Page 47 of Nightstalker

“Two-minute warning,” our driver announced.

“Roger that,” Zane was curt.

I mentally went over all my gear one more time, touching the front of my vest, insuring each item was precisely where I needed it. With a knock to my chest to confirm my plates were indeed in my carrier, I sat back. Old habits and all that. My first deployment in Afghanistan an infantry specialist came back to base with a small caliber GSW. He had forgotten to wear a plate carrier. That would have stopped the bullet. Instead he died in surgery, stupid mistake. After that I always knocked my chest to confirm I did not make that same mistake.

“Nightstalker, over,” Zane tested his COMS.

“Loud and clear, Viper,” Jasmin came back over our COMS.

“Viper out.” Zane turned around in the front passenger seat. “Black is ready, we are a go.”

We all remained silent and nodded. The car rolled to a stop in a valley surrounded by red rocks, we had almost complete cover down here. It was no wonder the cartel used this location for the smuggling tunnels. Each of us filled out of the SUV, our M4’s at the ready, scanning the surrounding hilltops through the reticles of our scopes.

Zane walked towards Captain Black. Leo, Jax, and I followed. Eric and Colin stayed by the car, their weapons still pointed up towards the hills, scanning for hostiles.

“Black,” Zane greeted.

“Viper, good to see you again brother. Panther, Blue, Ghost,” Captain Black offered by way of greeting.

Captain Black was somewhat of a legend in the SEAL community. He was known as a badass mother fucker. I felt a hell of a lot better knowing I had him and his team at our six.

“My team will patrol the valley on this side of the border. Just an everyday training exercise as far as the DOD knows. Don’t make me blow my load over here; the Commander will have a shit conniption if I come back with a discharged weapon on American soil. Not that I couldn’t use some target practice.” Black’s team all chuckled.

“Copy that, simple in and out. Nightstalker relay mission codes?” Zane asked

“Affirmative.” Black was always no nonsense. Short and to the point, no bullshit. One of the many things I liked about him.

“See you on the other side. Team, let’s roll.” Zane shot his hand in the air and made a circling motion with his finger.

***

These God damn tunnels always smelled like stale death and shit, only made worse by the stifling heat. I breathed in a lungful of clean night air when we made it out the other side. I pulled my Newcon Optiks night vision binoculars down over my eyes and scanned the area.

We stalked the South wall of the valley, following the winding creek. No one spoke. There was no need for words. Every now and then Zane would make a fist and stop our progress to scan the area. The team worked silently together assessing our surrounding. We finally made it to the valley opening where Sonreír’s property began.

“Blue, Wolf, go. Panther, Ghost, go. Breeze we’re out,” Zane ordered.

Each two man team quietly slid into place, keeping their positions concealed. Leo and I hugged the mountain and slowly trudged our way to the rendezvous point.

My COMS crackled to life and I heard the sweetest voice filling my ears. “Ghost you have movement at your eleven o’clock, confirm, over.”

We had already spotted the movement and halted our progress. Leo was investigating the area with his thermal monocular. I had my M4 up and scope fixed on the hostile’s head.

“Ghost here, confirmed, over.”

“Viper, advise we have a hostile at eleven degrees north of your location.”

“Viper here, how’s your view, Ghost?”

“Clear and bright, Viper. Yappin’ on a phone and rippin’ a butt,” I replied.

This shit bird was standing outside, talking on his phone and smoking, delaying any further movement.

“Blue and Wolf, you are clear to proceed. Viper team halt. Ghost team stay put.”

“Ghost here, Roger.”

“Viper here, Roger that.”