Page 60 of Viral Justice

It was the well at the center of the village, the same place gunmen had killed two women and attacked Ali. More gunmen had a crowd gathered, mostly of men and boys. They were standing in a rough circle around the well, giving several feet of open space for the gunmen to walk around, gesture with their weapons and yell.

To perform.

Near the well, kneeling and with their hands behind their backs, were two men. Behind them were gunmen with rifles pointed at the back of the kneeling men’s heads.

A few of the words one was yelling were audible. The gunman screamed about Americans, safety, death, and disease, and what the world would soon know as surely as they did.

Nowhere was safe.

The leader of the group suddenly lifted up the heads of the two kneeling men to show the crowd what an infidel looked like.

Cornett and Bull.

Chapter Fourteen

The fuckers had Bulland their French buddy, Cornett. Had them and it looked like they were going to kill them. Bastards.

On the other side of Tom, Max turned the air blue around him. Ali hadn’t realized he knew that many swear words. The situation called for every single one. Fury made her hands shake a little, because there was nothing she could do to stop what was about to happen. Max wanted to go unnoticed, had ordered them to make no unnecessary contact with anyone. She understood his orders, but it tied her hands, made it impossible to help Bull or Cornett.

Until Max changed the rules.

“Tactical evaluation,” he said to her and Tom. “I want to hear any and all ideas that might get Bull and Cornett out of there alive.”

“Sir,” Tom said, his voice that of a man who has to deliver bad news. “We’re not allowed to—”

“What?” Max asked. “Save a valued asset?”

“Sir, there’re a dozen men armed with rifles and they all look like they know how to use them. If we try to extract Bull and the other guy, it will just get them killed.”

“Is that your tactical evaluation of the situation?”

“Yes, sir.”

“How many armed men are there?”

“At least ten,” Tom said.

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