He planted his knees behind Mike’s head, and together they forced his hands apart. Devin kept them pinned against the ground while she assessed the wound. Mike resisted every step of the way, but his strength had clearly diminished since the first time Devin had tried to remove his hands. After a few more seconds of poking and prodding around the profusely bleeding bullet hole, Emily shook her head.

“Mike is gone. There’s nothing I can do for him. Bullet went straight through his neck and ripped open one of his carotid arteries.” Emily spoke over the net. “Rich. Mike is KIA. He bled out.”

“Copy. You’re responsible for Devin and Marnie now. I’m sending Jared in your direction. Start laying down suppressing fire so we can give our snipers some breathing room to do their magic. We’ll have this under control in no time.”

Rich transmitted over the radio. “OVERWATCH, this is RIFFRAFF. We’ve been engaged by automatic fire originating near the center of camp. Mike is KIA. Need a SITREP.”

“Copy. I’ll have a SITREP for you in a few seconds.”

Another long burst of bullets kicked up dirt in the gap and tore into the cabin behind them, leaving Devin with the distinct impression that Rich’s pep talk with Emily was more wishful thinking than reality. The drumbeat of nearby helicopter rotors reinforced that feeling.

CHAPTER 47

CHAPTER 47

Graves watched in horror as the team’s situation shifted within a matter of seconds. Several automatic weapons had opened fire on the team, all located near the center of the camp. The hostile muzzle flashes did not correspond with human heat signatures, suggesting that they were firing from inside the cabins or well-concealed positions he had been unable to identify with the drone’s sensors.

The dozen or so people gathered around the firepits had rushed into action, sprinting to the nearest building, where they disappeared for a few moments—before reappearing with rifles. And now they had two helicopters landing in the fields north of the camp. The team’s arrival had obviously been detected, most likely at the shoreline infiltration point, given what he was seeing at the landing fields.

“I’m taking positive control of the drone,” said Gupta. “We only have another minute on this glide path. They’re going to need uninterrupted coverage.”

“Yep,” said Graves, taking a few moments to assess the scene before contacting the team. “RIFFRAFF, this is OVERWATCH. We’re taking active control of the drone to pass you continuous information. SITREP follows. A dozen or more armed hostiles are headed toward the concealed gun positions near the center of the camp. From what I can see, they’re bringing rifles to the fight. I also have some activity inside the southwest wing of the camp. Small groups forming. No weapons present. How copy?”

“Copy all. Are you seeing helicopters nearby?”