Page 51 of SEAL's Spitfire
“Okay, Boss.”
“We’re going to get some help with air cover. The plan is to deliver a few presents to our friends. It should draw them away from the hostages so we can move in and grab them.”
“It could work,” Rafe acknowledged. “Getting in is one thing. What’s our plan to get them out of there?”
“That’s where the bad news comes in.”
“You mean the fifty tangos wasn’t the bad news?” Cam asked.
“No. The bad news is we don’t know the condition of any of the hostages and we have to get them here,” Jake pointed to a spot on the map. “That’s where they’ll have the chopper waiting for us.”
Rafe studied the map, it had to be at least two klicks from the compound. If more than a few of them were injured it was going to be a clusterfuck.
“They can’t get in any closer?”
“Too dangerous.”
“What if we blow up the whole compound once we’re clear. Then they could land here,” Rafe said as he pointed to a spot about eight hundred feet from the compound’s walls.
“That could work. Let me talk to the captain. In the meantime, you and Murph find the best entry point.”
“Okay.” Anything was better than sitting and waiting. Knowing Meghan was just out of reach and possibly hurt was a distraction, one he couldn’t afford with so many lives on the line.
The brush was sparse, making it difficult to stay out of sight as they scoped out their options. There were only two entry points, the main gate with four guards or the rear gate. The rear entrance would be the better option, but it was further from the main building where the hostages were located. The Taliban soldiers might run when the bombing started, or they might stand their ground which would make it impossible for them to get in without being seen. They’d need a plan B and probably plan C if things went as usual.
“What are you thinking,” Murph asked.
“I’m thinking we need to set some remote detonations in the compound in case they don’t run when the bombing starts.”
“Near the rear guard shack and the outbuilding on the left?”
“Exactly.”
Before Rafe could hit his com, Jake’s voice whispered in their ears. It was as if Jake read their minds, but then he knew them as well as they knew themselves.
“Eagle 2, sitrep.”
“Rear entry is the best option. But we’ll need a distraction if the bombing doesn’t draw out the tangos. We want to set some remote devices.”
“Copy that. Get back here and we’ll discuss.”
“We can do it while we’re here.”
“It’s too soon. We’re not ready if you get spotted.”
“Copy that, Eagle 2 out.”
Rafe took one more look through his field glasses to see if he could locate any of the hostages but there was no sign of them.
Chapter 16
Thirsty, hot, and nauseated from the smell of blood and sweat from the hood they’d put over her head, Meghan wished she could take back every mean thought she’d had while traveling with Waltham.
The men in the back of the truck laughed and poked her occasionally as they chatted back and forth like they were on some kind of a joy ride. No one had said a word to her after they’d shoved her into the back of the armored truck. Did she wish she’d listened to Rafe? Hell yeah. But she knew that if she’d waited for the state department to do anything, they’d probably never see Charlie alive. Did it stop her from being terrified that they were going to shoot her or worse? Nope.
There should be some kind of kidnapping one-oh-one class. Her self-defense classes taught her how to handle herself in case she was grabbed on the street, but nothing prepared her for this. Somehow, she doubted that trying to make them see her as human would help since they had such a low opinion of women.
They hit a large bump in the road, and she got knocked into the side of the truck. It reminded her how badly she had to pee. While she argued back and forth with herself about trying to talk to the men, the vehicle slowed and then stopped. The clank and squeal of the metal door opening sent a shiver of fear down her spine. Huddling against the cold metal side of the truck, she curled into herself as much as possible hoping they’d forget about her. The dark made everything more intense and her heart beat so fast it sounded like drums pounding in her ears. She needed to calm down. To listen and figure out her surroundings if she wanted to get out of there alive. Forcing herself to focus, she took slow, deep breaths.
