Point of Crisis (37 page)

“Ragan! Let’s go!” he said, slapping the unconscious Marine still hanging in his harness.

The Marine stirred, regaining some motor control, but Alex didn’t have time to nurse him along. He pulled the corporal toward the middle of the Matvee and released his buckle, jarring him back to consciousness with a short fall.

“We need to get out of here!” said Alex, starting to cough.

Corporal Ragan squinted with a confused look. “Why can’t I hear?” he yelled, scanning the cabin. “What the fuck happened?”

Alex grabbed the marine’s vest and pulled him close. “Ragan!” he said. “Look at me!”

Ragan’s wild eyes settled on Alex.

“We’re trapped inside a burning vehicle! Jackson is dead, and Lianez is fucked up!”

A thump hit the door behind Alex, distracting him long enough to see a burning hand press against the window.

“Fuck!” said Ragan, fumbling for his door handle.

Alex dove across the vehicle, stopping him. “It’s not safe! Hostiles! We have to exit through the rear hatch, together! Find your rifle!”

Snatching his HK416 from the front of the vehicle, Alex crawled over Jackson and leaned against the scorching hatch, waiting for Ragan to join him. When they were both next to the door, he lifted the handle and nodded at Ragan, who kicked the hatch open. Alex scrambled clear of the blaze, kneeling in the grass and aiming toward the road. The SUV was gone.

“Right side clear!” he yelled, feeling the ground sway under him.

“Left side clear!” answered Ragan.

“We have to get them out!” said Alex, taking a few wobbly steps toward the fire.

His vision blurred, narrowing as the familiar dark shape of a Matvee roared into the intersection.

Chapter 39

EVENT +21 Days

Forward Operating Base “Lakeside”

Regional Recovery Zone 1

Alex bolted upright, coughing—trying to make sense of his surroundings. He sat in a dark space on a hard floor. The floor jolted, bouncing his head off of something hard and fixed.

My helmet’s gone.

A pair of hands pushed against his chest. He reached for his pistol, suddenly remembering that he’d dropped it in the Matvee.

“Sir, I need you to lie back down!” said a familiar voice. “God damn it, Allen, will you watch the fucking road! He might have a head injury!”

“I’m trying! We’re almost there,” replied the driver.

Sergeant Keeler. Corporal Allen.

He was in friendly hands. For a moment, he thought Eli might have captured him. He hated to think what the man would do to him or any of his family if they were captured.

“Lianez and Ragan?” asked Alex.

“They’re fine, sir. Both up front. Jackson’s with Guardian Two-One, back at the site.”

“Jackson,” mumbled Alex, shaking his head. “Any sign of Eli?”

“Don’t know yet. We saw one crispy critter next to your Matvee, but we couldn’t get close. We barely got your guys out.”

“I won’t stop until Eli Russell is dead. That’s my promise to Jackson.”

“Wish I could be there to see it,” said Lianez, leaning in his seat to nod at Alex.

“We all want to be there for that one,” said Keeler from the shadows of the compartment.

The vehicle jolted to a stop.

“We’re at the FOB, Sergeant,” said Corporal Allen.

The back hatch opened, filling the compartment with cerulean predawn light.

“Alex!” yelled Kate, pushing past Staff Sergeant Taylor, who held his hands up.

“Easy, ma’am, they got rattled pretty bad,” said Keeler, kneeling in the doorway.

“I’m fine,” said Alex, sliding through the hatch, barely able to stand on his own.

He held Kate tightly, burying his head in her shoulder.

“You don’t look fine—or sound fine,” she said, kissing the nape of his neck.

“Where are the kids?” he whispered.

“In the basement with your parents and two Marines. The place is swarming with Taylor’s men,” she said.

“Good,” he said, kissing her lips briefly. He whispered in her ear, “Start packing up the trailer and roof carrier. Everything on the list. Just in case.”

She pulled back a few inches, staring at him quizzically. “We’ll get started on that,
together
, after you get medical attention and a little rest.”

Alex kissed her again and stepped back, reaching into the Matvee for his helmet and rifle. “He’s still out there.”

“You don’t know that. It doesn’t sound like anybody survived the attack, either here or at the airport. Odds are good that he was killed.”

“He looked fine when I saw him—right before he tried to burn us alive,” he said, clipping his rifle into the sling points integrated into his Dragon Skin vest.

“You can barely stand up on your own! Let the Marines deal with this!”

“I can’t!” he snapped, turning to her. “He’s still out there. And if he’s still out there, you and I aren’t safe. The kids aren’t safe. None of us are safe.”

“Then we pack up,
together
, and go. He can’t follow us where we’re going,” she said.

“He went through a lot of trouble to get at me, again. What makes you think we’ll ever be safe? He’s obsessed.”

“He’s not the only one,” she said, frowning.

“That’s not fair,” Alex said, pointing at her.

“Neither is this,” Kate said, grabbing his helmet. “Your family needs you
here
.”

Alex let go of the helmet, exhaling deeply. He hated fighting with Kate, especially when she was right. He could leave this to Grady and slip away. The Marines might think less of him, which would sting, but ultimately, he had a duty to protect his family.

“He could have stayed and finished the job. There’s something else up his sleeve. Something we can’t predict. I have to finish this. It’s the only way to be sure.”

Kate embraced him, pressing her head into his neck. “You’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“No. Someone’s watching out for me,” he said.

Kate pushed back, shaking her head in disbelief. “Really? I’d hate to have your guardian angel.”

“I’m still standing, right?”

“Barely. Make sure you stop by and see the kids before you take off. Emily hasn’t stopped crying since the bombs started going off. Amy’s not crying, but I know she’s worried.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes,” he said, kissing her passionately on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you more. You better not leave me with your parents,” she said.

Alex laughed. “Might be in your best interest to loan me your guardian angel. Double duty.”

“Tempting. See you inside,” she said. “Don’t forget.”

“Never,” he said, searching for Staff Sergeant Taylor, who had mysteriously disappeared with the rest of the Marines when they started arguing. “Staff Sergeant!”

“Yes, sir?” Taylor said, appearing from the side of the Matvee.

“I want a two-vehicle convoy to transport Lianez, Ragan, and Jackson back to Sanford,” he said. “Sorry, Staff Sergeant. Jackson was my responsibility. I should have taken him down from the turret when I returned. I was convinced we’d run into Eli’s follow-on force, and I—”

“Sir, Jackson didn’t belong anywhere but in that turret. We don’t drive around with gunners strapped into seats. Jackson pulled a bad card,” Taylor said, his eyes glistening.

Alex grabbed both of his shoulders. “We’re gonna find that fucker. Trust me on that.”

“I have no doubt about that, sir. Just don’t piss off the old lady too much. You get to drive out of here in ten minutes. Some of us don’t have that luxury. She’s an ass kicker,” said Taylor, brightening up slightly. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

“She’d take it as a compliment,” said Alex, walking them toward the DRASH tent. Guardian Two-Zero is at the bombsite. What about the rest?”

“Six-Zero replaced Four-Zero at the OP on Old Middle. I sent the rest to the bombsite. They should be there by now.”

Alex nodded, looking back at the Matvee. “Keep Lianez and Ragan in place. We’ll use this vehicle and Five-Zero to make the trip to Sanford. Departure in ten minutes. Has Grady called?” he asked, feeling his vest pockets for his ROTAC.

“He was headed into an emergency RRZ meeting a few minutes ago. I briefed him on the situation before he had to cut me off.”

Alex nodded, picturing the broken handheld radio on the roof of the Matvee. The memory triggered a daisy chain of images.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered.

“Sir?”

“Have the Marines at the bombsite scour the church. I remember seeing a light in the steeple. After that, pull everyone back to the FOB. Tell Evans we’re heading out later this morning. When I get back with the ten Matvees Grady promised, we’re going on a little overnight trip.”

“The Marines will be happy to hear that,” said Taylor.

“Just keep it quiet around my wife, or guess who’s gonna stay behind to watch over the place.”

“Mum’s the word, sir.”

“That’s what I thought,” Alex said.

He jogged toward the house to catch up with Kate.

PART IV

“REVENGE”

Chapter 40

EVENT +21 Days

Main Operating Base “Sanford”

Regional Recovery Zone 1

Alex craned his head forward as they approached the outer perimeter checkpoint on Route 109, staring skyward. A staggered formation of military helicopters crossed the road far ahead, heading north. Six Black Hawks and two Chinooks. Someone was having a party.

“I wonder what that’s about,” he remarked.

“Looks like a company-sized raid,” said Corporal Allen, slowing the vehicle at the entrance to the maze of concrete barriers.

“Maybe they found our man,” said Sergeant Keeler from the back.

Alex shook his head. “They wouldn’t need eight helicopters.”

When the formation disappeared over the trees, he turned his attention to the checkpoint. One of 1
^st
Battalion’s Matvees was parked next to the concrete-barrier-lined entry road and opposite the armor-plated sentry post.

The Matvee’s gunner peeked over the turret with binoculars, yelling down to the rangers, who remained out of sight. A few seconds later, the gunner held a hand out, signaling for them to stop. Sergeant Keeler reached forward and grabbed the hand microphone attached to the VHF radio set.

“New procedures, sir. Outland Four was wiped out by two guys in a stolen police cruiser last night. That’s how they got onto the airfield. Switch me over to channel eight, sir?”

Alex reached over his lap to select the requested channel on the AN/VRC-110 radio receiver mounted next to him.

“It’s all you, Sergeant,” he said.

“Outland One, this is Guardian Four-Zero, in formation with Guardian Five-Zero. Requesting permission to approach.”

“This is Outland Four. Pull up to the stop sign and send your vehicle commander forward. We need to verify ID.”

“Copy. Moving forward,” said Keeler, unbuckling his harness.

“I got it, Sergeant,” Alex said. “I want to ask a few questions.”

When the vehicle stopped, Alex hopped out and jogged up to the guard structure. His body felt sluggish on the short run up the road, like he’d just finished a long run. Combined with a dull headache, the full body stiffness wasn’t a good sign. He’d barely paid attention to the effects of the IED explosion at the FOB. Fueled up on adrenaline and the thought of smashing Eli Russell’s head in with his rifle stock, Alex had moved on autopilot until he settled into the Matvee’s seat for the thirty-minute drive. He’d almost fallen asleep twice, which was unusual for him during the morning, especially after a few cups of coffee. Maybe Kate was right, and he needed to throttle it back a little. Maybe he needed to throttle it back all the way and get checked out by one of the corpsmen.

“He’s good to go!” yelled the Marine in the turret. “That’s Captain Fletcher.”

One of the rangers appeared, shaking his head at the gunner as Alex handed over his ID card. The ranger vanished for a few seconds.

“You’re clear, sir,” he said, handing the card back.

“I just heard about Outland Four. Sorry,” said Alex. “What happened?”

“Two shitheads dressed like cops jumped them at the checkpoint. Fuckers had a York County Sherriff’s car and everything. We caught one of them at the end of the runway, trying to set off the rest of the bombs. RRZ snatched him up real quick.”

“What did they do with him?”

“He’s in some kind of solitary lockup at the detention center. 4
^th
Brigade nabbed a few more on the runway.”

“Where’s the detention center?” said Alex.

“One of the hangars next to the northern end of the runway,” said the ranger.

“Any idea where the helicopters are headed?”

“Negative, but that’s the first time I’ve seen more than two head north at the same time.”

“That’s what I was thinking. I’ll get out of your way,” he said, turning to the turret gunner.

“Marine, does Grady have one of these at every checkpoint?”

“Yes, sir, and all over the inner perimeter. Half of the battalion’s vehicles are tied up,” said the corporal.

Alex didn’t like the sound of that. With most of the Matvees tied up with airfield security, his chances of squeezing
any
support out of Grady dropped into the single digits.

When Alex stepped into the TOC, Lieutenant Colonel Grady was glued to one of the widescreen monitors at the command table, talking into his ROTAC. He didn’t notice Alex until one of the Marines slammed the door to one of the storage containers, drawing his attention away from the screen. Grady held up his index finger and winked, nodding at the chair next to him. Alex mouthed, “I’m fine,” and waited for the battalion commander to finish the call. From Grady’s harsh tone and hushed voice, he guessed the RRZ Authority was on the other end of the line. Less than a minute later, Grady shook his head and slammed the radio down on the table.