Drecker was the third sergeant in as many months.
The first had problems with Prenner’s sexual orientation. But since he had been Svengurd’s boyfriend, and the downed Svengurd was now a saint in the men’s eyes, that didn’t go over too well. If the guy had a problem with Prenner, then he a problem with the whole team.
The second believed that everyone under him should call him sir, every time. Even out in the field. Yeah, that hadn’t lasted long, and now Drecker had his panties in a bunch. Did he really expect this mission to go smoothly?
“Who cares how,” Bunny retorted, wanting to slap the sergeant across the face. “They do. Lopez?”
“Almost there,” he said, gunning the engine. The sound of the strain of the engine filled the enclosed SUV. Then a loud crack overrode even the engine. Then another. Their bulletproof glass was turning out to be not quite so bulletproof.
“Davidson,” Lopez barked. “We’ve got a live sniper on this side!”
The front window broke into a million hairline cracks. Another shot and that window would shatter inward. All over them. Plus, at this point, there was no seeing out the glass.
“Prenner! Kick it out!” Lopez yelled over the commotion. The corporal heaved back with his leg and smashed his foot against the window. The hairline cracks became large stress lines. He kicked again, and the entire frame of the window fell forward, bounced off the hood, then shattered on the ground. The crunch under the tires confirmed that the window was dead.
“Ah, see how much better that is?” Lopez gushed.
No, Bunny did not see that. All she would see was that the nose of the vehicle was pointed straight up. She couldn’t even see the mountainside. All she could see was blue sky. It was like cresting the top of a big rollercoaster.
“No worries!” Lopez yelled. Which usually meant everyone in the car should be very, very worried. “The goats know what they’re doing!”
Bunny didn’t understand Lopez until Drecker sneered. “He’s taking us up a goat trail?”
Apparently, yes.
“The president can’t be taken up a goat trail,” the head of the Secret Service snorted.
“Yeah, well,” Lopez said “Tell that to the sniper, ATVs and the tank we’re facing.”
A shot streaked into the car, bounced off the door frame and ricocheted a few times around the car, luckily striking no one.
“Davidson, dude, are you going to help us out or not?” Lopez demanded.
* * *
Davidson chided himself. He should have taken up position at the top of ridge. Forget concealment—he should have gone for optimal angle.
He held his rifle in his arms like a baby as he climbed up the steep slope. He had no shot until he got clear of the ridge.
“On it,” Davidson puffed. He was in shape, but climbing straight uphill with fifty pounds of rifles? The Olympian, Bolt, would be winded right now.
Finally, he hit the crest. He didn’t have time to set up a real shot. Instead, he just sprayed the area that was most likely to be the seat of the other sniper. The tank, though, had gotten away from the SUV. However, Levont had gotten the hatch open. He threw a grenade inside. An explosion rocked the vehicle and it ground to a halt.
One problem solved.
The other was that the other sniper kept firing. Davidson dropped to his belly, snapping open the legs of the rifle’s bracings. He set it up against a large rock that looked large enough to withstand the force of the shot.
He then relaxed into a shooting position. Tension was the enemy of the sniper. No matter that the other sniper was shooting at his friend and his president, hurrying through the setup wouldn’t help any of them.
The sniper was firing so rapidly that it was easy to find the flash of his rifle. This was his last-ditch effort, and he knew it. If Lopez got that SUV on the other side of the hill, their little assassination attempt would be over.
Davidson breathed in, blowing it out through his lips. Bunny was in that SUV. Did that matter more than that it was the president? Yes, yes it did.
He let loose the shot. He was rewarded with a scream, then no more shots.
“Lopez, you’re good,” he said, a moment too prematurely, as a helicopter rose from behind Davidson and shot all around him.
Grabbing his rifle to his belly, Davidson rolled down the hillside, taking a few sharp rock edges to the body. Finally, he got far enough down to get behind a large boulder for cover.
“Lopez, negate that. You’ve got a bird coming at you.”
Regaining stability, Davidson brought his rifle up and fired as the helicopter passed overhead. He put a few holes in the thing, but nothing fatal.
“Levont?”
“Yeah, I’m in, but I blew the shit out of the controls,” Levont said. “Plus, not exactly sure how the hell to fire the main gun.”
“Can’t you use the mounted machine gun?” Lopez asked.
Davidson swept his sights over to the tank. The machine gun hung off to the side, looking decidedly broken. The helicopter was zipping across the valley floor as the SUV crested the ridge.
“Levont can’t get to the chopper in time,” Davison reported. “It’s up to you, Lopez.”
* * *
“Of course it is,” Lopez grumbled as the SUV popped over the crest and was airborne. Then they hit the other side of the mountain, hard. Now all that Bunny could see out the front window hole was dirt and rocks as they headed down the mountain at an impossibly steep angle.
Lopez was nearly standing straight up, pumping the brake. “Don’t tip over, don’t tip over, baby.”
The SUV seemed to respond to his pleas, as the back wheels came down and they were on their way again. Unfortunately, so was the helicopter, as it swooped over the ridge and came for them.
“Prenner?”
“On it!”
Bunny moved her feet as Prenner pulled up a secret latch and grabbed a rocket launcher from the hidden compartment.
“We said no RPGs,” the head of Secret Service said.
Prenner grinned, “Which is why we hide this beauty. Lopez?”
Only when the back window began rolling down did Bunny realize that they planned to fire the RPG from inside the car.
“Get down!” she screamed. “Protect the president.”
She had to give it to the Secret Service—they piled on top of the president as Prenner put the rocket launcher on his shoulder.
“Wait until he flies out, coming around for another run,” Lopez said.
Prenner nodded even as bullets punched through the roof, pelting the interior of the SUV. Then the helicopter was out and over them, streaking away. Just as it banked, Prenner fired.
Hell exploded in the car. The sound itself should have killed her. Plus the heat and the flame. The back of her head was singed. Her hairdresser was going to kill her if the terrorists didn’t. She pulled her hair into a ponytail. She would call it messy, but that implied some kind of fashion trend. This was just for practicality and to snuff out any lingering fire in her hair.
The RPG struck true, though, and the helicopter exploded in a brilliant flare of reds and oranges. It crashed into the mountainside, sending shrapnel for miles.
Forget about a flashback, that was the real thing.
Bunny would like to feel safe—except for the fact that they were still racing straight down the mountain. They passed a family of goats who stood on their tiny perches, blinking as the SUV went by. She wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t shake their heads at the silly humans.
“The ATVs are nearly over the ridge!” Davidson announced.
“Everyone, hang the fuck on!” Lopez yelled.
Bunny’s hand lashed out, grabbing the door handle as Lopez slammed on the brakes, hitting the parking brake, as well. The SUV skidded nearly one hundred and eighty degrees. Lopez drove them into a cave, then repeated the process, spinning them around so they were facing the entrance.
“Prenner?”
The soldier lea
pt out of the idling vehicle as Lopez extinguished the headlights. Prenner knocked out the brake lights, turn lights, any light on the car. Lopez punched the overhead light as they were plunged into darkness. There was just the small hole of light from the cave entrance.
Bunny held her breath as the sound of the ATVs grew louder and louder. One flew past their hiding place. Then another, and another. None doubled back as the sound of their outboard motors dissipated.
She patted a Secret Service agent on the back. “It’s okay. I think you can let him up for some air now.”
* * *
Davidson was racing across the desert floor. With the presidential SUV on the other side of the mountain, he was on the wrong side of the valley.
Lopez had gone radio silent, or at least Davidson hoped it was just radio silence. Since the ATVs had crested the ridge, things had gotten a little too quiet for Davidson’s taste.
“New problem,” Stark said in Davidson’s ear.
“Really? What else could there be?” Davidson asked.
“The girls’ school the president just visited has been taken over by extremists. If the president doesn’t return in six hours, they are going to burn the girls alive.”
Yes, that was definitely a new problem. But one that he couldn’t wrap his head around just yet. Right now, they needed to secure the president before the terrorists threw anything else at them.
He ran up to the tank to find Levont sitting on the edge of the hatch. “Dude, sorry. Tanks are complicated even when they aren’t melted.”
Davidson waved him over to the SUV. “I’ll give you a tutorial once we get back stateside.”
The car was empty. Their Afghan escort had melted into the wilderness. Probably just as well. Levont fired up the engine and struck out to follow Lopez. It wasn’t too hard. The man had left a huge gouge in the side of the mountain on his way up.
“What’s going on with our backup?” Davidson asked.
Levont shrugged. “Stark says the Afghan Army headquarters aren’t picking up.”
Typical. An entire army could be hamstrung by a single bribed radio operator. Davidson didn’t envy the men and women who served in this country everyday. They should get triple pay. It only seemed fair, working under these conditions.
So they could forget about the Afghan’s army’s help. Not that it would have amounted to much. Clearly, someone on the army side had allowed the terrorists access to the girls’ school. They were just lucky that they waited until the president left.
Davidson was already starting to form a plan for the girls’ school now that things seemed to be settling down here.
Levont rumbled them up the hill, not nearly as fast or easily as Lopez had, but still, within minutes, they reached the crest. Davidson opened the door as Levont pulled to a stop.
“I’ll get out here,” Davidson explained.
“Happy shooting,” Levont said as he inched the SUV over the ridge to join Lopez.
It was never happy shooting. Davidson didn’t like taking life, but he certainly liked taking out the bad guys. Looking through his scope, he could make out the six ATVs streaking out across the desert after an enemy who was no longer there. He almost felt bad. Between their sound and the dust cloud they were leaving, picking them off one by one was almost too easy. However, none of them would be safe until it was done.
* * *
They had heard multiple rifle shots. Bunny could only assume that was Davidson. But what if it had been the other side’s sniper? Taking down Davidson and Levont?
The rumble of an engine sounded as it approached. Everyone in the car tensed. Then an SUV drove over their location.
“That’s my chassis!” Lopez yelled. “It’s got to be Levont.”
He flashed his headlights and the SUV came back. Levont hopped out of the car. “Davidson took care of the ATVs. We’re clear.”
Bunny turned her earpiece back on to find Stark in quite a state. “Whoa. Slow down, buddy,” she encouraged.
Quickly, he filled her in on the current situation. She turned to the president, who still looked a little ashen, but she couldn’t wait for him to get over his shock.
“I’m sure you’re hearing the same thing from your people,” Bunny said. “The girl’s school has been taken over.”
The military advisor’s cheeks blew in and out. “We can’t give into their demands.”
Men.
“Of course not,” Bunny said, “but Davidson has an idea.”
The advisor shook his head. “We can’t step in. Not without an invitation. We’ve got to allow the Afghan Army to take care of this.”
“You mean the same army that let the militants walk in and take over the girls’ school?” Bunny shot back.
His face became blotchy. “I don’t expect you to understand the international consequences—”
“Look,” Bunny said, speaking past the adviser and directly to the president. “We just want some time off. What we do with it is our business. No official American response. Just let our team go for some R&R. I think we’ve earned it.”
“Are you crazy?” the head of the Secret Service blurted. “We’ve just survived a major attack. You can’t go until the president is secure in Kabul.”
Bunny shrugged. “You’ve got two rapid response teams on the way, along with a military escort from the base. They will be here within the hour.”
“Hour? Why can’t you just wait, then?”
“Do you really want to know?” Bunny challenged. “R&R, remember? We just can’t wait to stretch our legs.”
Her eyes scanned the president’s face. He looked like hell. Probably a lot like the SUV’s tires. Worn and ragged.
Finally, he nodded. “Those girls didn’t do anything to deserve this.”
“Mr. President!” the cry came from nearly everyone in the SUV, but the president put up his hand.
“If they think I’m safe, then I’m safe,” the President said waving at Bunny. “So get out of here already.”
Bunny didn’t hesitate, opening the door. The sergeant was a little slower to respond, but Lopez was already over at the other SUV, kicking Levont out of the driver’s seat.
Why Levont ever bothered to try to get the wheel from Lopez, Bunny would never know. Prenner didn’t even bother. He just climbed in the backseat with Bunny.
Once they were all piled in, Lopez revved the motor and got them going. “Where’s Davidson?” he asked.
“Where do you think?” Levont shot back.
Everyone looked to the high ridge above them. Davidson was always in the eagle’s nest.
CHAPTER 2
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Davidson watched as Lopez drove the backup SUV toward him. The guy knew how to build a car that could last. The thing was dented, dusty, and looked like it needed to go to a junkyard, yet it still trudged its way up the mountain.
Which was a good thing, since they had little time to make it to the girls’ school in time. He’d formulated a plan. It wasn’t a great plan, but considering the fact that he developed it while running straight uphill, Davidson was pretty proud of it. Lopez had signed off on it.
Their new sergeant, however, still had his “reservations.” Like he had approved of anything the team had done since he joined the squad. He certainly wasn’t Brandt, who probably would have found their plans somewhat cautious for his taste.
Drecker hadn’t like Lopez’s idea to modify the SUV, and look how that turned out. He hadn’t liked the idea of splitting the team up, and look how important Levont’s contribution at the tank had been. So Davidson was ready for Drecker’s disapproval.
Davidson didn’t expect Lopez to slow, so he wasn’t surprised when the SUV trucked past going full speed. Davidson leapt from his rocky perch and landed on the vehicle’s roof. From there, he climbed in the rear passenger window.
“Hey,” Bunny said, dirt clinging to her eyelashes. She certainly looked nothing like the annoying grad stu
dent he had met a few years ago in Paris. She was way, way cuter now.
“Hey,” he said back, not sure if he should lean in and give her a peck on the cheek. In the end, he didn’t. Between her spending so much time in DC and his ops schedule, their relationship had gone off the rails a bit. There was only so many times you could say, “Sorry, honey, I’m going radio dark,” before the spark kind of extinguished.
But he really should be thinking of the girls’ school right about now, as they rumbled down the mountain. At least gravity was on their side this time. Once they bounced over their last boulder, the tires crunched along the rocky valley floor. Lopez dodged the stopped ATVs.
“Damn, it’s like a dune buggy graveyard,” Levont commented.
It was, and Davidson didn’t feel bad, despite the bodies slumped over the wheels. Many of the ATVs had machine guns mounted on their roll bars. One even had a rocket launched welded on. All of which was meant to take down the president of the United States.
Not on his watch.
Looking out over the dozen or so vehicles, it became clear how incredibly well-organized and financed this assassination attempt had been. Between the tank, ATVs, horses, and helicopter this mission had cost millions, if not tens of millions.
“Stark, anything yet on who funded this?” Davidson asked.
“I’m searching through a hundred shell corps, but it is looking more and more like the Iranians.”
“And it can’t be a coincidence the girls’ school was taken over minutes after the president left,” Drecker said, stating the obvious.
“No,” Stark said. “The Al Qaida rebel leader, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, received a substantial payment last week which he farmed out to several of his lieutenants. I believe Gulbuddin planned this entire attack.”
Gulbuddin was a name they all knew. He was on the Most Wanted list from nearly the start of the Afghan War. And he had the balls for something this big. He’d been controlling the northeast provinces for decades. Normally, he had big opium money at his back. Plus he was a popular figure in Afghanistan, since he had been a major figure in the resistance to the Russian occupation.
Got Thrills? A Boxed Set (A McCray Collection) Page 49