Chapters (37)
- Cover
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Chris Ryan Readers’ Club?
- Letter from Author
- About the Author
‘Save your breath.’ He thrust an arm at the irrigation ditch running north to south beyond the garden wall. ‘Set up the Claymores over there. That ditch is the most vulnerable area of the estate. If the rebels cut through the fence, they could use it to crawl right up to us.’
‘Like the battle of Little Bighorn,’ said Bowman. ‘When the Plains Indians used the dead ground to advance on the cavalry.’
‘Exactly. Except Custer didn’t have a couple of Claymores to play with. We do. So let’s fucking use them.’
‘Where are the other guys?’ asked Loader.
‘Alex is on the mortar with one of the major’s lads. The others are on the roof. Patrick has got the AWC. You two will operate the Gimpys. I’ll be up there as well with the .50 cal. Between us, we’ll cover the approaches to the stronghold.’
‘What about Mike?’
‘He’s got one of the spare radios. He’ll cover the front of the stronghold with one of the platoon’s Gimpys. If the rebels manage to cut through the fence, he’ll take them down.’
‘And the local troops?’
‘We’re posting four other guys at the front. Two on top of the guest house, two others in a pit to the east. Four others in defensive positions guarding the west flank. The major will man the second platoon Gimpy in the gun pit to the rear. If they start taking rounds from any rebel forces from that direction, he’ll let us know.’
‘Better that way,’ Loader said. ‘The last thing we need is a blue-on-blue.’
Bowman nodded in agreement. The men in Mavinda’s platoon seemed brave enough, but they weren’t trained to an elite level. Giving them designated sectors of fire lessened the chances of an inexperienced soldier accidentally slotting a friendly.
‘Get a move on,’ Mallet says. ‘Once you’ve got those Claymores rigged, give us a shout. There’s still lots to do before we’re ready.’
He gave them his back and marched over to the soldiers at the gun pit. Bowman and Loader left the porch and sprinted across the driveway to the Land Cruiser. They grabbed the satchels containing the two Claymores from the boot and ran at a brisk clip towards the western garden. Casey was kneeling beside the mortar pit in front of the ruined wall on the north side of the garden. The second guy on the mortar team, the lanky Karatandan sergeant, sat next to her. They worked together, Lanky emptying the shells from their boxes, Casey taking the pin out of the nose of each projectile and lining them up at the side of the mortar cannon. Prepping them for the fight.