Operation: Valiant Angel (Shepherd Security #16)
Alpha
A rmed with the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS), loaded with 7.62 X 51 millimeter NATO rounds, Delta Force team member Jimmy ‘Taco’ Wilson lay prone atop the hard and hot stone roof. He’d been in position for over four hours, lying in wait for the high-value target. His gaze was fixed through his scope on the outdoor café area 2,600 feet away. Henry ‘Rowdy’ Wright, his spotter, was beside him. It was twelve hundred hours, and their target was an hour late for his meeting, which would be his last.
The air was still. The temperature was a stifling ninety-seven degrees, and the sun beat down on the pair relentlessly. It was just another fabulous day in the Sandbox, where Wilson had spent the majority of his adult life. But he was doing a job he was born to do. James Tressman Wilson knew from a young age that the U.S. Army was his destination after high school. His carefree summers on the Jersey shore throughout his childhood and teen years were a distant memory, a life before training, deployments, and covert operations were normal.
“Silver Mercedes,” Rowdy said. “Our target just got out of the back seat.”
Wilson moved the scope a fraction of a hair, which swung the view to the parking area beside the café. “Got him.”
Through his comms he heard the voice of his mission lead. “Take the shot when it’s available.”
“Roger,” he mumbled, focusing in and following the target, waiting until the best possible shot presented itself. Wilson exhaled a breath and relaxed, his mind in the zone, his finger on the trigger. The shot was clear. He gently squeezed the trigger. Direct hit, center mass. His target went down.
“Direct hit,” Rowdy confirmed. “Now let’s get the hell out of Dodge.”
Their escape route was, as always, clearly planned, with multiple alternate routes available. They were off the roof, boots pounding down the interior stairs, seconds later. Behind the building was the truck, with team member, John ‘Swisher’ Sweets, at the wheel. They were out of the village before the location of the shot was even identified. It was later, after nightfall, that the four-man team was picked up by a chopper and returned to their base of operation.
After a shower and a hot meal, Wilson was relaxing in his bunk when he was summoned to the CO’s office. He entered to find the familiar faces of Colonel Sam ‘Bigbear’ Shepherd and Seargeant Major John ‘Coop’ Cooper, who he had briefly served with when he first checked into the unit. They were both legends in the SpecOps community. Wilson came to attention.
“At ease,” Shepherd said. He pointed to the chair across from him.
Wilson sat, but not at ease.
“Things are nearly wrapped up here,” Shepherd began. “The target you took down today is one of the last on our scorecard. Are you ready for something different, something equally important as the work you’ve been doing here?”
“Yes, sir,” Wilson answered.
Cooper handed him a sheet of paper. It was a nondisclosure agreement. He scanned through it and signed it. Everything he did was classified top secret, so its contents were not of interest to him. He handed it back.
“I’m recruiting the best for a new unit I’ve formed. I have a place for you,” Shepherd said.
Wilson listened to Shepherd lay out the guidelines of his new team. He knew right away it was a black ops unit. He liked the idea of operating domestically to protect the U.S. directly. It sounded like their jobs would be varied. They’d interface with the alphabet agencies and the U.S. military, as well as operate on foreign soil. All sounded appealing. And the fact that it was Shepherd and Cooper who would be running this unit made it more appealing. They had his trust. He signed on the spot.
Less than a week later, he was in the suburbs of Chicago, wearing civvies, and checking into the headquarters of his new unit. Shepherd made him the team leader of the newly formed Charlie Team, which consisted of him, two Marine Raiders, and an Army combat medic. They were one of four teams Shepherd had recruited from mostly SpecOps units from all branches.