Page 105 of Enemy Within

Ethan shook his head. He pulled his pack around and dug his binoculars out. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

Sasha grunted. He revved his engines. “It is too quiet. You Americans are usually louder than this.”

“Adam should be out here. He should have a perimeter set. Should give the all clear signal for us to come in.”

“It’s cold as fuck, Ethan.” Scott leaned over his handlebars and spoke through his jacket. The thick zipper muffled his voice. “He called it in. We’re good.” Leaning back, Scott glared at Ethan through his goggles. “I’d be pissed if you made me stand guard out here in the fucking wind.”

Ethan tried to smile. One corner of his mouth quirked up briefly. Jack stayed silent as Ethan looked at him. Their gazes locked. He could see Ethan weighing his gut against Scott’s words, judging his instincts against what he’d been told.

“Sasha and I will go check it out,” he finally said. “Scott, you stay here with Jack and Sergey. Keep watch.”

Scott sighed. “You’re the boss.” He sat back on his snowmobile and pulled his rifle over his shoulder, holding it low and ready across his lap.

Sasha and Ethan had their rifles out already, hanging across their chests in quick release harnesses. Ethan checked his rifle’s chamber while Sasha revved his engines again.

All right.” Ethan nodded once to Sasha. “Let’s go.”

“FUCK, COLEMAN, HURRY!” DOC shook his wrists, trying to help Coleman along. Coleman’s fingers were bloody, his nails torn from scratching at the duct tape, trying to peel it away. Warm blood slid down Doc’s fingers. “Faisal, how are you doing?”

Faisal sat beside Wright, picking at the tape binding his hands. “Slowly.”

“What the fuck was all that Arabic you and the L-T were talking? Did he give you a plan or something? Tell you what was going on?” Doc glared over his shoulder at Coleman as he spoke, as if that would hurry Coleman along.

Faisal swallowed. “No, he did not.”

“So what the fuck was all that?”

“It was… personal.” Beneath his fingers, Wright seemed to be slowly coming to, blinking hard and breathing deeply.

“Personal? What the fuck?” Doc shook his head, scowling at Faisal. “Heshouldhave been communicating with us. Trying to get us out of this situation. Or tell us some part of his plan. You’re a distraction, Faisal—”

“It was the last time I was going to see him!” Faisal snapped, shouting. “We had to—” He clamped his lips shut and looked away, blinking fast. “He does not plan to survive this.”

Silence. Until Wright moaned, and Doc turned his attention to him. “Wright, you okay?”

“Yeah… yeah, I think so. Fuck, they hit me hard.” He turned his head and coughed, sounding like he was hacking up a lung. “What the fuck is going on?”

“They shot Ruiz. Park and Kobayashi are gone.” Doc and Coleman shared a look as Doc spoke.

Faisal kept picking at Wright’s tape. He had a strip loose. If he got more, Wright could pull the rest apart.

“They took the L-T,” Coleman finally growled. “He surrendered. I think they made him do something, but I don’t know what.”

“What the fuck? Why’d he do that?”

Faisal ripped away another piece of tape. His nail bent back, breaking, and pain rocketed up his finger like he’d been stabbed. “I believe you can break free, Wright. Try now.”

Wright grit his teeth and heaved, hauling his arms apart. Seams tore and then ripped, and the duct tape split in two. His hands were free. He undid his ankles and then Faisal’s hands, and then crawled to Doc and Coleman. “Why the fuck did he give up?”

Doc and Coleman’s eyes slid to Faisal, silently.

Snarling, Wright turned away. He stormed across the room, kicking a chair out and flinging a table over. “They took our fucking radios! All of our weapons!”

Doc and Coleman scrambled to their feet. “We don’t have time for that shit, Wright. We’ve got to go.Now.” Doc grabbed his pack, dumped by one of the tables, and tried to shove as much back into the bag as possible. “They took all our C4, too, and I heard them moving those oil drums. What the fuck do you think they’re doing?”

Wright’s lips thinned. He and Coleman headed for the doors at the rear of the station, glancing right and left. “Zero contacts,” Coleman grunted. “I don’t see anything.”

“Nothing.” Wright glared at Coleman. “How do we get in contact with Reichenbach? We’ve got to report in.”