Brad Thor - Blowback

“And that’s how we’re going in?” asked one of the commandos.

“Pretty much. Skorzeny evacuated Il Duce with a short takeoff and landing aircraft known as a Stork. The initial assault force in our operation will go in via self-launching gliders from this airport. Part of that initial assault force will secure the upper portion of the funicular so the rest of the team can be brought up that way from the village. Once we have Tokay under our control, we’ll hopefully be able to evacuate him down the funicular, but if we can’t, we’ll have to use one of the self-launching gliders.”

“They might not hear us coming,” said another commando, “but at some point they are definitely going to see us. What then?”

“First,” replied Harvath, “we’ll be coming in out of the east with first light, so they aren’t going to see us until we’re almost right on top of them. And secondly, we’ll be landing in a meadow at the side of the main building that I don’t expect them to be watching too closely.”

“That’s a lot to suppose,” said the commando.

“I’m counting on a glider landing to be something that will arouse curiosity but not alarm.”

“And if it does?”

“Then we improvise,” said Schroeder, cutting his man off and turning to Harvath. “I see where you’re going with this, but Skorzeny also had one other item at his disposal that we don’t-Ferdinando Soleti, a high-ranking general in the carabinieri.”

“Whose men were deployed at the hotel and tasked with guarding Mussolini. I know,” replied Harvath. “Skorzeny faced many of the same obstacles that we do. First, his commandos had to overwhelm the Italian forces quickly enough to prevent Mussolini from being executed. Secondly, the commandos were greatly outnumbered by the Italian troops. And finally, those Italian troops had the benefit of being dug into a serious defensive position.

“The best thing I can offer you are the words of Skorzeny himself, ‘The safer the enemy feel, the better our chances of catching them unaware.’” Harvath paused for effect and then continued. “Skorzeny realized his men needed to get out of their gliders and gain control of Mussolini within three minutes if their plan was to be successful. It is no different for us. This operation will require the same three characteristics brought to bear on any successful tactical undertaking-speed, surprise, and overwhelming force of action.”

Schroeder nodded his head. “Agreed, but the brilliance of Skorzeny’s operation was in having Soleti in the very first glider. Soleti was a carabinieri commanding officer. When he climbed out of that glider, the Italian troops were so confused that they had no idea what to do. That hesitation was what Skorzeny needed to gain the upper hand and the successful outcome of his mission. They were able to pull it off without a single shot being fired.”

Harvath fingered the Carthaginian wrist cuffs resting in his coat pocket, the same ones he had been carrying since their near-fatal climb in France, and said, “I think we can get our hands on a Ferdinando Soleti of our own, but I want to talk to you about that in private.”

As Harvath wrapped up his presentation, he hoped like hell that Timothy Rayburn was still all about the money.

As they drove toward Le Râleur, Harvath and Alcott filled Claudia and Schroeder in on everything that had happened to them. The tale took almost the entire drive, and had Claudia not known Harvath and been through as much with him as she had, she would have been hard-pressed to believe him. It wasn’t until they were less than two kilometers away from the village that Harvath began to outline his immediate plan. In the end, there was no telling if Rayburn would take the bait, but if nothing else, at least Schroeder would get a good look at the security that was in place at the base of the funicular.

They all agreed that Claudia should be the one to make the drop. She was a native French speaker, and though Rayburn would be extremely apprehensive about what she was going to ask him to do, she was the most believable person they could send.

Parking the car on the outskirts of the village, Harvath pulled one of the wrist cuffs from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Claudia stared at it, awed by the history and the terror that it represented. As if the golden cuff might somehow have the power to harm her, she affixed it to her wrist with great care.

“You know what to do when you get to the base of the funicular, right?” asked Harvath.

Claudia nodded her head. “I give the police the message, then remove the cuff, put it in the bag along with the note, and hand it to them.”

“And if anything goes wrong? How do you let us know you’re in trouble?”

“I switch my purse from my left shoulder to my right.”

“Good,” said Harvath. “Where is everyone going to be positioned?”

“Jillian and Horst will be on the terrace of the La Bergère café directly opposite. And you. “She paused. “I actually don’t know where you’ll be.”

“I’ll be close, very close. Don’t worry.”

With both Harvath and Horst to watch out for her, Claudia wasn’t worried at all, at least not for her own safety. What she was worried about was whether or not the plan was possible to pull off. Harvath had been right to invoke the memory of Otto Skorzeny, because in every one of his greatest missions his superiors had seriously doubted the man had even the slightest chance for success.

Claudia studied her watch, and after the final few minutes had ticked away, she emerged from between two buildings at the far end of the square and headed straight toward the funicular. She took her time, strolling casually, letting the four policemen who were leaning against their squad cars get a good long look at her as she approached.

Harvath watched from beneath the overhang of a nearby building and couldn’t help but notice how the men had stopping talking among themselves and how their eyes were glued to Claudia. She really was incredible. Not only was she extremely gorgeous, she was smart and could hold her own without help from anybody else. Harvath was about to berate himself again for having lost her when he saw her flip her hair over her shoulder, turn on her megawattage smile, and cover the last several yards to where the police were standing. It was show time.

Though Jillian easily could have delivered the bracelet, Claudia understood why Harvath had wanted her to do it. Alcott wasn’t an operator, and though according to Harvath’s account of their time together she had more than proven herself, they needed to be as cautious as possible baiting their trap. Rayburn was already going to be extremely apprehensive, but if he smelled anything, especially Harvath coming, he’d bolt and they’d lose their chance.

Claudia kept the smile coming as she approached the officers at the base of the funicular. After she flirted with them for several moments, Harvath watched her finger the bracelet and then remove from her purse the note he had dictated in the car. She then slid the bracelet off, placed it in a small bag along with the note, and handed it to one of the policemen. After a little more flirting, she turned, walked back across the square, and disappeared.

Fifteen minutes later, they all met back at the car and headed back to Sion.

“How did it go?” asked Jillian.

“Perfectly,” replied Claudia. “They reacted just the way Scot said they would.”

Harvath adjusted the rearview mirror so he could see her better as he drove. “Tell me everything that happened.”

“When they saw me coming, I think they thought I was a tourist interested in the Aga Khan. I had the feeling they get that a lot. But when I mentioned Tim Rayburn, everything changed.”