A Dubious Curse (A Colton Banyon Mystery Book 8) Read online

  “Loni, we didn’t finish up until around five o’clock this morning,” he told her as a defense.

  “Yes, but where have you been since then?” she admonished him. “You never came to bed.”

  “Sleeping,” he replied sheepishly, as he frantically tried to come up with a better answer. He knew Loni was never going to accept his response. The bigger question, he thought, was, Who did I get in bed with, and how come they didn’t kick me out? There were several possible candidates. He decided to play it cool and say nothing.

  “Steve needs you in the main pilothouse, immediately,” Mandy quickly appeared and told him, grabbing his arm to pull him to the front of the boat. The intimacy caused Loni to shoot daggers at her. Mandy had a confident smile as she spoke.

  “Come on,” Banyon told Loni, disengaging from Mandy’s arm. He grabbed her hand and pulled into the glass pilothouse. Steve was watching a computer screen.

  Without preamble, Steve analyzed the readings. “This could be nothing, but we have a single boat headed up the channel towards us.”

  “Any idea who it could be?”

  “No, so I have located two snipers on the roof and everyone is armed.” Steve pointed to a blip on the computer screen.

  “Can you turn off the noise, please?” Loni asked, as she covered her ears. Steve immediately pressed a button, and all became quiet.

  Someone from the back of the boat called out, “It’s coming around the bend. I’ve got binoculars on it. It’s a cabin cruiser, about 35 feet long. The word ‘Park Ranger’ is written along the side.”

  “Probably just a routine check,” Steve speculated.

  “I’ll be right back,” Banyon said to Loni. He went outside to address Wolf, but he returned seconds later. “Tell everybody to hide their guns,” Banyon demanded.

  “So, it’s not the Effort?” Loni asked.

  “No, I’m afraid these people are far worse for us,” Banyon replied, as he went off to find Previne.

  arlene Krenitz sat next to the captain, who was piloting the boat from the top of the cabin cruiser. She held a large loudspeaker in her weary hand. Cindy and the rest of her team were on the deck below, sitting on cushioned seats situated around the edge of the stern. The warm morning sun and the calm water were having an effect on them. They were only semi-alert and were very tired. There were two additional park rangers assigned to the boat. They served as the deck hands and protection. They went about the business of running the boat while the NSA agents languished in the stern.

  Darlene had a satisfied look on her face. She couldn’t believe her good luck. She had actually gotten a solid lead on the whereabouts of the sixth blue woman. In addition, Colton Banyon was in the same place and had no chance of getting away from her now. The cooler air produced from the speed of the boat and the smell of the lake’s fresh water helped to make her feel better, but she knew her team was running on pure adrenaline.

  With the exception of a two-hour nap in the car, she had been awake for what was going on thirty-five hours. She wanted to desperately fulfill her mission, but had been stymied and manipulated at every turn, until Bobby Brown had taken a fancy to Joan Kane.

  Once Bobby had passed on his information, she had ordered everyone into the vehicles and sped off looking for Echo Cove. While on the ride, her people had researched the previous morning’s incident that Brown had mentioned and she had an analyst from the NSA review satellite pictures. They found the houseboat in a side water channel that was called Finger Cove, because of its shape. Next, she called the park rangers for Lake Mead and told them she needed a boat. By the time the NSA agents pulled up to the ranger station, all was in ready. There was even a small cell at the station, in which Darlene stashed the five unhappy, blue Asian women. One ranger agreed to stand guard over the women. Things were looking up for Darlene and her team.

  “Everybody get ready!” she called out to her agents. “We are only a few minutes from the houseboat. She didn’t have to tell the park rangers anything more. They had devised a plan on the trip over to the Lake Mead resort.

  “Darlene, I’ve been thinking,” Joan called out. “I think there is something else going on that we don’t know about. These people were there, in the cove, before we even landed in Las Vegas. They aren’t hiding from us,” Joan shouted up to her boss.

  “Shut up, Joan!” Darlene screamed with the limited understanding characteristic of zealots. “We’re going to complete our mission.”

  “You could be putting us all in more danger,” Joan replied sarcastically. “And I don’t just mean from bad guys,” she added. “The NSA doesn’t like their agents going rogue. This could cost all of us our careers.”

  “We are going to collect Colton Banyon,” Darlene emphasized fanatically.

  The captain brought the cruiser to within fifty yards of the houseboat and turned broadside. Darlene slid off the seat and directed the loudspeaker at the boat.

  “There are six agents from the NSA and three rangers onboard. We are all armed. Prepare to be boarded!” she yelled authoritatively into the speaker.

  “But… I don’t have a gun,” Cindy corrected Darlene from her position on the lower deck.

  “Shut up, Cindy,” Joan spat. “We are trying to intimidate them.”

  “Well, there is no need to insult me,” Cindy quickly replied.

  “Welcome aboard,” a voice cheerfully returned through a loudspeaker system on the boat. “We thought you were someone else. Glad they sent us a protection detail,” Colton Banyon said over the speaker.

  “Protection detail?” Joan exclaimed. “What the hell is he talking about?” Joan questioned from the back of the boat, turning towards the other agents. They all just shrugged their shoulders.

  Darlene ignored her and bellowed into the speaker, “We are boarding now.”

  With that, the captain tightened his jaw and headed for the side of the houseboat. The two rangers suddenly appeared on deck with rifles, and the NSA agents stood up and drew their guns. The funny thing was that no one on the houseboat seemed the least bit nervous to Darlene. Why is that? she wondered.

  As the cruiser came alongside, Guido and Steve grabbed lines and tied them off. They helped the NSA agents aboard. Banyon and his team greeted them with firm handshakes and introductions. Darlene did the same.

  “So, are these people your friends?” Darlene asked, informing Joan with a wink they might have hit a goldmine of candidates for the Denver facility. She also felt a chill down her spine as Banyon’s friends seemed to know what she was thinking. They stood passively in a semicircle with half-smiles on their faces.

  Banyon stepped forward. “You guys look like you’re pretty tired. Why don’t we retire to the kitchen table and have some coffee while we chat?” Banyon offered with a gesture of his arm. He turned, opened the door to the cabin, and proceeded into the darkness, before Darlene could mount a reply. Darlene noted the interior was spacious and clean. In the middle of the room was a large dining table. Banyon motioned for them to sit.

  The six NSA agents gathered around the eight-person kitchen table, along with Banyon and Previne. The rest of Banyon’s team casually hung around the perimeter. Darlene was trying to decide how to tell them they were all under arrest. They seemed like such nice people, she thought. But Banyon spoke first.

  “I know you are here to attempt to collect Skye,” Banyon said. When he saw the look of confusion on Darlene’s face, he added, “the blue-skinned Asian women.” He pointed at Skye, who was standing away from the table.

  “Yes, yes, of course, we are here to collect her,” Darlene acknowledged in a reasonably polite voice.

  “Well, you are not taking her,” Banyon said, with a little more strength in his voice, shaking his head negatively.

  “I can’t see how you can stop us,” Darlene defiantly replied. Her eyes quickly darted to her other team members to see if they thought this was a trap. They all seemed as confused as she was.

  “Perhaps, I should let he
r lawyer explain,” Banyon offered. He waved Skye and Kim up to the table.

  “Her lawyer?” Darlene asked incredulously.

  Kim began talking in his silky smooth lawyer voice. “Yes, that is correct. I am an officer of the court in this state through Dewey & Beatem. We have a law office in Las Vegas. I also represent the other five women you have in the ranger’s jail. We have a representative heading there right now with paperwork that will place them in our custody.”

  Joan suspiciously asked, “How do you know where they are?” She twisted her hair nervously as she spoke.

  Kim calmly responded, “When you called the ranger’s office, they checked on the boat and found that it had been rented in our law firm’s name. We have helped law enforcement before, so we received a courtesy call.”

  Suddenly more alert, Darlene blustered, “But you can’t…” She never got to finish the sentence.

  “I have already filed the paperwork for Skye, here,” Kim interrupted, tossing her the official documents, still warm from the fax machine. She immediately began to read them and shock covered her face.

  “But we were sent to collect her,” Darlene explained.

  “She is not leaving with you,” Loni jumped in.

  Buying for time, Cindy asked. “May I talk to Skye? I understand that she can speak Russian.”

  “Be my guest,” Kim offered, opening his arm towards Skye, who stood tall and confident in her golden bikini. Cindy began speaking to the women in Russian while Darlene continued to plow through the paperwork in front of her. Joan quickly opened her phone and dialed the number for their controller.

  “There is no cellphone reception on this part of the lake,” Loni said from behind her. Joan looked at her and then closed her phone in frustration. She was starting to get a bad feeling about this mission.

  After a few minutes of discussion with Skye, Cindy spoke to the group, “Skye says these people, Banyon and his team, rescued her from the desert and listened when she told them about Mr. Ag and the mine. They then took action. She says Colton Banyon set up the takedown with the President of the United States. She supplied the map of the interior and now wants political asylum in the United States.”

  “But… we have our orders,” Joan huffed, slamming the table with her palms.

  “If the paperwork is filed properly, I’m afraid there is not much we can do. The same will go for the women in the ranger’s jail,” Cindy said. She appeared to know a lot about proper procedure. This only made Darlene more suspicious of Cindy.

  “But our primary assignment was to collect the six blue women,” Darlene whined. “Are you telling me we have been taken out of the loop? Is this entire trip for nothing?” She pounded her hand on the table angrily.

  “Well, your new primary assignment is to protect my team. You still have that,” Banyon told her from the end of the table.

  “That’s not my assignment,” Darlene roared through gritted teeth. “In fact, Mr. Colton Banyon, we were really sent here to arrest you and your friends, and that’s what we are going to do, right now,” she growled, pointing her finger at Banyon.

  “I think not,” Banyon evenly replied. Suddenly, there was the unmistakable clank of guns being cocked.

  one of you move!” Loni ordered. The other members of Banyon’s team—Pramilla, Eric, and Maya—also had guns aimed at the NSA agents. “Take out your guns and put them in the middle of the table. Do it, now.”

  “What’s going on?” Darlene demanded as she turned in her seat and looked at the guns pointed at her. She quickly saw it was not a joke and motioned to her agents to comply with the order.

  “No talking!” Loni ordered loudly. “Put both of your hands on the table, and pay attention!”

  “Kim, you and Skye should pay attention, too,” Banyon ordered the startled lawyer and the girl.

  He surveyed the group. In a serious tone, he addressed Previne, “Previne, I think they are ready for you.” The NSA agents were stunned with the rapidity of their capture. Darlene knew the rangers in the boat could help, but they would also be outgunned. Even Kim and Skye had not anticipated the radical move by Banyon’s team.

  “Well, here goes…” Previne said cheerfully from her seat. She began speaking in a language that none of them understood. She started softly and slow, but she increased her speed and volume quickly. It crescendoed into a chant, and she culminated the chant by tossing some glitter into the air over the table. The NSA agents sat silently, watching her with their hands on the table. “They are ready now,” she said, smiling in Banyon’s direction.

  Without preamble, he began, “You will forget you had an order to arrest Colton Banyon and his team,” Banyon said. “Do you understand?”

  All six NSA agents chorused, “Yes,” in unison.

  “You will forget everything you know about Colton Banyon, including who his friends are,” Banyon continued.

  They all answered “Yes”. Kim also said “yes”. Skye said something in Russian.

  “When I clap my hands, you will think we just finished discussing the blue women,” Banyon added. He then clapped his hands. The guns disappeared, and everyone on Banyon’s team smiled.

  “But our primary assignment was to collect the six blue women,” Darlene declared. “Are you telling me we have been taken out of the loop?” Darlene said, not realizing she had said the very same words a few minutes before.

  “How did our guns get onto the table?” Joan wondered out loud, before Banyon could speak.

  “Magic,” Previne grinned. The six NSA agents looked at each other, and then they grabbed their guns.

  “You are out of the loop. I’m afraid it is true. But I think you will have another assignment very shortly,” Banyon offered. Banyon waved to Loni, who immediately went to the cabin door, stepped outside, and returned with Bart. He walked over to Darlene and handed her the satellite phone.

  “It’s the Director of the NSA,” Bart explained. “He wants to talk to you. I have put the call on speakerphone, so everyone can hear.”

  The stunned agent accepted the phone, put it on the table, and spoke, “Director, this is Agent Krenitz, sir.”

  “Agent Krenitz,” the director’s voice came out of the phone. “I want you and your team to drop any previous assignments and to concentrate on this new assignment until relieved. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” Darlene timidly responded. “What is our new assignment?”

  “I have just gotten off the phone with the President of the United States,” the bureaucrat said for emphasis. “He wants you to protect Colton Banyon and his team at all costs, until Banyon is safe. Banyon will tell you when.”

  “Protect him from what?” Darlene asked.

  “I have not been privileged with that information. Only Banyon can tell you that. You will follow his orders Agent Krenitz, won’t you?”

  “Of course, sir,” Darlene quickly responded.

  “That is all,” the director said curtly. “As soon as you return, you will report directly to me. Your controller is out of the hierarchy for this assignment.” The director abruptly hung up the phone.

  Darlene now gazed at Colton Banyon. “Well, it looks like we are at your disposal,” she said with as much cheerfulness as she could muster. “What can you tell us about this assignment?”

  “I will fill you in on what you need to know in a minute,” Banyon said. “But first, I want you to tell the rangers in the boat to leave. You and your team will be staying on board. You will help us suppress a threat.

  “Really?” Cindy asked with concern. “I’m not much of a fighter, I just translate. Can’t I leave too?”

  “If we are staying, you are staying,” Darlene forcefully informed her.

  Banyon continued after the outburst. “Skye and Kim will go back with them to the ranger station so that he can free the other women. Then, he is going to take them all to Chicago.”

  Darlene was stunned.

  Kim had the same reaction Darlene had. He had no
t been part of the planning session, and he had no idea he was being reassigned. He turned to his boss, Bart, who nodded his head. A smile suddenly spread over his face and he quickly explained what was happening to Skye. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree and she ran over to the now-standing Colton Banyon and gave him a big hug. She realized she was going to be able to stay in the United States, permanently.

  “We’ll be ready to go in five minutes,” Kim said with a nod of his head and directed Skye out of the room.

  “See me before you leave,” Banyon requested. “I have a message for you to pass on for me.”

  “I’d better go tell the captain of the cruiser what is going on,” Darlene announced, sliding away from the table. Loni went with her. They returned a minute later.

  After the ranger boat had left, Banyon laid out his plan. “The reason we are hiding in this secret hideaway is there are a number of white supremacist thugs chasing us. They can’t get to us here.”

  “That would explain the shootout at Echo Bay yesterday,” Joan said knowingly.

  “Yes, and they mean to kill us all. They also have no concern about collateral damage,” Banyon replied.

  “Why?” Joan blurted out.

  “We have something they want very badly,” Banyon answered. “We can’t give it to them or anyone else, including our government.”

  “Then what will you do with this ‘item’?” Joan asked, using her fingers to form scare quotes in the air as she said the word ‘item’.

  “We are going to do the unexpected,” he replied.

  Banyon spent another twenty minutes explaining what his expectations were for the NSA team. He explained that no one on his team would ever be safe until the threat by the Effort men was neutralized.

  He introduced Lisa Lange and had her show them the book of the Vril. She told them the book contained secrets which would change the future of the world dramatically and not necessarily for the better. Therefore, it had to be protected at all costs, she urged. Banyon told them they intended to face the bad guys head on—it was the only way, he said—and they would do it today.