“Copy that,” Ice responded. “Guards neutralized. We’re moving to the lodge.”
Preacher stopped and crouched. There were the two guards at the cabin they suspected the hostages were in, but he wondered about the other two guards standing watch over a cabin over from the hostage one.
“What do you think?”
“G, you got a shot on any of these guys?”
“Negative.”
“Break?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, I’ll take the two to the left, you take the remaining two straight ahead.”
“Copy,” Skull and Boomer said in unison.
“You in place, Ice?”
“Yes, Hazard is here.”
“We’re going in.” Preacher lined up his shots by sliding his scope between the two men. When he was ready, he said, “Execute.”
Preacher pulled off both his shots in seconds and his rounds hit their marks.
As soon as the guards were down, they sprinted to the cabin.
An explosion lit up the night with Preacher and the guys shielded by the cabins. “Stingers,” Hazard said over the mic. “Chopper is toast.”
Boomer let go with some shotgun rain and the cabin door was blown open. They rushed inside to find both hostages bound and gagged on the floor. Their wide-open eyes told Preacher they were terrified. They looked roughed up but ready to get out of there.
“American military,” Preacher said. “We’re here to rescue you.” Both men sagged and Boomer and Skull untied them. Preacher left and walked to the cabin two over from the hostage cabin. He pushed the door open and stopped inside the frame, shining his light inside. There was a man tied to a chair, stripped to the waist, his skin was mottled with bruises. Preacher got closer, shining the light on his face. The man’s head lolled to the side.
“Who are you?” Preacher asked.
“Who are you?” the man growled.
“American military.”
“Navy SEAL?” The guy shivered violently. His pants were filthy and blood-spattered, his bare chest showing signs of torture. His face wasn’t in great shape either, his eyes black, blue, and swollen.
“Yes.”
“Tier One, Iceman your boss?” That was a CIA stare if ever Preacher saw one.
Surprise narrowed Preacher’s eyes. They had no intel that there was an operative here as well as the hostages.
“How do you know that?”
“CIA Shadowguard, code name Gonchaya.”
6
Preacher leanedagainst the doorframe back at HQ as Kodiak bandaged Gonchaya’s wounds, gave him painkillers, and checked for broken bones. He’d had a quick shower and was dressed in clean clothes. Iceman watched the CIA operative closely.
If the man needed additional medical attention, he would be flown back to the States to undergo treatment at Walter Reed. But considering how bad of a condition he was in only half an hour ago, he was perking up after fluids and medical attention.
Rose entered the room like a whirlwind. She stopped in front of Gonchaya and folded her arms. “Let me get this straight. You and Zorra were working on No Safe Haven leads and I wasn’t informed. Why is that?”