Bull's Eye Sniper Chronicles Collection (The Second Cycle of the Betrayed Series)

by McCray, Carolyn

  Stark had no idea what his mother was talking about until she remotely started the team’s SUV. It was still way the hell out there, but at the least it’s headlights worked.

  Go, mom.

  * * *

  Davidson watched as Stark clumsily spelled out “wait” in some kind of pig-Morris code. Like he hadn’t noticed the entirety of the Pakistani, Indian and Chinese forces had their guns trained on him.

  This was the military version of big game hunting. To claim to have killed an American sniper? That would be like having a twelve point buck up on the wall. And Davidson wasn’t arrogant to think that if they knew it was him it would be more like having a fully-maned lion up there.

  Yes, they should be proud, they could kill a sniper with no cover and outnumbered by two hundred to one.

  This might be their worst odds to date, and they’d had some pretty damned bad odds that was for sure. How he missed Brandt right about now. Davidson would have absolute faith if his previous CO was here. He would pull their butts out of the fire, again.

  Then the door below Davidson cracked open, spilling light out onto the ground. What was Lopez thinking? Surrender wasn’t an option and they had nothing to negotiate with.

  Then Davidson saw it. A cylinder that was labeled Sarin. Its silver lining glistened in the light.

  Lopez waved over a representative from each of the forces to come forward.

  The Pakistani leader was relatively young and clean shaven. The Indian commander was a full Sikh beard heavily sprinkled with grey. The Chinese leader was the tallest of the three with a dark scar running down the side of his face. Battle hardened apparently.

  None of the men seemed any too pleased with the latest development.

  Davidson however was thrilled. Lopez might have picked up more from Brandt than Davidson had given him credit for.

  * * *

  Bunny held onto Malvern’s hand as they stepped out of the church. The other leaders came close enough to hear, but not much closer.

  “This is never going to work,” Malvern whispered.

  “Shh…”

  Lopez held the canister even higher. “Let us go, or I’ll open it.”

  None of the leaders seemed predisposed to doing as Lopez asked.

  “Even in this light breeze, each of your forces will be wiped out.”

  “By an American squad, the world will finally see you for who you are,” the Chinese leader spat in nearly perfect English.

  Lopez chuckled though as only he could in tense situations like this. “Please, the US government may disavow their knowledge of us right now, but I guarantee you if I open this canister, they will send a clean up team. There won’t be a hint of red, white, and blue here.”

  Bunny wasn’t sure if Lopez was bluffing or not, the others seemed to believe it. Thank goodness for CIA paranoia in the area.

  “They will find it was American gas,” the Indian delegate stated in a clipped British accent.

  Lopez turned to the older commander. “Sorry. We didn’t bring this to the party. It’s Russian gas, via Syria.”

  The Pakistani leader seemed the most concerned with this statement. Again, Bunny was sure that Lopez was making that up since the canister didn’t even have Sarin in it, but damn the corporal was milking it for all it was worth.

  Syria was already on the naughty list for its supposed use of Sarin gas on its own citizens. If it was thought that Syria was interfering in the Kashmir area? All bets would be off across the board. And Russia? Russia would be so pissed its gas was used that it could even be angry at Pakistan for letting it happen. And Pakistan got a ton of foreign aid from Russia.

  You could see each of the commander’s minds whirring, trying to figure out an angle out of this without letting the American’s go. The Chinese commander seemed the least concerned of the three.

  Something that Lopez didn’t seem to miss.

  “And you,” the corporal said, nodding his head to the tall commander. “This is the disputed zone between Pakistan and India. You have no claim here. Your presence is just as damning as ours.”

  The Chinese commander frowned.

  “It ‘s going to make India and Pakistan think you’ve got your sights set here as well as Akasi Chin,” Lopez continued, “You can imagine how tense that is going to make everyone.”

  Even the Chinese leader now seemed concerned.

  “So I think for everyone’s sake, we just call it a draw,” Lopez suggested.

  The three leaders seemed a bit more open to the possibility than they were just a few seconds ago.

  If Lopez pulled this off, it would be the biggest bluff in recorded history.

  * * *

  “Are they really buying this?” Stark asked no one in particular.

  “You forget these aren’t black ops soldiers out there. They are the rank and file,” his mother reminded him. “They’ve never seen a Sarin container in their lives.”

  Still, come on. It should be a dual cylinder container or at the least a multi-valiant metal single agent container that didn’t have a screw top lid. Seriously. Did they not understand nerve gas at all?

  Apparently not, as the leaders milled for a moment.

  “I think we need to speed things up,” his mother said, using her joystick to drive the SUV up between the ranks of the Indian troops.

  It came to a stop right in front of Lopez and his team.

  “We are leaving now,” Lopez stated before shoving the canister into his pack.

  It looked like the leaders were going to let him as they back away, each with a hand up to stop their troops from doing anything aggressive.

  Davidson dropped down onto the roof of the SUV then slipped into the vehicle.

  Stark’s mother took her hand off the control as Lopez stepped on the gas. He drove straight north through the Pakistani forces.

  “Where are they going?” Stark asked. “Shouldn’t they be heading south to go through India?”

  Stark’s mom smiled. “Right now I don’t know if we could trust them.”

  “Then where?”

  “Where do you think? What other country is in the region?”

  Stark could feel his eyes dilate. “No. No, he couldn’t be thinking of going there.”

  “Where else but Afghanistan?”

  Stark shook his head. You knew you were in deep doo doo when Afghanistan seemed like the only viable exit strategy.

  “The border is porous which for once will work in our favor and there are American troops in all those mountains so Lopez and the rest won’t stick out like a sore thumb.

  Still, it was Afghanistan.

  “Stark?” Lopez came over the com a bit staticky, but Stark would take it.

  “Yes, we are here.”

  “Where is Baasha headed?”

  Stark could hear the rumble of the SUV as it gunned over the rough terrain, striking northwest to the Afghan border.

  “It looks like they came out in China,” Stark’s mother stated. “And are now headed east.”

  Stark could hear Lopez sigh. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Baasha allowed the click, click, click of the train to lull him into a state of introspection.

  The trans-Asian train snaked its way out of India and toward Beijing. Much the same path as his ancestors once traveled.

  He peeked open one eye to observe his brothers. They had secured the artifacts from the Kashmir church. They couldn’t allow any of the intricate artwork and calligraphy to give the American’s any clue as to about what was going to happen.

  There were no reports of a Sarin attack so Innocent had failed in his mission. No great surprise there. He wasn’t a haploid and therefore untrustworthy.

  His brothers were worried that Innocent might give away their secrets, but the acolyte had only fragments of information. Yes, he might tell the American’s about the Righteous’ coordinated Sarin attack, but what good did the information do them?

  Unl
ike Baasha’s prideful boasting that led to one single satellite, the Sarin attack was a sprawling, international, coordinated attack. The Americans would never route enough of the suicide bombers before a large portion of the world was plunged into chaos.

  Sinners had best repent or they would meet their maker unwashed.

  “You should rest,” Baasha’s brother Calvin stated.

  Baasha closed his small eye again. Even after everything that had happened Calvin still felt superior.

  Well, once they arrived in Beijing, Calvin was going to get a rude awakening. He would fall from one of the most important persons in the world, to barely a pawn in an Apocalyptic game.

  Not even his brothers here knew what they were searching for in China and why.

  Baasha relished the look on their faces when the truth was revealed.

  * * *

  Two flares went up over the hillside. Davidson grabbed the handle as Lopez hit the accelerator. Rangers on the other side of the Afghan border had just signaled their position for a rendezvous.

  He knew those Rangers weren’t going to be too happy with Davidson and his team. They had to abort a raid on a stronghold of Al Qaeda terrorists to guide the team into Afghanistan and provide protection into the capital city.

  Lopez had insisted that they could do it on their own, but apparently the Secretary of Defense felt like after nearly precipitating World War III the team needed an escort.

  So here they were, crossing the Pakistani border just before dawn. There was a ruddy red on the horizon announcing the sun’s rise. You’d think Lopez would look beat, but instead his cheeks were as rosy as the horizon.

  “You really are odd, Lopez,” Davidson stated. He was sore and tired and he was as good ten years younger than the corporal and he hadn’t driven all night.

  “Good living, Davidson,” Lopez beamed back at him. “Good living.”

  “That baby of yours not making it hard to sleep?” Malvern asked.

  Lopez chuckled. “Oh please, Maria and Madre take care of that stuff.”

  Bunny leaned forward next to Davidson. “You mean to tell me you don’t get up at all at night to take care of your own son?”

  Lopez’s smile never waivered even as he answered the rather pointed question. “I better not, especially if Maria wants to have another.”

  “So you two are finally tying the knot?” Levont asked.

  “Hell, no,” Lopez said chuckling. “Maria wants Little Ricky to have a genetic sibling so we’re going to go for it.”

  Even Levont, his best friend, looked at Lopez sideways. “And your momma is cool with this? You and Maria living in sin having a second child?”

  “Please, this was Momma’s idea. She wants a girl so bad this time. She’s suggesting positions to us.”

  Levont put his hand up. “High five, dude, you are so lucky!”

  Lopez slapped Levont’s hand as they laughed.

  Life seemed to come so easily to the two of them. Lopez’s unusual living circumstance and love life fit the corporal. He seemed truly happy. No angst. No self-doubt. And Levont seemed to enjoy his job so much that he didn’t miss a home life. The guy still lived at home when he wasn’t on missions. He might not have his baby momma living with him, but his real mother did his laundry for him and prepared him home-cooked meals every day he was off duty.

  What did Davidson have? A crappy, cramped little apartment that was stocked with root beer and ramen noodles. Back when he was with the Knot, he never considered his future. He was on a mission every moment of his life. Every moment guarded. Every moment avoiding detection. He thought he would die like poor Svengurd. In a hail of bullets.

  It never occurred to Davidson that he would ever have a chance at a normal life. That maybe he should care about relationships and retirement. The usual stuff.

  Was he too damaged by his upbringing to ever mainstream? Ever shed his hang-ups and embrace life like Lopez and Levont had?

  Even Prenner, who had lost his husband, Svengurd to combat, had seemed to move on. He was grinning at Lopez and Levont’s banter as he cleaned his gun. The guy was pretty quiet, but seemed content.

  He didn’t seem to be wrestling with any inner demons. Yep, a gay man in the military had less issues than Davidson. Prenner had even forgiven Davidson his hand in Svengurd’s death which was more than Davidson could do.

  And now this Malvern. With his stupid easy smile and relaxed demeanor, captivating Bunny’s attention. Before, Davidson would have been relieved to have Bunny’s eye drawn elsewhere, but he could still feel how her body felt in his arms or how soft her lips were or what the cherry lip gloss she used tasted like.

  He almost wished he could go back to the days when he was completely emotionally cut off. Back to when he didn’t care about romance or girls. Back when he had a single minded purpose. Of course that single-minded purpose was bent toward evil.

  Davidson sighed. Life, it was a no-win situation.

  They popped over a ridge to find a team of eight men, all wearing camo and face paint waiting for them. All of their guns were pointed at the SUV until Lopez killed the engine and they piled out.

  The leader of the team, a captain by the stripes on his shoulder came over, extending his hand to Malvern. “Colonel.”

  Malvern shook the man’s hand. “Captain, I’m so sorry to divert you from your mission to babysit us.”

  “No problem, sir. Trust me there will be another Al Qaeda camp to raid next week,” the man said with a smile. “May I ask what got you here?”

  “Sorry, classified,” Malvern stated.

  The Ranger captain didn’t press the matter. He was used to compartmentalized information.

  “Well, we have a surprise for you,” the captain said, waving his arm behind him.

  Davidson tensed. Surprises out in the field were seldom welcome.

  A tall man with a mop of blond hair walked out from a tent.

  “Vanderwalt!” Lopez exclaimed running up and giving the MI-5 officer a big bro hug. “What are you doing here you, limey?”

  Vanderwalt smiled that huge, wide, crooked grin of his. “Cleaning up your mess, of course. Is it impossible for you to go into the field without creating a massive international incident?”

  “Apparently,” Lopez responded, slapping Vanderwalt’s arm. “It’s a gift, really.”

  Lopez let Vanderwalt go so that he could shake hands all the way around.

  “You know the team,” Lopez said.

  “And the lovely Bunny,” Vanderwalt stated, bowing over, kissing the back of her hand.

  “And the lovely Bunny,” Lopez confirmed. “She’s really the problem always wanting to follow clues and crap.”

  Bunny laughed, blushing slightly as Vanderwalt kissed her hand one more time then released it.

  “And you must be the new addition,” Vanderwalt said as he shook the colonel’s hand. “You aren’t dead or shipped home yet, so you must be a keeper.”

  “I hope so,” Malvern said smiling, shaking the MI-5 officer’s hand.

  Davidson envied them all their ease of relationships, even as they were being born. Still to this day, he didn’t feel comfortable with Vanderwalt even after the man had saved their lives ten times over and was probably about to do so again.

  “What brings you to this lovely neighborhood?” Malvern asked.

  “A little bird named Stark told me you guys, for some unfathomable reason, want to head to China after poking the great red panda in the eye. Genius really.”

  “We’re following up on some intel,” Malvern responded tactfully.

  “Which of course you aren’t going to tell me about,” Vanderwalt countered, but before Malvern could respond, the MI-5 agent put his hand up to stop any response. “I get it, you don’t have to lie to me.”

  The Ranger captain stepped forward. “I believe we are supposed to relieve you of some Sarin gas?” the man asked indicating his head to a hazmat tent.

  Lopez grabbed the canister out from his ja
cket, tossing it in the air, then catching it. Both the Captain and Vanderwalt’s faces blanched.

  “Oh this?”

  The captain gulped. “Yes, that.”

  He reached both hands out tentatively, but Lopez went to toss it instead.

  “You do realize that is real, don’t you?” Vanderwalt asked.

  “This? No way.”

  “Yes, way,” Vanderwalt said, taking a step back, like that would help if the seal broke. “That isn’t steel. That is a titanium alloy and the thing is nearly solid except for a two ounce reservoir of pure Sarin gas. The Japanese developed it for safer transport.

  Now it was Lopez’s turn to blanch. He suddenly got a far better grip on the canister and gave it over two-handed.

  The captain accepted it, walking very slowly over to the tent and placed the canister in a double-doored hazmat sealed box.

  The prisoner took a swipe at Lopez. “I told you it was real.”

  “My bad,” Lopez said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “Which I believe is the Japanese’s point,” Vanderwalt explained. “But no harm, no foul. I assume that you want me to take this man off your hands?”

  Lopez nodded. “He only knows that the Righteous have a back-up plan. Dozens of suicide bombers with Sarin gas scattered around the world, looking to detonate at the same time tomorrow.”

  “Where?” Vanderwalt asked.

  “That’s where Innocent here gets useless. He only knows the general plan. He’s never been to the Righteous’ headquarters. And he keeps insisting that he doesn’t know anything about Badaling. Like I said useless.”

  “Which of course confirms the fact you want to go to Badaling?” Vanderwalt asked.

  “You know it. I haven’t been to China in forever. I want to get Ricky Jr. a souvenir.”

  Vanderwalt nodded. “We figured you’d probably like to go in under British papers rather than American.”

  “It might be helpful,” Malvern answered.

  Davidson watched as Vanderwalt turned over all of their travel papers. From Kabul they would head by private jet to Beijing, then hit the road to Badaling.

  “A little thank you for saving our bacon from the nuke satellite,” Vanderwalt laughed as he distributed their new passports. “We’d just like a little reassurance that you aren’t going to cause a stir in Beijing.”