“Where are you?” Zane muttered to himself.
He knew from the sensors that one or more attackers had approached from the other side of the lodge, along or next to the paved entrance road. He also knew that another group had approached from the direction of the barn to his left. And if his memory served him correctly, there would be a third group directly opposite his position, on the other side of the clearing.
What concerned him most was the likelihood that the attackers were using night vision and thermal imaging equipment. That would give them a distinct tactical advantage. The key would be to position himself behind them, since they were likely focused on the lodge.
Pulling out his monocular, Zane trained it on the barn. It was hard to make out any detail. All he could see was the outline of the structure and the surrounding trees. If someone were hidden there, it would be almost impossible to pick them out.
He bit his lower lip. Since night had just fallen, the attackers were probably waiting for a signal to launch. Should he make a preemptive strike? Or should he simply watch and wait? If the latter, he could always let them do their thing and depart. When you were outnumbered, that was often the smartest thing to do. Live to fight another day, as they say.
But Zane quickly dismissed the thought of just walking away. The men were undoubtedly professionals and wouldn’t leave behind any trace evidence. That meant their identity might forever be hidden if they were simply allowed to leave. And if they came up empty in the house, they would surely turn their attention, and their thermal imaging equipment, toward the surrounding forest.
No, despite the potential dangers, Zane knew he needed to take action in order to have any hope of gathering information. More specifically, he needed to apprehend one of the intruders and take them to a remote location using the ATV. He could then question the subject until he could call for a backup team.
So what now? He clenched his jaw as he thought about how to proceed. The first question that came to mind was one he often asked when in this type of situation: What would he do if he were in their place? How would he organize an attack?
One thing he’d want is a sniper positioned to cover the operation from a distance. But where would he place the gunman?
The barn.
He turned and looked at it. Except for a few bushes and rocks scattered across the clearing, it afforded a shooter a clear view of the lodge. Short of climbing a tree, no other place would provide such an advantageous position.
But where specifically? Zane searched his memory of the barn. The gable roof was a nonstarter. Its pitch meant you’d have to sit or lie at an angle. You could also lie inside, but that might limit your view.
Suddenly Zane remembered a stack of two-by-fours on this side of the barn. Garet had told him he was going to use the lumber to build a new cover for his well. Being both level and elevated, the pile was the perfect place to shoot from.
Zane raised his monocular. After moving it around a bit, he finally found his target to the left of the barn. Was anyone there? There seemed to be a slight irregularity to the top of the pile of lumber, but it was too dark to tell exactly what it was.
An idea rose to the surface of his thoughts. It was bold, risky even, but it might just help him find out if someone was hiding in the shadows.
Reaching out, he slid his hand across the dirt. After patting around for a few seconds, he finally closed his fingers around a small rock.
After tucking his gun away, Zane wiggled out from underneath the tree and rose to one knee. He took a deep breath, concentrating on the direction he was going to throw the rock and how far. Getting those two things right was critical.
Drawing back, he launched the stone with as much force as he could muster. As it flew toward the other side of the clearing, he grabbed the monocular and focused it on the stack of two-by- fours.
Seconds passed, but he never heard the rock land. Had it been too small to make a noise?
Zane squinted through the eyepiece, determined not to take his eye off the target.
Just when he was about to give up, he saw a round shadow move on top of the pile. It was a subtle, yet distinct, turn of a head.
The hairs on Zane’s neck stood on end.
The sniper had given himself away.
CHAPTER FOUR
It took Zane about three minutes to circle through the woods and come up behind the barn. When he arrived, he paused just inside the trees and allowed his eyes to adjust.
He was directly behind the structure, so he moved a couple of trees over in order to see down the right side of the building. He then lowered to one knee and trained his monocular on the woodpile. As he brought everything into focus, the body of a man materialized, lying prone on top of the two-by-fours, his rifle pointed toward the lodge.
Zane looked up. Darkness had now settled over the mountain, so it wouldn’t be long before the signal to attack was given.
Knowing time was short, Zane slipped from behind the fir and crept softly forward. He trained the suppressed Glock squarely on the man’s head, ready to shoot if it became necessary. If all went according to plan, he wouldn’t have to.
He was about halfway there when he heard a soft voice. No others were around, so the man was probably speaking into a headset. Zane took several steps forward and stopped. At first there was only silence, then the man began speaking again. Zane stiffened as he recognized the language.
What are they doing here?
He crept a bit closer. The man was talking faster now, clearly giving some sort of instructions. The attack was either imminent or had already commenced.
Finally, the man grew silent. He then raised his rifle into position, signaling that he was ready to provide cover. It was the moment Zane had been waiting for.
He launched forward, covering the remaining ground with cat-like speed. As he neared the man, his foot hit a rock, sending it skittering loudly against the pile of lumber.
The sniper turned at the sound, but since he was lying on his stomach, he was in no position to defend himself. Zane took one more step and leapt, bringing the butt of the Glock down across the man’s head. Both rolled off the stacked lumber, and by the time they came to a stop, the man was out cold.
Had they been heard? Zane waited but couldn’t hear anyone approaching. Nor did any sound come through the man’s headset.
Without wasting any more time, Zane grabbed the man’s ankles and dragged him behind the barn. Pulling out his flashlight, he turned it on and directed the beam at the man’s face. He was wearing night vision goggles, which Zane quickly ripped off and tossed aside. Illuminated by the light was the face of a young Asian male. Zane knew from the earlier conversation that he was a Chinese national.
As he pondered why they might be conducting an assault on Slater’s lodge, a small snippet of information tried to rise to the top of Zane’s thoughts, but he couldn’t bring it out. He’d have to worry about it later.
He entered the barn and found a length of rope and a rag then returned to the man and quickly bound his wrists and ankles tightly, stuffing the rag into his mouth.
Remembering the night vision goggles, he picked them up and slid them over his head. Immediately the night transitioned to a milky world of greens, blacks, and whites.
Now on more equal footing, Zane sprinted out to a sapling in the clearing and lowered to one knee. He saw movement just ahead. Two dark silhouettes had exited the woods and were now moving toward the lodge with speed. They were hunched over, waving automatic rifles back and forth.