A blast of gunfire echoed not too far to their left, coming from the hills.
“Stop,” Justin called to Ludomir.
He hit the brakes and the Toyota stopped with a screech.
They listened in silence. More gunshots followed, a long volley and shorter bursts.
“Machine guns and AKs,” Justin said. “Radio the rest and see if anyone’s taking fire.”
Ludomir picked up the radio while Justin grabbed his AK-9—a new assault rifle given him by the FSB team — and his binoculars and stepped outside. He sank knee-deep in the snow packed along the narrow path and struggled to get to the top of the hill. He hid behind a thick pine tree and observed the path in front of the Toyota.
The haze had begun to thin and the hulks of two large burned trucks appeared about a mile ahead. They were on the side of the road, by a series of boulders placed in the middle of the road and set up in a staggered way so that traffic would have to slow down and weave in between the barriers. Justin observed the surrounding area but saw no movements of anyone, although the hillside was full of strategic positions.
He climbed down and returned to the Toyota. “What’s the situation, Svetla?” He used the shortened form of Svetlana’s name.
She was pacing along the side of the road. “Those gunshots were not aimed at any of our vehicles,” she said in a low voice.
Ludomir stuck his head out of the window. “Just finished talking to Timofey. We’re good to continue.”
“Negative,” Justin said. “Change of plans. There’s a roadblock a mile up ahead and two burned trucks, evidence of an ambush. I didn’t see anyone but we can’t risk it.”
Ludomir thought about Justin’s words for a moment.
“Pop the trunk,” said Svetlana. “We’ll load up our gear and cut through the hills.”
Ludomir shook his head, but did not mutter his objection. “I’ll inform the rest of our team,” he said.
“Tell them we’ll approach the town from the south, east, and west. The three of us will proceed south, Timofey’s team will take the east, and the rest are in charge of covering the west line. They’ll report once they’re in position and I’ll give the order to open fire. All clear?”
Ludomir nodded.
Justin walked to the back of the Toyota. He was already wearing his bulletproof vest underneath his black woolen sweater and his winter camouflage fatigues. He put on his chest rig loaded with extra ammunition, a few grenades, radio and GPS device, and other tactical gear. He secured his knapsack, with more ammunition, C-4 explosives, a first aid kit, and a satellite phone, over his shoulders and slung a PP-19 Bizon 9mm submachine gun over the knapsack. He fastened his helmet with the night vision goggles mounted on top.
“Ready?” he asked Svetlana.
“Da, I mean, yes,” she replied with a smile. She finished adjusting the strap of her RPG launcher across her shoulders and picked up her AK. “I’m good to go.”
“Everyone is making preparations,” Ludomir said as he began to collect his gear. He put on his helmet, then took his knapsack and his heavy machine gun. “They’ll let us know when it’s time to raise hell.”
“Soon enough,” Justin said and nodded toward the hill. “Let’s go get the bastards.”
Chapter Thirty-four
They slithered across the hills covered by underbrush and thickets under the cover of darkness. The snow reflected some of the dim glow of the moon as it occasionally showed its gloomy face from behind a thick curtain of gray clouds. Justin led the way through knee-deep snow, followed by Svetlana about four or five steps behind him, with Ludomir at the rear. They stopped at irregular intervals to watch for anyone patrolling the road leading into the town. They saw no one but a couple of stray dogs howling and chasing each other.
Five minutes later, Justin and his team reached the first house at the southern part of Buinosky. It was a large two-story building painted a serene blue, with a high wall topped with barbwire. Justin rested his back against the wall and listened for noises from inside the house. It was all quiet.
“Team One is at the edge of town,” Justin whispered on the throat mike connected to the portable radio inside one of his chest rig pouches. “Moving northward. Over.”
He gestured to Svetlana and stepped forward with caution along the side of the wall. He took a peek around the corner and down the main road cutting through this area of town. No signs of life. He moved forward and stood next to the steel gate of the house. He glanced through the gap between the gate and the wall and noticed a Mercedes-Benz SUV parked at the side of the house. The vehicle would have helped them cover the distance in a very short time, but even if they were able to force the owner to hand over the keys without making a sound, the engine noise would wake up the sleepy town. They were to advance toward the target’s house on foot, and, because of the change of plans, there were about thirty houses to pass, or nearly a mile to cross, without being detected by someone who would sound the alarm.
Justin continued along the wall and reached the next house. This one looked like it could use a coat of paint and new windows. Long icicles were hanging along the eaves, signs of other problems with the house.
A narrow back alley appeared and Justin cast a sweeping glance over both sides. A creak came from his left and he fell back at once. He held up his arm in a tight fist to signal to Svetlana and Ludomir to stop.
“What’s the matter?” Ludomir’s voice came over his earpiece.
“Movement at nine o’clock,” Justin whispered.
He backtracked and crouched behind a wooden electricity pole. He readied his weapon, waiting for his target to appear from behind the corner.
They waited for a few long moments. There was a low grating sound followed by a shuffle, like someone shaking the snow off their shoes, and then a creak and the slam of a door.
“Are we clear?” Svetlana asked.
Justin shook his head. “Negative. Wait for confirmation.”
He pressed forward to the end of the house and took a fleeting look. A large wooden barrel was next to the back door of the house.
“We’re clear,” he said. “Someone’s getting a head start on the day.”
They reached the next house and the one after that without encountering any more residents. A couple of houses up ahead, a blue light flickered in the window, then it flashed in different shades of red and green. Justin raised his AK as he walked next to the gray wall, on the other side of which someone was watching television or playing a video game. From the low sound reaching the street, it sounded like a racing game.
A rotten stench came from a barn next to the house across the street. Justin cut to the other side to minimize the chances of being discovered by a dog guarding the animals. He thought he heard some neighing in the distance and assumed there was a stable somewhere beyond the barn.
“Team Two entering the town,” a loud, harsh voice came into Justin’s earpiece.
He rushed to adjust the volume, then said, “This is Team One, roger that. Team Three, what’s your location?”
A pause, then a low voice answered, “About a mile from the first houses.”
“Roger that,” Justin said.
He glanced at Svetlana, who gave him the thumbs-up sign.
Justin gestured toward the back alley to the right.
Svetlana nodded her understanding, then repeated the hand signal for Ludomir, who replied with the thumbs-up and a nod.