Zale and Simon had been flying drones with mounted cameras over the area, and scouring the live feeds to assist them with locating al-Harakat.
Julian pressed the button to speak through his comms. “How far out?”
“Five minutes.”
Hidden Barbie.
No identifiable sign that Mena was actually in the convoy, but there was no other reason for a convoy to be heading in this direction. The heavily armed team in that convoy had to be al-Harakat.
“Look, coming up over there,” Taye said, pointing as he shifted the Humvee into gear. The military vehicle propelled forward, sending up a cloud of red dirt as it bumped over the uneven terrain. Visibility was limited through the dust, but Julian could make out the sleek gray TIGR gliding across the desert land.
Julian had kept his memories of Mena in the far corners of his mind, refusing to indulge in the pain of missing her, afraid they would swallow him whole into an abyss of loneliness if he let them run rampant. He’d needed to focus his energy on finding and rescuing her.
Knowing he was within minutes of resting his eyes on her beautiful face again sent a surge of adrenaline through him.
Bouncing over a small hill, he had the TIGR in his sights, leaning out of the window with the M4 Carbine perched on his shoulder. In the periphery, he could see Enzo, mirroring his movements, ready to make a coordinated attack on the tires of the TIGR.
Clutching the steering wheel tighter, Taye barreled ahead, turning the Humvee toward the TIGR in a wide arc to give Julian and Enzo the best vantage to shoot at the vehicle. The Humvee swerved again as Julian and Enzo unleashed a steady stream of shots toward the TIGR. The bullets popped through the air, pelting then bouncing off the bulletproof metal and glass. Julian cursed. His shots had been too high to hit the tires. Readjusting his aim, he unleashed another round of bullets, hitting one of the front tires.
The TIGR careened across the dirt road, jerking back and forth. A door swung open and a gunman leaned out, unleashing a round of shots toward the Humvee.
Enzo rebounded, taking several shots. A body fell out the open door of the TIGR, tumbling across the red dirt before rolling to a stop on the ground. The TIGR sped up, racing away from the Humvee. A rifle emerged from the back window, pelting the Humvee with more bullets that pinged off the surface.
Taye swerved in a wider arc, then floored the vehicle until they were on the other side of the TIGR. The erratic movement of the Humvee was destroying Julian’s aim. He had to get the TIGR to slow down. Julian jumped out of the Humvee, gripping the rifle tightly as his body banged against the hard earth, rolling several times before coming to a stop. He kept his eyes trained on the moving tires. Fingering the trigger, he focused on the turning wheels and hit each back tire with successive shots.
The TIGR swerved wildly across the sand, tilting and rocking as the driver struggled to keep control of the vehicle. The TIGR spun in a one-hundred-eighty-degree arc. Julian caught sight of the driver through the window. The man’s head was barely above the steering wheel. Time stood still as Julian focused on the cadence of his heart beating, slow and methodical. He inhaled, then pulled the trigger over and over.
The rapid-fire of the rifle thundered in his ears, then fell silent.
The TIGR slowed to a stop.
Julian stared at the hole pierced in the front windshield. The driver’s head slumped backward, his face a bloody mess of torn skin and bone, unrecognizable as human.
Julian watched the Humvee slowing to a stop on the other side of the TIGR. Enzo emerged from the passenger door, his gun raised as he approached the back door of the TIGR.
“Enzo! Wait!” Julian screamed as he took off running across the sand.
In an instant, the back door of the TIGR opened and shots rang out, pelting Enzo’s body. Julian watched Enzo fall, his body jerking back and forth as the bullets hit him.
Raising his gun, Julian shot the two men leaning out the back of the TIGR, their bodies falling on top of Enzo.
Taye raced over, moving the rebel’s bodies. One gripped his ankle and Taye placed a clean shot right between the man’s eyes, before leaning down to check on Enzo.
“Is he okay?” Julian asked, panting as he stood over Taye and Enzo.
“Fuck yeah, I’m okay,” Enzo said, through shallow breaths. “Bulletproof vest took most of the damage, but this arm is bleeding like a motherfucker!”
“We’re going to get you some help!” Taye said, looking at Julian with concern in his eyes.
No doubt, Enzo’s injuries were a lot worse than his friend realized.
Julian pressed the comms, “Zale, where is the closest hospital?”
“What happened? Is everything okay?” Zale asked. Julian could hear her typing on the keyboard, likely homing in on their location.
“Enzo got shot, need to get him to the hospital asap,” Julian urged as Enzo’s blood oozed across the sand, darkening the already rust-colored dirt. Lifting Enzo’s body, Julian caught sight of torn muscles and bones, areas where the bulletproof vest hadn’t been able to protect his friend. Taye grabbed Enzo from the other side and they carried him to the Humvee, placing him in the back seat.
“Keep heading east to El Wak to the district hospital. I’ll arrange for a helicopter to meet you to Medivac Enzo back to Kenyatta National Hospital here in Nairobi,” Zale said.
