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“We believe that a man by the name Ottov Muegler lived there. He was one of Hitler’s lesser-known animals,” growled Bankston.
“I know that name,” said Tyler, frowning at the room. “Sorry, sir. I studied German and German history in college. Muegler was pushing for Germany to be the first with an atomic bomb, but they couldn’t keep up with the Americans. He was brutal in his approach with the researchers and scientists. If they didn’t work twenty hours a day, they were sent to Heim for experimentation and dismemberment.”
“Well, that’s a new way to motivate employees,” said Luke.
“Exactly. Muegler was never photographed. Never seen in public. Most said that he had an unusual deformity on the side of his head, something called a hemangioma. It’s a non-cancerous growth that can be removed, but for some reason, his was not. Maybe the technology wasn’t available back then.”
“Doesn’t this seem odd since Hitler only wanted ‘perfect’ people working for him?” asked Cam.
“Yes, it’s very odd. Which is why I asked the team to dive deeper. Hitler had a sister, Paula. We believe that Ottov was her son. That’s why he kept him in his inner circle. When Ottov went to South America, it was rumored that he was carrying more than thirty billion in gold, stolen art and jewelry, and, more importantly, all of the records from Hitler, Heim, and the SS.
“For years, people have tried to find it. They’ve searched the lake, searched the house, and the surrounding property. The last person who attempted to search the house was shot on sight. So, I guess the house never got a full search.”
“I’m trying to see how this is all connected?” asked East.
“Because right now, there is a massive construction and excavation site around Lake Maracaibo being run by the Venezuelan government and two Americans.”
“Shit. Ramos and whoever else is involved. They’re making it look like a historical dig or excavation to fund their drug running.”
“This isn’t about drugs or trafficking any longer. They honestly believe they’ve found the lost treasure of the Nazis, and they’re about to convince the world, for good or bad, that two American military members are a part of this. Even worse, they may still attempt to pin something on one of you, even though we’ve already figured it out.”
“So, what do we do now?” asked East.
“We’re going to stop this, no matter what. We’re going to get Washington to cooperate with us on this and prove that those two rogue assholes have created a problem that not even Washington can fix. But we can.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“But why would they go through all the trouble of changing their appearances?” asked Rett. “None of this is making sense to me.”
“I think I know,” said Miguel. All eyes turned to the man who had once been one of the most feared cartel leaders in the world. “By changing their appearances and taking over the persona of the American military men, they are seen as heroes for discovering this. Once found, they will either take it for themselves and disappear, openly take it, showing the world how evil America is and causing conflict between the two countries, or simply retire from the military and buy a nice little condo in Venezuela.
“If I were Ramos, I would be working deals with other cartel leaders to let them know that they would be wise to work with the Americans but not showing his new face. He’s probably making phone calls, sending his second-in-command to meet with them. The drug lords are thinking they’ve finally got themselves a winner in these cheating Americans. But we all know that once Ramos has what he wants, he’ll be free to reign down terror.”
“That’s very astute,” said Bankston. “I think he’s doing just that. He’s playing both sides, making Americans look ‘helpful’ for now in Venezuela, but eventually, he’ll display terror to everyone. We’ll look like fools and thieves. The Venezuelan government will want retribution for what’s being taken from them, and the cartels will wage war. All of that, while Ryder and Barber, the imposters, still have control over their troops. Or so they believe.”
“Are they no longer in command?” asked Rett.
“They’ve both been asked to return to base. I haven’t received a response as yet. The next command will be return, or I’ll send a whole fucking army to get you back. I really don’t want to go back into the country, but we have to stop their progress at the lake and let them know that we know who they are.”
“Why didn’t they just call me back?” asked Rett. “I mean, if they were in control, why wasn’t I called off administrative leave? They could have easily killed me or my brothers.”
“I don’t think they understood what was happening,” said Bankston. “I don’t think they were clear on what administrative leave was. You have to remember, when I spoke to them, I told them that you would continue to be on leave until I gave the all-clear.”
“Can we get Salvador to help?” asked Cam.
“Already done. He’s met with the president and the cabinet members that he knows we can trust. Should they receive anything from Ramos asking for favors, it will be denied. He can’t appear in person. Not now. If he does, the entire plan is blown out of the water.”
“How do we stop him?” asked Rett. “I mean, we’re here, and we need to be there but can’t be.”
“You need to sit tight for a while,” said Bankston. “Let me see if either will show themselves for who they really are.”
“What about the woman? His wife who had fallen in love with Barber. What’s happened to her?” asked Kegger.
“That’s a bit more complicated. She wanted out, and we want her out. We’re certain she has a shit ton of information that we could use. But we also know that she’s being watched like a hawk. She doesn’t dare leave the house for anything other than groceries, or she’ll be dead.”
“Maybe there’s another way,” said Kegger. He looked around the room, nodding at his old friends. “You know, I used to go fishing in that area a lot. People are nice to a one-legged man.”
“They are,” smirked Clay, turning to look at Parker.
