Chapter 24
CHAPTER 24
A s they slowly rolled onto the small road where he’d met Al for the first time, Ronan glanced at the sky. There was hardly any moon, which was good for them. But they needed to hurry. If the militia didn’t return soon, Miller and Mathias might get antsy and bolt. What that meant for Fleur, he had no idea.
He stood up and motioned for the following Jeep to stop and cut the engine. “Shelly?” Ronan said quietly.
A rustle on his right brought every gun to bear on that side of the road. Shelly emerged and gasped, lifting her arms immediately. “Don’t shoot.”
“Wolf is bad,” Jug said as he moved out of the Jeep and grabbed her arm .
“Where is he?” Shelly was instantly business.
“Back here.” Jug moved her to the back Jeep.
The bushes rustled again, and Rana appeared. She was met with the same weapons. “Ronan?” she squeaked.
“Yes, Rana, right?”
“Yes. I’m worried about Fleur. She was acting different. Suspicious. When the militia pulled out, we knew it was bad news.”
“Tell me what was happening at the camp today.” He needed as much intel as he could get. Rana rubbed her arms. “The normal things. The day wasn’t any different. People were lined up for lunch; there was enough food, and no one went without. The hospital line was longer than normal. Several of the staff had injuries from digging the latrine areas. Blisters from shovel work, one had a swollen ankle from twisting it in a hole they were digging. Miller was checking on the dig. He was with Mathias for a long time. I think Fleur was watching them, but …” She shook her head. “Nothing was out of the ordinary except your convoy and the militia … oh, the ones on post left right after you did. A Jeep came and collected them all. But there are only three vehicles left at their camp. ”
Ronan nodded. “Thank you. Do you know where Al went?”
“To find Fleur.” She looked at Shelly. “He told me he saw Miller with a gun. He didn’t want to worry Shelly, so he only told me. Why would Miller have a gun?”
“Miller isn’t who he represented himself as, Rana. We’re going to take care of that.”
“And Fleur?”
He closed his eyes momentarily. “I’ll find her. Come hell or high water, I’ll find her, and if they hurt her, they will pay.”
Rana stared up at him. “Good.”
“Rana, come help me, please,” Shelly called to her, and the woman looked at him for permission. When he nodded, she moved quickly to Shelly’s side.
“We ready?” Deacon asked him.
Ronan mentally surveyed his equipment and then looked at his men. They were there and ready. “Let’s do it,” he said.
They set out in a quick jog that ate up the terrain between them and the camp. Before they emerged in the clear zone of the camp, Ronan led them down to the equipment area. No outposts were manned by militia, so no one would see them coming. Still, they moved quietly and low-crawled across the clear zone slowly but with purpose. Ronan signaled for the cutters. Wraith fished them out of Jug’s pack and handed them to him. He snapped the plastic ties that kept the wire mesh in place. A bullshit patch job at best. Fucker was planning on using this hole again, that much was obvious.
He pushed the mesh in and went through. He navigated through the equipment and stopped. Something was off. He turned and looked at Wraith. “Where’s the tractor?”
Wraith spun and examined the equipment. “Unknown.”
Ronan waited for each of the men to get through the opening in the fence. When they had, he advanced to the area behind the structure tent. He held for a moment to ensure he didn’t hear anyone in the tent before using the cutters. This patch was done well, of course. This patch was the one Ronan had watched the fucker fix. After he’d made the hole. The son of a bitch. Ronan worked as quickly as he dared. The sound of metal snipping was distinct, but there was no one around. The tent was dark. Which meant Miller and Mathias had told the night crew not to worry about showing up.
He bent the wire mesh in and moved through the hole. He moved to the corner of the tent and examined the route forward, noting little movement in the camp. People were settling in for the night. Wraith tapped him on the shoulder, letting him know everyone was through the opening. He nodded and moved out.
They advanced to the junction of the pathway, and he looked back and found Deacon. In sign language, he told his brother, “Left. Fourth tent, this side.”
Deacon nodded and signed back, “Rear entry.”
Ronan nodded and signed, “Wait for my signal.”
Deacon nodded. Ronan and his team moved right, leaving Deacon and Cobra team to handle Mathias. He moved, and as one, his team followed. A laugh and conversation from one of the tents they were passing froze the entire team. Ronan held his fist up and waited. When no one exited, he released his fist and moved.
They made it to Miller’s tent. Ronan knew exactly where the fucker’s bed was, but he knew Miller wouldn’t be in bed. He’d be waiting for Habib to come back. He positioned himself behind where Miller’s desk would be while Wraith stood quietly with his Interceptor 911 poised to slice through the canvas. The knife was older than he was, but it was sharper than a fucking razor .
Ronan looked at the rest of his team and received nods. He held his earpiece for three seconds to send the emergency sound through it. Dude’s voice came across the comms, “Standby. In three, two, one, go.”
Wraith stabbed through the canvas and used his body weight to shred the canvas. Ronan was the first in the tent. There was no one in the desk area. He rushed through to the bed. Nothing. “Empty.”
“Same.” Deacon’s voice informed him.
“Where the fuck are they?” He moved to the front of the tent and peered through a crack in the flap.
“Satellite is online, Skipper. How can I help?”
“Keep an eye open for anyone approaching and look for anything unusual.” Ronan looked at Wraith. “Would they be waiting for Habib at the militia’s camp?”
“Could be.” He nodded. “They weren’t in the structure tent.”
“Deacon, rendezvous my location.”
“Copy.”
“Skipper, there are no vehicles active except the one at the edge of the camp. From the magnification, it looks like a tractor. Two human heat signatures. The camp is full of heat signatures, but none that are on the move.”
Ronan frowned. “What edge? ”
“Ah, southern,” Dude said.
“What the fuck are they doing?” Ronan walked out of the tent. Deacon’s team was there moments later. “Southern edge?”
“Yes, in a minute.”
“Wraith, Jug, our camp, NVGs.”
“Copy.” Both men moved like apparitions across the open expanse, and he watched as his men went into the tent and then checked Fleur’s tent before coming back.
He glanced at Wraith in question, and Wraith noted, “Had to make sure Al wasn’t setting us up.”
Ronan nodded. Wraith was one suspicious son of a bitch, and he was damn glad he was on his side. His men handed out the NVGs then moved using the clear zone to keep away from tents. Since the clear zone was only lit on one side, closest to the militia camp, they made fast time.
As they approached, they dropped and worked their way closer, keeping out of sight. Ronan lowered his NVGs and looked across the darkness, careful to avoid looking toward the tractor’s headlights. He could see Mathias on the tractor and Miller on his hands and knees near the front of the damn thing. What the fuck were they doing?
“You see this, Deacon? ”
“Yes. Are they digging something up or burying it?”
“Don’t know. But that’s them.” He searched for Fleur but didn’t see her.
“Where’s your woman?” Deacon asked.
“I don’t know. But they do,” Ronan said. “Ready?”
“Give us five minutes to get on the other side.” Deacon motioned for his team, and from years of practiced movements and hundreds of missions, his team expanded the space between them to encircle the targets completely.
The tractor sputtered to a stop, and Mathias got down. Ronan advanced, and his team followed suit. He crawled silently, working closer as he knew Deacon’s team would be doing.
Mathias lifted the cover of the tractor, and Ronan could hear the men arguing over something. Fixated on the men, he moved closer.
“Ready.” Deacon’s voice over the comms was fucking the best thing he’d heard all day.
“Now.” Ronan launched to his feet and lifted his weapon to firing position. His team advanced at a fast walk. When Miller saw them, it was too late. The man lunged for a rifle propped on the tractor’s tire. Jug’s shot echoed, splitting the silence. The tire on the tractor thwapped as the 5.56 bullet pierced the thick rubber. Miller’s arms went up immediately. Mathias spun and swore.
“Arms up, or you’re dead.” That was Deacon.
The sound of people behind them spun both of their heads. “Son of a bitch,” Mathias said. He feigned the attempt to lift his arms but instead lunged toward the rifle. Ronan’s finger squeezed the trigger of his M-4, and Mathias grunted and dropped. Miller shrieked like a little girl and lifted his hands higher.
“You’ll join him,” Ronan growled.
Miller shook his head. “You need me.”
“For what, you fucking bastard?”
“You’ll never find her if I don’t tell you where she is.”
Ronan walked up to the man and used the butt of his weapon to hit the man in the gut. Miller groaned and dropped to his knees. Ronan lifted his knee into the man’s chin and sent him flying backward. He handed his weapon to Wraith and lifted the man. His teeth were bleeding, and he had a bloody nose. “Tell me where she is, or I’ll spend the next twenty-four hours peeling your skin from your body.”
Miller spat at him. “You won’t. She’ll die if I don’t tell you where she is.”
“Knife.” Ronan held out his hand, and that fucking massive Interceptor 911 was placed in his palm. “What you fail to realize is I will, and if she dies, your death will be worse.” He placed the knife on the bridge of Miller’s nose and pushed down.
“Stop!” Miller squirmed, but Jug and Wraith pinned him against the tractor. Ronan lifted the blade and pulled. The skin that tore away from the man’s nose erupted in blood. Ronan cut the skin off at the tip of the nose. Miller’s scream was piercing, and people started pouring out of the camp's tents.
Ronan grabbed the man’s cheeks and shook him. “Where is she?”
Miller wasn’t listening. Ronan got his attention by pushing the knife over one ear. The man cried, “No, no, don’t. Please.”
“You have a way to stop this. Where. Is. She?” Ronan sneered. “I can keep you alive for a long, long time. This isn’t my first rodeo.” He applied pressure to the top of Miller’s ear.
“Buried. We buried her!” Miller shrieked.
“Here?” Ronan pushed the man to the dirt.
“Yes, yes.”
“How the fuck is she going to get air?”
“The tube.” Miller pointed.
Wraith was there in an instant. “A fucking garden hose. You think this would give her enough air?” Wraith’s teeth bared. “Jug, the tractor.”
“Stryker, your arm won’t tolerate digging. Take this motherfucker, and if he moves an inch, take his ear.”
“You got it, Skipper.”
“It won’t start.”
“Ace, get it working,” Deacon said. “We need tools.”
“What’s going on out here?”
Ronan spun. There were about ten men from the camp. “Miller and Mathias buried Fleur alive.”
“What?” the leader of the structures team asked. “What are you talking about?”
“They’re the ones cutting the holes and sacrificing the IDPs. They informed on the convoys.” Ronan pointed at Miller.
The man looked at Miller. “Is that true?”
Stryker held the knife against the man’s ear. “Tell him.”
“Yes!” Miller squealed. “Yes!”
“We need shovels. The tractor stopped!” Deacon yelled.
“I can fix the damn thing.” The man approached. “It’s a temperamental bitch.” He elbowed Ace out of the way. “Here, the wire fell off again.” The man looked at Jug. “Try it again.”
Jug hit the start button, and it fired up. “We can help.” The lead whistled. “Red team. Picks and shovels, hurry, she won’t have long.”
The men ran back to the camp. “What about him?” the lead asked, pointing at Mathias.
“He’s dead,” Jug said.
“You move him. I’ll move the dirt,” the lead said, changing places with Jug.
“The hose giving her air is here.” Ronan picked up the length of hose.
“Keep an eye on it. I’ll work away from it, but if we snag it, she’s done,” the man said before powering up the tractor.
The other men arrived with shovels, and Ronan started digging out the hose, being careful not to disturb it. Before he knew it, there were more shovels than men on his team. He looked up and was amazed at what he saw. Not only was the structure’s team helping, but IDPs were using boards, plastic, and whatever they could to help dig Fleur out.
Al was beside him with a shovel. He looked at Ronan. “The ones Habib left to protect them are dead.”
Ronan continued working. “You take them out? ”
“Yes. They told me they were burying her. I ran here. I pray we’re not too late.”
“We aren’t,” Ronan grunted as he shoveled like a madman. He wouldn’t believe it. He couldn’t.
Time lost meaning. Dirt was the measurement. They were in a pit five feet deep before someone yelled. Ronan glanced up and stumbled over to an area about five feet from where they were still unburying the hose.
He fell to his knees and used his shovel to scoop away the dirt on the top of a fucking wooden box. He found where the hose was shoved through a hole. The fucking thing had space between the boards.
He used his hands to jamb the shovel between the boards. “Here.” Deacon grabbed the shovel and gave him a hooligan tool. He pried the boards loose. Dirt fell into the box. “Fleur!” He ripped two boards off and grabbed a flashlight that someone was holding. He shoved his way into the box. She was there; dirt covered her body, but there was a cloth over her head. He lifted it away and placed his fingers on her throat. “Please, baby. Please be alive,” he whispered as he felt for a pulse. It was there. Thank God. He shouted, “She’s alive!”
A cheer rose around him as he flicked the cloth over her face before pushing himself back out of the box. “Careful, no more dirt,” he said, and they swept the dirt away. He used the tool and loosened the boards. When he could, he reached into the box and pulled her out.
He carried her to the pit's edge and handed her to Deacon, who was halfway up the five-foot drop. Turning carefully, Deacon handed her to Bandit. Ace grabbed Deacon’s hand, and Deacon grabbed his. They were up the wall in moments. Bandit had a blood pressure cuff on Fleur already. Deacon asked what Ronan was wondering, “Why are you here?”
“We heard everything and knew we would be needed. Shelly should be …”
“Move, please. Get out of my way, please, move.” Shelly elbowed through the crowd of people with her medical bag. “Was she knocked unconscious?”
“I don’t know,” Ronan said as he dropped to his knees. “Stryker, get that fucker to tell you what he did.”
“Ah, Skipper, he’s not in my custody anymore.”
Ronan lurched to his feet simultaneously as did Ace, Deacon, and Bandit. “What the fuck?”
The women of the camp had surrounded Miller and begun pushing him toward the pit. “Should we stop them?” Deacon asked .
“How are you going to do that? Shoot them?” Ronan asked. Miller was shoved and fell five feet into the pit. He landed on his leg wrong, and fuck, that had to be broken. Only it wasn’t the end of what the women had in store for him. The first rock flew into the pit, striking Miller in the chest. Ronan watched as each woman in the camp stepped forward and took turns stoning the man who was guilty of so much treachery.
Al was beside him. “My people tell me government forces are investigating what happened to the convoy. They’ll be here by morning.”
He looked down at Fleur to see Shelly had an IV started. “I don’t see any head or neck trauma,” Shelly said and looked up at him. “We need to take her to the hospital tent. Wolf is there.”
“I’ll carry her.” Ronan leaned down and picked her up. “Wraith, Deacon, you have mop up.”
“Copy,” both men acknowledged.
“Alpha, any word on the air evac?” Ronan asked as he walked through the crowd, waiting their turn to throw a stone at Miller.
“Thirty minutes out. Jordanian helicopter and crew. What about Mathias and Miller?”
Ronan answered, “Mathias went for a weapon. He’s dead. Miller … ”
Deacon finished for him, “The women are stoning him.”
“Repeat that?” Shocked, Alpha asked for clarification.
“Stoning. Throwing rocks. They found out he was inside the camp and informing on the convoys.”
“How did they find that out?”
“Fuck if I know,” Deacon said. “I don’t want to be killed, so I’m not stopping them.”
“Nothing will stop them,” Jug said. “This is their justice.”
“Doesn’t bode well for the inquiries that’ll be coming.” Alpha sighed.
“From whom?” Ronan asked as he carefully walked toward the medical tent. Shelly was right beside him, carrying the IV.
“Every NGO that was lied to, the host national government, and the UN.”
Deacon chuffed, “So, just about everyone.”
“Yeah,” Alpha said. “We’ll peel it back and find the answers. Do we have someone who can stay and take control of the camp until we know what the hell is going to happen to it?”
“We can, Alpha.” That was Deacon. “Panther One has two down. We’ll make sure the IDPs get moved or stay safe if they aren’t going to close down. ”
Ronan looked at the woman in his arms. “Jug and Wraith can stay to help. Stryker, Wolf, and I will fly to Jordan. Once I know my people are safe, Stryker and I will return.”
There was a long, quiet pause on all the comms. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”
He gritted his teeth and answered, “Hell no, Uncle Jacob. It’s the last thing I want to do, but it’s my responsibility to see this mission through to the end. Once they’re safe, I’ll return. Whatever it takes isn’t just a motto to me. It’s in my blood. It’s my legacy, and I’ll answer that call every damn time.”