Breaking Away (Delta Force Strong #3) - Elle James Page 0,31
to Mac, Blade and Josh. They needed her.
She didn’t stop to think that she might need them.
Mac walked Ahktar to the nearest vehicle and stopped.
“Tie him up,” he said to Blade.
Blade ripped a strand of fabric from the man’s turban to secure his hands behind his back. Then he tied his ankles with the remainder of the turban.
Without the head covering, the man’s hair stuck out wildly. He didn’t look as intimidating or tough.
Mac knew better. The man was a monster who loved to torture his victims in the most painful ways. He was pure evil. He’d be damned if he let him get away.
“Now, you’ll tell me where your boss took Kylie.”
Ahktar lifted his chin, his eyes narrowing. “I do not know.”
“Which direction did he go when he left?” Mac demanded.
“I do not—”
Mac grabbed the man’s arms and raised then up behind him as far as he could.
The man cried out and bent over to ease the pain. He fell on his face since his ankles were secured. “They went north,” he said into the dirt.
Mac nodded toward Blade and Josh. “Load him up.”
The two men he shoved the Taliban leader into the back seat. Blade climbed in beside him, holding his rifle pointed at the man’s head.
“How good are you at driving stick shift?” Mac asked Josh.
“Good,” Josh answered.
“You drive,” Mac said. “I’ll ride shotgun in case we need firepower.”
Josh slipped into the driver’s seat and started the engine while Mac climbed into the passenger seat. “Let’s find Kylie.”
Josh fumbled with the shift and popped the clutch.
The SUV lurched forward and died.
Josh swore. “I know how to do this.”’
“Breathe,” Mac said. “Now…get us out of here.”
Drawing in a deep breath, Josh started the engine, cupped the shift in his palm and moved it into first gear. He eased off the clutch and the vehicle moved forward smoothly.
He handled the rest of the gears as well and soon they were racing north into the night.
The road ran straight for the first two kilometers until they approached a line of hills in their path. They zigzagged through the hills, climbing higher before they topped a ridge and worked their way down the other side.
As the road curved past rocky outcroppings, Mac strained to see the valley ahead.
A light blinked in the distance. Or did it? Mac couldn’t be certain. They rounded another rocky bluff area, blocking his view of the valley below.
As they turned back the other direction, Mac saw it again.
The lights belonged to a vehicle on the road at the base of the hill. Every glimpse he managed to catch made Mac more certain the vehicle wasn’t moving. It had stopped at the base of the hill, shining the headlights off the road.
His gut knotted. Why would they be shining their lights off the road? Were they were trying to find someone?
“We’ve got company ahead of us,” Josh said. “What do you want me to do?”
“Stop in the next curve. I’ll go the rest of the way on foot.”
“By yourself?” Josh asked.
Mac’s jaw tightened. “Yes.”
Blade snorted. “The hell you will.”
“We can’t leave Ahktar,” Mac said.
“Josh can handle him,” Blade said.
“What if the two of us run into trouble?” Mac said. “How’s Josh going to get to safety?”
“I’ll hole up until the rest of your team catches up to us.”
“If they can find us.” Mac shook his head.
“I got off a call when we were stopped in traffic in Kabul,” Blade said. “They could get the Intelligence community working on finding us and send help our way.”
Mac laughed, without humor. “And pigs could learn to fly.”
“I can handle him,” Josh said.
“If he causes any problems, shoot him,” Blade said.
Josh laughed. “Kylie’s the better shot. That’s what got us into all this trouble.”
“And if she hadn’t been a good shot,” Mac said, “you wouldn’t be here today.”
Josh nodded, the smile slipping from him face. “You’re right. She’s the only reason I’m alive.”
“And we need to make sure we’re the reason she stays alive herself.” Mac nodded toward a bend in the road that had enough room for them to pull off and park the SUV behind a boulder.
Blade climbed out of the back seat, released the magazine out of the rifle and examined it. “I have about ten rounds.”
Mac did the same with his AK-47. “I have about the same.”
Josh released his magazine and removed several bullets from it and handed them to Mac. “You might need more than I will. I really only need two. One to shoot Ahktar