Cam stopped moving.
She tensed and braced herself up on her forearms.
Out front the squad leader was on full alert.
He and the others were on one knee with their weapons raised.
Cam knelt and slid her off him, lifting his own rifle as he set her down.
Rolling to her belly, she did the same.
Her heart beat crazily against her ribs.
Please no more.
I can’t take any more.
Popping noises came in the distance.
Shots, but too far away to pose any real threat.
Except it meant the enemy was still there and coming after them.
Her stomach knotted.
“What’s the story, Went?” Cam said in a loud whisper.
Ryan’s low voice carried over to her, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.
Her eyes swept ahead to the distance.
The LZ was so close.
She could see the relatively flat area a few hundred yards beyond the SEALs.
That had to be it.
If they could just get there before the remaining enemy force caught up with them, the Chinook might be able to pick them up without incident.
More shots echoed in the still night air.
She could hear men shouting at each other in the distance.
The hair on her nape stood up.
Ryan stopped talking, and his tight expression filled her with dread.
He ran over to the SEALs and talked for a minute, then came back to her and Cam.
“Well?” Cam asked.
“What’s the status?”
Ryan’s jaw tensed before he answered.
“Command won’t risk another bird.
LZ’s too hot for rotary wing aircraft.”
“Hot?” Dev was incredulous.
“It’ll be a hell of a lot hotter if they wait.”
“Yeah, well, bottom line is no one’s coming for us until dark.”
Because the enemy wouldn’t be able to see them in the dark.
“When will it get dark enough out here?”
“Eighteen hundred hours.
Maybe.”
Shit.
That meant they had at least another few hours to kill before a bird would attempt to come in for them.
She looked up at Cam in disbelief.
Without a trace of frustration or concern, he waved an arm at Jackson.
“Thatcher.
Set up a CCP over behind those rocks.
We’ll treat there and provide suppressive fire.”
“They have to send in a gunship at least,” she argued.
“They can’t just leave us here without air support.”
He slung his weapon and picked her up in his arms to carry her to the casualty collection point.
The other stretcher bearers moved their patients.
When everything was in place inside the protective perimeter, Cam knelt in front of her and took her face between his hands.
“We’re still okay, honey.” His eyes burned with intensity.
He stroked her cheekbones.
“No matter what happens, I won’t leave you.
I’m going to make sure you get out of here.”
Why did he keep phrasing it like he wasn’t getting out with her?
She opened her mouth to set him straight.
Before she could get a single word out he got up and ran ahead to stop the enemy bearing down on them.
Cam was already in firing position when one of the SEALs spoke over the inter-squad radio.
“Enemy sniper, two o’clock, hundred and fifty meters.”
To Cam’s right, someone fired a single shot.
A muffled cry rang out.
“Sniper down.”
The darkness opened up.
A hail of bullets ripped overhead.
The arcing tracers glowed neon green in the lenses of his NVGs.
“Eleven o’clock.”
Cam took aim and fired.
The man running toward them threw up his arms.
He arched backward with the impact of the bullet and fell.
He didn’t get up.
“Target down.”
The minutes stretched out endlessly.
They fired on the enemy with carefully aimed shots to conserve ammo.
The only talk on the radio was reporting targets and hits.
In his peripheral vision he saw Ryan lying flat next to one of the SEALs, his radio held to his ear.
Christ, they had no eyes other than the circling AWACS high overhead.
The crew had radioed to provide an estimate of remaining enemy forces.
Fewer than eighty, as far as they could tell.
With only ten shooters on the forward line, that made a hell of a lot of kills for each of them.
If the numbers were right.
“Thatcher, how’s it going back there?” He squeezed off another shot.
The target dropped but flipped over and started crawling away.
Shit.
Only wounded him.
“Everybody’s still stable.”
“You covering Crawford?”
“You know it.”
“Command finally cleared our birds.” Ryan’s voice came over the radio.
“ETA eleven minutes.”
About fucking time.
“Roger that.” He kept his eyes pinned on the enemy moving among the rocks in the distance.
Bastards weren’t stopping even though they probably couldn’t see shit.
He fired off two more rounds, taking down two men.
“Thatcher, get the patients ready for evac.
I’ll be there shortly.”
“Roger that.”
He would get Devon and the others on that bird at the first possible moment.
And he wouldn’t get on it with them until every last one of the wounded was safely aboard.
Over the din of battle, Sadiq was sure he heard the sound of helicopters coming in.
A growl of denial lodged in his throat.
His targets could
not
get away.
Not yet.
Holding tight to the general’s binoculars, he crawled on his hands and knees over to the closest wounded man.
Sadiq sucked in a harsh breath.
Poor bastard had been shot through the throat.
His fingers clawed at his throat as the blood poured out in a sickening stream.
His mouth was open, gasping for air but not getting any, and his body thrashed around in terror.
The bulging eyes stared up at him, full of panic.
Begging for mercy.
Sadiq picked up the man’s rifle.
Without pausing, he put a round through the man’s forehead.
The body went instantly limp, his earthly suffering ended.
Bullets zinged past his head.
He hit the ground.
Two more men rushed down the hill as more rounds sliced through the air.
Both men threw up their arms and cried out as they fell, rolling in the dirt.
Sadiq flattened himself on the ground, and scrambled over to grab their weapons and ammo.
He was out—he needed more to stand any chance at living through this fight.
And those damned helicopters were bearing down on them.
With more men and more guns.
Electronic sensors and gadgets that made it impossible to hide.
He shoved a full magazine into his rifle and dragged himself behind cover.
Men shouted and screamed around him in the chaos.
Any sense of order was long gone with the chain of command broken and darkness closing in.
The muzzle flashes were the only way he could tell where his fellow soldiers were.
They still outnumbered the enemy by a large margin, but the Americans held their ground.
Sadiq could smell the panic swirling through the air around him as he swiveled on one knee and fired at the distant enemy.
Men in the ranks were fleeing, he could see them charging back up the hill and over the rise.
Their desperate flight was futile and sickening.
Moving now made them easy targets to an enemy using night vision technology.
They fell by the dozen trying to claw their way to safety.
“Fucking bastards!”
The English words surprised him so much he spared a quick glance behind him.
His shocked eyes found Khalid sprawled on his belly nearby.
He’d been wounded in the arm.
Sadiq could see the slickness of the blood soaking his sleeve.
“Khalid—get to the general,” he cried, rolling to fire more rounds.
He eyed a large boulder a few yards away.
If he could get to it, he might be able to hide enough of his body that the helicopters wouldn’t see him.
And even if they did see a heat signature, they might not fire if he stayed still long enough.
He could play dead.
The aircraft appeared, three shadows in a dark sky.
One large one and two smaller ones.
Frustration beat at Sadiq.
The woman and the PJ would get away if the aircraft landed.
He couldn’t allow that.
He had to get them before they loaded onto the helicopters.
In answer to his prayers, some of the men began firing RPGs into the air.
They shrieked toward their slow moving targets.
He didn’t hear any impacts.
His gaze strayed to the jagged boulder.
It wasn’t that far away.
He could make it.
His hands tightened around the rifle and binoculars.
Drawing on all the power in his legs and arms, he threw himself out from behind cover and dove toward the bigger rock.
His arms stretched out.
Forearms splayed to cushion his fall.
Reaching for safety.
A bullet struck him high in the shoulder.
He screamed as it tore through muscle and bone.
The force of the impact drove him back.
He hit the ground with a thud.
Struggling up on one elbow, another round plowed into his belly.
It burned like hellfire.
The pain stole his breath and brought the darkness crashing down upon him.
His hands clutched his belly.
Warm, sticky blood flowed out under his fingers.
Fighting to stay afloat, he forced his legs to propel him toward shelter.
Inch by excruciating inch he moved, while bullets pinged off rocks around him.
His legs trembled and weakened.
He couldn’t make it.
The pain was too much.
He cast a helpless glance over at Khalid.
“Khalid—help me,” he cried out.
His voice was already raspy and weak.
In the glimmer of moonlight filtering through the clouds, those terrible yellow eyes fastened on him for a moment.
A grim smile curved that evil mouth.
And then Khalid turned and ran up the hill, leaving him there to die.
He had never felt this alone and afraid.
The fear thickened.
Tightening like a choke hold around his throat.
This is not my destiny.
I am not meant to die this way.
Rage and fear began to replace the awful despair smothering him.
Using his remaining strength, he dragged his bleeding body into the shelter of the boulder and dropped in exhaustion.
Shivers coursed through him in uncontrollable waves.
The helicopters buzzed above him.
Their powerful engines made the ground shake.
He watched their black shapes as they passed overhead.
The big one came in to land and evacuate the enemy.
The other two circled above, their guns raking over the hill to finish off anyone still moving.
Bullets hit the ground to his left in hard thuds.
I will not die like this
, he promised himself.
Not like this.
I will avenge my brother.
He would not go without taking the woman and the PJ with him.
The rhythmic whap of the incoming Chinook’s blades was the sweetest sound she’d ever heard.
The roar increased until it almost drowned out the noise of the gunfire.
Then out of the darkness appeared two Pave Hawks leading the rescue bird.
The Chinook landed, and a group of soldiers charged out to form a protective perimeter.
Rangers maybe?
Thank God.
She tightened her hold on Will’s cold hand.
“Here that, Will?
They’re here.
We’re getting out of here!”
He offered a weak smile and squeezed her hand feebly.
“Thank God.”
She couldn’t stop smiling, and a surge of satisfaction swept through her when the Hawks opened up with their fifty-cals from the open bay doors.
The glowing red tracer rounds sliced through the night air along with the measured fire from the Rangers, SEALs and PJs.
She scrambled up onto her good knee and waited.
Cam leaped over the boulders with Jackson.
“Stay down,” he yelled at her as they hoisted Will’s stretcher into the air and got into position to make the charge to the waiting bird.
The volume of fire increased exponentially out front.
Covering fire.
“Go, go!” Cam yelled.
Devon watched with her heart in her throat as they took off amidst the sporadic enemy fire and raced for the Chinook.
Do something
.
She still had ammo left, and she damn well would do something helpful instead of waiting around to be carried to the bird.
She slid on her belly to a spot beside the protection of the boulders and aimed her weapon.
She couldn’t see much without NVGs, but she could see the muzzle flashes coming from across the ravine.
When another volley fired, she pulled the trigger.
The flashing on the other side stopped.
Had she hit the target?
Her breaths were shaky and rapid.
Was Cam okay?
More muzzle flashes.
She fired again.
Men ran into the casualty collection point to grab more stretchers.
McCall and the crew chief raced past.
Two of the SEALs came back with Jackson and Ryan, and evacuated two more stretchers.
She ignored them and laid down whatever fire she could to help protect them.
Overhead the Pave Hawks continued their air-to-ground assault, the distinctive bark of the fifties adding to the chaotic noise.
When she was out of ammo, she stopped to reload and realized she was alone.
All the other wounded had been taken out.
The Rangers had boarded the Chinook.
Her heart slammed so hard it made her hands shake.
“Cam would never leave you,” she told herself fiercely.
She hated herself for ever doubting his promise.
She kept firing, heartened that some SEALs remained out front.
It wasn’t like they’d deserted her.
Her gun clicked when she squeezed the trigger.
Empty.
Shit, out of ammo again.
She reloaded.
Her gaze swept past the SEALs toward the Chinook.
She cried out in relief when she saw Cam running flat out toward her.
He moved like a blur, weapon firing.
He came barreling into the rock shelter and skidded to his knees beside her.
“Come on,” he yelled over the noise.
Still holding her weapon, she grabbed a fistful of his uniform as he levered her onto his shoulders.
Amidst the whine and ping of the rounds landing around them, he ran for the Chinook.
She kept firing in bursts toward the enemy, and stopped only when she felt the heavy rotor wash beating at her back.
A howl of agony ripped from her throat as Cam flipped her off his shoulder and all but tossed her into the cabin.
Someone grabbed her under the armpits and hauled her backward away from the ramp as Cam jumped inside.
Black spots swam before her eyes.
“Talk to me, Spike.”
She turned her head at Ryan’s voice.
“I’m okay!”
He moved away toward the cockpit.
The inside of the bird was so crowded with bodies she couldn’t tell who was who.
The pitch of the big engines changed, rising to a shrill scream as the bird struggled to take off.
Fighting back the pain, she found Cam at last near the ramp and met his stare.
The gunners were still firing from their positions.
The bird shuddered and strained under the burden of all its passengers.
Oh God.
They were overweight.
The engines were already maxed out.
Cam exchanged a long look with Jackson, then pushed his way over to her.
She grabbed his upper arms and leaned forward to shout.
“They need to throw some ammo and equipment out, or—”
“Listen to me.” His eyes were the most intense she’d ever seen them.
She stilled.
He surrounded her with his arms for a second before kissing her hard and pulling back.
He shook her once, staring down intently at her.
“I love you.”
Her heart stopped beating.
He wouldn’t.
She read the intent in his eyes.
“No, don’t—”
“Hang on to this for me,” he shouted.
He yanked out the chain she’d given him and put it in her stiff hand.
Then he turned and disappeared down the tail ramp.
She threw out a hand to grab him.
Stop him.
But her fingers only grabbed air.
“
Cam
!”
He didn’t stop.
Didn’t so much as hesitate as he jumped off the tail ramp and joined the SEALs still on the ground around the Chinook.
“Cam,
no
!” Heedless of the pain in her leg, she pulled herself toward the closing ramp.
Desperate to get to him before it was too late.
She tripped on someone’s leg and went down, crying out in agony as her wounded knee smashed into the steel floor.
Hard hands gripped her waist.
Yanked her up and back.
She fought them.
“Dev, don’t.”
Ryan
.
Mindless, she ripped at his restraining hands.
“Let me go!
He’s going to get killed!”
Ryan hauled her up and into his arms, holding her tight as the Chinook lifted off the ground.
She fought him with all her strength.
“Is he on the Hawk?”
“Dev—”
“Is he on one of the fucking Hawks!”
“I…I don’t know.” He held her tighter.
Cutting off her breath.
She weakened and stopped fighting.
Her body was stiff with denial.
She was sobbing now, hysterical.
“W-we have to g-get him.”
“He’ll get out, Dev.
I promise you.”
The pain was suffocating.
She couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t ease the splitting sensation in her chest.
The tears flowed fast and hot down her cheeks.
They soaked the front of Ryan’s fatigues as the bird rose into the dark sky and left the man she loved behind.
Sadiq fought through the thick layers of blackness toward consciousness.
The beat of his heart echoed in his ears as his body began to register the pain.
Through the wildfire burning in his chest, he heard the sound of the big helicopter taking off.
He forced his heavy eyes open and turned his head to the side.
A sharp rock dug into the side of his cheek, but he couldn’t summon the strength to brush it away.
How much blood had he lost?
His limbs felt heavy as lead.
He didn’t know if his wounds were mortal or not, but he knew they were bad.
It hurt to breathe.
Like someone was driving a spike into the front of his ribs.
He blinked to focus his hazy vision.
Two of his dead comrades lay next to him.
He was alone.
Khalid and the general had left him to die.
A shocking anger began to take hold.
Wiping away the fear like it had never existed.
Forcing slow, shallow breaths, he focused on the enemy leaving the field.
Was he going to slowly die out here all alone?
Watch his enemies escape while he lay helpless and in agony?
Never
.
He summoned all his strength and rolled to his side.
Pain exploded in his chest.
He fought to stay above it.
Stay conscious.
The faint light from the half moon revealed the behemoth silhouette of the helicopter perched on the ground.
The sound from its engines grew louder, but it didn’t take off.
Sadiq blinked, then squinted as men jumped out of the aircraft and rushed back toward his position.
What were they doing?
Coming back to kill all the wounded or take him prisoner?
He groped for his rifle.
His cold hands met nothing but dust and rocks.
Had he lost it?
He couldn’t remember.
The aircraft’s engines roared and lifted the beast into the air.
The throb of its rotors pressed in on his eardrums and reverberated in his torn chest.
His ribs felt like they would split open.
The noise gradually faded.
The helicopter rose further into the air as it flew away, accompanied by its two escorts.
In the vacuum of silence left in their wake, he made out the sounds of the remaining ground force talking to each other.
Their voices were indistinct, too far away to identify, but the words carried clearly on the night air.
He needed a weapon.
He would not die without a fight.
His knife.
His trembling fingers closed about the scabbard at his hip.
The handle was like ice against his palm.
But he didn’t have the strength to move.
Dragging himself away would deplete the little energy he had left.
“Roger that, will hold position for extract.”
He tensed and held his breath.
His right arm came up to sweep the area around him.
He’d been holding the general’s binoculars when they’d shot him.
They had to be close.
Unless Nasrallah had come back and taken them with him before he retreated.
The tips of his fingers brushed cold metal.
A gun barrel.
From the man next to him.
He closed his fingers around it.
His hand bumped something else, and he recognized the contours of the binoculars.
Dragging them over, he raised them with shaky hands.
There was just enough light to see.
He had to squint to make out the black outline of the men moving toward him.
The binoculars wobbled in his grip but he steadied them, determined to learn exactly what he faced.
He counted the men approaching him.
Nine men.
Nine Special Operations soldiers.
Who were they?
The moon broke through the mottled clouds.
Its silver light gilded their bodies and weapons.
Glinted off the night vision goggles mounted on their helmets.
In the soft glare, one of the soldier’s shoulder patches reflected back at him.
He stiffened, a surge of blood rushing to his head.
What did it say?
PJ.
It was him.
He was still here.
For some reason he had jumped off the helicopter before it took off.
Prickles raced over his skin.
The woman was gone, but the PJ remained.
Sadiq dropped back in exhaustion and released the binoculars.
He stared up at the night sky, studying the pattern of light and shadow created by the clouds shifting over the face of the moon.
Was this Hassan’s doing?
Or Allah’s?
He had no other explanation.
The odds were too incredible.
The soldiers came closer.
Edging their way toward him.
Sadiq lay still waiting for the moment to strike.
He would lie in wait like a coiled snake.
The hatred warmed his cold body, thawing him from the center outward.
He could feel the blood rushing through his veins.
Feel the air pumping in and out of his aching lungs.
The pain faded away.
One more chance.
A higher power had granted it to him, and he would use the last seconds of his life to take the PJ with him into death’s dark embrace.