Danger Close by James Sumner (classic novels for teens txt) 📕

the way. There was no shade once they emerged from the warm shadows provided by the balcony above. The sun was directly overhead, assaulting the ground with its afternoon heat.

Jericho squinted against the influx of light. He retrieved a pair of mirrored sunglasses from his pocket and put them on.

Beside him, Ramirez marched with the confidence his rank demanded. His eyes were fixed on the gates and the soldiers who stood outside it.

Around the courtyard, thirty loyal soldiers stood looking on, gripping their weapons tightly. A gentle wind kicked up dust around their boots. Another fifteen soldiers patrolled the balconies above.

The tension was palpable.

Jericho stopped short of the gate, allowing Ramirez to take the lead and address the men on the other side. He had five GlobaTech operatives standing around him, all armed with the latest weaponry. Their fingers rested outside the trigger guards.

Ramirez approached the gate and looked at the man standing nearest to him. “Name and rank, soldier.”

The soldier didn’t salute or stand to attention. “First Lieutenant Gomez, sir. I’m here with orders from General Guerrero to relieve you and your men of your post. My unit will take things from here. Sir.”

Ramirez said nothing. He just held out his hand, an unspoken request for the orders Gomez was carrying. A letter was handed to him. Ramirez quickly scanned through it, then handed it back.

“There are sixty troops here, First Lieutenant,” said Ramirez. “Are you saying you’re going to take over with… what? Twenty?”

Gomez nodded. “Twenty-two, sir. And yes. You and your men have been reassigned, as per the general’s orders. He doesn’t believe protecting the palace requires this many men, especially when the country’s leader isn’t in it.”

“I can only assume that, in all the chaos and confusion, General Guerrero has forgotten himself. This country doesn’t technically have a leader right now, and until someone else is officially sworn in, I shall continue to follow the orders I was given by the man who previously held that position. Last I checked, a president outranks a general. You and your men aren’t needed here, First Lieutenant. You are to return to your base immediately. That’s an order. If the general takes issue with me following the rules, he’s welcome to come down here and tell me himself.”

Gomez remained unfazed. His expression was deadpan on his tanned, leathery face. “Due respect, Colonel, but the general outranks you. His orders are the only ones you should be following. Any issue with presidential protocols is his problem to deal with, not yours. Your orders are to step aside and allow my unit and I inside the palace grounds. We will use force if necessary.”

Ramirez held his ground but said nothing.

Jericho watched the situation unfold quietly. He felt reluctant to involve himself. He didn’t want to undermine Ramirez in front of anyone. But he also had his own men to consider—the team with him and the rest dotted throughout the palace. If this situation escalated, GlobaTech would be put in an impossible position. They would have to defend themselves, but without the protection of the U.N., they were just private U.S. citizens in a gunfight on foreign soil. Buchanan had enough on his plate without having to deal with the fallout from that too.

He cracked his knuckles and flexed his hand, loosening the muscles and joints. Then he took a giant step forward, stopping beside the colonel. He didn’t remove his sunglasses. He just smiled at the first lieutenant through the iron railings of the palace gates.

Gomez turned to him. “This doesn’t concern you. Step back, or you will be arrested.”

Jericho raised an eyebrow from behind the glasses. “Really? On what charges?”

“Interfering in the affairs of another country’s military.”

“Huh. Funny… sounds a lot like what you’re doing. Does that mean I can arrest you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, you know who I am, right?”

Gomez looked him up and down. “You work for GlobaTech Industries. Probably an accountant. This is a military matter and doesn’t concern some U.S. shareholders. I suggest you go back to your boss and clarify what you can and can’t do out here.”

Jericho removed the sunglasses and fixed the first lieutenant with a stare so cold, even the South American heat couldn’t help.

He took a shallow breath, steeling himself. He had to gamble that news of the U.N.’s decision hadn’t yet been released to the global media.

“Out here, I don’t have a boss,” he said firmly. “The two thousand highly trained and well-equipped GlobaTech operatives currently stationed in your country answer to me. And we’re all here on behalf of the United Nations, so if you try and arrest me, you’d better have a watertight case. Otherwise, you risk bringing charges of war crimes down on your beloved general.”

Gomez glanced at the colonel before responding, as if seeking support. “It’s my understanding you were hired by the president to provide additional security for him. You have no jurisdiction here. As soon as we can ensure the security of our people, your men will be allowed to leave the country. Until then, you will stay inside your allocated zones, and you will not interfere in matters that don’t concern you.” He turned to Ramirez. “Colonel, you have your orders. The general has authorized the use of force should we meet any resistance. Tell your men to stand down and open these gates, sir.”

Jericho took a deep breath, standing to his full height and width. He was an intimidating presence by anyone’s standards, and he knew it.

“Actually, Gomer…”

“It’s Gomez.”

“Whatever. As U.N. Peacekeepers, we are well within our rights to intervene if we believe there is a threat to human life. Now I’m certainly not suggesting the colonel and his men can’t handle themselves. But what I’m saying is this: you want through these gates and through these men… you go through me first.”

“I’m ordering you to stand down right now,” Gomez asserted, pointing his finger.

Jericho shook his head. “You seem to think your rank counts for anything outside of your military, son. You don’t