“I’m saying exactly whatyou think I am saying,” Aiden said, his voice still completelycalm.“You, Sam, and the rest of Bravo team need to leave.Oncethat device and this vest go off, the shockwave may very welltrigger the other three devices.”
“Fuck that,” Sam snapped,and Nick had to agree.
“We aren’t leaving you,Aiden, so shut the fuck up,” Nick growled.
“If you don’t leave thenyou will die with me, you stubborn son of a bitch,” Aiden snappedback, his earlier calm façade gone.
“Then we fucking dietogether,” Sam said, his anger clear in his tone.“I love you,Aiden.You and Nick, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to leaveeither one of you.This fucker takes you out he takes us allout.”
“Reaper.”Dev’s voice cameover the line almost drowning out the sound of frustration Aidenmade.
“LT?”Glennreplied.
“You got ashot?”
There was a pause.“Negative.He’s onthe ridge, I’m sure of it, but I can’t find him to get a shot.Ineed a spotter to—” Reaper’s voice cut off.“I can’t see him,Dev.”
Dev was silent for a moment.“Recon byfire, Reaper.”
Nick frowned and looked at Sam, whowas grinning.“A sniper will take random shots into a location heis sure there is a target, but he doesn’t have him in hiscrosshairs.He’ll keep taking shots along that area in a methodicalfashion until his enemy fires back, effectively marking his ownlocation.”
“What will stop Muir fromtaking a shot at Aiden?”Nick asked.
“Give me a minute,” Aidenmurmured, and there was the sound of grunting and scraping for amoment.
“Aiden’s moving behind atree.Not an easy task while tied to a chair I’ll bet.He’ll haveadequate cover,” Reaper said.
“I’m clear, and yes,Glenn, that wasn’t exactly easy,” Aiden said breathlessly.A fewmoments later, a shot rang out.Five seconds later another.Thenanother.Nick counted the time down in his head.On the fifth shot,another shot sounded immediately after it.”
“On target.”Reaper’s tonerang with smug satisfaction.
“A kill shot or a woundshot?”
“Both.I could hit theT-zone or drop him with a gut shot from my position.”
Nick knew that the T-zone was the areathat ran from the outside of one eye socket, across the face to theother side, and down the bridge of the nose.A shot anywhere alongthose two lines would put a bullet directly into a person’s medullaoblongata, paralyzing the victim instantly and of course they weredead before they hit the ground.
“You can’t kill him,” Nickreminded them all.“His heart stops then Aiden’s vest goesup.”
“He armed, Reaper?”Devasked.
“Affirmative.He has anM16 to his shoulder, scope locked on Aiden, and he’s moved back alittle and braced himself against a tree on the ridge about eighthundred feet from me.”
Nick blinked at that.Glenn wasconfident that he could hit a man’s T-zone from thatdistance?
“Then we need to take himout of the equation, but not kill him,” Dev said.“Marcel, you andI need to get up onto that ridge as soon as Reaper takes the shot.We can’t risk him getting a hold of that gun and taking shots atAiden.”
“Copy that.”Marcel’svoice was barely a whisper.
“Marcel’s been doing hissneaky shit again,” Reaper said.“He’s only about fifty feet behindMuir.”
“Great, saves me a trip upthe ridge,” Dev responded, amusement in his tone.“Hit him low inthe abdomen, Reaper.I want him hurting and bleeding badly.Finnbaby, I need you to contact the authorities.”
Nick knew the plan as soon as Devstarted talking.“As soon as we hear that shot, we’ll get to Aidenwith his Leatherman, he’ll get the vest off and then all of us willhigh tail it out of these woods until the bomb squad can come inand dispose of the rest.”
Nick ignored Aiden’s protests abouttime running out and it being too dangerous and waited for theshot.At Dev’s quiet, “go” the shot rang out and Nick and Sam wereon the move.They both burst out of the treeline and sprinted forAiden where he sat tied to a garden chair.Although there was fearand frustration evident on Aiden’s face, Nick couldn’t help butrecognize the relief that shimmered there also.
“You never fuckinglisten,” Aiden groused, and Nick grinned back at him.
