Savage Son (James Reece #3) - Jack Carr Page 0,129
of his own. He looked over the snow-strewn cliffs to the jagged rocks that met the sea at their base, and then carefully backtracked out the way he had come.
Aleksandr brought the KAMAZ troop transport to a stop, the tracks in front of him moving toward the very same cliffs where the sister had met her fate. Shaking his head, he grabbed his Ravin crossbow from the seat beside him. Sergei and the dogs would deal with anyone who survived his contractors well before they made it to this elevation. He wanted to test himself on this hunt. He’d only bring the dogs up as a last resort.
What tricks do you have up your sleeve?
Aleksandr swung down from the off-road vehicle’s lowest step and attached his snowshoes, feeling excitement building inside him.
Finally, a worthy adversary!
Aleksandr ran his tongue along his upper lip, his eyes tracing the footsteps through the snow.
Don’t make this easy on me, Rainsford.
He cocked his crossbow and inserted a bolt into the flight groove of his weapon before stepping off into the snow in search of his prey.
CHAPTER 79
WITH FARKUS OUT OF the fight, the assault team now consisted of four seasoned operators and a dog. They would usually hit a compound like this with forty assaulters, air assets, a blocking force, and a QRF on standby. On the plus side, Reece didn’t have some REMF squawking questions in his ear from back at the Tactical Operations Center.
Eli had maneuvered to the back of the building to catch any “squirters” who might head for the hills during the assault. As the most valuable member of the team with medical skills rivaling any ER doctor, keeping him out of the initial entry was the smart call.
Reece noted the surprising lack of security as they approached the entrance under cover of darkness. Was it possible the intel was correct and the security element they’d eliminated were the only ones on the island? The ten dead contractors would fit with the numbers from the Agency target package. Still, Reece had grown skeptical of all intel that was not generated at the tactical level.
They stacked on the door and Chavez took point, finger on the trigger, off safe, with Devan and Edo just behind him. Reece took rear security, giving him the best situational awareness. Had this been a sanctioned mission with the support apparatus that accompanies a Special Mission Unit operation, Edo would have had a small camera attached to his harness allowing Devan to see what was going on inside without committing assaulters. In this case, they didn’t know how many people were in the target building and they needed to get to Hanna and Raife before the alert went out that might get them killed. This was an in-extremis hostage rescue operation. Unlike a capture/kill, they would bypass potential threats to get to the hostages. A dog in this situation could end up being a liability but with only four operators they needed Edo to lead them directly to the hostages.
Reece squeezed the back of Devan’s left leg, indicating it was time to put Edo to work. Devan reached into his cargo pocket and pulled out a small Ziploc bag. Opening it up he removed a piece of a dirty T-shirt belonging to Raife he’d asked Anaika for before they’d left Montana. He would have preferred to have one of Hanna’s, but this was the best they could do.
Putting the scent-infused clothing to Edo’s nose, Devan whispered in German, “Revere,” and opened the door.
The entry was not even locked, once again raising the hair on the back of Reece’s neck. Could this be an ambush? Too late for that. They were committed.
Edo broke the threshold, Chavez entering immediately left, weapon up ready to work. Devan went right, taking his corner and sweeping his rifle back just past the center of the room. Chavez was doing the same. Reece was right behind them, moving left to Chavez’s side and taking the center of the room first.
Clear.
They didn’t need to speak. Motions and instincts instilled from hundreds of raids and thousands of training exercises made the flow of clearing rooms second nature.
Moving.
Follow the dog.
They moved past the foyer into the great room that was part dining area and part trophy room. Light was beginning to crack the horizon, but the NODs were still the most effective way to penetrate the darkness. The remnants of a fire smoldered in an imposing stone fireplace.
Edo tore through the game room. He’d alerted. Raife