The line went dead.
Delic tossed the phone onto his bunk. He turned to a man who shared his room. He was the direct opposite in appearance. Delic was clean shaven. This man had a full beard and long hair. Where Delic was thin, this man was heavy set and thicker around the chest.
It was Sokolovic.
“We’ve got another snooper, Javor.”
“We set up another ambush then?”
Delic nodded. “Why not? Get on the phone with one of our contacts. I’ll find out which unit she’s in. Then we’ll figure out when and where.”
Chapter 24
Alina and Steve sat at a table in the far end of a local tavern. With all the noise of partying soldiers, their hushed conversation was completely private.
“So these men raped you and killed your family,” Steve said, “and now you’re looking for them, working for the Turkish National Police?” He shook his head. “My, but you do get around, Alina.”
“It’s been quite a journey I can assure you of that.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“I go to their quarters and watch. I’ll know them the instant I see them. I will never forget their faces. I know their names, but I don’t know which one is which.”
“You may not have to do surveillance. I can get you the file photos of each man there. Because they’re civilians, they have to register with the UN. I say we go there first and make sure the men you’re looking for are actually here.”
“Good idea.”
“Then what?” Steve asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t just walk up to a soldier and kill him. You’ll be arrested and tried for murder. We have to think ahead on this. We have to catch them in the act of smuggling drugs. Then we can pounce on them.”
Alina nodded. “I’m thinking they’ll most likely to do their rendezvous at night. I suppose we will need night-vision goggles. Anything else you can get your hands on that might be useful?”
“Got some ultra-sensitive listening equipment. It’s going to be difficult to requisition all that, but I think I can manage. It’s getting out at night that’s going to be the problem. They lock the base down tight. Very few patrols go out then unless it’s a special occasion.”
“Like last night?”
“He nodded. Three units went out. One man killed, four more wounded. It was a bad fight.”
“Yeah, I saw the battle scene. Were you there?”
He shook his head. “The lieutenant usually takes us out in daylight.” He suddenly stopped and hung his head.
“What’s the matter?”
“I just remembered we have a run to make tomorrow. Since you’re now embedded with us, where we go, you go. I’m sorry but you’ll have to put off your mission for another time.”
Alina slammed a fist on the table. “Figures. I’m only a few huts away, and I can’t touch them. I’ve traveled all this way to kill them. Now, I have to go out on a stupid patrol. Doesn’t seem fair.”
“Don’t worry. They’re not going anywhere. You’ll get your chance.”
Alina paused, then reached across the table to touch his hand. “Thank you, Steve. You were right. I do need your help, but please don’t tell anyone about this—not even the lieutenant. If he finds out about my mission, he’ll have me out of here real fast.”
Steve nodded. “You’re right about that. He plays it by the book, that’s for sure. We head out at dawn tomorrow, so be ready. When we get back, we’ll take a look at those pictures. That way we can zero in on our targets.”
The sun had barely crawled over the horizon when their caravan moved out, a line of five heavily armored Hummers. Alina rode in the third car back with Steve, who sat in the front seat.
“Where are we going?” she asked the man on her right.
“Not far. We’ve reports of a few insurgents hiding out about a two klicks from here. We’re going to check it out, but don’t worry. By our report, it’s at most three or four men. They like to work in small cells like that. We’ve got them outnumbered and outgunned. Plus, we know where they live. However, it is best if you to stay in the car in case things get tight.”
“I’ll do nothing of the sort. I go where you go. That’s the agreement, right?”
The man shrugged. “It’s your funeral.”
The lieutenant in the lead car ordered them to stop. The line of Hummers pulled over to the side of a residential street. Adobe buildings lined the avenue, all of them with four-meter walls surrounding flat rooftops. Women hurried children off the street as the cars rolled to a stop. Soon, the area was deserted.
Alina stepped beside Steve. “I don’t like this,” she said. “It’s too quiet. There were no men around when we arrived, only women and children.”
He nodded. “Good call.”
He passed on the observation to his sergeant, who nodded. By now, the squad was out with their M-16s ready at the shoulder. The lieutenant separated the unit into two groups, one traveling each side of the street. Alina tried peering through a window but it was shuttered. They were all shuttered. Something was definitely wrong. She touched Steve on the shoulder. He turned around and his eyes went wide.
“Incoming!” he yelled and dragged Alina to the ground.
A rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the rear Hummer, the explosion lifting the back end of the heavy vehicle and setting it ablaze. Instantly, the rooftops filled with enemy personnel armed with AKs and RPGs.
A hand grenade dropped from a nearby roof and landed beside one of the soldiers. He rushed to pick it up and throw it back over the roof’s retaining wall. The explosion rocked the building. Fire and screams emanated from on top, blending in with the gunfire erupting around them.
Bullets skipped off the street at their feet. Others chipped bits of mud brick off the walls. Without need for a command, each soldier kicked open the nearest door and ducked inside the houses.
Steve pushed Alina inside. An insurgent with an AK was there. He raised his rifle. Steve fired fast from the hip, getting off a three shot burst. The man went down. Alina had the man’s AK in her hands before he hit the ground.
“No!” Steve yelled. “They’ll think you’re one of us.”
“I am one of you. Now get out of my way.”
She headed for the stairs.
“Wait! Wait. Let me go first.”
Alina did not wait. She pied the corner turn. No one there. She ran the rest of the way up and hit the door hard, landing on the rooftop and rolling to one knee. Steve brought up the rear. Alina aimed right, Steve to the left. In front of Alina were six insurgents who now turned from firing down at the street.
Alina pumped out steady, short bursts. One by one, each man fell. Behind her, Steve was doing the same thing on his side.
A bullet zipped by her ear. A seventh, unseen man came up over the stairwell roof beside her. She turned and rolled on her back. She fired without aiming, hitting a man in the stomach. He flinched but raised his rifle to fire again. Steve drilled him in the head with one shot.
The roof was clear. Seven bodies lay scattered in the dirt.
Alina and Steve ran in a crouch to the left side retaining wall and peered over it. They saw insurgents on every rooftop. They ducked down.
“Sarge,” Steve called into his radio, “Sarge, this is Miller. We’ve reached the roof of one of the houses. They’re everywhere, Sarge. Every rooftop. It’s a setup. They were waiting for us.”
“Check.” The man’s voice mixed with gunfire crackled over the mic. “Just stay low.”
Alina was already up, firing at the house on her left. She squeezed off another five rounds before dropping to the roof.
“Got two.” Then she pointed. “You take the other side. I’ll take this one. That way, we’ve got each other’s back.”
Steve heel-toed it to the other side, his rifle up and ready.
An insurgent raised his head. He paid for it by taking a bullet between the eyes. Then Steve hit the wall an
d sat. He checked his magazine and gave a thumb up signal to Alina.
“Cover me!” she shouted and headed for the first dead body. Bullets sprayed dirt at her feet. Others popped by her ears. Steve was returning fire, keeping the other side clear while she gathered all the AKs she could. Then she was back in position, four rifles by her side.
Taking a second to catch her breath, she nodded thanks to Steve. They rose together, each firing in separate directions. Alina hit one in the shoulder, the red mark on his white tunic showing bright. The slug slung him around and he fell out of sight.
A bullet skipped past her, coming from across the street. She ran forward, crouching behind the front wall.
“Steve! Front wall. Get to the front wall!”
He did not hear her. The repeated blast of his weapon blocked all other sound. Being in the middle of the rooftop, he was vulnerable. Fearing he would be shot, Alina braved the zipping slugs of lead and grabbed him by the collar. She dragged him to the front wall as a line of bullets dug into the trail he left.
Slamming his back against the wall, he smiled. “Thanks.”
Again, they rose as one, firing across the street then switching to the buildings on either side. Alina caught movement out the side of her eye. A combatant exiting their roof doorway aimed an RPG at them.
She pulled the Beretta from her belt and fired once, hitting the man in the chest. He stumbled back as he raised the launch tube.
“Get down!” she yelled.
Steve hit the deck with her as the RPG blew a smoke trail over their heads. Alina rose to a knee and watched the missile strike the building across the street. The retaining wall exploded in a shower of dust and rock.
Alina gathered the clips from the other AKs. “Got three of them with that blast,” she said, breathing heavily. She grabbed Steve’s hand. “Come on. Let’s clear another rooftop.”
“Alina, wait. Shouldn’t we stay here and provide cover fire?”
“Cover fire for who? They’re all pinned down inside the houses.”
Then she was gone.
She descended the flight of stairs the same way she went up, rifle ready at her shoulder, sweeping the corner before she made her turn. She was halfway down when a rebel burst through the open door.
He fired. The bullet tugged at her sleeve, knocking off her aim. Her shot went wide right. The man fired again but Alina was already bent low. His shot hit the wall. Her shot went through his head.
“You play a dangerous game,” Steve said behind her.
Alina went to the front door and squatted by its side.
“You watch out front,” she said and began shifting shells from the captured magazines, filling the ones she had left. Jamming a fresh clip home, she said, “Let’s move out. You cover the rear. I’ll take the lead.”
“Wait! Shouldn’t I take the lead?” but he was talking to an empty room. Alina was already gone. He hurried to catch up.
They moved to the house on the right.
“Friendlies! Friendlies!” Steve shouted before Alina could hit the door. She barged into the room, but there were no Americans there, only three Iraqis loading up RPGs.
Steve’s shouts must have alerted them for they were already going for their guns. Alina fired, dropping one in mid-stride. Behind her, Steve drilled another. The third managed to grab his AK and fire. The bullet missed her. She heard a thud. Without looking, she knew Steve had been hit.
She held the trigger, the muzzle flash lighting up her face in the darkened room. The man fell back against the wall, his chest a bloody mess.
Alina ran to Steve. “Steve! Steve, can you hear me?”
“Yeah, yeah. I can hear you. You don’t have to shout.” He thumped his vest. “Bullet got me here. I’m okay.”
“Good. Come on.” She headed to the stairs, repeating the upward sweep of the stairway. She had just turned the corner when a man entered from the rooftop. She fired twice. Both slugs slammed home.
Stepping over the body, she peered around the corner of the door cautiously. Bullets chipped brick into her face. She dodged back into the stairway. The firing stopped. She came around the corner fast as she swept the roof with a long burst. One man dropped. Two more returned fire. She again ducked back behind the corner.
Alina had an idea. She ran downstairs to see Steve slowly getting up. She picked up one of the loaded RPG tubes and raced for the stairs again.
“What are you going to do with that?” he called, but she had already disappeared around the corner.
She approached the doorway once more. Taking a breath, she remembered where the men had stood. She had to take the chance they were still at the front wall. She peeled around the corner and instantly pulled the trigger on the launch tube.
The rocket ignited and streaked toward the men who now stared at the incoming grenade. In an instant, the roof was ablaze with a hole in the front wall. The men were no longer in sight.
Alina raced forward and picked up an AK. She squatted. It was damaged. She tried the slide bolt, but it would not budge. She picked up the other AK. It was chipped, the stock cracked, but the slide worked okay. She checked the clip. Five rounds left.
She rose and spotted an insurgent in the adjacent building. He was standing, aiming down at the street. She fired all five shots. The man staggered to the side and vanished behind the retaining wall.
Alina dropped the empty AK and ran for the stairs. She made it halfway down when a rebel appeared at the turn. His eyes widened behind his mask. He raised his rifle.
Alina did not slow down. Using her downward momentum, she jumped the ten remaining stairs and kicked the man hard with both feet. He fell back against the wall, spraying bullets into the ceiling. She landed on him, lancing a straight right to the jaw.
The man stayed down.
Movement on her right.
She rolled down the remaining stairs and into the feet of another man. The impact hyper-extended both knees. He bent forward and then fell back. Alina rolled to his side and struck him with a backhand elbow. The man groaned and hit back with an elbow of his own. She rose and kneed him in the head.
She looked to see two more rebels dragging Steve through the door. She picked up the fallen man’s AK and fired. She hit one.
The gun clicked empty.
The other man raised his rifle and tried to fire at point blank range.
His gun clicked empty.
Alina jumped to her feet. The man pulled a curved knife from his belt. They faced off, circling each other. Alina looked for something to use as a weapon. She didn’t have time. The man came at her in a rush, yelling.
He swiped a huge arc with the knife. Alina dodged back, barely avoiding the gleaming edge. He immediately back-swiped. Again, she stepped back. Her foot hit one of the dead insurgents and she fell back hard.
The man lunged for her, the tip of the knife plunging for her chest. Alina rolled. The knife stabbed the floor. She kicked her assailant in the face, and then she was up.
The man came off the ground, yelling again, the knife in front of him. Alina spun, swirling a boot at the knife hand. The blade clattered on the floor.
He took a step back, holding his wrist. Although his face was masked, she saw his eyes widen. Alina stepped in. He lunged for her. She side stepped and lifted a knee to the stomach, chopping down on the back of his neck as he passed.
The rebel went down to his hands and knees, coughing. Alina kicked him in the side, rolling him over. Then she pulled back, not letting him grab her feet.
The man glanced to his right. Steve’s rifle was in reach. Desperately, he crawled for it. Alina stooped, picked up the knife, and threw it hard.
The knife entered his right temple, burying itself to the hilt. He fell face first, open eyes staring at the dusty floor.
She went to Steve, who was now stirring. A gash on his forehead showed where they beat him. She pulled him back into the room and propped him against the front wall.
“Steve,” she said. “St
eve, are you okay?”
He nodded groggily and held up a hand. “I’m...I’m okay. They jumped me when I wasn’t looking. Came through the door...”
“It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
“What about the others?” he asked, looking around. Bodies lined the room. “You did all this?”
She nodded. “Two are still alive. The rest are dead. All clear on the roof, too.”
He shook his head admiringly and pressed the button on his radio, reporting all clear and stating they had two captives.
“Roger,” the lieutenant replied. “We’ll get someone to you ASAP.” A moment’s pause, then the sergeant called in. “All clear on the south side.”
A few gunshots rang out on the north side of the street. Alina grabbed her AK and clips and ran to the front door. By this time, Steve was up, holding his chest.
Sweat glistened off Alina’s smooth skin. She wiped her forehead and peeked around the corner. Just as fast, she pulled back.
“Two more to the northeast. Up top.”
Steve nodded and picked up his rifle.
“You ready?” she asked.
He nodded and positioned himself in front of Alina. “On my mark,” he said. A second’s hesitation. “Go!” Then he was out the door.
Both of them fired as one. Chipped brick traced a line on the retaining wall across the street. Alina aimed higher and squeezed, emptying her clip. Both men went down.
She dumped the clip and exchanged it for another. They positioned themselves back to back, aiming high then sweeping low, making their way to the next door.
No one in sight.
An American appeared on top of a house across the street. He threw a grenade to the house on his right. The explosion knocked the corner of the roof out, killing two Iraqis.
Then all went quiet.
“Friendlies! Friendlies!” Steve yelled before entering the next door. He waited, then rolled inside. The lieutenant was there with two wounded Americans.
“All clear on my end, sir,” Steve said.
“Good work, Corporal.”
“It wasn’t me, sir.” He jerked a thumb at Alina. “It was her, all her. She’s a fighting machine. I couldn’t keep up.”
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