The Saltwater Connection, Book #6 of the Janitors Series - Jim wounded in shootout.

Today’s excerpt is from The Saltwater Connection, Book #6 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  Firefight leaves Jim hit, and several dead terrorists and supporters of same.  Enjoy and have a great day. 

m.j.

 

Jim had just finished eating his breakfast, served by Suzan and interrupted by the call from Holly, when the radio sounded the warning that the other “buyer” plane was on its way in.  Having already gotten the gist of what Holly wanted, Jim quickly told her he’d get back to her.  By that time, Drew and Boris had drifted in.  Billy was out selecting a sniper position, and Jan had already hustled the other four women to the cell building.  Jim looked at Suzan, Drew, and Boris.  “Let’s go.”

The plane landed and taxied toward the nearest spot available to the office.  This time, Mustafa Zawahiri’s men were more alert than their counterparts had been on the earlier flight.  One of them hurried forward to the cockpit.  “Something is wrong here!  Turn the plane around and take off!  Once we are up, we can radio to see what the problem is!”

The plane had stopped, but the engines were still running, so the pilot quickly did as told.  Had he been just a few seconds faster, he might have made it.  But suddenly he had four pick-up trucks blocking his way, with the front two up against his landing gear.

“I can’t turn!  They’ve blocked my way!  What should I do?”

“Shut down,” answered the kidnap camp terrorist as he raced back to the door, where he was met by his counterpart from the camp.  Quickly, they opened the door.  Both had assault rifles.  One knelt down, while the other one stood in the doorway.  They saw Jim and fired just as he fired.  Jim’s shot hit the standing man in the forehead, killing him instantly.  The kneeling terrorist was a better shot than had been those on the earlier flight.  He sprayed a stream of bullets across Jim’s chest, knocking him back and down to the airstrip pavement.

Billy, from his well-selected sniper position, fired and hit the kneeling terrorist on the bridge of his nose.  The man slumped down, dead.

On this flight, there were five bodyguards (in addition to the pilot/bodyguards), the now dead camp terrorists, and the five “buyers.”  Seeing what was happening, the seven bodyguards piled out of the plane by jumping to the pavement.  Billy shot two from his position; Suzan, firing under the plane, shot one mid-spine in his back.

The firefight was fierce, but short-lived.  In a matter of less than a minute, all seven bodyguards lay dead or wounded on the pavement.  Billy shouted, “Drew, Jim’s down!”

Drew nodded absently, then yelled in Arabic, “Okay, you still on the plane.  You have exactly ten seconds to get off that plane or we’re going to blow it up where it sits!”

The five “buyers” were not brave men.  They saw the two dead camp terrorists in the doorway, and the carnage outside the plane and made the decision to give up without delay.  The stairs of the plane had not been lowered, and none of the “buyers” had any idea of how to accomplish that, so they all jumped to the pavement with as much dignity as their exalted positions could muster.

 

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