When he reached his twenties, he knew it was time to leave his parents’ side and start his own ministry. Not because he didn’t love them or the life that he was living, but because he knew that he could do more on his own. And everyone around him sensed it. There was an energy about Adams, a glorious mixture of compassion and charisma that drew people to his side, a force that made people want to follow him and work for him no matter where he went.
In his native Australia, the Aborigines called it ‘the golden spirit.’ They claimed it was a gift that was bestowed by the gods every hundred years or so. In their culture it was the greatest quality that a person could possess, a quality that only the eldest Aborigines could recognize because they were the wisest members of their tribe, therefore closest to God. And according to the elders, Paul Adams was the man who had the spirit.
He was someone who would change the world. The chosen one for this century.
The media seemed to agree.
The sun wouldn’t be up for hours, giving Tank Harper and his men plenty of time to work. They had grabbed Paul Adams two days before, nabbed him in Morayfield, Australia, while he was on his way to Brisbane. They’d done it so cleanly that it looked like Adams had been plucked off the face of the earth by the right hand of God.
No witnesses. No evidence. No problems.
A day later they were in Beijing going over their plans one last time. Advance surveillance told them that they couldn’t get inside the Forbidden City without being seen. It was surrounded by a moat and steeply angled walls that would’ve been doable with some light gear but not while carrying a 500-pound cross and a 175-pound victim. That meant his team had to figure out a different way to get inside. Something that the Chinese would never expect.
Harper considered many concepts, everything from a winch system that would hoist the cross over the wall to a giant Trojan horse. Nothing excited him, though, until he heard an ancient Chinese proverb about treasures falling from the sky. At that moment Harper realized that he was looking at the problem all wrong.
Why go up when it was much easier to come down?
58
As smoke filled the hall and sprinklers drenched them, Payne realized something was missing: the sound of a fire alarm. Most of the time the order went: fire, smoke, alarm, then sprinkler. But not today. He wondered why that was and if it was important.
‘The alarm should be on,’ Ulster assured him. ‘Both here and at the firehouse in Biasca… It must’ve malfunctioned.’
Somehow Payne doubted that. ‘Is there a manual turnoff?’
He nodded. ‘It can be deactivated with the proper key.’
‘Who has the keys?’
‘Me, Franz, and all the guards.’
Kill a guard, take his key, and turn off the system before it could warn the fire department. That’s what Payne would’ve done to stop help from coming. ‘Where’s the switch?’
He pointed to the eastern section of the house. ‘There’s an electrical panel in a back hallway. Everything can be run from there.’
‘Then that’s where we’re going.’
Ulster looked at Payne like he was crazy. So did Boyd, Maria, and Franz. The heat was starting to build and so was the smoke, yet Payne wanted to head deeper inside. The only one who understood was Jones, because they’d been stuck between a rock and an even bigger rock several times before. They knew in situations like this they weren’t going to outgun anyone. That meant they had to outthink them. They had to do something unexpected, or they were going to be slaughtered. ‘Trust me on this one. I know what I’m doing.’
Everyone nodded tentatively.
‘Petr, lead the way with D.J. Doc and Franz, you’re in the middle. Maria, you’re fifth, followed by me.’ Payne gave her a rifle. ‘This will be easier to aim than a Luger.’
The fear in her eyes told Payne that she was worried. Whether it was from the soldiers, the fire, or Payne, he didn’t know. In truth, he was tempted to tell her that they’d discovered her connection to Manzak just to clear the air. That way, he could stay focused on everything around them instead of keeping an eye on her. Unfortunately, if he told her he knew, he ran the risk of dealing with an emotional mess, which might be tougher to control than what he was facing. That’s why he decided to wait. He would hit her with it later. If both of them survived.
Sprinklers sprayed water through the billowing smoke, causing black rain to fall. It clouded their vision and affected their breathing. They tried to compensate by staying as low to the floor as possible, but that slowed their pace as they moved deeper inside the building.
As they approached the final hallway, Jones signaled for them to stop, then waved Payne forward. Refusing to take his eyes off Maria, he walked backward until he reached the front. At that point he turned to Ulster and said, ‘Maria’s getting a little jumpy from the stress. See if you can calm her down.’ He grabbed his arm for emphasis. ‘And if she does
Ulster nodded and headed toward Maria. Payne watched them interact for a few seconds before he turned his attention to Jones. ‘How do you want to play this?’
‘You lead, I’ll follow.’
‘Works for me.’ Payne stepped forward and peered around the corner.
According to Ulster, the security panel was down the hallway to the left, so he stayed as close to the left wall as possible, hoping to hide his approach until he was on top of them. That is, if anyone was even back there. The truth was, all of this was an educated guess on Payne’s part. For all he knew, the fire alarm could’ve malfunctioned, and he was risking death for nothing. Then again, it wasn’t like they had a better alternative, because Payne knew if they ran out the front door they were going to be gunned down before they made it halfway to the fence.
At least this way they had a chance to get out alive.
Three steps from the bend, Payne heard two muffled voices. He pointed to his ear then raised both Lugers in the air to let Jones know that he had heard two men. Jones slid beside Payne and waved his gun near the floor. That let Payne know he was shooting low. Payne nodded while taking another step. One of the men was speaking in Italian, while the other answered in Schwyzertutsch, the German dialect that most people used in Switzerland. They were teamed together yet communicating in two different languages. Payne hoped Jones was listening, because he knew he’d have some theories on what that meant and what they were saying.
Of course, they’d have to worry about that later, because it was time to take them out.
Payne pointed to his watch, then mouthed, ‘Three… two… one… go!’
Jones stepped low and wide, while Payne stayed high and tight. Their movement was so quick the soldiers didn’t have time to react. Both of them wore military fatigues and gas masks, which accounted for their muffled voices. AK-47s hung off their shoulders on straps.
In a normal assault, Payne would’ve ordered them to surrender before he did anything violent. But not here. There was a language barrier to consider, so Payne decided to be aggressive. His first bullet went through the Italian’s biceps about the same time Jones put one through his calf, a shot that tore through his muscle and imbedded itself in his other leg. He dropped to the floor in a writhing pile of agony as blood oozed from him in several different directions. Meanwhile, the Swiss soldier stood there with a deer-in-the-headlights look, not really sure what was going on, even though he saw Payne and Jones at the end of the hall.
Payne knew they had to use one of the enemies to get them to safety, so Payne opted not to shoot him. Instead he rushed forward, disarmed both men, took off their masks, then put his Luger under the Swiss soldier’s chin, even though he knew the barrel would be hotter than a curling iron. ‘Do you speak English?’ Payne demanded as he heard the sizzle of burning flesh.
‘Yes,’ the Swiss soldier groaned. ‘Yes.’
‘Cooperate or die. How large is your squad?’
‘Six… Us plus four.’
The Italian continued to writhe in pain, so Jones kicked him and told him to shut up.
Payne continued. ‘Where are the others?’
