Page 21 of Hayes (Voodoo Guardians #37)

“You wanted to see me, sir?” said Wyatt, stepping into the commander’s office. Bonds was sitting in one of the leather chairs, looking beaten and forlorn.

“Have a seat, captain. Captain O’Neal, Lieutenant Bonds.” The two men shook hands, and then Wyatt took his seat. The commander proceeded to run through what Bonds had endured and what his plan was to kill Aamani.

“Bastard deserves to die, sirs,” said Wyatt. “I’m happy to help where I can. Do we have coordinates of where he’s located, and are we certain he’s there?”

“He’s there,” said Bonds.

“Am I supposed to just trust that, sir?” questioned Wyatt.

“No. No, of course not,” said Bonds. “I’m certain that I can obtain aerial photos of his location. Give me some time, and I can ensure his location.”

Bonds somehow obtained satellite photos showing Aamani and his men in the village. Of course, it was most likely bogus, but that didn’t matter. He now had dug such a hole for himself, he’d never see the light of day again.

“I’d like to tag along on this flight,” said Bonds.

“I’m sorry, we can’t allow that,” said the commander. Bonds nodded, pretending to be disappointed.

“Then I would simply ask that you fly me to Kuwait so that I can be close to the action.” The commander stared at him and nodded.

“Excuse me for a moment. I need to make sure everything is ready, and then we can get you on another chopper and into Kuwait.”

When the commander left, Bonds locked the door and then dialed the number one more time.

“It’s done. He’ll be in the air within the hour.” Bonds could hear noise in the background, something that sounded like gunfire, but he couldn’t be sure. With Aamani, it could have been anything.

“Wonderful. Will I have just one pilot or two?”

“Just one, but I’ll meet you in Kuwait,” said Bonds. “Have my money, and we’ll be done with one another.”

“Of course, my friend. Of course,” chuckled Aamani.

The background noise was gone now, only silence behind Aamani’s voice. Whatever the maniac was up to didn’t matter to Bonds. He just wanted his money.

Bonds unlocked the commander’s door and took his seat once again. When the door opened, he turned, smiling.

“Are we ready?”

“We thought you’d like to see the pilot take off,” said the commander. Bonds nodded, smiling.

“Yes. Yes, that would be great,” he said with a little too much excitement.

Standing on the bridge, he watched as the man walked toward the jet, his helmet secured. The side of the helmet listed his name quite clearly, and Bonds could feel his excitement.

It was a spectacular sight watching a jet take off from a carrier. It seemed an impossible task, and yet they did it daily, multiple times per day. When the jet was gone, he pressed three keys on his satellite phone, telling Aamani the jet was on its way.

“Well, I can get to Kuwait now,” said Bonds.

“I don’t think so,” said the commander. All the men on the bridge, once facing toward the deck, now turned, staring down at Bonds. One face he instantly recognized.

“H-Hayes,” he whispered.

“Surprise!” said Hayes, raising one hand. “Bet you thought I was dead.”

“I-I’m so happy to see you’re alive,” he said with an anxious expression.

“Fuck off, Bonds.”

“Sir!” said Bonds, staring at the commander. The older man just raised his brows and then looked at the others.

“I believe these gentlemen have something they’d like to speak with you about,” said the commander.

Bonds thought about running, but it was too late. He looked at the room full of men and realized that one of them was, in fact, Wyatt O’Neal.

“I-I thought,” he started.

“Oh, you thought I was going to be shot out of the sky? No fucking way, asshole. But you’re going to have to explain to Aamani why there wasn’t a pilot or plane over his airspace.”

“He’s going to get what he wants either way,” said Bonds.

“You fucking killed my entire team,” said Hayes. “Our entire team. For him? For that maniac?”

“Don’t be obtuse,” frowned Bonds. “I didn’t do it for him. I did it for money. Money is the key to everything. Didn’t you know that?”

Luke hit him so hard, he fell backwards, landing on the hard steel plates of the floor. A loud thud echoed in the room, and Bonds shook his head, then sat up, slowly gaining his bearings.

“Where is he?” asked Hayes.

“I don’t know,” said Bonds. “That’s the truth. He was going to have a team shoot the plane out of the sky, forcing the pilot to bail. He’d capture the pilot and get what he wants.”

“And what is it that he wants?” asked Hayes.

“Originally, you. He wants all the intel on the G.R.I.P. comms, data, and flight systems. He was also going to use your mind for other more interesting things,” he smirked.

This time Wyatt slammed a fist into his gut. Bonds doubled over, spitting on the deck, blood coming from his mouth.

“You’re going to call him and get a location,” said Hayes.

A young sailor ran into the room, whispering to the commander. He stared at him and nodded.

“Gentlemen, it seems we have a call from Khalil Aamani,” said the commander. They all stared at one another as the young sailor piped in the call for all to hear.

“Khalil Aamani, to what do I owe the pleasure?” said the commander.

“We will dispense with the polite exchanges. I knew that Bonds overestimated his worth and value. I’m letting you know that it no longer matters. I will have what I want in another way.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Mo.

“Voodoo Guardians and your predecessors have many brilliant minds. Too many to count. It’s unfair really. Terribly unfair,” said Aamani. Luke stared at the others, feeling his phone vibrating nonstop in his pocket. Finally, he looked down at the screen.

“No,” he whispered.

“Yes,” laughed Aamani. “Say hello, darling.”

“Da-daddy.”