Page 114 of End of Days

Brett reached him and he held up a finger, saying, “This isn’t Raphael. He can’t talk right now because he took a bullet through the head. Who’s this?”

The phone disconnected. Knuckles said, “Guess he didn’t want to talk. What do you have?”

“I’ve got the GPS with the grid to the terminal point for the UAV.”

Knuckles pulled out his Inmarsat phone, dialing it and saying, “What is it?”

“I don’t know the exact location by reference. Only by the grid numbers. This GPS’s map isn’t that good, but it’s in Israel, and the closest thing on this graphic is the Megiddo National Forest.”

The phone connected and Knuckles said, “We took out the targets, but they managed to get the UAV in the air. It’s on the way, and it’s headed to Megiddo.”

Pike said, “Shit. That’s not good. We’re driving there right now, about ten minutes out. How much time do we have?”

“Just a guess, but I’d say thirty or forty minutes. I go with thirty.”

“Send me the grid to be sure, and the exact time of launch.”

“Will do. I’ve also got a Thuraya number from someone who called asking about the status of the drone.”

“Someone called the men there?”

“Yep. I answered, and he didn’t want to talk to me.”

“Send that as well. What’s your status right now?”

“There are two other UAVs in the shed and a Toyota Land Cruiser. I figured I’d blow them up, then start hauling ass in the Toyota. I don’t suppose you have a direction we should go yet?”

“Not yet. Sorry. I’m going to have my hands full for a little bit. Besides that flying bomb, we have one other Turtle on the loose and no idea what he’s trying to do.”

“Yeah. I figured that’s what I would hear.”

“I gotta go, sorry. I need this phone.”

Knuckles said, “See you at the wedding. Maybe.”

He lowered the phone and Brett said, “Let me guess—we’re on our own.”

“At least for a little while. Let’s check out that building.”

They approached at an angle, using whatever cover they could find, entering through the wreckage the drone had caused. It was a simple three-room structure, the main room destroyed by the UAV.

They silently went forward to the room on the right, clearing it rapidly and finding three dead men, all apparently killed somewhere else and dragged here, judging by the scuff marks and blood trails.

Brett whispered, “My bet is we found our Hezbollah dudes.”

Knuckles nodded and went to the next door, waiting on Brett to get his muzzle on it. Knuckles swung it open, Brett entered, and Knuckles flowed in behind him, Brett taking the right side, Knuckles the left.

He saw another body on the ground, this one with a hood on. He went to it and checked for a pulse. As soon as he touched the neck, the body began thrashing about and screaming. Knuckles saw he was hog-tied and said, “Calm down. Calm down.”

The man did and Knuckles pulled off the hood, seeing an older Arabic gentleman. He said, “Who might you be?”

“I’ve been kidnapped. Two men kidnapped me from Lebanon and brought me here.”

“You’re from Lebanon?”

“Yes. They killed my driver.”

“Your name?”

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