry soon.  You’re a good fire builder.”

“Even if I had to cheat and use horseshit to start it?”

“I don’t care what you used, just so it started.  I was chilled to the bone, but I’m glad you made us go on when I wanted to quit.  That’s why I appointed you Captain of the ship.”

“Appointed?  Appointed!”

“You know what I mean.  Thanks for taking charge.  I still can’t believe we’re alive.  When we were shooting down that damn hill I was too scared to even yell.  I’m surprised I didn’t wet myself.  Speaking of which…”

“Okay, I get the message,” said Nick as he looked around the cabin.  “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s no plumbing here.  Looks like just a drain from the kitchen sink.  Bet there’s a well outside someplace, and I’d bet we find an outside privy also.”

“Well, I sure don’t want to go outside.”

“No, you’re warming up now.  You best stay in here,” Nick agreed.  He stood up and walked over to the kitchen area.  There he found a deep pan and brought it over to Phyllis. 

After he handed it to her, he turned his back.  Soon he could hear a tinkle as she did her business.  Then he grinned when she asked, “Uh, what should I do with it…my full bed pan?”

He turned back around, and answered, “I’ll take care of it,” as he stepped forward and picked up the pan.  He walked to the sink, shrugged his shoulders and dumped it out there.  Then he walked to the door, opened it, reached out, and scooped up half a pan of snow.  With a smile, he carried the snow-laded pan over to the dasher board near the sink and left it there as he headed back to the warmth of the fire.

“You’re making a primitive gal outta me,” joked Phyllis.

 

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Dog Pound, Book 33 of the Janitors Series - Billie Jo kidnapped...but...

Today’s excerpt is from Dog Pound, Book #3 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  Billie Jo kidnapped…about the last thing that goes well for the kidnappers.  Enjoy and have a wonderful day. 

m.j.

 

The next few days saw a flurry of activity that culminated in the kidnapping plan being set, Steve Bettencourt being at sea, and Billie Jo Lane arriving in Hawaii.

On Billie Jo’s second day there, she called her friend at the Suicide Prevention Center and asked if that night would be a good time for her to stop by.  After being assured it would be just fine, she notified Lloyd Wallace of her plans and told him she would see him in the morning to go over the matters he had been bugging her about.  She also notified her bodyguards that they would be having a night out on the town, and told them where she planned to go.  Having been there with her previously, neither was unduly concerned. 

Lloyd, of course, immediately after hanging up with Billie Jo, called Dale Martin, who in turn alerted his team.  Not being sure of Billie Jo’s departure time, he went down to the lobby at seven o’clock and hung around for over an hour, until he saw Billie Jo and her two escorts exit the elevator.  He immediately got up, left the hotel, and got into his rental car.  As he drove away, he called Oscar and Henry on his cell phone.  “Show time.  I’m on my way.”

When Dale arrived in the neighborhood of the nightclub, he drove three blocks past it, turned right for a half-block (as prearranged), and walked back toward the bar.  Oscar and Henry had been in the area for over two hours at that point.  Their truck was parked on a very dark street a half-mile from where Dale parked his car.  They also had walked back toward the Suicide Prevention Center.  One of their tasks was to spot a likely car to steal—one parked near the nightclub entrance, if possible.

By the time Dale arrived, they had spotted the car they wanted.  Oscar, the more experienced auto thief, had walked by the car, saw it was unlocked, and knew it was a model he could hot-wire in less than thirty seconds, probably less than ten. 

As Dale walked up, the other two went to greet him.  Henry smiled.  “We’ve got the car spotted.  Oscar cased it and should have no problem.  It’s that four-door, dark blue sedan two doors from the entrance.”

Dale nodded, and put a hand to his wig to make sure it was still in place.  “Okay, I’m heading for the far corner; you two cut across here as planned.  My contact told me Lane wouldn’t be coming in a limo.  Doesn’t want to attract attention.  So keep a sharp eye out.  With no more foot traffic out than there is now, let’s go ahead and try for her on the way in.  No sense in waiting around and getting a case of nerves.”

“Agreed,” replied Oscar, as he and Henry headed across the street.

As the car carrying Billie Jo Lane pulled to a stop in front of the nightclub in a taxi zone, Dale thought, “How lucky can we be…not a soul in sight.”

When one of the bodyguards got out of the car to open the rear door for Billie Jo, the other headed around the car.  Their plan was to get her safely inside, then one would come back and properly park the car.

 As Oscar and Henry walked toward the entrance of the nightclub on one side of Billie Jo and her bodyguards, Dale approached from the other direction.  All six people converged at the entrance at the same time.  With swift but seemingly unhurried motions, Dale produced his syringe, jabbed the bodyguard nearest him, pushed the plunger, and stood back, amazed at how fast the drug worked.  The man crumbled to the sidewalk in seconds.  Oscar did the same thing to the other bodyguard, with the same results.  After Henry gave a shot to the startled Billie Jo, he and Oscar caught her as she started to fall.

All three men saw the car Billie Jo had arrived in sitting there running and forgot all about the car they had planned to steal.  With Oscar’s help, Henry wrestled Billie Jo into the back of the car as Dale went around the front and got in the driver’s seat.  With Billie Jo in the rear with Henry, Oscar slid into the front next to Dale as he pulled out and drove away.

The entire process had taken less than a minute.  Buoyed by their easy success, Dale suggested, “I think we’ll just drive to your truck, then I’ll double back, park this thing, and leave in my car.”

Also pleased at the way things went, Oscar replied, “Sounds good.  Shit, how lucky can we get?  Not a person in sight.  That bought us who knows how much time.”

 

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