Page 45 of Cole
“We’re not leaving you here, Ham. We’ll be fine.”
“You forget brother, they have stealth netting for the jet. They’re going to move to the end of the runway, pull over to the side and stay hidden,” smirked Gator.
“They’re expecting rain, so it will be cloudy, which helps,” said Autumn. “Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine. If you get into trouble, we are fully loaded and they’re already saved to target that mountain. Don’t fuck around.”
“Yes, ma’am,” smirked Pierre.
“Let’s go boys,” said Gator. “We’ve got quite a hike ahead of us.” Clark pulled Gator’s sleeve, looking up at the giant with a stern expression.
“Gator? Don’t make me have to come and get you.” Gator only laughed at the little woman that was their bad-ass pilot.
“Yes, ma’am.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Hilal watched as his men scrambled to prepare for another attack on the pathetic villages in his way. One by one, they were clearing the path to their enemies by wiping out insignificant villages and small towns.
Perhaps insignificant was the wrong word. They were supportive of his enemies. They had delusions of creating a new Syria. A Syria that was more like it’s western counterparts or worse, like the new UAE. Damascus hoped to be the new Dubai, welcoming people from around the world to shop at world-class stores, spending millions on stupid trinkets. Purses, jewelry, watches, and cars.
“Foolish,” he muttered.
They were all tainted by the western world and its desire for more, for bigger. For bigger houses, bigger cars, more money, more jewels. But their values were off. They claimed themselves Christians yet didn’t truly abide by Christian laws and philosophies. They were hypocrites.
Living a life of hard work, the beliefs of your religion, ridding yourself of your enemies, that was the world he lived in. Yes, he’d killed. He’d killed his own family. Three wives gone. Two because they produced no children for him. The one who did, was combative and grew homely. He had a right to kill her.
When his own son and daughter-in-law sought to betray him, he killed them as well. Again, it was his right to do so. If he knew where Hala was, he would kill her as well but until that day, he would simply curse her in his prayers.
It was disturbing to know that the two men she was seen with were American military. Perhaps they’d kidnapped her?No. He knew that wasn’t true. She went with them willingly, she was a compliant woman for the most part.
He regretted not forcing her to marry one of his allies. He’d had multiple offers. She was an attractive woman, even though she was overeducated for most men’s tastes.
That was another regret. He’d spent a fortune for her to become a doctor, knowing that he would use her to save his own men, but also to help him prolong the torture of his enemies.
But she left. She’d betrayed him and left. So be it. When his mission was finished, when it was all carried out and he ruled Syria, he would find her, drag her back and show her how he treated traitors.
“Sir, we’re ready to begin,” said one of the men.
“Very well.Begin.”
“Why are all these riverbeds dry?” asked Cole. “I mean, I get that this is a desert region but there was water just a week ago when we came through.”
“I don’t know,” said Gator shaking his head. “Conor? Can you get a drone up and see what’s happening up ahead? If it’s not running water, those villages won’t have water for their use.”
Conor brought out the drone, getting it airborne quickly. A few moments later, they had a clear view of the problem.
“It’s a dam,” frowned Gator. “They built a fucking damn to prevent them from getting water.”
“When they release that dam, I’m going to bet it’s poisoned,” said Ham. “They withheld the water to hopefully make them grateful and get them excited when they get it. The poor bastards won’t have any idea of what’s coming.”
“And they won’t get it,” said Cole. Angus nodded at him, taking off in a jog up the riverbed.
“What the hell is he doing?” asked Ham.
“Creating another dam. They’ll release the water from their own dam but we’re going to create another closer to us, so those people don’t get the water,” said Cole. He started to run toward Angus and turned to Gator.
“Get someone down to those villages to tell them what’s happening. We don’t want them releasing the water and drinking it. Call for support from the local authorities to bring in fresh water.”
“Moose and Dan. Get to those villages and let them know what’s going on. We’ll see if we can get the government to reroute a safe water supply.”
