Page 73 of Dead Fall

Before the other two Russians could figure out what had happened, Harvath was on his rifle, pressing his trigger.

He took out the soldier who was interrogating Givi first. The round went right through the man’s right eye. The second soldier, the one who had been examining the UAZ, was harder to hit because the moment the grenade had detonated, he dove for cover behind the vehicle.

Harvath hammered the UAZ with rounds of 7.62 from his Galil, allowing Givi a chance to escape.

The Ukrainian ran toward him and didn’t stop running until he was behind the checkpoint vehicle next to him.

Picking up an AK-47 from one of the dead Russians, Givi then took over laying down withering cover fire on the UAZ. As he did, Harvath pulled the last two fragmentation grenades from his pouch, pulled their pins, and sent them hurtling in the direction of the last Russian soldier.

The added distance meant that Harvath didn’t have to worry about how long they would take to detonate. And while he was no Tom Brady, the throws were pretty damn good.

One of the frags landed right behind the vehicle, and the other landed atop the soft canvas roof. Both detonated at the same moment, shredding the Russian with shrapnel and taking him out of the fight.

It was also the final nail in the coffin for the UAZ, which had already taken heavy damage from their rifle rounds.

As it burned, Givi said to Harvath, “That’s the second vehicle of mine you have destroyed.”

“In all fairness,” Harvath replied, inserting a fresh magazine into his Galil, “I think the Russians should get the blame for this one, too.”

The Ukrainian took a step back and looked at the two checkpoint vehicles. One was a Polish armored personnel carrier known as an AMZ Dzik, capable of carrying eight people. The other was a Ukrainian light armored vehicle known as a Novator. It was based on the Ford F-550 chassis and could carry five. Both had been clearly marked as Ukrainian military.

There was no telling where the Russians had gotten them, but as the men inspected the vehicles, it was obvious that they had seen heavyfighting. The dried blood inside and outside both left little to the imagination as to what had become of their crews.

Needing a similar vehicle to replace his ruined APC, Givi opted for the Dzik, while Harvath took the Novator. They divided the supplies, including the extra jerry cans of diesel fuel the Russians had been carrying, and then fired up their rides and headed for the front.

Finally, Harvath would be linking up with his team. He just hoped he wasn’t too late.

CHAPTER 21

Ten kilometers later, Givi, in the lead vehicle, navigated them through the legitimate Ukrainian checkpoint.

He had to spend a few minutes explaining what had happened and why they weren’t driving the Russian UAZ with white crosses. After the soldiers searched both vehicles and confirmed with their superiors that everything was okay, they allowed the men to pass.

After two more kilometers, they arrived at a long strip of forest that ran just behind the front line. Bringing the Novator to a stop, Harvath killed the engine and climbed out.

The farther up into the hills they had climbed, the cooler the air had gotten. It was now downright cold. Though it was dark and most of the fighting had fallen off for the night, random exchanges of gunfire, back and forth across the line, could still be heard.

The air was heavy with the smell of pine. In any other situation, after the day he’d had, Harvath would have sat down, closed his eyes, and breathed it in. But this was a war zone, not a camping trip. He remained alert, his hands on the rifle slung in front of him.

Givi had parked nearby and was met by a small team of infantry. Their commander wanted to debrief over what had happened down in the village, as well as what had happened at the fake checkpoint. That much Russian activity on this side of the line was an issue that needed to be dealt with.

Before leaving, the man came over to say good-bye. “Thank you,” said Givi, extending his hand.

Harvath shook it. “You’re welcome. Thank you for getting me here. I’m sorry about blowing up your APCandthe UAZ.”

“You didn’t blow them up,” the man replied with a smile. “Technically, it was the Russians.”

Harvath smiled back. “Stay safe, Givi.”

“You too, Captain.”

Harvath watched as the truck driver-cum-soldier rejoined the infantry troops and headed off toward a makeshift observation post. He silently wished the best for Givi. He was a good man pursuing a just and noble cause. He prayed that the guy would be successful. For his part, all that was left for Harvath now was to wait for his men to arrive.

He had been in contact via radio. The men had been in a rough stretch of trench where the fighting had been intense. Though things had died down, they didn’t want to leave their comrades until it was safe to do so.

Harvath understood where the men were coming from. In addition, Givi had made some inquiries and had explained that fresh troops were already being sent up to that position. It wouldn’t be too long. He decided to take advantage of the situation.

Fishing out one of the Ukrainian MREs, or meals ready to eat, from the truck, he sliced open the top of the pouch with his knife and tried to figure out what was inside.

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