“Just under seven minutes. This is going to be close,” Zack said. “If Griffin and Charles are already in position, we need to get below them to head off the convoy before it reaches the kill zone.” They knew from reconnaissance and following Belyakov’s security detail that his driver had scouted the southern coastal approach via Triq tal-Prajjet. Not only was it a straight shot to the village, it was also the most scenic drive, and while there were roads dissecting the entire island, most people preferred the sweeping coastal vistas. Zack understood that it was human nature, and he prayed the drivers had stuck to the plan. The team had devised an alternative if the convoy traveled a different route, but it required a second vehicle, and at the moment, the elite team of operators had been broken into two independently operating teams pursuing different objectives. The only advantage Zack and Noah had was that Griffin didn’t know they were back in play.

Zack glanced at his watch as the arid plains passed by on the left at dizzying speed. Although in less than six minutes, he’s going to find out with a rude awakening. And then all hell is going to break loose.

But Zack didn’t care. Both Griffin and Langley were wrong, even if they were too egotistical to realize it. It’s all up to you and Noah.

The SUV approached an intersection, Noah slowed the Range Rover, turned, and slid through the middle of it, accelerating and allowing the vehicle to naturally regain its traction. The SUV roared down the coastal road that approached Popeye Village from the north.

It’s going to be close, Zack thought, and watched the crashing waves batter the rocky coastline on his right, wondering what kind of storm they were driving into.

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter
THIRTY-ONE

Griffin and Charles lay hidden behind an outcropping of rocks thirty feet above the road, a two-lane unmarked stretch with no visible traffic in either direction. The IEDs had been buried the previous night in two large potholes sixty feet apart. The road had been neglected, and the two holes had been enlarged by the team under cover of darkness. They’d placed the canister-shaped weapons of war under two feet of gravel in the middle of the left lane, since the Maltese drove on the left side of the road, a fact the team had adapted to within days of their arrival. They were confident that both vehicles would get struck by the destructive force of the explosions.

The EFPs were powerful enough to disable and destroy the engine compartment of any vehicle, but the survival of the occupants depended on the timing of triggering the devices. Zachary had initially volunteered to operate the radio-controlled detonator, but after his sudden betrayal, Griffin had assumed responsibility for launching the attack. And I’m not risking failure, no matter who’s inside the lead vehicle.