Signed SEAL'd and Delivered by Jack Silkstone

Author:Jack Silkstone [Silkstone, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-06-09T18:30:00+00:00

***

TJ led Deb through thorny scrub to a position just under a mile from the ranch, where they assessed the vehicle had stopped. He lowered the backpack he'd taken from their SUV and sat under a gnarled tree.

Deb joined him and he passed her a water bottle.

“We've got about thirty minutes of light.”

She took a sip and returned the bottle. TJ took a mouthful and stashed it in his pack. He pulled out the drone and set it up on a rock. “I'm going to go forward with the binoculars. If you stay here, you can use the drone for overwatch and communicate with me via radio.”

The look on Deb's face told him she wasn't happy with the plan.

“We can't both go. If something happens, you need to be able to get back into cell phone range and tell Mike and Ali.”

“You're right. OK, let's get this done.”

TJ clipped a radio to his belt and inserted an earpiece. “Check, check,” he transmitted.

“Lima Charlie,” she responded over her radio as she grasped his shoulder. “Be safe.”

TJ set off through the scrub at a trot. He'd cover as much ground as he could before finding a position where he could observe the ranch. With any luck he'd get eyes on the Bronco and then Axe.

The whirr of blades told him the drone was up. The noise faded as Deb sent it high to avoid detection.

“I can see you,” she transmitted.

“How’s the feed?”

“Grainy, but workable.”

He slowed to a walk as he approached a rise that he estimated was less than four hundred yards from the ranch. Crouching low he used a bush for cover and raised his binoculars.

He spotted the Bronco parked in front of a low-slung hacienda. There were two men lifting bags from the tailgate. A third joined them to assist in carrying the supplies inside. TJ spotted a pistol on the hip of one of the men.

“You getting this?” transmitted Deb.

“Yeah, three men. At least one is armed.”

“Not much of an indicator. Everyone around here carries.”

TJ watched as the three men disappeared inside. He waited a few minutes and when they didn't reappear, he lowered the binoculars. “I'm going in for a better look.”

“I can't get any closer. The image degrades.”

“OK, just keep an eye on the front and let me know if they come out.”

“Be careful.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

TJ slipped down the slope into the bushes that ran all the way to the edge of the clearing where the ranch was situated. He worked his way around the buildings to a weathered stockyard. Through the railings he could see chain-link fences behind the main building. They looked to him like cages. Cages like the one in the video sent to Mike.

He crouched low and worked his way along the outside of the yards. As he approached the cages, Deb transmitted a message.

“They're coming out.”

TJ dropped to his stomach and slid in tight against the railing. Men's voices carried on the evening breeze as two figures appeared from the ranch house. They passed within yards of TJ as they made their way toward the pens.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.