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That sounded ominous unless … “You mean, like rescue missions?”
“Sometimes. Other times, we go after bad actors or squelch a situation before it becomes an international problem. There are various scenarios, but we always work within the confines of our charter, which was drafted and approved by POTUS.”
She frowned. “What’s a POTUS?”
“An acronym for the President of the United States.”
“Oh.” She lifted her eyebrows. “Dang, the president, huh? That’s pretty impressive.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Ronan smiled. “I don’t usually think much about what has happened to get the company to where it is now. There’s a lot of history in the foundation of Guardian. Someday, I’ll have to ask my father about it. The pieces I do know have made an indelible impression on me.”
And that was probably why he loved what he was doing. She wished her passion was as firmly entrenched as his. She thought she’d found that passion working with the IDPs, but lately, she’d been questioning everything. “Growing any company into an international success would be pretty difficult. Only the truly dedicated would succeed.” She gazed out across the countryside. She was dedicated to the people they served in the camp, but she wasn’t sure she was making any significant impact.
Ronan flicked his hand to his ear. “Go ahead.”
He glanced at her and then to the rearview mirror. “How long?”
“Got it.” He put on the brakes and brought the vehicle to a stop. The truck behind him pulled up beside them, and Wolf got out. Ronan looked at her and pointed to the truck. “Go get in the back of the truck with everyone else and tell them to get down as low to the truck's frame as possible. Keep quiet and do not come out no matter what.”
“Is there trouble?”
Ronan smiled grimly. “Nothing we can’t handle.”
CHAPTER 14
Ronan grabbed the crate as soon as he ensured Fleur was in the truck. “Where are they?”
“You’ll see them soon. They’re coming up on your six,” Dude said as they worked to pull the MK-153 SMAW and two rounds out of the box. They’d fitted the crate with six rockets, three dual-mode, and three anti-armor rockets.
“Dual?” Wolf asked as Ronan pulled out the reusable SMAW launcher.
“Dude, any armor in that incoming convoy?”
“Negative. Ragtag. Trucks, a van, and looks like a Jeep.”
“Dual,” Ronan said and assembled the launcher when Wolf handed him the missile.
“You told them not to show their faces.” Wolf shook his head. “Stupid.”
“Might not be Al’s people.” Ronan walked ten paces behind the truck and knelt. He flipped the cover off the optical sight and aligned the optics. “There they are,” Ronan said, aligning his sights with the incoming vehicles.
“Warning shot?” Wolf asked.
“Unfortunately.” Ronan couldn’t care less if the bastards ate lead, but that wasn’t the correct way to do business. Check that. He cared, just not for the fuckers who tried to profit off innocent lives. He braced and pulled the trigger.
The igniter's sound lasted a fraction of a second before the propellant shot the explosive out of the tube and into the air toward the incoming danger.
The explosion cratered the road, and a plume of dirt obscured the vehicles. “They’re scattering, boss.” Dude chuckled. “Waiting to see if they’ll regroup and go after you again.”
Ronan stood up and nodded at Wolf, who handed him another charge. It took a minute to change the spent rocket for a new encased one, but he was ready and on his knee before Dude said, “They’re thinking about it.”
“We can see them.” Ronan watched the vehicles through the scope of the weapon.
“Two are circling, and yeah, they’re idiots. They’re trying to flank you to your west.” Wolf grabbed the other reusable SMAW launcher, the last dual-mode rocket, and an anti-armor rocket at Dude's warning. He sprinted west and up a slight embankment. “Ready.”
“Your vehicles are moving, Skipper.”
“I see them.”