They’d been parachuted into the desert and had trekked across it all night to reach a remote village. There was minimal conversation. What could they say? The only things they focused on were curses about sand in places it had no business being. By the time they reached their mark—a decrepit little house on the east border of the village, they collapsed with exhaustion. Aberlour let his men spread out, as he remained alert for any danger as they watched the sun rise slowly on the horizon. The op was simple enough. Once they’d reached their target, they had to establish communications with headquarters, then sit and wait—watching carefully for any signs of movements on the ground. If their intel corroborated satellite imagery, then another Special Forces team would sweep in within a few daysand clean out a nest of rats, also known as enemy combatants, a few doors down from their current hideout.
“We have to set up the comms,” Oliver whispered to Ghost as he began moving around the small flat space they’d commandeered as their center of operations. The house had been partially destroyed during a recent bombing raid on the region, and the 1st floor was in bad shape, so the team was using the 2nd floor.
Ghost muttered something to himself as he got to his feet and carefully unloaded the communications gear he’d carried on his back trekking across the desert.
“I want eyes on the north and east sides of the building. If anything moves—cat, rat, infant or fucking Santa Claus, I want to know,” Aberlour told Marcus and Carlos. They were unpacking their own gear, rifles leaning against the pockmarked adobe walls.
“Setting up shifts?” Marcus asked as he crouched a few feet away.
Aberlour gave a sharp nod.
“Two hours max. We’re all tired. Anything longer and we’ll lose focus,” he responded.
“We setting up the sniper?” JD asked from behind him. He was holding the sniper case. The high precision rifle—Aberlour’s baby—was an absolute bitch to carry around, but it was invaluable in sit and wait situations like this one.
“I’ll do it. You get some sleep. You’re on second watch,” he said, nodding to where Marcus and Carlos were setting up their observation points.
“Can do,” JD replied, ecstatic. Out of all of them, he was the quickest to fall asleep. Abe was pretty sure, if required, he might just manage to sleep standing up.
“You should hit the hay too. Sun won’t be up for another hour—morning rush for two—we’ll need you focused and onthe scope by then,” Oliver reasoned, as he came to stand behind Aberlour’s shoulder. His right hand squeezed Aberlour’s forearm, and his breath was familiar and warm as it settled on Abe’s exposed neck.
“Have to set it up—” Aberlour began to argue.
“Go, I’ll get it done. You know I’m good for it,” Oliver assured him.
Aberlour felt as if he should put up an argument about how he wasn’t that tired, that he’d be fine for a few more hours—but then, he turned, and Oli’s blue gaze saw right through him.
“You got my six?”
“And your scope,” Oliver confirmed with a wink.
Aberlour rolled his eyes at the double-entendre but relented with an amused snort.
JD had made up his makeshift bed against an inner wall and tucked himself into the corner. Abe joined him. He laid down on the uneven floor and pressed his back against JD’s. The man stirred a little and coughed to clear his throat as he pushed back against Aberlour.
“Bet you wouldn’t let anyone else handle your precious scope—” JD muttered roughly with a smile in his voice.
“Jealousy ain’t a good look for you, Jude.”
“Shut up and spoon me, motherfucker,” JD replied, as he pressed harder against him.
Aberlour chuckled but turned over to spoon JD as requested. It was much warmer this way. Aberlour supposed he should have felt more vulnerable with his back left exposed, but he didn’t. The sound of his men’s familiar footsteps reverberated through the floor and Oliver’s easy chuckle filled the empty space, making Aberlour feel right at home as he began to drift off.
They were on their second day of reconnaissance and, so far, they’d gone unnoticed. The village was small. Save for the morning hustle of kids walking to school or to and from their parents’ shops and houses, there wasn’t much for them to report to headquarters. They’d seen no action around the rat’s nest—or the suspected one, at least. Whether that was because their intel was wrong, or because their timing was off, or because the rats had learned somehow that the US military knew where they were, it was impossible to determine. But HQ told them to sit tight. Monitor all village activities, wait for orders, and radio in if anythingdidhappen. It was a simple gig. An easy gig.
It was driving Aberlour’s men up a fucking wall.
“I could seriously fuck up a dressed hotdog right now,” Carlos complained as he scraped his tactical spoon across every inch of the package containing his MRE. He’d traded with JD to get chili with beans—his favourite—but was still famished, as usual.
“Chili dog would hit the spot,” JD agreed, as he finished off the last of his beef stew.
Aberlour kept his eyes peeled for action on the street running in front of their house. Oliver had just traded places with Marcus at the north post and Ghost was manning the east. Aberlour’s scope was pointed at the rat’s nest, on the lookout for any movement. He’d been at it for an hour now, and apart from the sweat dripping from his forehead down onto his cheeks, there had been no movement at all.
“I’m starting to think it’s a fucking bust,” Oliver muttered beneath his breath as he slid down the wall next to Aberlour. He’d radioed in their latest updates and decided to take a break. Aberlour considered ordering him to hit the sack, but Oliver had already slept a few hours ago, and—well—Aberlour honestly enjoyed the company.
“That or a trap,” Aberlour agreed. He didn’t really have a gut feeling about it yet, but the distinct lack of movement from a position that had been sold to them as crawling with enemy combatants felt unsettling.
“Heads up,” Marcus interrupted them. “Two children approaching from the north. They’re sneaking around but they’re coming this way.”
