“Fuck them!” Jones stood, fired three short bursts, taking out the driver of the lead vehicle and both of its front tires.
That was one enemy vehicle on its side and one crippled.
“Cobra, this is Team One. They have barricaded the main road. We are blocked from leaving the terminal, over?”
Son of a bitch!
The cavalry wasn’t coming.
“Team Two this is Cobra, Helo One has returned to base. Reinforcements inbound. ETA ten mikes.”
“Cobra, this is Team Two. Copy that. Out.” Derek rolled down his window, leaned out, took aim at the nearest pursuing vehicle, and fired, and saw two men drop.
Rat-at-at-at!
Jones fired, too, one of the vehicles spinning out of control.
Rat-at-at-at!
“We lost the other rear tire!”
Derek looked for a way to hold out until that bird arrived. They could keep driving, but they would run out of runway soon. They could try punching their own hole in the perimeter fence and risk getting pinned down without cover. Or they could take cover and fight. They were outnumbered and, if the RPG came into play, outgunned, but Jones, Cruz, and Ortiz were skilled fighters, the three of them worth more than a dozen insurgents.
Then he saw it—a ten-foot-high wall of stacked jersey barriers ahead.
“Take cover behind that barrier!”
Rat-at-at-at!
Jones laid down suppressing fire as Ortiz maneuvered the Land Cruiser behind the wall of jersey barriers, giving them solid cover—but potentially leaving them trapped.
“Jenna, lock the doors, and stay down!” Derek didn’t want to make it easy for Qassim to grab her if they fell. “Don’t come out for anyone or anything!”
She shook her head. “I won’t lock you out!”
“Do it!” Derek threw open the door, strapped his helmet onto his head, and took up a position on the corner of the wall, while Jones climbed onto the Land Cruiser’s hood and Ortiz took the other corner. “Cobra HQ this is Team Two, we have taken cover and are returning fire. Awaiting reinforcements. Out.”
18
Jenna was trapped in a nightmare, barely able to breathe, pulse pounding in her ears as gunfire exploded around her. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed.
God, please keep them safe! Keep them safe!
“Changing!” Derek shouted. “Ortiz, you’ve got one sneaking around your way!”
“I see him!”
Rat-at-at! Rat-at-at!
“Cruz is down!” That was Malik. “I can’t see how bad it is, but he’s not moving!”
Oh, God!
The two men were close friends. Was Dylan dead?
Her stomach rolled.
“Cobra HQ, this is Team Two. We have a man down. No details available. Still taking fire. Requesting medevac, over.”