promise to take Katie into town. The plan was to have a late breakfast, walk around a bit, and decide whether to stay in town for lunch or get something for the road and head over to Glacier National Park. Clouds had moved in overnight. Fall seemed to be kicking at the door. They each carried a mug of Black Rifle’s finest coffee as they left the cabin and climbed into Reece’s Land Cruiser. Katie was even trying hers spruced up the way Reece took his, with local honey and a bit of cream. She found it endlessly amusing that the tough commando liked his coffee a bit on the sweet side. Making the turn onto the paved highway, Reece thought back to his conversation with Thorn a couple of weeks ago and with Raife the previous evening. It just might be time to start a new chapter, one that did not involve U.S. intelligence covert action programs. It might be time to start a new life with Katie.
* * *
For Dimitry and his team, watching Raife Hastings move into and out of his daily glassing spot had become routine. At any point, they could have initiated the ambush but, until word came from Vitya, all they could do was observe.
Today was different. He’d arrived far earlier than normal, the men watched as he readied his gear by the light of his headlamp before leaving the vehicle. Then, instead of looking through his scope for a few minutes and returning to his truck, Hastings packed his gear and moved into the valley that he’d so painstakingly observed under the team’s watchful eye. Dimitry also noticed that he carried a different weapon today: an ancient-looking bow with a small quiver of arrows. One man with a bow against six with rifles. He had watched his share of American western films on television to know how those odds had worked out for the Indians.
Dimitry stared at the sat phone, willing it to ring. He didn’t know where the target was going but, sooner or later, he would return to his Land Rover. When he did, they would be waiting. The sun rose, and the valley was soon bathed in an orange glow. He thought of the gray walls of his prison cell back home, the screaming, the blood. The phone vibrated.
He answered it and listened as Vitya informed him that they would be initiating their ambush in just a few minutes. He’d grown to like the man and was appreciative of the heads-up. There was a decision to make. Should he wait here for Hastings to return? What if the attack raised the alarm and the American military or police came with their helicopters? No, he needed to move in on the target and take him out. It was time.
Dimitry slipped the phone into his pack and pulled it on over his shoulders as he stood. His men didn’t need to be told to do the same and soon they were all patrolling past Hastings’s vehicle, six abreast. Hastings had a head start of several hours but was surely trekking slowly as he stalked whatever prey he was after. Dimitry only hunted men.
It felt good to be moving after so much waiting. His legs felt strong as he climbed the ridge, the rifle light in his hands. Dimitry watched his men with pride. Dressed in surplus American camouflage uniforms and moving with speed and discipline, they could almost pass for soldiers. He called a halt as they approached the first ridge and he crept carefully forward to reconnoiter the next valley. He could see the marks where the legs of Hastings’s tripod had dug into the soil and he raised his binoculars to scan the space below him. Satisfied that the target had gone ahead, he waved his men forward.
* * *
Vitya saw the vehicle move on the screen and quickly dialed Tanya using the burner cell phone that he’d brought along for the occasion. The signal was good on the high ground, and she answered after three rings. They spoke in English.
“Hello?”
“Is Dan there?”
“I’m sorry, you have the wrong number.”
“My apologies.” He pressed the “end” button, terminating the call. He whistled, getting his men’s attention quickly. Their chronic boredom quickly became excitement as they moved down into their prepared ambush positions near the road. Vitya and the rest of his four-man assault team were situated on the long side of the L, with the two-man support-by-fire element carefully crossing the road