Did You Say I Was Right?

Northern New Hampshire

We were stunned by what we saw when we entered what had to be this underground facility's Command And Control center. 

The place is half done but, for some reason, abandoned. 

The build-out in the Command center is unfinished, so boxes of unopened computers, monitors, printers, and large television screens were stacked in corners.

 Eve is awestruck about how much this facility must have cost whoever built it.

"Allston, who would construct this and then up and leave?" she asked.

"I think when we left one of the terrorists at home wounded, they got scared and aborted this mission," I said and then asked.

"What do you think?"

"It's amazing but remember it wasn't WE who left a terrorist wounded it was me." she set me up for her next statement that I have been waiting for.

"Have I told you how I saved your life with that skilled shot that caused that terrorist to fall out of that tree?"

"Did I tell you that he was aiming at your sorry ass rolling on the ground when I gave him high-velocity lead poisoning?"

This is my first time hearing this, but I have been waiting for it. 

Eve has ball-busting in her genetic makeup, so I know it won't be the first time I have to endure this. 

"When I was rolling, I had my pistol out, and I had a bead on him," I said. This, of course, was true. but you already shot him.

"I think you mentioned something about me owing you three margaritas for that day?"

"You still have not paid up," She reminded me.

We looked around and came to another room with a large floor safe. 

It was a digital safe, and it was open. It hadn't been set up yet with the alarm system or even the combination. 

An unopened safe is one thing, but the two bags to the left of it were something else.

Eve started to take her gloves off to untie one of the bags with zip ties. 

I stopped her. "Don't take those gloves off. There are no prints from us in here now. Let's not ruin a perfect day."

"Oh sorry youre right."

"What did you say?"

"I said you are right about the gloves."

"I just wanted to make sure I heard you saying I'm right. When we go home I'll mark this day down on my calander."

I gave her my folding blade, and she cut the zip tie off the first canvas bag.

She gasped when stacks of banded one hundred dollar bills started falling out of the open bag.

"Holy Shit, Eve, they left in a hurry."

Northern New Hampshire

Spetznaz are Russian Special Forces Commandos. Military historians and foreign affairs experts still debate which country has the best Special Forces operators. 

There is the British S.A.S. The Special Air Services.  

The S.A.S. men are elite, and The Brits are meticulous about getting the best operators out of those who try to join. 

They are smart, well trained. and ready to jump when the word "go" comes down. 

The U.S. has Elite Forces in every military branch, but the U.S. Navy has been getting the call when the Joint Chiefs of Staff picks up the phone. 

U.S. Navy SEALs are smart, well-trained, and very well-equipped. In the last two decades, they have gained what many forces lack: experience.

Then, the Russian Spetsnaz. They come and go where they are told to go, and their only calling card is dead bodies. 

They are a bit unsophisticated by Western standards but are strong, effective, and out of the spotlight. You don't read much about them.

It has been rumored that groups of Spetnaz travel in Western countries, creating little headaches like derailed trains, destroyed power substations. and forest fires. 

Members of the Politburo or Russian Senate must read the stories in the Western news outlets and laugh their asses off while drinking tea in the morning.

It's funny to them to see large parts of California on fire or a blackout in Maryland.

The two ex-Spetz who just entered the wood outside of the unfinished compound are responsible for at least twenty-seven deaths in the United States in two months. 

It has been a profitable trip for them even though they lost their leader, Andrei.

Dmitri and Fyodor were not family men and were not pining for home. 

These two men loved their jobs, and they got paid very well. 

The first assignments that brought them to the U.S. were political paybacks paid for by the big shots at home. 

Every Oligarch had someone who needed to be touched in a special Russian way.

Then, the special orders from the Politburo came down, with requests to apply influence to politicians and businessmen within the U.S. 

Dmitri, Fyodor, and Andrei went from place to place like Easter Bunnies and held pistols to politicians' heads or family members. 

This happens when someone doesn't vote right on a bill even though they were told how to vote. 

Or a businessman doesn't understand Moscow Rules when paying to play in Eastern Europe.  

The three men were effective reminders that the world was small and anyone could be touched at any time.

After one month, the three were subcontracted to the Communist Chinese, and the problems began.  

Andrei died because he was careless., and now, as they were ready to leave the U.S., they got asked to kill two more people.

Fyodor liked plans that were well thought out, and this was last-minute shit. 

It sounded easy. Go In, kill two civilians, and then get out, but Fyodor had bad misgivings about this.

The two men stepped into the woods away from the entrance road.

Northern New Hampshire - The Control Room

Eve looked at Allston and scrunched her face again. 

"I'm with you she said," 

"I'm sure this is money derived from no good." 

"We wouldn't be stealing from a church or a senior citizen."

For ten minutes, we debated the pros and cons of taking what seemed to be about one million dollars in total.

I cautioned Eve that whoever put the money here would want it back and that they had our photos.

"If we have to give it back, we will, and Allston, one million dollars is a lot of money but not that much."

"Look at this place!"

"This was going to be their petty cash fund, and then they bugged out."

"It was more important for them to leave pronto."

"Hey, I like how your lips move when you say pronto. Can you say that again?" I said.

"Let's grab this cash and Tango and get out of here pronto," she said.