Gunslinger

Johnny’s Bar on a Thursday afternoon wasn’t exactly busy.
The weather was high summer outside so apart from the odd few people cooling their heels after some time on the beach the booths were empty. It would get busier later, once people knocked off work and started looking forward to the weekend. Then the place would buzz with noise and laughter, now it was siesta.
That wasn’t to say that the arrival through the door of a full dress Colonel of the Marine Corps wasn’t going to turn heads amongst the surfers, party goers, tired bums and everyone else in there. Just meant that there were fewer to see it. Even the barman stared, not used to seeing any soldier let alone one decked out in weapons and looking serious. Colonel Hicks remained stone faced, searching the area until he found the only two men in the bar that hadn’t looked up and remained concentrated on the game of pool going on between them. The Colonel wasn’t surprised, Sanders and Seward had paid him not attention when they served so now they were freelance he expected none.
“Hi Jack, you want a drink ?”
Johnny Seward grinned, he knew he was making the Colonel uncomfortable just by coming here so the job had to be important. He watched Matt take his shot before circling the table and again Hicks wondered just where he had gone wrong with those two. Men had underestimated Johnny the whole time he was in the service, being short and unassuming was not a way to get noticed and yet Hicks saw what the others didn’t. There was a razor sharp brain and ruthlessness that was hidden there despite Johnny now looking like your average Cali street bum complete with Mohawk. Johnny was a stone cold strategist and occasionally at stone cold killer.
“Sure, there somewhere private we can talk ?”
“Upstairs.”
Johnny motioned to the barman and pointed in the direction of the back, the Colonel now aware that Matt Sanders was rapidly emptying the bar. This was a delicate negotiation, none of what the Colonel was about to ask of these men was legal and they already knew it. Hicks thought that if Johnny was the last thing you would expect of a soldier then Matt exemplified it. Johnny’s buddy was a big man in every way, intense and frightening to look at, adept at killing but actually charming and soft spoken when you got to know the guy. He had been a tech specialist, still was just not working for anyone who paid less than ten million a job. Hicks would have trusted both men with his life just not his wallet and now as he followed them up the cramped stairs to the back room he knew worse was to come.
For their part Johnny and Matt tasted a payday. Five years in the army had been followed by another five hunting down wanted men, stolen money and whatever else anyone would pay big bucks for. It was dangerous, illegal and often they got shot at by their own side so seeing their former commanding officer was a surprise. A contact out of the blue was usually bad news and Matt had said so but Johnny wanted to hear Hicks out of curiosity if nothing else.
Matt listened to Johnny and nobody else on that score. His buddy had never steered him wrong and Matt had the house, the money and the cute chicks to prove it. He had access to the best technology money could buy and they used it to make more. There had been jobs all over the world, thee work intense but sporadic and they had been on downtime for a few weeks. Would be good to get back in the game. He smiled at Hicks, the tall Colonel still looked good for forty five, could probably bench press both of them out of the room.
“So top, what’s the op ?”
Hicks slid a file across the desk to Johnny and smiled for the first time.
“What do you boys know about World War Two ?”
“One hell of a fight but that’s old news.”
Johnny remained impassive as he looked at the file. Old pictures seemed to show paintings and artefacts along with maps and lists of ordinance. He couldn’t deny that there looked to be a lot of money tied up but had one big question.
“You want us to go hunting over Europe for this ? Why the fuck is the army suddenly interested in Nazi gold after all this time ?”
“Eastern Europe. Could be Ukraine, could be Lithuania. You can hunt it down, I know how good you are. This cache was the largest ever seized and there are some powerful men in Congress who want it returned to the ancestors in Israel. Problem is its now worth over one hundred and seventy million dollars so the Russian government are looking for it, the Russian mob are looking for it and so are the British.”
Matt sniggered, that was a fucking lot of money and this would be the biggest payday any of them had seen ever. They had certain issues in Russia that needed taking care of anyway and he could already see Johnny was going to ask for one hell of a cut and some decent hardware. The shorter man looked pensive, eyeing the Colonel with a certain amount of suspicion. The sounds of the street outside echoed up from the heated pavement and added to the tension.
“But of course you can’t go in officially and you want plausible deniability.”
The colonel nodded, he was well aware of what had happened to Johnny’s outfit the last time they had gone east and it was part of the reason he had suggested them for this job. They had scores to settle and there was a chance that the Russian mob would have them dead before they left the country making a sneak operation easier. He gave Johnny the easy smile but saw that Matt’s face had gone cold.
“You get caught, we don’t know you. You always knew the rules Johnny.”
“If we do this I want ten million each and five up front, unlimited access to weaponry and tech. I want a drop in and an evac route out or you can leave right now. I take my own men, no spies and I recruit my own help on my dollar.”
The colonel nodded, impressed again that there was no bullshit. He would give them what they wanted, Matt probably had better equipment than he did anyway and he knew exactly the team they would build. If he could pull all that off then Johnny would have earned every penny of that ten million. He loosened his tie, the old friend rather than former boss coming through.
“You gonna spring Gates and Vengeance ?”
Johnny grinned, unable to keep the fun in that prospect from his lips. There had been difficulties in that before but with all the money from the US government and the new kit he could get it now became viable. Matt was already planning it, one thing the army taught him was that you never left a man behind and two of their best had spent eighteen months languishing in some Russian gulag.
“I’m going to get my boys, I wouldn’t have had to if Embassy had done its job. Fucking frame job but you lot did jack shit.”
“Talk to the politicians Johnny, does this mean you’re going to take the job ?”
Matt and Johnny exchanged a glance, they would normally have talked this out and weighed the pros and cons but an opportunity like this couldn’t be passed up. Matt was already fingering his phone, a call of a few people would locate Jimmy, they could recruit the rest on the way until they could get to Syn and Zacky.
“As soon as the money hits the bank. Any idea where to start ?”
“There’s a contact in the Moscow State University. British professor in the History Department. She’s been studying the history of the lost convoy and may be willing to help you. Dr Charlotte Bingham.”
Hicks pulled another photo from the file and Matt decided that if there was a dictionary that needed a picture of a librarian, this girl would be it. Young and pretty but is was hidden behind glasses and a cardigan, her dark hair pulled up into a severe bun. Johnny considered the picture and then read the profile, he had a sneaky suspicion that it wouldn’t be that easy.
“We’ll head there first, find this girl and the twins. Radio silence ?”
“Once you’re dropped.”
The colonel stood up, shaking both Johnny and Matt by the hand before heading towards the door. He already knew that an email with a drop box for the money would be waiting for him by the time he got back to his office and marvelled again how the two men in casual jeans and tees had turned into such an efficient operation. Hicks would much rather they had stayed in the army.
Johnny slumped back into the chair, waiting until the Colonel had left before picking up the files again as Matt loaded up his laptop and began pulling up research and his connection in the FSB, the modern equivalent of the KGB. He needed to know exactly where Syn and Zacky might be and there was no easy way past the firewall. Johnny continued reading before looking up.
“Well ?”
“Still Moscow I think. Who else are we lining up for this.”
Johnny scratched his chin, Matt watching him closely. The man never aged, still looked too young to have done half the things he’d done and when the cute smile appeared so did Matt’s dimples.
“Just Jimmy and Ana for now, we can see if this professor comes on board. Last thing we need is to go in heavy. What ?”
Matt stared, all humour going from his face.
“You’re going to go into Moscow to rescue two men from a prison where they have probably been tortured and you’re taking the woman who put them there ? Are you insane ?”
Johnny giggled, leaning back in the chair as he imagined the look on Syn’s face when they broke them out and presented them with a plan to get richer than any of them had ever imagined. Would make quite a few past problems a little more forgivable.
“Well that’s what Syn gets for selling his ex-wife to the Russian Mafia.”

Notes