was no choice. He couldn’t leave Horn in there .
They managed to get Horn around behind the vehicle and sat him on the road, his blood leaking out rapidly and staining the ground .
Raines pulled his belt free and wrapped it around what was left of Horn’s right thigh in a makeshift tourniquet. Horn’s eyes fluttered and he shouted out in pain. Raines pulled the belt as tight as he could and was pleased to see the flow of blood ease. Still, he knew that they needed a medevac as soon as possible if the boy was to have any chance of surviving .
‘Where’s the support?’ Raines shouted at Johnson as another RPG whooshed above them and exploded in the desert .
‘There’s an Apache on its way,’ Johnson replied, still firing. ‘It’ll torch those fuckers.’
Raines reached into one of the pockets in his trousers, pulled out his morphine needle and stuck it into Horn. He motioned for Johnson to give him his morphine too and gave Horn the second dose. Horn’s face muscles slackened as the drug took effect .
Raines stood, went to where Johnson was standing and joined him in firing at the enemy position .
An Apache gunship swooped overhead and its thirty-millimetre cannon roared. The pilot of the helicopter fired two missiles at the enemy position and sprayed them again with his cannon. Raines stopped firing his weapon and watched in awe at the devastation the Apache wreaked .
A bullet ripped into his combat trousers and went straight through the flesh and muscle of his leg, clipping his shin bone on the way .
Raines fell, more bullets thudding into the dirt around him .
Above, the Apache’s cannon continued to roar .
4
Raines was quiet on the drive back from the compound and his passenger seemed content to watch the scenery pass by.
‘When do you leave?’ Raines asked finally as they passed the first sign for Denver.
The passenger smiled.
‘I know that you don’t like me,’ he said.
‘Is it that obvious?’
‘It doesn’t matter. We don’t have to be friends.’
‘We won’t be.’
‘I like it that we are able to define our relationship now. So there are no misunderstandings later.’
Raines glanced sideways at him but said nothing.
‘So you’ll do it?’ Raines asked. ‘I mean, we’re in business.’
‘Yes. We are most definitely in business.’
Part Five:
Excursions
1
Logan called Irvine while he waited outside Ellie’s school.
‘I’m leaving tomorrow,’ he told her when she answered.
She didn’t say anything for a moment. He realised that it was probably a confusing opening gambit.
‘I mean, I’m flying to Denver with Alex. The plane crash I told you about. Sam is going to take Ellie.’
‘How long will you be away?’
‘I don’t know. Three or four days maybe.’
‘The timing isn’t such a bad thing. I think this new case of mine is going to keep me busy nights anyway.’
‘I’ll come over tonight for a while. After dinner. Say goodbye properly.’
‘I’d like that. I’ll call you when I get in.’
Logan could tell from the look on Ellie’s face when she saw his car and the brief but excitable discussion with her friends that followed that she wasn’t happy to see him there.
Ah, fatherhood .
Ellie opened the rear door, threw her bags in heavily and got into the front passenger seat. She made a show of huffing and sighing while she put the seatbelt on and shifted around in her seat in an overt display of petulance.
Logan tried to ignore her and drove off. She waved at her friends from the car.
After a couple of minutes, she rummaged in the door pocket and took out a CD to put in the stereo.
‘You had plans?’ he asked her eventually.
She turned her head slowly to look at him and said yes.
‘Sorry. There’s some stuff we need to talk about.’
‘Sounds serious.’
‘Depends on your perspective.’
Logan used the controls on the steering wheel to lower the volume of the stereo.
‘I have to go away on business for a few days. Maybe even
They managed to get Horn around behind the vehicle and sat him on the road, his blood leaking out rapidly and staining the ground .
Raines pulled his belt free and wrapped it around what was left of Horn’s right thigh in a makeshift tourniquet. Horn’s eyes fluttered and he shouted out in pain. Raines pulled the belt as tight as he could and was pleased to see the flow of blood ease. Still, he knew that they needed a medevac as soon as possible if the boy was to have any chance of surviving .
‘Where’s the support?’ Raines shouted at Johnson as another RPG whooshed above them and exploded in the desert .
‘There’s an Apache on its way,’ Johnson replied, still firing. ‘It’ll torch those fuckers.’
Raines reached into one of the pockets in his trousers, pulled out his morphine needle and stuck it into Horn. He motioned for Johnson to give him his morphine too and gave Horn the second dose. Horn’s face muscles slackened as the drug took effect .
Raines stood, went to where Johnson was standing and joined him in firing at the enemy position .
An Apache gunship swooped overhead and its thirty-millimetre cannon roared. The pilot of the helicopter fired two missiles at the enemy position and sprayed them again with his cannon. Raines stopped firing his weapon and watched in awe at the devastation the Apache wreaked .
A bullet ripped into his combat trousers and went straight through the flesh and muscle of his leg, clipping his shin bone on the way .
Raines fell, more bullets thudding into the dirt around him .
Above, the Apache’s cannon continued to roar .
4
Raines was quiet on the drive back from the compound and his passenger seemed content to watch the scenery pass by.
‘When do you leave?’ Raines asked finally as they passed the first sign for Denver.
The passenger smiled.
‘I know that you don’t like me,’ he said.
‘Is it that obvious?’
‘It doesn’t matter. We don’t have to be friends.’
‘We won’t be.’
‘I like it that we are able to define our relationship now. So there are no misunderstandings later.’
Raines glanced sideways at him but said nothing.
‘So you’ll do it?’ Raines asked. ‘I mean, we’re in business.’
‘Yes. We are most definitely in business.’
Part Five:
Excursions
1
Logan called Irvine while he waited outside Ellie’s school.
‘I’m leaving tomorrow,’ he told her when she answered.
She didn’t say anything for a moment. He realised that it was probably a confusing opening gambit.
‘I mean, I’m flying to Denver with Alex. The plane crash I told you about. Sam is going to take Ellie.’
‘How long will you be away?’
‘I don’t know. Three or four days maybe.’
‘The timing isn’t such a bad thing. I think this new case of mine is going to keep me busy nights anyway.’
‘I’ll come over tonight for a while. After dinner. Say goodbye properly.’
‘I’d like that. I’ll call you when I get in.’
Logan could tell from the look on Ellie’s face when she saw his car and the brief but excitable discussion with her friends that followed that she wasn’t happy to see him there.
Ah, fatherhood .
Ellie opened the rear door, threw her bags in heavily and got into the front passenger seat. She made a show of huffing and sighing while she put the seatbelt on and shifted around in her seat in an overt display of petulance.
Logan tried to ignore her and drove off. She waved at her friends from the car.
After a couple of minutes, she rummaged in the door pocket and took out a CD to put in the stereo.
‘You had plans?’ he asked her eventually.
She turned her head slowly to look at him and said yes.
‘Sorry. There’s some stuff we need to talk about.’
‘Sounds serious.’
‘Depends on your perspective.’
Logan used the controls on the steering wheel to lower the volume of the stereo.
‘I have to go away on business for a few days. Maybe even
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