Page 21 of Hard Pursuit
His voice came through, heavy with control. “There’s an explosive on the move. It’s projected to arrive at the joint military base near Seattle. We intercept before it reaches base.”
Cannon swept a look over the team. When he met Archer’s gaze, he paused only a beat before continuing, “It’s coming in overland through the mountains. Two-man transport. Smugglers. They know the terrain and they’re armed.”
Rome let out a low laugh. “Two? Light work.”
Rivers threaded his fingers together, flexed them and popped all his knuckles. “Mountain intercept? Sounds like a fun time.”
“Been a while since we got to stretch our legs,” Younger added like they were heading out for a weekend beer run instead of chasing a bomb.
O didn’t even glance up from his screen. “I’ve got eyes on three possible routes. Pick one and I’ll make it interesting.”
Archer’s lips twitched at one corner. Finally, life had bypassed the lemons and given him the lemonade. He’d been selected for the right team. These guys weren’t nervous—they were looking forward to the challenge.
Rome caught his eye and tipped his jaw toward him. “You worried, Spanky?”
Younger turned his head and flashed a grin at Rome. “I thought it was Sparky.”
Rome waved a hand. “Thought I’d try out a new name on him.”
Archer gave them a flat look. “I got nothing to worry about. Mountains are my playground. But why is a bomb being moved to a base—and through the mountain pass? How often does that happen?”
“They’re hiding in places they think we won’t look,” Cannon cut in.
While Cannon laid out the plan of attack, Archer was already working angles in his head. His training at the Black Heart was extensive and left nothing open to interpretation—the operators were taught every fighting approach from close-quarters combat to long-range engagement, and how to adapt when the terrain turned against them.
Cannon met their stares again. “Got it?”
Archer gave a short nod in response. Intercept early. Control the terrain. Don’t let the target dictate movement. He let his mind drift to that quiet place where he could tune out all the noise and focus on the steps between now and a successfully completed op.
The chopper dipped, wind hitting harder as they pushed lower. Snow swept across the landscape below in broken waves.Visibility shifted with every gust. Dropping into conditions like this wasn’t easy, but he’d trained for that too.
As he took in the landscape, a certain woman he’d recently rescued slipped through the edges of his focus without asking permission.
An image of her flashed in his mind, the way relief rippled over her pretty face when she peered over the side of the railing and saw him at the bottom of the tower.
He pushed away the image and leaned forward, attention fixed on the jagged mountaintops they were flying over and would soon lower themselves down on. He’d spent too much time getting back his control to lose even a little bit to thoughts of a woman.
“Two minutes till go,” Cannon said.
Archer scanned the ridge as they approached, each point flagged in his mind. High ground. Wide exposure. No natural cover. It gave them sightlines—but it gave the enemy the same.
They touched down hard on a rocky outcropping. When the guy closest to the hatch opened the door, wind howled through the cabin. Then they were leaping out one by one.
Archer’s boots hit the packed snow, wind cutting sharp across his face. He barely registered the subzero temps as he moved forward, weapon up, sweeping the area.
The sound of the chopper faded as it lifted off again, leaving Sierra on their own.
Cannon made a hand signal for Younger to take point, and he set off, carving a path across the ridge.
Half a mile down the mountain, they hit a natural pass that wasn’t exactly ideal for moving explosives, but the half-buried tracks of snowmobiles revealed it was well-traveled.
Archer stopped. “This isn’t the best place for us to set up.”
A few feet in front of him, Cannon turned his head slightly at his statement. “Why?”
“The ridge line—there’s an open drop beyond it. It’s too exposed. No cover, no choke point. If they push through, we’re reacting instead of controlling.”
Cannon walked a few more steps before calling a halt. Younger paused in the lead and every man waited for orders.
