Council of Kings

Then he turned, producing a blade, and lunged at the Executioner's throat. Bolan drew Big Thunder and pulled the trigger.

The boom of the .44 AutoMag shattered the silence of the forest. The heavy lead slug caught Canzonari squarely in the heart with such force that the man's torso exploded. The smoking remains fell to the ground beside the dead youth.

Bolan held the big gun steady, then slowly lowered and holstered it.

Canzonari's demise had not been pla

Bolan crouched as a car passed, then ran across the dark highway to the Thunderbird and drove back to Sandy Boulevard.

He could not find an open car-rental agency so he continued to one on the outskirts of Portland, left the car and took his suitcase of weapons and the attache case of money. The Portland police would not be able to trace the Thunderbird back to him.

He changed taxis three times, then walked two blocks with the suitcase to the hotel.

When the Executioner stepped into the hotel lobby, Joh

As they walked down the hall toward their room, Bolan told his younger brother, "We're finished here. Time to move on." But it was not that easy. Bolan felt burdened by his war, pulled down by the gravity of his fearful commitment. The Executioner's mood was turning dark, and so it was that he began to think of Joh

Joh

17

He'd drive down from Los Angeles in the coming days and take time out to check into this strengthened strongbase with him. Then maybe he could talk to the kid. Dammit, he would talk to the kid.

And, dammit, Joh

This was a battle-hardened young adult.

Much as Bolan tried to prevent it, after a couple of days his heavy mood finally got to Joh

It was hot, the breeze dry and bitter with fumes, but both men preferred it to the air-conditioning.

"What's up with you, Mack? You haven't said a word since L.A." Joh

Bolan grunted.

Joh

"You don't smoke."

"But I carry a couple of packs in my bags," Joh

"I don't want your cigarettes." Bolan looked out of the passenger window, through the blustery air of sun-smitten dust and exhaust particles, and what he saw was far, far away.

"I don't understand you," Joh

"I did what?"

"Sorry to get poetic," Joh

"I know," Bolan muttered. "I was there too."

"And you crushed an old man's bad bones into... into the dust and disgrace of his own son!"

"Now you are getting poetic," The Executioner said. "I'll lighten up if you will."

"It's a deal. But I just don't see how you can feel blue after successfully hijacking an already hijacked ship."

"I guess you could say we did just that."

"Sure we did. Not only that, you also busted up an arms shipment landing that would made the Mafia the biggest goddamn gun dealer in the nation."

Bolan raised his left hand gently for some quiet.

Joh

They turned off the main highway before they reached the little coastal community of Del Mar and wound down the street next to the water, then doubled back around a canyon that sliced through to the sea. Near the top of the double-back, a lane led off the street. It had been blacktopped recently and blocking the way was an electrically operated lift gate.

Joh

He drove down the hundred-foot-long lane, crowded on both sides by eucalyptus trees. There were no other houses on the lane.

From the outside the strongbase looked like any other beach home, slightly smaller than a real weekender, but as big as a cottage could be on the restricted site. The ravine dropped off sharply beside the roadway and on the other side of the house a forty-foot cliff went straight down to the breakers. There was no garage, but a carport had been built over the blacktop against the lane side of the house.

Bolan looked around. From the driveway and the cottage, not another house was visible. Now and then someone might brave the rubble to walk past the rock falls on the tiny beach, but not often.

"I like it here," Bolan said. "Show me the inside."

The door had two locks, two dead bolts with inch-long prongs set into case hardened steel boxes, strapped into the special four-by-four that was built into the doorjamb.

Inside, the younger Bolan gave his famous brother a tour of Strongbase One.

Joh

"Everything you see is standardized Radio Shack," Joh

"What sort of linkup?" Bolan asked.

"We're hooked up with one of the satellites that Kurtzman's being using," Joh

"I've got to talk to you about this, Joh

Ignoring Bolan, Joh

"That's not my concern," Bolan said. "You've done a magnificent job here, Joh