Chapter 1 #2
They stacked at the building door. Stryker tried the door and frowned when it opened.
He glanced at Talon, who nodded. Stryker pushed the door in.
The rusty creak of the hinges brought no sound from the inside.
Talon tapped Hammer on the shoulder, and they moved as one, entering the room.
Talon sweeping right, Hammer sweeping left, before they advanced.
They repeated the procedure in the hallway.
Talon saw the man in front of him as he turned, and his rifle bucked in his grip.
Double tap to the chest. The man dropped heavy and loud.
They cleared the first floor fast. Two rooms had been occupied, one a storage area with crates marked in Cyrillic.
They heard men coming down the stairs before they saw them.
Talon and Hammer waved Jug and Stryker back and waited.
Four men came down single file. Talon signaled Hammer to wait.
When the fourth man cleared the stairs, Talon lifted.
He would rather have zip-tied their asses for friendly forces to question, but when they went for their guns, it was a moot point.
They met their maker quickly and efficiently.
Hammer held up two fingers and pointed upstairs. Two remained in the building, excluding the two on the watchtower. Three, if you counted the diplomat. And Talon was damn sure counting on bringing that son of a bitch out alive.
They cleared the stairwell and turned down the hall. Three small rooms were cleared before they reached a door with new bolt latches installed at the top and bottom of the door. Only the latches weren’t engaged, which meant the last two were inside with their primary.
“Flash and clear,” Talon whispered.
Jug reached into Stryker’s backpack and pulled out a flashbang. Stryker took it, pulled the pin, keeping the handle engaged. Talon lifted three fingers and slowly lowered them one at a time. At one, Hammer kicked the door open, and Stryker slid the device into the room.
White light snapped through the room, and seconds later, shouts were heard. Talon and his team moved like a scalpel. He cut right with his weapon up, while Hammer moved left. Stryker and Jug were on their six like fucking superglue.
The two guards reeled toward the door. Talon dropped the first one with a double tap to the chest and head. The second one lunged, and Jug tackled the fucker, pinning him to the ground with his knee on the man’s windpipe.
A man in the corner blinked wildly, trying to see. His face was bruised and swollen, and the zip ties were covered in blood, but he was alive. “Ambassador Pierce, Guardian Security.”
“Thank God.” The man tried to stand but collapsed.
“Stryker.” Talon sent his medic to the man.
He glanced around the room. A flag and a video camera were set up along with two black hoods and a long sword.
Talon glanced at Jug. “They weren’t going to ransom the ambassador; they were going to kill him.
” Talon motioned to the asshole Jug was holding. “He comes with us. Keep him quiet.”
“You got it.” Jug lifted the guy and cracked him across the head with his Sig 226, knocking him out.
“Wolf, status.”
“Tower secure. Two tangos down.”
He glanced over at Stryker, who had the ambassador up and was assisting the man to walk. “Hammer, you got our six.”
“Copy.” The man fell to the rear of the procession with Talon on point. Jug slung the hostage taker over his shoulder, and Stryker stabilized the diplomat, keeping him upright and moving at their pace.
“Exiting.”
“Copy,” Wolf said. “I’ve got you. Come on out.”
“He’s a big one, Jug,” Hammer said quietly, nodding to the guy on Jug’s shoulder. “I’ll take him when you need a break.” Jug grunted in acknowledgement.
“Where are we going?” the ambassador asked.
“For a little ride.” Hopefully. They cleared the stairs and made their way through the bodies scattered on the floor. The diplomat gasped when he saw them. It was probably the first time the man had seen a dead person who wasn’t fixed up and lying in a coffin.
They exited the building, and Talon hustled to each of the vehicles.
“Keys are in all of them. Jug, tie up that fucker, and you and Hammer take the Jeep. Stryker, you, the ambassador, and sleeping beauty in the back of this one.” He tapped the back of an old SUV.
“Wolf, you’re with me. Blue piece of shit following the Jeep. ”
“Copy.”
“I’ve informed the bosses that you have the primary,” Dude said as they worked to settle the ambassador and the hostage taker.
Talon turned the key and asked, “How much gas do you have, Jug?”
“Not enough.”
Talon didn’t either.
“Hand pump is over there,” Hammer said as he grabbed a full fuel barrel and rolled it on its edge toward the vehicles.
Jug dumped his man in the back of the SUV, pushed his legs in, and slammed the door shut. Grabbing the hand pump, he cranked as they filled up the vehicles.
“Fucking failed save your own ass 101. Always make sure your vehicles are full,” Hammer grunted as he moved a second barrel toward the vehicles. Talon held the metal tip of the hose in the tank. He almost cracked a smile at that. Hammer had a way of lightening the mood, even when he wasn’t trying.
Hammer changed places with Jug and cranked like crazy, filling the Jeep. They fired up the engines and were moving within five minutes. Five very long fucking minutes. He stopped for Wolf as the man jogged toward him. Then they moved out, heading to the border and their waiting evac helicopter.
He wasn’t expecting two helicopters, but the British government had moved hell on earth to get their special forces down to the Sahel region.
They were only two hours behind Guardian, and that was fucking amazing considering how slow some governments worked.
Their special operations team would retrieve the ambassador and question the man Talon’s team had taken from the compound.
So, the diplomat and the hostage-taker went in one helicopter, and Panther team boarded the other, but not before the ambassador shook each of their hands.
“I’m alive because of you. They were going to kill me.
” He swallowed hard. “They thought it was humorous to show me exactly how they were going to lop off my head.”
“We’re glad we were in the area and could get to you in time,” Talon said and then jogged with his team toward their ride home.
He put on his headset, strapped in, and closed his eyes.
It had been a hell of a day, but it was also rewarding.
He glanced at his team through heavy eyelids.
Each of them had strapped in, and all eyes were shut.
Never stand when you can sit. Never sit when you can lie down, and never stay awake when you can sleep.
Talon closed his eyes and promptly followed his teammates.