Nitro smirked, not buying the grin one bit.
Angel, one of their snipers and the master of impossible stunts, held his HK 416 assault rifle in a relaxed grip. Sam, Nitro, and Blade held identical weapons. They all carried Baretta M9 handguns with suppressors as well.
Sam had thanked Esteban for damn good weapons, ammo, NVGs, and tactical gear. Sam had vouched for Esteban when Logan needed an in-country arms supplier close to the target on short notice.
Hard not to vouch for someone who helped Sam survive being a prisoner in a Libyan drug-running and terrorist camp three years back. Trust ran both ways after Sam took a shot to save Esteban’s life during their escape.
The chopper engine groaned and skipped.
Sam gripped his rifle, muscles kinked in his shoulders. He silently asked to not go diving into the black ocean. He had no idea if they were so close to the beach that they’d hit too shallow and break into a thousand pieces or sink a hundred feet the minute the chopper smashed into water.
Blade’s neck muscles flexed. Yeah, he didn’t like this either.
As if sensing tension, Pablo held up a hand and spoke into their headphones. “Not long now.”
Sam ground his teeth to keep from yelling at Pablo to put both hands back and keep this thing airborne. They could have used Slider on this mission. He could fly a tin can with two wooden wings and orange juice for fuel.
Pablo leaned forward quickly and tapped at a gauge.
Blade’s head whipped to the left, sharp eyes watching him.
The motor coughed and sputtered.
Ah, shit. Sam moved his boot closer to the opening, preparing to make a quick jump and get out of the way for Angel.
Pablo’s flying dinosaur dipped for the longest second of Sam’s life before the engine caught again, blades whining at full power once more.
Pablo grinned and pumped his fist. “She’s old but solid.”
Sam cursed. He couldn’t be the only one holding his breath until they landed. He’d made HALO jumps from thirty thousand feet that were less dangerous than this.
Angel cursed lividly in Spanish.
From the team daredevil?
Oh yeah. Bad sign there.
Ifthey landed at the designated spot, they had to hike five klicks. On the other hand, if the motor cut out one more time, Sam was ready to set this chopper down immediately on the nearest strip of beach and hike the additional distance.
Lightning crackled and fingered into jagged zaps of power.
They had been flying straight into the rain, but Pablo banked sharply toward the coast. Hallelujah. Sam gripped the side of the fuselage. Water bullets drilled into his body, battering the right side as the chopper continued angling west. He didn’t care. Wind buffeted him, lifting and pushing the egg-shaped cabin around.
The helicopter neared a narrow strip of beach and raced across it, closing in on the drop point.
Nitro clicked into mission mode, reminding Pablo what time to return and to not land if he did not see a flashing signal from the team. They either made it in and out on time, or something had gone FUBAR.
Sam flipped his NVG monocular down and lifted his rifle to his chest, ready to get rolling.
Pablo slowed the beast then hovered only seconds and touched down as softly as if he had been carrying dynamite.
Bailing out first, Sam’s boots hit solid ground. Relief.
Now they had control of their mission.
He strode from beneath the rotor wash with Angel right behind him.
They met up with Nitro and Blade on the other side as the chopper lifted off, flying away toward the coast.
