Ready to Kill (22 page)

On the east side of the church, the pair suddenly stopped running and huddled briefly. Now that they were a lot closer and holding still, Nathan got a clear look at their weapons.

“Harv, their rifles aren’t scoped.”

“Then it’s highly unlikely Raven is one of them. He’d be using a scoped weapon.”

“Agreed. Let’s keep your eyes on the area around the gas station. We need to know if the third gunman moves south. I’ll watch Estefan and the area around the church. Estefan, we’re going to give those guys alphanumeric designations. G1 and G2 are at the church, G3 is behind the gas station watching the motel. Copy that?”

“Copy. You have eyes on me?”

“Affirm. I have you in a low crawl approaching the rock wall due east of the abandoned cars. Keep going.”

Nathan saw G1 and G2 fan out in opposite directions and encircle the church. When they reformed a huddle in the middle of the street, Nathan saw an opportunity. Estefan had only crawled about half the distance to the rock wall. If he made an all-out sprint, he could reach the wall in under five seconds. Nathan decided it was an acceptable risk.

“Estefan, stop crawling and run for the wall. The church is screening you from the gunmen. Once you reach the wall, stay low and be ready to beat feet out to the river.”

Nathan swung his scope back to the men in the street. They appeared to be frozen in indecision. Since they hadn’t found anyone, they were probably trying to decide if conducting a search was worthwhile. No doubt they were pissed at having to run all the way over there for nothing.

“Did Estefan make it to the wall?” Harv asked.

“Yes. Estefan, stand up. I want the gunmen to see you. Okay, they’re looking your direction. Move south along the wall
. . .
a little more . . .” Nathan watched one of the gunmen point in Estefan’s direction. “Go now! All-out sprint to the river!”

Both gunmen joined the chase, but they weren’t running as fast this time and Estefan had a hundred-yard head start. Short of Estefan injuring himself during his sprint, Nathan knew his former student would reach the cover of the trees well in advance of the gunmen.

“G1 and G2 are on your six. When you reach the river, turn right and head for the dam. Use your radio to coordinate your location with Harv. Your gun isn’t suppressed, so find a good spot to lay low until Harv gets there. As far as I can tell, they don’t have NV, and I haven’t seen any flashlights.”

“Copy. Do I have a green light if things get ugly?”

Nathan didn’t hesitate. “Affirm. You are cleared to engage once you reach the river, but do your best to avoid it. Harv will be at the dam in three mikes. Copy that?”

“Copy. Three mikes.”

Nathan released the transmit button. “Harv, throw on your ghillie and get going. I’ll be okay up here. Leave your pack. You’ve got spare mags in your pockets?”

“Four.”

“That ought to be enough.”

While Harv scrambled into action, Nathan made a quick calculation. Estefan would reach the trees with at least thirty seconds to spare. If the gunmen opened fire on the run, they’d have little chance of nailing him from that distance. If their orders were to take Estefan alive, they might not fire at all. Once the gunmen reached the tree line, he’d lose sight of them. It became Harv’s show at that point, but Nathan wasn’t worried. Harv possessed expert handgun skills—better than his own.

Nathan consciously slowed his breathing and kept G1 in the center of his scope as the man ran toward the river. He wanted to make sure G1 entered the tree line at the same point where Estefan had. Once he lost sight of G1, he’d switch his surveillance over to the gas station area. If G3 decided to join his comrades, he’d need to warn Estefan and Harv.

Estefan hated scurrying for cover like a field mouse. He’d rather face danger than run away from it. At least now he was cleared to engage his pursuers and get some payback for his torched house and bludgeoned wife. He’d personally deal with Raven later.

He pushed aside the distracting surge of anger and concentrated on his footing. If he twisted an ankle or sprained a knee, he’d have to shoot it out with a crippling and painful injury. Conversely, as long as he kept his feet, Estefan had little doubt he could kill both gunmen. The knee-high grass under the barbed-wire fence offered perfect cover from a prone position. Bushwhacking them as they approached would be easy, especially with a laser sight. They’d never see him in time. He toyed with the idea of faking a fall, but he’d never be able to face Nathan after such a disgraceful deception. Nathan and Harv had risked their lives coming down here, and he wouldn’t betray their trust. In truth, he’d sooner take a bullet in the back. Estefan had many faults, but a lack of integrity wasn’t one of them.

Still in a full sprint, he reached down and pressed the transmit button on the radio clipped to his belt. “Nate, where are they?”

“They just hopped the rock wall. You’re about one hundred fifty yards ahead of them. Harv’s on his way. He’s using the trail leading down to the dam. I haven’t seen any sign of G3. Since he hasn’t joined the pursuit, I doubt they’re using radios. There are multiple buildings between where I last saw G3 and the area behind the church. I doubt G3 saw you or his friends. Harv, unless something tactical happens, I’m going radio silent so you can coordinate with Estefan.”

“I just reached the footpath,”
Harv said.
“I’m going to slow my pace when I get closer to the river.”

“It’s me again,”
said Nathan.
“One of the gunmen just changed direction. He’s running due south. I’m calling him G2. G1 is still on your six, Estefan. It looks like they’re trying to flank you. When you reach the river, turn right, but find a place to conceal yourself well short of the dam. G2 is going to reach the dam before Harv gets there. He may set up an ambush while G1 tries to drive you over there. You copy?”

“Copy. G1 is on my six. G2’s heading for the dam.”

“Okay, I just lost sight of you at the tree line. Harv’s Sig is suppressed, so hold your fire if possible. I don’t want G3 to hear any shots and join the fight.”

“Copy that.” Estefan needed to point something out. “The guy on my tail won’t know which direction I went at the river. Do you want me to make it obvious I’m heading toward the dam?”

“Harv?”
Nathan asked.

“Yes. I want them both in the same place.”

“Okay, Estefan, take G1 west toward the dam. I’m going radio silent. I’ll only come up if I see G3 or Antonia make a move.”

The trail Harv followed was little more than a furrow carved into the slope. Because of all the tree cover, the aerials didn’t show this footpath, but it served several dozen homes farther south overlooking the wooden bridge, including Pastor Tobias’s house. Harv wasn’t worried about being too stealthy until he got closer to the dam. His night vision, coupled with the ghillie suit, gave him a substantial advantage. In another hundred yards or so the trail would level out where the foliage grew thicker along the river. He would slow to an ultraslow pace then to avoid producing any discernible movement. Even in low light, the unaided human eye could detect sudden motion.

Estefan scrambled down the bank and turned right. He wove his way through the ferns and other bushes until he reached the same spot he’d used to watch Antonia’s approach. Like he had before, he climbed just high enough to peer over the edge and saw G1 running in a full sprint toward the spot where he’d disappeared over the bank. He couldn’t see G2. He grabbed a low-hanging branch and gave it a tug, making the outer reaches of its leaves shimmer in the moonlight. He ran another thirty yards and did the same thing. There was no way G1 could miss the shaking branches. The air was still. Nothing else moved down here.

He backtracked to a location well behind the spot where he’d shaken the second branch and saw what he needed. Lying against the bank, a fallen tree offered a good place to hide. Its splayed array of bare branches would conceal the sharp lines of his body. With a little luck, G1 would pass directly below him, believing he was headed for the dam. Since this hiding place was closer to the first branch he shook, G1 should be focused beyond this point, farther down the river. Estefan took a few seconds to make sure his NV visor wasn’t leaking light. Satisfied its rubber boots were pressed firmly against the skin around his eyes, he turned the gain up to maximum. It was damned dark under these trees.

“Harv, I’m in place,” he whispered.

“I’m one hundred yards from the dam and slowing my pace to a crawl. I don’t have eyes on G2. He could be hiding on the north side of the river waiting for you. Has G1 reached the tree line yet?”

“Fifteen seconds.” Estefan knew Nathan was hearing their communication.

“Are you concealed?”

“Affirm. I’m halfway up the bank. He’ll pass directly below me.”

“Give me a quick laser burst into the canopy above your position. I want to know exactly where you are.”

He clicked his radio, aimed straight up, and tapped the button on the butt of his gun. His NV made it look as bright as a camera flash, but he knew it would be virtually undetectable to the naked eye.

“I’ve got you. You’re about three hundred yards east of the dam. Sit tight. The gunmen will want to avoid shooting each other, so G1 will advance cautiously along the river. He’ll be expecting you to ambush him, so be patient and stay low.”

Estefan clicked his radio.

The collective buzz of frogs and insects was deafening down here. It had ebbed briefly when he’d disturbed the tree branches before returning to its former volume. At this point he could speak on the radio without much concern. As long as he kept his voice to a whisper, the gunman would never hear him.

He focused on the area to his left and watched super-slow movement turn into a human form.

G1 had his rifle leveled at the hip. Every so often he froze and looked around.

Decent technique
, Estefan thought.
Keep coming.
When G1 closed to within fifty feet, Estefan eased into a prone position and used a small opening under the fallen tree to watch G1’s legs—he couldn’t see the gunman’s upper body.
Crap.
He hadn’t checked for ants. Lying in a fire ant nest would definitely ruin his evening. It was a careless mistake he hoped wouldn’t prove costly.

Gun in hand, he watched the rise and fall of G1’s boots. In a few more seconds, his pursuer would pass inside five yards of his hiding place.

Estefan reminded himself to breathe.

He wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

The guy turned his direction and took two slow, measured steps.

Estefan watched in horror as G1’s boots stopped moving. Could he have been spotted? How was that possible? Estefan could see the laces were double-tied—the guy was that close.
Shit!

“I might be blown,” he whispered. “G1 stopped right in front of me.”

“Don’t move,”
Harv said.
“Give it a few more seconds. Stay calm, Estefan. You’ve seen this before. He’s probably just looking for movement.”