Gulf Dreams by Douglas Pratt

Author:Douglas Pratt [Pratt, Douglas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-10T23:00:00+00:00

17

I pulled the Wildcat off to the side of the trail and cut the engine. Before I ventured on, I wanted to come up with a semblance of a plan. As far as weaponry, I was well-stocked with the AR-15, ACR, and the 30-06. The AR had twenty-eight rounds. The ACR’s magazine was full, with twenty-four bullets, and for the 30-06 I had eighteen cartridges, most still in my pocket.

If a couple of guys from my unit joined me, we would clear the compound in time for lunch. That was only a bit of an exaggeration, but my confidence would be much higher. So far, none of the men I’d encountered would put up much of a fight against three Marines.

Unfortunately, it was just me. I hoped Rikki got back to the campground safely. Where did the camp fall in Connors’s search perimeter?

At the moment, I struggled with which way to go. With the Wildcat, I could cover a lot of ground fast. I might not outrun all of them, but given the firepower sitting in the seat next to me, I could hold them off—especially if Rikki drove and I manned the gun.

It was a long run to the campground and back, though. What if she didn’t make it back there? I’d waste a lot of time trekking over there. Even if I wanted to find her, that didn’t leave me a lot of ground to search. Or rather, it left me with too much ground to search. Rikki had had a couple of days to learn the land—where to go to ground. Unfortunately, I didn’t know where she’d go other than the campground.

Or the compound.

Even if Rikki sought the safety of the camp, it had been nearly twelve hours now since we separated. How long would she wait there for me?

She was one of the smartest and most self-reliant women I knew—and I knew a few. I didn’t think she’d wait too long before going out on her own. She might assume something happened to me if I didn’t make it back, and that would likely spur her to head out.

To the compound.

If Jake and Clay were correct, then the Connors clan sent everyone out on the prowl for me. That meant the Quonset complex wouldn’t have that many guards there. At least, that made sense to me. If that were the case, I might infiltrate the buildings and figure out what the hell was going on here.

When I was done today, Connors would wish he and his family had left me alone.

I started the engine on the Wildcat and aimed it in the direction of this secret whatever they were trying to hide out here.

The trails along the river zigged and zagged in different directions. I knew I needed to head west from the dry creek. While I knew the directions, three times I found a different trail that arced away from the compound. Every one of the wrong turns ate up minutes as they forced me to backtrack.

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