Page 59 of SEAL's Angel
“We’d only get away with it if Azfaar’s men shoot him. If it’s our shot, they’ll put us through hell for not obeying orders. None of us want to go through that clusterfuck, trust me. Especially for a dirtbag like him. None of us need that shit. Just think how Sky would feel if they locked you up.”
“Point taken, Eagle 1,” Murph said.
Jake glanced at him sharply, expecting to see sarcasm, but Murph’s focus was directed straight ahead to the trigger-happy idiots.
“I’m not sure how they knew we were here unless we missed surveillance, but they don’t know where we are. Pick them off. Eagle 5, watch for runners. But remember, we need Azfaar alive,” Jake said over the comms.
Quinn would hear him, too. Jake didn’t know the status of the Falcon team and hadn’t heard from Quinn after the shooting began. If he needed Jake’s help, he’d let them know. Quinn had been running his team as long as Jake.
Rafe was their sniper and the best shot, but they all took out their share of the shooters. When most of the gunfire ceased, Jake told Cam to approach the center tent. The camera on Halo’s back gave Jake clear video of their approach.
“Move in. As soon as we have verification of the HVT, they’ll send the choppers for extraction,” Jake told them.
Halo and Cam approached the main tent, while Jake watched the video displayed on his wrist.So far, so good. As Cam pulled the flap to the side and Halo ran in, Jake heard additional gunfire in the area surrounding the compound. It had to be the Red Falcon team. Jake shook his head and wondered if they’d ever have a mission go as planned.
Rafe and Ryan were right behind Cam and took out the rest of the guards. Jake and Murph approached from the rear to grab Azfaar if he tried to run.
“Command, this is Eagle 5, do you copy?” Cam asked.
“Yes, Eagle 5, go ahead.”
As per protocol, Cam took a photo of Azfaar for CIA verification. Halo had the terrorist cornered between two stacks of boxes. “Sending photo of HVT for verification.”
A moment later they got the confirmation. “Received and verified, Eagle 5. Extraction plan activated. Arrival in fifteen mikes,” Knox said.
Jake heard the relief in Knox’s voice that they hadn’taccidentallykilled Azfaar, and he almost chuckled as he and Murph entered the tent and finally saw the man who’d eluded capture for almost two years.
The team watched as Rafe forced Azfaar from his hiding place and restrained his arms behind his back. The terrorist wore the traditionalParahan tunbanclothing, and as Rafe checked him for weapons, he found two knives and a gun tucked in his pants waistband.
“You think you’ve won.” Azfaar practically spit the words at them in heavily accented English.
“It looks that way to me,” Jake answered in Pashto, Azfaar’s native language.
“Maybe you should check on your friends, hmm?”
Jake smiled, then turned away to speak into his comms. He had no intention of giving Azfaar the satisfaction of knowing how worried Jake was about the other SEAL team.
“Ryan, get me status on EXFIL and the Falcons.”
“Copy that. I’ll step outside. Don’t have any fun without me,” the tall, camo-covered man answered.
Jake nodded, then turned back to face the terrorist who’d been the reason behind so much death. He itched to put a bullet between Azfaar’s eyes. Instead he grinned, his expression giving nothing away.
Continuing to speak to the prisoner in Pashto, Jake said, “I’m not worried. Where are your friends? Didn’t do a great job of protecting you, did they?”
“They served their purpose,” Azfaar answered in the Afghani language and shrugged.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jake could see Cam and Halo searching the large tent. “Boss, we’ve got a shit ton of boxes with weapons and ammo. From the markings, it looks Russian.”
Jake nodded, knowing Cam watched his reaction. It didn’t surprise him; the weapons almost always came from Russia or were stolen, usually from the US.
“Should we head to the EXFIL point?” Rafe dragged Azfaar toward the middle of the tent and away from one stack of the boxes.
Azfaar grimaced in pain. He was lucky they had orders to bring him back alive, or he’d have been doing a lot more than wincing. Once Rafe released him, his gaze swept the interior. After a slight hesitation in the rear corner, he seemed to settle himself.
“Everyone out, now,” Jake yelled, as adrenaline surged through his veins. He didn’t have to worry about their reaction. They were running out of the tent, dragging Azfaar with them.
They’d missed something, most likely a bomb on a timer, and the bastard was stalling to take them all out. Cam and Halo had cleared the tent, so it had to be in a box they hadn’t checked.Motherfucker.
“Falcon team is clear. On their way to the EXFIL, arriving in two mikes. You guys need to hustle,” Ryan reported as the rest of the team ran from the tent.
“Copy that, Eagle 3,” Jake responded as the team cleared the tent and raced toward the extraction point. He was the last one out and had barely cleared the tent when an explosion rocked the ground and launched him into the air.
An image of Dawn appeared in his mind, and he whispered, “I’m so sorry. I love you, angel.”
The words he hadn’t been brave enough to say echoed in his thoughts. Would he ever have a chance now? Then he hit the ground with enough force to rattle his teeth and rolled into a massive boulder. The last thing Jake saw before he lost consciousness was flames lighting up the pre-dawn sky.
