Page 99 of Luck Be Mine
“Tell her thanks, and let me know what Frank says. I won’t be surprised to find this guy on his own in a hidey hole.”
“Remy and Connors just left. Give them twenty minutes to get to you. I’ll check in later. Take a nap.”
“Not even worth the effort. Out.”
Mackey settled to watch the pit bull and waited.
Chapter Fifteen
Sanaa, Yemen – Medina District
Mission: JSOC/CIA “Iron Veil”
2300 Zulu, 0200 Local
Hunt spoke into his mic. “Confirming mission is a go.” The MH-60 Black Hawk flew mostly silent over the dark Yemen city through minimal light, aiming for a rooftop adjacent to their target.
“Confirmed,” came the disembodied voice of Commander Gregg. With Stemmons out recovering, Hunt took the empty slot for the eight-man team. Their rhythm should be off, but the band was back together again, and Brennan fit right in. Haze clung to the shadowed skyline, a slight breeze kicking up dust.
Nerves lasted until the turn of the first blade, then Hunt sank into mission rhythm like he’d never been out. He was sweating under his gear; the low seventies temperatures and dry air made him wish for a cool mountain breeze. He studied each man and found nothing to correct, complain about, or compliment. They’d hashed it out, practiced, and were ready.
They took off from a secret JSOC base and scooted like wildfire across the sky. Timing was everything. Objective: to extract CIA Field Officer Ethan Tate, held hostage by an Al-Qaeda-affiliated militia. Intelligence suggested the man was secured in a building mid-city but would be moved or executed in the next twenty-four hours.
Doogie read his mind. “How good is this intelligence?”
“Confirmed via aerial surveillance and intercepted chatter. He’s there.”
“So rooftop arrival, move to the next building, find the man on one of the four floors, and exit. Hostile encounters expected.”
“Can’t have it too easy,” Tommy threw in.
“You forgot,” Baxter added. “Don’t get caught. Covert in, covert out.”
Hunt nodded. “Same deal, another day.”
The pilot interrupted their chatter. “Two minutes out. Secondary site for evac identified and currently clear.” This part of the deal Hunt wasn’t happy with. They had to make it through two alleyways to another building. “Copy. Two minutes.”
Hunt turned to the team. “Rules of engagement: Get Tate by any means.”
No one talked. No one bitched. Same page. In and out. All of them.
To the second, the helicopter slowed to a hover. Hernandez popped the door. “Let’s go.”
One at a time, they each rappelled the rope onto the roof deck.
“Last man,” Hunt called to the co-pilot. “See you in a few.”
He hit the deck and waved the chopper away. K-Rock followed Hernandez to the rooftop door.
The flat surface was faded beige with patchy stucco and eerie shadows. Tommy moved to set up his scope where he could see to the next building. The team would split inside to search for Tate.
“Stallion, this is Scout One. We have reached Trigger.” Starting point.
“Copy, One. Trigger.”
The locked roof door blew with quiet precision. K-Rock finessed the right mix. Night goggles on, Tommy joined them. They split into two teams and executed a rapid descent from roof to ground floor. No obstacles.
Outside, K-Rock performed the same process to open a side door on the target building. No security, no patrols.
