the bottom of a gigantic bowl, hiding behind one of the only available pieces of cover. It wasn’t good, but it could have been worse; it can always be worse.
The creeks such as the one through which he had just waded all flowed into a swampy area to his left, which would be chest-high with water at the moment. That meant that, when these guys started trying to flank him, they would have to do so from his right. The volume of fire coming his way became more sporadic as his attackers began to change magazines. He could hear someone yelling in a language other than English, no doubt their leader taking command of the situation. He must have directed them to conserve ammunition because the full-auto bursts were replaced with a steady stream of semiautomatic fire designed to keep him in place so that they could maneuver to make the kill.
Raife low-crawled to the extreme left end of the log and slowly began to ease his way forward until he could see one of the shooters. The first figure was prone, the dust from his rifle’s muzzle blast giving away his position. He continued to push himself forward with his toes as he brought his 1911 to bear, searching for a larger target at this extreme range. The third figure he spotted must have been the leader; he was up on one knee, directing the other members of the team with his left arm.
Raife was in what was known as the rollover prone position, an incredibly steady way to shoot a handgun. The distance would have been unfathomable to most shooters, but Raife’s dedication to training with the 1911 at extreme handgun ranges was about to pay off. His thumb pushed down on the safety unconsciously as his hands brought the pistol to full extension. His eyes found the serrated front sight and held it at the midway point of the target’s torso, the steel blade rising halfway above the rear notch to accommodate for the distance. He exhaled deeply and trusted the area wobble of his sights, all focus on the front post as his finger pressed evenly back against the trigger. The shot broke, and he completed his follow-through before shifting his eyes to the target in case a correction was needed. His ears registered the hollow sound of a large bullet slapping flesh, and he saw the distinctive Russian weapon drop to the ground.
* * *
Reece raced down the dirt roads with both hands on the wheel, Jonathan directing him at each turn. He was familiar with the ranch, but no one knew the land the way Jonathan did. Reece could see Raife’s parked Land Rover as they came around a tight bend, and Jonathan motioned for him to stop. He rolled down the window to listen and Reece shut off the motor. They heard the unmistakable sound of rifle fire in the distance. Jonathan considered the terrain for a moment and pointed forward on the track.
“Drive up to this ridge and drop me off. You continue down this road and you’ll likely come up on whoever is after Raife. I know you can handle yourself.”
Reece cranked the motor and sped up the incline ahead. The road took them up a ridgeline that ran parallel to the direction of the gunfire. The ridge appeared to be the highest terrain feature in the area, so Reece would most likely come in above the action. Several hundred yards up the ridge, Jonathan motioned for Reece to slow down. He opened the passenger door while the Cruiser was still rolling and prepared to bail out. As soon as the vehicle stopped, his boots were on the ground. Zulu jumped between the seats and followed his master out the door.
Reece sped forward. He rolled all of the windows down and, thanks to the Cruiser’s effective exhaust system, could hear the gunfire clearly over the engine. By the sound of it, he was getting close. He braked to a halt just below the military crest of the next hill. He grabbed his carbine and climbed out of the SUV. Running to the rear of the vehicle, he opened the back hatch to retrieve a small backpack before moving on foot toward the sound of the guns.
CHAPTER 41
THE TEMPO OF FIRE increased, indicating the flank had begun. This was small-unit tactics 101: one element provides a base of fire to fix the enemy in place while the second element moves to close