Chapter 23
Apple was in the rear, making sure no one snuck up on them.
They were making their way across the scrubby landscape, dealing with marshes and peat bogs housing all sorts of animals and reptiles.
He hated this part of the job. Guys with guns, he could manage.
Snakes slithering across the land, he hated.
They made it to dry land and were making their way through the thick foliage filled with scrubby underbrush when they heard a car on a road up ahead.
“How many roads into this area?” Shine asked.
“Not many,” Squat answered.
Jay grunted. “It has to be someone from the compound.”
Apple hung back as Sharp moved closer to the road, staying hidden as he watched the vehicle drive past. After a few seconds, Sharp was back with them.
“It was a van going toward the compound.”
“Who could that be?” Shine asked.
“Don’t know, but we take them down. We’ve waited too long. This could be a move we don’t want them to make.”
The initial information had this cell acting in a few weeks. Were they moving before then? Could they be set to do something terrible in a much shorter timeline than the Navy had estimated? What if their plans were being enacted now?
They had to accomplish their task now. They couldn’t wait for the people in the van to leave.
“We’re still going in, right?” Apple asked.
“Yes. We take this guy out tonight,” Sharp said.
Relief washed through Apple. They moved out, and Apple once again followed the group.
No more cars drove past as they approached the compound.
No one waited for them outside. A part of him was shocked they didn't have someone sitting outside watching the surrounding area.
Maybe they thought they had a good handle on the area and didn't need to keep watch.
It was a small island, and few people were nearby.
Their reputation was fairly awful. Maybe the locals knew not to bother them.
“Apple and Squat, you two go around back.”
Apple nodded. “Got it.”
Squat led them around the side of the building to the back. Apple took the left side of the back, and Squat headed over to the right side. They could see the back and up the sides. Everything seemed quiet, like they expected.
The back had a door along with two windows, but the windows were currently covered with wood. The people inside weren’t planning on escaping by the windows. It would make corralling the terrorists easier. The only way for them to get out back here was through the door.
There were windows on the sides of the house but no doors. If the people inside decided to bail and escape out the back, he and Squat would take them out.
Sharp gave the signal, and he heard the crash of the door being breached, followed by people yelling. He was ready, but this moment in a mission always got him. He refocused, preparing for someone to rush out the back door.
Five seconds later, the door opened, and Squat took the first shot, dropping the guy. Apple took out the second runner. The third person dropped to the ground before either of them took a shot.
“Clear inside,” Shine said.
“That didn’t take long,” Squat said.
Apple chuckled. It hadn’t taken them long. He guessed the resistance wasn’t tough. “No one approaching from the rear,” Apple said.
Squat waved to him. “I’m going around to the front.”
Apple lifted his chin, watching as Squat took off.
They had the place secure, and it didn’t sound like anyone else was coming to join them.
He was glad the mission had gone off so well.
Maybe it was premature to think about success.
He sure as heck wasn’t going to say anything and curse the mission.
Not that he believed in that stuff, but it didn’t hurt to pretend he believed in it.
Sharp said they had everything taken care of inside. They would take off and head back to the beach in a few since their job was done. He turned, scanning the tree line, not expecting to see anything, but he caught movement.
“Someone is in the forest back here,” Apple said. “He doesn’t see me.”
“Weapon?” Jay asked.
He squinted, taking them in. “Not that I see.”
“I’ll be there in a few seconds,” Shine said.
Apple moved, positioning himself so a tree was between himself and the guy standing at the edge of the forest. Shine came around the side of the house and approached.
“What do you want to do?” Shine asked.
“I’ll approach, find out what’s going on.”
“I’ll back you up.”
Apple moved slowly, taking a route that would position him coming up behind the man instead of from the front. The forest made noise, but Apple moved like a whisper. He was about five feet from the man when the guy turned. He yelped and held up his hands.
“Down on your knees,” Apple said. The guy tilted his head to the side. “Lutut.”
The guy dropped to his knees. Apple was thankful he knew a few words. The man put his hands on top of his head as he stared up at Apple. The guy didn’t smell clean, not someone who had access to a daily shower.
Shine came up from the rear. “Who is he?”
Apple didn’t lower his weapon. The guy could be dangerous. “No clue. We didn’t get that far.”
Shine moved in close, searching the man. “No weapons.”
“Get Jay out here. He has the translator.”
Shine spoke over coms and Jay said he would be outside in a few. The unit they had was loaded with multiple dialects for the languages spoken in this area. At least they could question this guy and find out what he was doing.
Jay came out and started questioning the guy.
The device wasn't one hundred percent, but it was good enough to learn that the man was a local and hated these men.
He'd been harassed by them more than once, and his daughter had been raped by them.
He wasn't sad for them to be killed. He just wished he'd been the person to do it.
Jay kept talking to the man for another five minutes, relaying the information to Sharp. They decided to let the man go home. He wasn’t a problem since he had no association to the terrorists.
After the guy left, Apple and Griz followed him for about two miles, seeing that he entered a hut that didn’t look sturdy enough to withstand a bad storm.
There were no other people around. That made his story seem even more truthful.
They left the guy and met up with the rest of the team.
They were good to leave. Missions like this left him satisfied.
This mission was a success, that much he was glad for. He was also happy they were headed home. He liked that word.
Home. It felt good thinking about home.
He hoped Amelia hadn’t experienced any problems with him gone. The other women would be around for her, but she still had to get through every day. The therapist she’d found was helping, and he was glad for that.
“Yo, Apple, you good?” Griz asked as they approached the beach where they would meet up with the rubber-raiding rafts.
“Yeah.”
Griz nodded, then leaned in. “Don't get distracted.”
“Not me.” He couldn’t believe he’d allowed thoughts of Amelia to creep in. He pushed away thoughts of Amelia and Lainey. Later, once they were on the flight home, he could obsess about her.
Shine pulled out a pair of binoculars and checked the sea for their ride. He didn't give the thumbs up, which meant their guys weren't out there. They needed to show up soon. The sun would be coming up in about two hours, and they needed to be off this beach before then.
Sharp grabbed the radio and called in, stating that they needed a ride. Apple didn’t hear the answer, but he knew it wasn’t looking good based on the frown on Sharp’s face.
“What’s wrong?” Apple asked.
“Another tsunami warning. This one is aimed at us. We need to get as far inland as possible. We have twenty minutes before it hits. The rafts were already having issues and were called back.”
Shine turned, his binoculars scanning the dark landscape. He lowered his hand and checked the compass. “We need to travel due west. There’s a rise about sixteen hundred meters in.”
They took off at a jog, covering the distance fairly fast. The dense foliage slowed them, but they were on top of the rise before the twenty minutes hit.
“Anywhere higher that is close?” Sharp asked.
Both Shine and Griz were looking, but they both shook their heads. Griz pointed to his right. “Anything high enough is too far to get to, and we have to go through a very low valley.”
Sharp shook his head. “Shit. I don’t like this.”
“Why didn’t we get a warning?” Jay asked.
“The earthquake probably struck close.”
Apple nodded. “We're about twenty feet higher than sea level. Hopefully, we'll be okay.”
“Yeah, hopefully.”
They waited, their binoculars trained on the water.
They were waiting for disaster to strike, which didn’t really feel good.
Apple could deal with water, but tsunamis were different beasts.
It wasn’t just water, it was force. They would need to use every skill available if the water rushed over them. He didn’t know if they would survive.
The air grew thick around them as tensions mounted. All the guys were good swimmers, but none of them had ever faced a tsunami before.
Five minutes after they climbed the rise, Apple saw the first signs of the tsunami. The water pulled away from the beach, not too far, but far enough for him to see the normally wet ocean floor.
It pulled back more than he’d expected. Then the water rushed in, pushing at the beach, rolling up past the berm they’d been standing on earlier. It toppled the first row of trees then the second row. He watched as trees bowed and then caved as the water pushed in.
The hair on Apple's arms stood on end, and gooseflesh covered his shoulders and trailed up his neck. Watching the water take over and push everything in its path out of the way was sobering.
“Damn,” Griz said. “That went much farther inland than I thought.”
They would have been swept out to sea if they’d stayed in their position at the beach. The water rushed out, leaving a mess behind. As the water receded Apple heard the chop-chop of a helicopter.
“Looks like we have a ride,” Apple said.
Sharp called in, and his lips broke out in a huge smile. “Looks like we won’t have to make our way back to the beach. There’s a clearing about two hundred meters away. Let’s go.”
They took off at a jog, heading to the clearing. The water could come back if another earthquake hit. This island didn’t have too many high spots. They’d been lucky. If the water had more force, it could have wiped them all out.
Loading into the helicopter was fast. He was glad they were getting off this patch of dirt. They headed out to the carrier they'd been on before. At least they were going back to the same ship. They'd get showers and some food, pick up any gear they'd left there, and then head back to the States.
Amelia would be happy to see him. At least she would in his mind. What if she decided not to stick around? He couldn't worry about that now. Focus was still required. He checked their surroundings, and everything seemed good. The guys flying were in control. He really could relax.
He let go of what felt like a breath he'd been holding. He needed to chill out. He had served for years and kept his focus. He could do it now. Amelia and Lainey might be in his life, but he still was a SEAL.
The carrier was in deep water, so the flight took a little time. Once on the ship, they showered and met up to eat. The ship was serving breakfast, so they all loaded up on eggs and bacon. He picked up two croissants and a muffin, too, then sat across from Griz.
“You good?” Griz asked.
He nodded. “Glad that is over, and we can go home.”
Griz laughed. “You’re just like the rest of the guys with women. Once the mission ends, you all want to head home.”
“Of course we do,” Sharp said as he sat next to Griz.
“Do what?” Shine asked.
Sharp pointed his fork at Shine. “Get home to our women.”
Shine nodded. “Oh yeah. I can’t wait to get home. Griz, you’ll find someone soon enough.”
Griz shook his head. “No, thank you. I'm not interested.”
Apple stayed quiet. Everyone said that, but that didn’t mean they really thought that way. There were plenty of guys who stated they didn’t want to be involved when they really wanted someone.
The issue was, getting the wrong someone sucked.
He’d felt that for years after Tara. He had made a mistake in trusting her.
Letting her into his life had almost ruined him.
Seeing the damage potential was easy now that he was on this side of it.
Back then, he’d not been wise enough to see the potential harm.
He didn't think he was all-knowing, but he at least saw things a little better now.
Mistakes happened. Like how he'd seen Nichole, but that had been solved fast. He wouldn’t be right all the time, and he didn't need to be.
At least he had a fairly good feeling about Amelia, and he couldn't wait to get home to her.