confession, his eyes blazed with love and words unspoken. Only this wasn’t the time to talk about the future.
“Gus,” interrupted the OIC. “Get Lucy dressed in cold-weather gear. We’re moving out.”
“Maria has to come with us,” Lucy insisted, meeting the girl’s hopeful gaze. “They’ll kill her for allowing me to broadcast.”
Luther and Gus both slid Maria an assessing look, taking in her missing foot.
“So be it,” said the OIC, shaking off his rucksack. “Let’s bundle you both up.”
“MOTHER HAWK, THIS IS BABY BIRD,” Vinny called on a note of desperation. “State your ETA, over.”
With Lucy trembling in his arms, Gus prayed the rescue helicopter would arrive at any moment, preferably with a backup helo for fire support. The rebels were now keeping radio silence. The SEALs had no way of knowing how close they were.
Even with their backs to an escarpment, the icy wind pierced their protective clothing. The frozen pond between the mountain’s twin peaks shone an iridescent blue under the starry sky. If they weren’t rescued soon, they would freeze to death or fall under attack by the approaching rebels.
“Baby Bird, this is Mother Hawk and Hunter Hawk.” The heartening reply sounded crystal clear. “We are within two miles and closing. Over.”
Gus shared looks of relief with Vinny and Luther.
“Roger, Mother Hawk and Hunter Hawk,” Vinny replied. “We are five in number with two civilians. We have a sniper and scout positioned on a ledge. Do you see our FLIR? Over.”
“We see you, Baby Bird. Get FLIR patches on those civilians.”
“Wilco, Mother Bird.”
Luther was already grubbing in his pack for glint tape, sticking the Velcroed tabs on Maria’s shoulders, then handing two to Gus to put on Lucy.
“Hunter One will approach forward of your position to defend the rescue,” continued the pilot. “You may position infrared strobes on the LZ now. Keep your heads low and watch for rotor downdraft. Over.”
“We copy, Mother Bird. Look for our strobes. Over.”
“I’ll do it,” offered Luther as Vinny reached for the pack with the strobes. “Stay here and man the radio.”
Gus watched Luther dart from their shelter and run in a low crouch toward the flat area that rimmed the lake. A whip-crack shot rode the edges of the wind, and Luther fell into a crouch, consulting Harley on his headset. In Gus’s arms, Lucy flinched.
“That’s Harley,” he reassured her, not bothering to add that it was also Harley’s signal that the rebels were closing to within firing distance. Damn it!
“Vinny,” he said, trying to mask his urgency, “the second the helo lands, you grab Maria and go. We’ll be right behind you.”
“Hooyah, sir.”
The whiz and bang of a sixty-six-millimeter rocket launcher, fired to retard the rebels’ approach, made Gus’s heart pound.
“Is that Harley, too?” Lucy asked between chattering teeth.
“Yes,” he reassured her.
But then the rebels retaliated, filling the frigid silence with a thunderous barrage, and he could no longer deny that the bad guys had caught up to them.
Peering desperately up at the night sky, he was gratified to see the silhouette of a Pave Hawk helicopter detach itself from the inky sky.
“Here comes the rescue helo,” warned Vinny, preparing to gather Maria in his arms.
The radio crackled. “All call signs, this is Hunter Hawk. Preparing to suppress enemy forces. Get your people on the rescue bird, now! Over.”
Seeing Luther occupied, Gus summoned the sniper and scout. “Harley, Teddy, pull back now!” he ordered.
Twenty seconds later, the twosome skidded into the alcove, dropping down next to them. “Elite Guards,” Harley shouted over the vibration of descending rotors. “Sneaky bastards slipped around from the east side.”
Buffeted by a stiff wind, the rescue bird teetered, snatching their attention to the landing zone. Gus’s heart almost stopped as the immense rotor came within inches of striking the escarpment. The slightest contact could send the helicopter crashing to the ground in a massive explosion.
The skilled pilots managed to bring it under control, easing Gus’s fears. The bird touched down at last, whipping up flecks of granite as it waited for the SEALs’ approach.
“Go, go!” he shouted, urging Vinny to precede him.
Lieutenant Lindstrom was the first to greet the crew, waving his teammates over as he took up a defensive position by the doors.
With Maria in his arms, Vinny lumbered out into the open. Bullets immediately ricocheted off the granite at his feet, driving him back into cover.
Son of a bitch. The Elite Guards had caught up to them, firing rounds that struck the helicopter with musical pings. Luther fired back, but the mounted gun,