Aftershock

Abood looped the sling of her rifle around her shoulders and extended its folding stock. She pressed it tightly and got a good cheek weld. “Just keep driving.”

Bolan nodded and hit a straightaway on the road. As the enemy rounded the bend, Abood cut loose with her rifle. Brass rained in the Executioner’s hair and one hot casing landed between his skintight top and his battle harness. It was hot, searing his skin, but the fabric of his blacksuit would prevent any permanent damage. A swift glance in the side mirror told him that the lead jeep had turned violently to avoid the stream of automatic fire.

“Thanks for keeping the jeep steady,” Abood said. “I still didn’t take them out.”

“Slowed them down,” Bolan told her. “Good shooting.”

“My dad’s a gun writer,” Abood explained as she reloaded her rifle. “He even let me play with some of the law-enforcement-only toys he got to review.”

Bolan nodded. “Keep up the good work.”

The soldier swung around another curve and hit the brakes. Abood glanced back and Bolan grabbed his rifle. She saw the headlights of a large truck racing toward them on the road.

“Abandon ship,” he ordered. “Don’t know who they are, but they just cut us off.”

Bolan and Abood raced away from the jeep and into the trees. A couple of jeeps rounded the curve too quickly and rear-ended their abandoned vehicle, smashing it between their fenders. The truck slammed into the other end of the jeep and threw the other two aside.

Jandarma gunmen clambered out of the back of the transport truck, and Bolan cursed as he saw a contingent racing into the woods after them while the others rushed to deal with the Kongra-Gel pursuit team. The road erupted with automatic fire between the warring parties, the Jandarma thugs charged through the grove of trees.

“Keep running,” Bolan said to Abood.

Bolan stopped and dropped to one knee. He fired two bursts, catching the two frontmost pursuers in the chest, stitching them with heavy-caliber slugs. As the paramilitary Turks dropped to the ground, as if they’d struck an invisible wall, their partners scattered and took cover behind tree trunks.

Abood reached the cover of a tree and braced herself across an exposed root, one-and-a-half feet high. She pointed her rifle and ripped off a short blast of autofire at a goon behind cover. Bolan wasn’t certain if she made a hit, but that wasn’t his concern as he caught up with her. “Keep moving.”

Abood nodded and got up as the Executioner paused at the trunk, flicked the selector switch to semiauto and put the front sight on the head of an adventurous Jandarma rifleman who had broken cover. Bolan stroked the trigger and the AK-47 punched a bullet through the gunner’s upper chest. The Executioner noted how far off the sights were from the results of his shot, and took the break in the Jandarma pursuit to continue after Abood.

After two more minutes of running, Bolan and Abood cut southwest toward Van, passing a stream and disappearing into the forest on the other side of the water. After five minutes, Bolan stopped so that Abood could catch her breath. The pair rested behind a copse of bushes.

Bolan breathed slowly and evenly to recover his breath while Abood gulped down air.

“You all right?” he asked.

“Yeah. Just not in as good shape as I’d like,” Abood answered. “Then again, I’m not usually running for my life with fifty pounds of rifle and ammunition.”

“Sorry about that,” Bolan replied.

The woman shrugged. “You’re the reason I’m still alive to bitch about it, Stone.”

The soldier smiled. “Glad you could keep it all in perspective.”

“It’s a talent,” Abood answered. “So what’s the plan?”

Bolan pulled a laminated map from a pocket of his blacksuit. “Judging by how far we’ve come and the direction we’ve taken, Van should be a forty-five-minute walk.” He pointed. “That way.”

“You’re going to need clothes,” Abood mentioned. “Unless you don’t mind sticking out like a NATO Dense Pack.”

“I’ve got a stash in a roadside ditch, about a forty-minute walk from here,” Bolan said.

“Always prepared?” Abood asked.

Bolan nodded. “A friend of mine once referred to me as the original hard-core Boy Scout.”

Abood sighed and rolled her eyes. “Just goes to show. I joined the Girl Scouts, but they would never give me a merit badge for marksmanship.”

Bolan chuckled. “It’s a bit late for that now. Come on, before the Jandarma expands its search for us.”

“And what about the Kongra-Gel?” Abood asked. “I take it you have unfinished business here.”

“Very observant,” Bolan replied. “Once I drop you off somewhere safe, I’ll get back to what I was doing. Don’t worry about me.”

“Don’t worry about me, either. This is about the missing drugs, right?” Abood asked. “Listen. I know people. My dad associated with a lot of folks, SEALs, federal cops, all kinds of folks who go into dark places. I don’t know what organization you’re with, but I do have a feeling that you’re more than just some spook busting Turkish Commies.”

Bolan remained silent.

“First, you broke cover and started a fight with the Jandarma to protect me, someone you don’t know. Second, you expressed some concern when it looked like you could have killed official people, but once you remembered what the Jandarma was, you didn’t let it bother you. Third, your plans include making sure I’m safe and secure before you continue your mission,” Abood said. “You’re not some macho man. You actually care about what you’re doing, and there’s a lot of lines you’re not willing to cross to get it done.”

Bolan shrugged. “Or I just could be a sucker for a pretty face.”

Abood smiled. “I’ve been on the same case. If you promise to bring me along to cover the story…”

“There’s no story,” Bolan explained. “Not with me.”

“Then I’m not going to tell you what I know,” Abood said defiantly.

“I can live with that,” Bolan answered, and he started walking.

Abood jogged to catch up with him. “You can live with that?”

“I have my own ways to get information,” Bolan explained.

“Even if the drugs are going to be shipped out to Erzurum tonight?” Abood asked.

Bolan paused. “I know I’m up against a deadline. I also know I’m not going to risk you underfoot, no matter how good a shot you are.”

Abood grumbled. “And if those drugs end up on the black market, or destroyed, how many thousands are going to suffer?”

Bolan stopped, his jaw set firmly.

“You’re willing to risk your own life to save those people, fighting against the Kongra-Gel all by yourself. But are you willing to risk thousands of refugees if you fail?” Abood asked. “What’s one life more in the fray?”

Bolan regarded her coldly. “What’s one more life?”

Abood stepped back, stunned by Bolan’s voice.

“What’s one more life? Plenty. I’ve lost enough friends and allies over the years. Far too many buddies, too many bystanders. You mentioned that I’m someone who cares about what I’m doing, and that I have lines I won’t cross,” Bolan said. “You’re right. And watching another person die because they got in over their heads is something I refuse to do.”

Abood frowned. “But—”