Payback by Keith Douglass

brought them in four minutes late, but close enough for a timed routine.
    Back in the office, Murdock found a call waiting for him.
    â€œYes, Master Chief, what’s cooking?”
    â€œA call came through channels from the CNO. It’s a go tomorrow. He’s lined up two destroyers, two missile cruisers, and an amphibious assault ship as well as two air-cushion landing craft. They will pull out of San Diego tonight and steam north, and be on station just off Santa Barbara in the channel at 0800. Your platoon will be airlifted from North Island in a CH-46 and land on the command cruiser. Then deployed via an air-cushion craft when ready. The ships willbe working a mock attack and maneuvers just off the tower. Aircraft from the amphibious assault ship will be working the area, and both towers will be included in the maneuvers so as not to attract attention to one.”
    â€œWhen do we leave from North Island?”
    â€œI talked to the Forty-Six pilot assigned to the run. You’ll need an hour and fifteen minutes for the flight. If you take off at 0700, you’ll get up there just after 0815 when they are ready to rumble.”
    â€œWe’re out of here at 0630. Any restrictions?”
    â€œNo, full combat-ready. Don Stroh sends his regrets. He’s on another assignment.”
    â€œWe’ll struggle along without him.”
    â€œAll your men ready to go?”
    â€œWe’ll see about the two who are out today with the flu. It might get better in a rush when they know we have an operation.”
    â€œLet me know before you push off.”
    Murdock went into the assembly room to tell the platoon. The men were getting on their civvies ready for the road.
    â€œSo that’s the skinny, guys. Report here at 0500 and we’ll get suited up and move out. We’ll go in full wet suits and Draegrs, and half our ammo load. Doubt if we’ll need our weapons, but we’ll be ready in case. Any questions?”
    â€œYeah, you say it might be the damn North Koreans?” Howard asked.
    â€œSpeculation, but we don’t think the Chinese would be that stupid. Anything else?” There wasn’t. “Senior Chief, get in touch with Fernandez and Lam and see if they will be coming along on the ride, or if they still have the flu. That’s all.”
    Ten minutes later Jack Mahanani drove his Buick away from the Special Warfare section and into Coronado. He kept going, heading for the bridge into San Diego, then on toward East County. He was going back to the Casa Grande Casino. He wanted another run into TJ. If he was going to do it, he’d better get it done. Or if he was going to try to outwit them, he’d better figure out how.
    He’d been thinking about a hundred pounds of cocaine. What would that bring on the wholesale level? He’d heard the price of drugs was down, but a hundred pounds shouldstill be worth well over a half-million dollars. He’d heard coke was going for twenty thousand a kilo. What he could do with that kind of money. Yeah, and how quickly he would be dead in a lonely stretch of the Borego Desert. Must be some way. What could they do, go to the police? No, they had their own way of dealing with thieves. He shivered. Hell, he had to figure something.
    He just made it in the door at the casino when Harley nailed him. It was as if he had been waiting.
    â€œHow’d your ride go last night?”
    â€œGood, except the tacos gave me heartburn.” They both grinned. “I want another ride tonight. Have one scheduled?”
    â€œWe don’t schedule. We go whenever we get a driver. You want to go, you got a ride. You have different clothes on, good. Why not wear a hat too. Every little bit helps.”
    â€œI’ll get one. I go back down to San Ysidro?”
    â€œRight. You’re not packing a hideout, are you?” Harley moved in close to Mahanani and patted him down. If he’d had a wire-recording device on,