the little boy's face. He yelled to Coleman. "Get these people back into one of the exam rooms!"
Gould showed up at Rapp's side and dropped to one knee. He began firing well-aimed single shots. In less than five seconds he counted three kills with as many shots. "We need to put someone on the roof." After a couple more shots he yelled, "And you might want to see if you can get someone to come help us!"
"Scott," Rapp barked without taking his eyes off the street, "call Mike and tell him what we're up against. Tell him we need a Quick Reaction Force ASAP or we're all dead." Rapp stepped back, ejected an empty magazine, and popped in a fresh one. Yelling back to Coleman he added, "A gunship would be nice!" Rapp popped off a couple of rounds and saw a man go down. Then, looking down at Gould, he said, "Get up on the roof and see what you can do. I'll join you as soon as I can. How much ammo do you have?"
Gould shook his head. "Just this one thirty-round magazine, and then I'm down to my pistol."
Rapp noted the make and model of the pistol in Gould's vest. "At these distances I bet you're pretty good with that thing."
Gould nodded. "The best."
"We'll see about that. Grab one extra magazine for the M-4 from the blond guy, and then get your ass up on the roof before we're all dead."
Chapter 17
COLEMAN had stashed the old man, the mother and son, their animals, and the receptionist in one of the exam rooms down the hall. Rapp assumed there were some nurses and at least one vet somewhere in the building, but there wasn't a lot he could do about their safety other than keep the local police at bay until the cavalry arrived. As best he could tell, three more pickups filled with combat-clad cops had arrived. It begged the question, could that many Kabul police officers be corrupt?
The front entrance to the clinic was a tangled mess of broken glass and chipped stone. The door, and the two side windows, were completely blown out, and the metal frame was twisted and punctured from bullet strikes. Rapp was about five feet from the edge with his back pressed against the wall. Maslick was standing directly across from him. They were alternating darting out and taking a few shots to keep the cops from rushing the door. So far they were succeeding, but just barely. Rapp watched Maslick eject a spent magazine and insert a fresh one. Their advantage in this fight was their ability to hit targets with consistent, frightening accuracy. Coleman, Maslick, and Rapp had all fired thousands of practice rounds a month with pistols, carbines, and long rifles. Rapp had no idea how much Gould practiced, but his fee was likely a good predictor of his ability. Even though they were outgunned, this was all going to come down to ammunition.
Rapp knew a little about how these men were selected and trained. Most of them were simply trying to make a living and were extremely brave, as the Taliban often targeted them and their families. He found the idea that they were all corrupt to be a bit of a stretch. It was more plausible that it was someone in their chain of command who was corrupt. Rapp thought of Commander Zahir down in Jalalabad. Until recently the man had been a terrorist and had a bounty on his head, courtesy of the U.S. government. Not only was the bounty gone, but the man was now on our payroll. How many assholes like Zahir were now wearing the uniform of the Afghan Police? Innocent or not, these cops were trying to kill Rapp and his men, so he was left with no alternative if he wanted to survive.
A fresh barrage of bullets slammed into the front wall of the building, peppering Rapp with tiny pebbles. He darted out, fired two well-aimed shots, and ducked back into the lobby as a dozen-plus bullets raked the spot where he'd been standing less than a second ago. Rapp shook his head with anger. That had been closer than he would have liked. He looked across at Maslick again and noticed a splotch of blood on his right shoulder. This position was quickly becoming too hot to defend. Sooner or later one of them was going to pop out and take a bullet in the head. Rapp made