desert floor on the rocky slope of scree, waiting for his HVT. Above, the stars glimmered and danced in the night sky.
“Be apprised an American woman, Madison Duncan, has been kidnapped by the Taliban. We’ve got a drone watching the group’s progress toward the border.”
Surprised, Travis scowled. An American woman? Out here? His mind spun with a hundred questions. “Roger, Raven Main.” So how was he involved in this?
“She has been kidnapped from the Shinwari village of Lar Sholten, ten miles west of your position.”
He sat back from his position of looking through his Nightforce scope. “Roger that, Raven Main.” And just exactly what did Lieutenant Brad Scofield, his LT and head of Delta Platoon back at Camp Bravo, want him to do about it?
“Raven Actual, you are the closest to where it appears the Taliban is headed. They’re pushing though the night to make the border, so they must have night vision capability.”
“Roger that.” Travis knew the U.S. military couldn’t throw lead at the kidnappers. The bullets or bomb could kill the American woman, too. He was beginning to see the handwriting on the wall. He’d been in his sniper hide for two weeks, watching and patiently waiting for this HVT to leave Pakistan and sneak across the border into Afghanistan. And it was his job to identify him and take him out.
“Raven Actual, we need you to interdict this group of five horsemen and take them out. It’s imperative Ms. Duncan be kept alive and rescued. Over.”
Grimacing, Travis said in his West Texas drawl, “Roger that, Raven Main. You got an ETA when they’re gonna come by my area?” Hell, that group of Taliban could split off or ride elsewhere other than where he was. However, Travis’s hide was probably one of the most perfectly placed for watching the traffic across the border.
“Raven Actual, Master Chief Braden will be in touch with you as this goes down.”
“Raven Main, what about dropping a couple of SEALs to apprehend them?”
“Negative, Raven Actual. The minute they hear a helicopter coming toward them, they’re going to scatter and hide in those caves. Right now, we have drone eyes on them and they are moving toward the border.”
Well, hell’s bells. Travis scrubbed his face. “Roger, Raven Main. Do you have an ID on this kidnapped American?”
“Roger, am transmitting to your laptop right now.”
This was not what Travis wanted. He couldn’t give away his hide position. He’d been out in the mountains for weeks, hunting and waiting. “Hold, Raven Main,” he muttered, leaving his sniper rifle where it sat and moving into his hide. He grabbed his laptop, opened it up and then connected it via satellite phone. It was the only way to receive or transmit pictures and other intel. The screen was in low light mode so it couldn’t be seen by the enemy, who were always in the caves around his hidden position.
The color photograph, a passport photo, of Madison Duncan opened up. His heart jumped for a moment. She was young. He quickly scanned the passport and other provided information. Blond hair, blue eyes, twenty-six years old and from College Station, Texas. Hell, she was a Texas gal. That made this more important to him because he was from Texas. And it didn’t hurt a thing that she was damned good-looking. And single, according to the intel. Madison’s shoulder-length blond hair had been streaked several shades and colors by the sun. Her face was oval with a broad brow, high cheekbones and a beautiful mouth. Yeah, that mouth could get him into a lot of trouble, and he smiled to himself.
“Raven Main, you got anything else on the package?” Like, what the hell was she doing out here in the badlands?
“Roger, Raven Actual. She’s part of a U.S. agricultural mission to help the Shinwari tribe. Her father owns a Trakehner stud farm and she’s over here to look at Afghan horses and suggest better breeding methods to the tribe.”
Trakehners? Travis had heard about the breed but his familiarity was with the quarter horses on his father’s ranch. “Roger that. How did she get kidnapped?”
“According to the U.S. Marine Captain who was in charge of protecting this group, she slipped out of the house at dusk. They found evidence of a struggle at the horse corral.”
So, the Texas gal disregarded the Marine’s orders to stay with the group and remain guarded. Travis shook his head. Sounded like a Texas gal to him, all right. Strong minded, stubborn and, as a result, kidnapped. “Roger that. You said five horsemen?”
“Roger. All carrying AKs. They’ve got her bound and hooded. She’s riding in the center of the group and can’t possibly escape on her own.”
No, Travis imagined, she sure as hell couldn’t. He felt sorry for her, but he also felt anger. If the woman had trusted her Marine contingent she wouldn’t be in this fix.
“Any idea of what they’re going to do with her?”
“No. Our best guess is they’re going to move her into Pakistan and, most likely, demand a ransom.”
Travis sighed and quirked his mouth. “Either that or sell her as a sex slave.”
“That, too,” Lieutenant Scofield said.
Which was why she had to be rescued, Travis thought.
“Any idea who’s got her?”
“Roger. Hill tribe members, from what we can ascertain.”
Great, the hill tribe with Khogani leading it was constantly making war against the Shinwari. Both claimed the Khyber Pass area. And that was the only route between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“Roger that.” Travis sighed. “That means I’m probably going to give away my hide, LT.”
“Yes, it does.”
“If I can spring her loose from those bastards, I’m on my own. There’s Taliban crawling all over this area. You won’t be able to get a Night Stalker helo down here to pick us up. I’m going to have to gun and run with her until I can get out of this immediate area.”
“Understood.”
“Keep me updated on their progress and location.” To Travis, this was looking like a FUBAR of the finest kind. There were thousands of Taliban and Al-Qaeda crisscrossing this border area. It was a hotbed of activity and one couldn’t just drop a helo into it because the enemy would see it, fire on it and, most likely, destroy it. No, if he could rescue this damned bull-headed Texas brat, it meant being on the run for days, possibly, before an extrication mission could be called to get them out of this area.
“Roger that, Raven Actual. Out.”
Travis put the sat phone down on his rucksack, scowling into the total darkness. There were thousands of caves all around this area. The Taliban used them regularly to hide from drone eyes and from the deadly Apache helicopters that stalked them.
He pulled the cover off his watch and saw that it was midnight. Rubbing his bearded jaw, he thought about the possibilities. He had to act fast. Once again, he examined the live video feed of the Taliban fleeing with the kidnapped woman. They were moving at a steady trot and it was clear to him someone had night vision goggles or they wouldn’t be able to ride through the darkness.
