Page 96 of Fear No Evil
Centering itself over the lakeshore, the helo prepared to land.
Watch out for that sheer there.
Foot by foot, it dropped until, at last, it touched down onto the rocky surface at the lake’s edge.
“We’re going to make it, Beautiful.” As Jake started for the bird, both Lobo and Zen jumped out, their M4s ready to defend their rescue targets. Jake saw Jorge trip and fall. David, with his poncho flapping in the wind, went to pick the man up, assisted by Zen who darted away to help.
Lobo came straight for Jake, grabbed the side of his vest, and drew him through the rotor wash to the door, where he gavehim a heave-ho that made it possible to clamber inside without passing Lena off to Bambino, who grabbed for him and pulled them in.
“Over here,” the medic shouted, drawing Jake toward a stationary gurney.
Lowering Lena across it, Jake relinquished her to Bambino’s care, then turned his attention to the irregular terrain outside. Two of the three JUNGLAs clambered up into the cargo area and collapsed.
“Let’s go!” Lobo shouted at Zen, who escorted David and a limping Jorge to the bird.
Beyond them, Jake caught sight of movement and fixed his stare on what could only be a human being, cast into silhouette by the sun shining on the eastern ridge. The acrid taste of fear filled his mouth as he spotted the unmistakable shape of a rocket launcher on the man’s shoulder—a mortar mounted on a rocket. “Shooter!” Dropping to his knees, he pointed the man out to Harm.
“I see him.” Harm swung his chain gun in the right direction.
Lobo all but tossed David into the cabin while Zen pulled up Jorge. “Go, go, go!” Lobo roared at the pilots.
The twin turboshaft engine whined as the pilots responded. “Hold on!”
Harm’s M30 chain gun spewed empty shells onto the floor as he covered their liftoff. Jake, who hadn’t taken his eye off the shooter, saw him duck behind a rock. Darned if the man didn’t resemble Gallo.
The Seahawk rose, jerking in the wind like a malfunctioning thrill ride.
Watch that sheer!Jake threw himself across Lena’s prone form to keep her from falling off the gurney as the helo tipped away from it.
David and the JUNGLA crawled toward the benches to grope for the straps on the wall. Harm, cool as a cucumber, slid on his gun rail, keeping their assailant in sight.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!More shells rolled across the cabin floor.
But then the sound Jake dreaded to hear—the sizzling of an RPG ripping through the air—reached his ears.This is it. Holding on to Lena, he braced for impact. At least they would go to Heaven together.
The helicopter banked in the opposite direction, and the RPG sizzled past them, missing by mere feet. As Jake’s adrenaline drained away, he opened his eyes to find them accelerating swiftly into the cerulean sky. They were too far from the mountain now to be targeted—not with the FARC’s limited firepower.
With the danger over, Harm secured his chain gun to one side and rolled shut the large door, locking out the frigid blast.
In the quiet that followed, Jake met the eyes of his teammates, then David and the JUNGLA, who eased their white-knuckled grips on the wall straps and shared great smiles of relief.
Looking back at Lena, Jake’s contentment fled. Bambino was slipping an oxygen mask over her face. She looked utterly lifeless. Nor did Bambino’s grave expression offer hope as he proceeded to take her blood pressure. The worried tilt to the medic’s dark eyebrows stripped the air from Jake’s lungs.
He crouched beside the gurney and stroked Lena’s dark hair. Tears of desperation stung his eyes as he bent over her, grating in her ear, “Don’t you dare die on me, Lena.”
She’d said those very words to him after the bombing. Never in a million years did he thinkhewould be saying them toherjust twelve years later.
CHAPTER 20
“Seriously?”
Maggie stared in disbelief at the empty armchair where she’d seen Jake sitting on the few occasions she’d managed to open her eyes. But this time, he was gone, and something told her he wouldn’t be back. Uncle Sam must have crooked his finger, leaving Jake with no choice but to comply.
With a whimper of desolation, Maggie stared at the ceiling she had glimpsed now and then while floating in and out of consciousness. She’d wanted desperately to converse with Jake, who never left her side, only she’d been too sick to find the strength.
This time, her eyes stayed open. Even so, it took her a while to notice her warped, water-damaged passport lying atop the wheeled tray next to her. She extended a hand to pick it up and found a note tucked inside, written in Jake’s vaguely familiar handwriting.
Welcome back, Beautiful. I wanted to be here when you felt good enough to talk, but I’ve been called back. Please remember what you said to me. We’re going to make it work.