Page 66 of Luck Be Mine
“Shit,” Brennan yelled. “Move!”
The four of them rolled to the other side of the vehicles, maneuvering for cover.
More shots rang out from this side, too. Caught in a crossfire with their cover compromised, Hernandez groaned, swore, and staggered against the vehicle, blood running down his temple. “Nicked. Fuck.” He lifted his weapon and laid cover fire.
Gunfire from the opposite side strafed the front vehicle again. Pinned in a classic L-shaped ambush, the Taliban used terrain like they wrote the manual.
Immediate return fire from Hunt and Jack left Baxter free to communicate. “Homebase, we are under fire. Repeat. We are under fire. Mission pickup fail. All dead. Standby.”
“Copy, standing by.”
Baxter took a firing stance with Hunt on the passenger side of the vehicles. Jack stayed with Hernandez on the driver’s side, laying down fire in the most likely places for shooters to be hiding. They used car doors for cover.
Bullets pinged repetitively against all the vehicles.
“Multiple shooters, northeast ridge, maybe six.” – Tommy
“Second group south, closing in. Overwatch had it. They’ve got numbers.” – Doogie
“Flanked from the left; they’re going to encircle us.” – K-Rock
“We punch through.” Jack opened the SUV door, put an arm under Hernandez, and pushed him inside the front vehicle. “Regroup at fallback point.”
Hunt eased away from battle focus and took a broader view. “Front vehicle inoperable. Tires and engine out. Exfil vehicle two and three.”
Jack yanked Hernandez out and shoved him toward the second vehicle, covering their run with bursts of fire.
Last time they’d been pinned like this, they’d had a blonde doctor with them and ran up a mountain in a snowstorm.
Hunt fired flanking bursts with Baxter to suppress fire south of the northeast ridge. The fighting slowed. They made a run to the second vehicle. Baxter made it. He didn’t. More fire pinged on the vehicle. Hunt dropped to his stomach and rolled under the SUV, hitting his head.
“Motherfucker,” he swore.
“Alpha X, status.” – Jack
Hunt groaned and swiped away the blood. “Ok. Rolling west. Make room for me in the back seat.”
“I’ve nailed a few of those fuckers on the ridge.” – Tommy
“Thanks for the assist. Get to the third vehicle, Alpha Five.” Jack laid more fire. “Alpha Two, Second vehicle.”
Mere minutes was all they had.
K-Rock came to the side of the vehicle and had a quick conversation with Jack. Hunt didn’t ask. He picked a seat and mentally hurried Doogie. Baxter settled in the driver’s seat.
K-Rock went past again, moving in a evade pattern. Doogie catapulted into the backseat with him and Hernandez.
Doogie gave Hunt a side-eye. “You’re hurt?”
“Just a scratch.”
He did a double take. “You, too, Senior Chief?”
“Just a scratch.” The man grinned.
Doogie rolled his eyes. “Boy, I’m glad I don’t have to explain this to your wives.”
Hunt checked the back car. Command habits die hard. “Are we all in, LT?”
