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A
"Don't condescend to me, Irene.
This is my husband we're talking about."
"Exactly"-Ke
Ke
"Of course they haven't. He didn't just save your life that day upstairs, he saved dozens Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that maybe right now he's doing exactly that? That he's saving lives?"
Ke
"Would you deny them the same gift of life that Mitch gave you?"
A
Slowly, A
She'd seen photos of them and their cute little redheaded children.
A
"Just knowing where he is and what he's doing, helps."
Ke
"But I worry about him." A
"I worry that one of these times he's not going to come home."
Ke
A
Ke
"Don't worry about him. I can tell you that he's nowhere near the action. He's helping plan the rescue, but will not be participating in it."
Distrustful but hopeful, A
"Yes," nodded Ke
A
"Good. I just don't know if I could bear losing him."
Ke
There had been plenty of times when Ke
A
"All off the record, and never to be discussed with anyone else, of course," Ke
"Of course." A
THIRTY FOUR.
Coleman and Wicker had descended the mountain without incident and then very slowly and deliberately worked their way through the thick jungle with the goal of linking back up with Hackett and Stroble. Using the various paths that snaked their way through the plush vegetation was unwise, so even though they were going mostly downhill, it took a full two hours before they reached their comrades.
The last hundred or so feet was navigated on their bellies. Thanks to their secure Motorola radios and GPS devices, they were able to locate the well-concealed Hackett and Stroble without needing them to reveal their position. The two former SEALs had picked a spot atop a small ridgeline among the roots of a large mangrove tree. Their vantage of the Abu Sayyaf camp was ideal.
When Coleman reached the hide, he was surprised to find how lax the enemy's security was. A cooking fire puffed smoke into the air and the men lounged about with no apparent concern that they might be attacked. At first glance there appeared to be no perimeter patrol.
Coleman took this as further evidence that General Moro had been under their payroll.
Looking through binoculars he counted four dilapidated lean-tos and two green tents that appeared to be of the U.S. army surplus type.
Two men were busy tying down a blue tarp over one of the lean-tos as they prepared for the storm that was coming. The color of the tarp was further evidence that contrary to the intelligence reports they'd seen, these guerrillas were not a crack outfit. Coleman guessed the site was an abandoned village of some sort. Methodically, he sca
Knowing they had a long day ahead of them, Coleman ordered Hackett and Stroble to get some shut-eye while he sent Wicker to reco
As Wicker squirmed away, the former commander of SEAL Team 6 got Rapp on the secure net and began the process of meticulously relaying the location of each structure, the precise terrain of the camp and the exact strength of the enemy. Neither man communicated the obvious. Come nightfall they would be launching one of the most delicate and challenging of all military operations: a hostage rescue. Unlike almost every other military engagement, this one needed to be exercised with great restraint. It needed to be carried out with extreme skill and precision, or the hostages would get mowed down in the cross fire.
the expansive nonskid deck of the USS Belleau Wood pitched and rolled as the seas intensified with the oncoming storm.
Standing on the aft section of the flattop, Rapp picked up a suppressed MP-5 submachine gun that was lying on a tarp with several others. He held the weapon in his hands for a second getting a feel for the balance, and then pulled back the slide. After checking the chamber he released the cocking lever and listened for the click of a 9mm round being chambered.
In front of him were eight cardboard silhouette body targets. Rapp thumbed the selector switch from safety to single shot. He paid no attention to the men who were standing behind him. Moving with the confidence of someone who had done this many times before, he brought the weapon up into the firing position. His right foot moved slightly in front of his left, his entire body crouched a bit and he leaned forward. With the butt of the weapon nestled firmly to his left shoulder he looked down the black steel and through the hoop sight.