Free M.I.A. Hunter: Miami War Zone by Stephen Mertz Page A

enough to move half of Miami if he really wanted to, but all his strength seemed useless against the round piece of iron.
    "God damn !" Hog exploded, the breath rushing out of him. "Maybe they did build a fuckin ' summerhouse on top of that thing."
    He set his feet and tried again.
    Nothing.
    Loughlin stepped over beside him, handing both lights to Stone. "Let me help."
    Both men pushed and heaved until their legs and arms trembled.
    Just as they were about to give up, the covering seemed to move slightly.
    "As far as anyone knows, that covering hasn't been moved since the late thirties," Stone told them. "Fifty years is a long time. It may be rusted in place."
    They heaved again. The cover shifted even more, and dirt poured down on their heads, getting down their necks and inside their camos .
    "Keep pushing," Stone ordered.
    Loughlin and Hog strained powerfully. Suddenly the cover seemed to rise straight up and dirt cascaded in.
    They moved together as if on a given signal, throwing the cover up and to the side. Through the opened hole they could see the night sky, a faint star glimmering above.
    The dirt slowed to a trickle, forming a black mound at their feet.
    "That sonofabitchin ' cover was heavy !" Hog said.
    "So am I," Stone told him. "But toss me up there anyway." Hog hooked his hands together and Stone put his foot in the cradle.
    "One, two, three !" Hog puffed, and raised his hands.
    Stone went through the hole. He had no idea whether there were dogs on the grounds or not, and it was his job as leader to find out. He hadn't had time to reconnoiter, and he wouldn't have been able to see through the thick stone walls of the estate anyway.
    He found himself rolling through dirt and flowers. It was no wonder the iron cover had been so heavy. Someone, at some time in the past, had planted a flower bed over it, bringing in topsoil for the plants to grow in. At least Stone was sure they didn't have to worry that anyone was guarding it.
    Rising to his knees, a silenced .22 automatic drawn, he surveyed what he could see of the grounds.
    Some of the area was planted in trees and flowers, but the land around the house was conspicuously bare. Outdoor lighting illuminated the entire circumference of the house.
    If you could call it a house. Villa was more like it, a Spanish villa, the kind of place that in a town smaller than Miami might have been turned into a historical site or an art museum.
    From where he was kneeling among the flattened flowers, Stone could see the front, one side, and the back of the house, which was around seventy-five yards away.
    There was a pool in back, and most of the back and side seemed to be accessible only by crossing a stone patio. Patios often meant pressure-plate alarms, and Stone hoped that the plates, if anywhere, were indeed in the patio. He didn't want them to be in the yard.
    So far, no dogs.
    "Hey, Sarge , what the hell is goin ' on up there?" It was Hog's voice, coming from the drain. "I'm ready to get out of this damn sewer."
    "Storm drain," clipped British tones corrected.
    "Whatever. How about it?"
    "All right. But no lights." Stone crept over to the hole and reached in, taking the flashlights that were handed to him. Then he reached back and took Loughlin's hand, helping as Hog hoisted him up.
    When Loughlin was out, they both extended their arms to help Hog.
    When Hog emerged, he took a deep breath. "About time. What d'you think, Sarge ?"
    "I haven't seen any dogs, but that doesn't mean they aren't here. And I haven't seen any men. Keep the .22s ready just in case."
    Each man had a silenced .22 automatic for dealing with dogs as noiselessly as possible.
    "We can cut through those trees over there and get a little closer to the house, but there'll still be a wide open space to cross."
    "We'll become invisible," Loughlin observed wryly.
    "Right. We're going in through the second floor. Everybody has a security alarm on the first floor, but who expects anybody to come in through the