Restless Night
The men formed up beside the trucks. It was late afternoon and they had a long drive ahead of them. Big John and the umnumzana checked them out. They were armed with AK-47s and dressed like truck drivers. David watched from a distance. They were in the yard where the trucks were kept and the big gates were shut. Big John said enough people knew what was planned and he didn’t want any more to know.
None of the men was allowed to drink beer and marijuana was definitely out. David was pleased to see that times had changed. The Zulu warriors, who fought the British at Isandlwana, were tanked up when they went into battle. Big John and the umnumzana were determined that theirs would be sober when they carried out their missions.
They would be travelling in two trucks. One would go to the house where Sipho’s wife and daughter were held. The other would head for a deserted farm in the Xhosa heartlands. Sipho said it was abandoned a year ago when the owners moved to Cape Town. David hoped no squatters had moved in. If they had, they would be in for a nasty surprise.
Sipho was going to travel in the second truck with a computer the inkosi had given him. When he reached the farm he would reply to the email from the people who were holding his wife and daughter captive. He would tell them that he had only just managed to get to a computer. It belonged to David Paget who was holding him captive together with Petra de Villiers and Mario Mendez-Klein. A plane was about to arrive and fly them out.
Timing was vital. David figured that the Cabal would have a rapid-reaction force on standby, ready to leave at a moments notice. It had to be eliminated before any attempt was made to rescue Sipho’s wife and child or it would continue to pose a serious threat. He watched as the men boarded their trucks with their weapons. Sipho followed. The umnumzana clambered in beside him and the trucks left.
Big John and David returned to the kraal and settled down for a long wait. The trucks would make good progress while they were on the main road leading south from Durban but, when they left it, the going would get difficult.
Sipho had chosen a remote place for his wife and child to hide. The farm was in a similar location, high on a mountain. Sipho knew the people who once lived there. He had picked it because they had access to the internet despite their remote location.
The trucks would be travelling on dirt roads when they left the main highway. Then there would be no roads and they would have to make their way over rough ground in the dark. The men who were going to rescue Sipho’s wife and child would have to take extreme care to avoid being seen.
David lay on his mat and tried to get some sleep. If all went well, he would have a long day ahead of him. Jane said she would get a plane, one way or another. His plan was to fly out with Sipho and his family as soon as the trucks returned with them.
Towards midnight, one of Big John’s two phones rang and a voice spoke in English. The first truck had reached the house where Sipho’s wife and child were held. Lights were on and they could see a black woman and three white men. The woman looked distraught and the men were mocking her.
Big John said they must lie low and do nothing until they received further orders. The enemy had a special force standing by, ready to spring into action. It must be eliminated or it would be used against them.
An hour passed and there was still no news from Sipho and the umnumzana, in the second truck. Big John had made repeated attempts to reach them but his calls were never answered. He said he didn’t know the area. They could be out of contact or something more serious might have happened.
David began to reassess the situation. Their first force was in place. That was the one that really mattered. He wondered if they should be told to mount their rescue operation immediately. The Cabal’s rapid-reaction force could be a figment of his imagination … it might not exist.
He was turning that thought over in his mind when the second phone rang and he heard the umnumzana’s gruff voice. He spoke in Zulu and Big John translated. The second truck had reached the farm and it was deserted apart from a few goats.
David asked if he could speak to Sipho. After some arguing the umnumzana agreed and he heard Sipho’s anxious voice.
‘How is my family, David?’
‘The men have surrounded the house and they are waiting for the order to go in and rescue them.’
‘That means I can send the email?’
‘Yes. And don’t forget your GPS coordinates.’
‘They are already included, David.’
‘Okay. Go ahead … transmit!’
A few seconds passed and he heard Sipho again.
‘The email has been successfully sent.’
‘Good. Now return the phone to the umnumzana. Say I must speak to him.’
A gruff voice assailed his ears.
‘What you want, David?’
‘Can the truck be seen from the air?’
‘No. It hidden from air and it hidden from road. You think they come by helicopter. I come by road. Perhaps they come by road. It make no difference. My men kill them.’
The phone went dead. David lay back expecting another long wait. Nothing had happened quickly before and there was no reason to expect it to happen quickly now. It could take a long time. The Cabal might not be as smart as he thought. Then, to his surprise, the second phone rang and he heard the umnumzana’s voice again.
‘You right, David. They come by helicopter.’
He reverted to Zulu and Big John did a running translation. A helicopter was racing towards the farm. Someone identified it as a Black Hawk. Experience had taught David to distrust descriptions of aircraft: they were usually wrong.
One thing was clear. The chopper was big and its intentions were hostile. Ropes were dropped and armed men poured out. The umnumzana shouted an order. Gunfire followed and Big John took the phone from his ear.
After a few seconds, the din died down and David heard the umnumzana’s voice again. Big John’s expression remained tense. There was a lot of discussion. Finally, he relaxed and David gathered that the operation was a success.
Minutes later, the second phone rang and the smile on Big John’s face broadened. Sipho’s wife and child were safe. The Cabal’s forces didn’t know what hit them. They had been wiped out.
Kate stole a glance at Rodriquez. He was back and lusting after her. His plane was parked outside, tanked up with fuel and ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Her aim was to get him tanked up with booze.
The big bastard kept the ignition keys in the pocket of his trousers. Somehow, she would get them off him. If necessary, she would go to bed with him.
David had sent a message. He had run into a bit of bother but that had been resolved. As soon as he was ready to be evacuated he would send her the GPS coordinates of the landing site.