Chapter 28
Saint clicked his comms. “Operation Leo has now commenced. When Rayven gives the signal, we go. Sitrep.
“Eagle Two right behind you,” Shadow reported.
“Eagle Three and companion check,” Cole said.
“Eagle Four in position,” Ragu responded.
“Eagle Five on my way to Eagle Four and Six,” Patch informed them.
“Eagle Six waiting for his slow ass,” Knight replied.
“Eagle Seven and Eagle Eight have a clear view,” Jake said over the comms, making Saint chuckle. The two older men were determined to help.
“Victoria here. I really don’t like this woman. Are you sure I can’t torture her a little?”
“Keep the chatter to a minimum,” Saint reminded her. “And use the call sign.”
“Why?” Victoria argued. “I want them to know I’m here. I want them to remember I’ll be back if they hurt another of my friends.”
“Damn it, Victoria. We talked about this. You can’t make her balance on one foot and drink hot coffee. She’ll get burned. Eagle…fuck, I don’t remember what number I am.”
“I know it’ll burn her. I made it extra hot. They make things so complicated. When will they learn a name instills fear? By the way, that was Ivan. Eagle Ten.”
Saint rubbed his forehead, debating whether to cut their comms.
“You can’t. We may need them,” Shadow whispered behind him. “I know what you’re thinking, brother. Don’t do it.”
Glancing back at Doc and Taco, he nodded.
A big boom shook the ground beneath them, signaling Rayven’s distraction. The team took off, running down the path where she stood.
They followed her into the back of a cave and down a pair of wooden steps. Amena stood waiting to take them to their leader.
“I must signal my team,” Rayven told Shadow. “You’re on your own. You never saw me.”
“What if I need to get in touch with you?” he asked.
She grinned and said, “When you find me, give me a tweet.” She turned to the doctor. “Hurry, Amena. The others are waiting.”
“Follow me,” Amena said, motioning them through the tunnel. Shadow took out his flashlight to see which way she headed.
“Remember the pattern,” Saint said. “Right, right, left and right, if we get separated.”
“We’re not getting separated again,” Shadow vowed.
Amena stopped and pointed toward a wooden slab. An old man with a beard lay on it, appearing on his deathbed.
“It’s him. Your friend, Leo,” Amena said, encouraging them forward before leaving.
“Doc, you better go first,” Saint ordered.
Entering the small space, Doc leaned over the frail man dressed in orange pants and a yellow shirt. His beard covered most of it. His hair fell over his shoulders, and his eyes remained closed.
Doc’s heart raced as he put his hand to his neck to check for a pulse. Leo’s eyes slowly opened and widened at the sight of his best friend.
“Leo,” he breathed before he turned back to the team. “He’s a sack of bones, but he’s alive,” Doc announced.
Leo lay there, staring up at the men he dreamed about daily. “I’m dead,” he said, his voice sounding strained.
“You’re very much alive,” Doc assured him. “It’s damn good to see you,” he said, his voice full of emotion.
“Doc?” Leo asked, his voice sounding scratchy and raw.
“Yeah. Can you move?” he asked.
Leo struggled to sit up, and a large hand helped. He glanced up, seeing Saint, Shadow, and Taco.
“Eagle One, you need to get a move on. We have company,” Knight warned them. “They came?—”
“What the hell happened?” Saint asked.
“They must be scrambling the signal. Our comms went dead,” Shadow replied, tapping his ear.
A blast from the right side of the cave spurred them into action. Saint grabbed Leo’s arm and tossed him over his shoulder.
“Shadow, lead the way,” Saint commanded.
Another blast shook the walls as they moved through the tunnel. Dirt fell around them, making it difficult to see.
“Help, help,” Amena cried out.
“She’s to the left. Taco, can you reach her?” Saint called out.
“I see her. Rayven’s with her,” he reported. “What happened?”
Rayven glanced down, where a metal stake pinned her to the dirt wall. “Amena, go with them,” she ordered.
“No. I’m staying to help you,” she said stubbornly.
“Doc, I need a hand,” Taco shouted. A minute later, Doc found them. “We can’t remove the stake,” he said. “Taco, use your hand and start shoveling the loose dirt around the rod. Amena, I need you to hold Rayven so she doesn’t move forward.”
The trio worked as blasts surrounded them. When the rod moved, Taco gently pulled her from the wall, and Doc helped him put her over his shoulder.
“Amena. Go with these men. My team will find you. They’ll keep you safe until then,” Rayven said sluggishly.
“She’s in shock,” Doc said. We can’t do anything about it. How will we make it across? The rest of the team won’t hear or see us.”
Shadow helped Saint climb the wooden steps from the tunnel to enter the cave. He reached down, helping Amena through the opening, and then Doc maneuvered Taco with Rayven.
“We’re pinned in. They know about the tunnels. It’s only a matter of time before they start coming through the hole or into the cave,” Shadow said, making his way toward the front. “We can’t get out. They’re coming up the mountain.”
* * *
Jake and Joe watched the scene below. Fires burned everywhere and the sound of human misery filled the air.
“Where are the boys?” Jake said, annoyed. “These dang earpieces aren’t working.”
“Maybe they can’t reach us, and they’re waiting,” Joe suggested. “I’m going up the mountain a little ways. Maybe I can get a better signal.”
“Be careful,” Jake said as he kept his eyes on Knight and Ragu, who seemed as flustered as they felt.
Joe climbed the rocky terrain and took out the satellite phone Victoria handed him. He pressed the first number, not knowing who he called.
“Victoria, what kind of trouble did you land yourself in now?” the voice asked.
“Victoria gave me this phone. I’m Joe. Our boys are in trouble, and we need help.”
“Hello, Joe. It’s Tex, Patch’s friend. Hold on. I’m triangulating your location now.
“The boys put us high up and out of danger. They’re below. We can’t see if they made it out of the tunnel, and the assailants are closing in around the cave,” Joe explained.
“I’ll relay the message. Can you send a signal where my team can clear a path?”
“We’ll figure out something,” Joe said, running back down the mountain. “I’ll lose my signal. We’ll show you the way.”
The line went dead, and Joe stuffed the phone in his pocket as he ran toward his friend. “We have to give them a signal. Help is coming, and they need a path.”
Jake nodded and ran where they last saw the team enter.
“How will we get their attention?” Jake yelled.
They scanned the area, searching for something to use. “We’ll have to go above the cave. We need to start a fire. We can send an SOS,” Joe said, pointing toward the dried brush above the cave.
Knight aimed at a target coming toward the two men and fired. He waved them back, and Joe pointed toward the cave and then toward the sky.
“What do you think those fools are up to?” Ragu yelled as he took down another.
“They must have a plan. Let’s keep those assholes off them until we see the team,” Knight yelled back. Patch ran toward a burning building, helping an old woman and a child escape from a window.
“We need him up here,” Ragu said. “Get his attention.”
Knight aimed his weapon and fired, sending Patch running where they wanted him to go. When he got close, Knight whistled loudly above the chaos.
Patch searched for the noise, immediately recognizing his friend’s call. When his friend saw him, he hightailed his way toward them.
Knight took down another as Jake bent and set fire to the brush.
“What the hell are they doing?” Patch asked.
“We don’t know. Joe pointed to the sky. Our comms won’t work. Have you seen Cole?” Knight asked.
“He’s supposed to stay over there.” Patch pointed to the empty space across the way.”
“Shit. Ragu, can you cover them?” Knight shouted. “Cole’s missing.”
Ragu waved to them, telling them to go.
Knight covered Patch as they made their way to the empty space. Cole lay on his stomach and signaled the dogs to attack as two teen village girls found themselves surrounded by the enemy.
Knight aimed and sent the attackers running. Patch fired as Cole retrieved the dogs and sent the young women in another direction.
Cole ran toward them, and they made their way back to Ragu.
“It seems the team must be stuck in the cave. I’m picking them off left and right, but I have no way to tell Saint when it’s clear.”
“They’re surrounding the area,” Cole said. “I’m not sure how we’ll get past them.”
“Look,” Knight exclaimed. “Jake and Joe are sending an SOS.”
“We can’t reach Victoria and Ivan,” Patch asked. “We gotta get to them.”
The sound of helos overhead made them peer upward. They took turns sweeping near the cave and eliminating the threat. One of the helos landed, and men piled out. They motioned for Jake and Joe to get inside the aircraft as they moved toward the cave.
“Knight, cover us while we head down,” Ragu said as he ran toward his brothers.
Cole signaled the dogs down as he watched the men.
“I recognize them,” Knight said. “It’s Ghost and his team.”
Ten minutes later, Ghost entered the cave as his men handled the insurgents.
Ragu worked alongside them, and Cole sent the K-9s to keep others from reaching the cave.
Patch and Knight worked their way toward the men.
As they entered, they saw Doc working on Shadow’s friend Rayven.
Ghost picked her up, and they headed toward the helos.
Saint gestured for them to follow. Once all the men and K-9s loaded up, the helos raced through the sky.
“It’s damn good to see you,” Saint said to Ghost.
“I thought you went home,” Ghost replied.
“We’re leaving today,” Saint said. “We needed to pick up an important package first.” He gazed down at the floor, where Patch and Doc worked on Leo and Rayven. Amena clung to Cole, afraid of the swift ride.
Saint pointed to the planes waiting to take them home.
The first helo touched down, and some of Ghost’s team jumped off to assist with the second helo, while Fish helped Jake and Joe off, then Saint, Taco, Shadow, and Ragu.
The remaining brothers from Ghost’s team helped move Leo and Rayven while Cole jumped off with the K-9s and the rest of the team.
Saint shook Ghost’s hand. “Thanks for the save. If we can ever return the favor.”
“Take care of Leo, and when you have some free time, come join us for a beer.” Ghost replied. “Tell Leo to keep in touch.”
“Will do,” Saint said, as the team loaded back into their helos and spun up.
Doc and Patch followed their patients up the stairs, and Saint took a headcount. Sparky, Cole, Hollywood, Joe, Jake, Ragu, Taco, Shadow, Whiskey, Rocker, Knight, Doc, Victoria, Ivan and…Leo.