Corps Justice Boxed Set: Books 1-3: Back to War, Council of Patriots, Prime Asset

by C. G. Cooper

  Travis turned as Dunn approached. “Todd Dunn, meet Captain Jeffries.”

  Jeffries smiled and shook Dunn’s hand firmly. “Call me Cowboy.” He pointed to the patch on his flight suit that sported his moniker.

  “Good to meet you, sir,” Dunn offered carefully. He never knew how to handle these non-military-looking pilots. “Thanks for giving us a ride.”

  “Not a problem, buddy. Thanks to you guys I won’t have to fly a thousand circles over Nashville today. Gets boring after the first two turns. Besides, I’ve always wanted to fly into a snowstorm. Should be fun!” Jeffries really did look like a kid on Christmas day when he smiled.

  Travis was enjoying Dunn’s unease. He decided to push it a little farther. “Hey, Cowboy, I know Mr. Dunn was just dying to ask you about your mustache.”

  Cowboy beamed and carefully stroked both ends of the impressive formation. “I know it’s not really within military regs, but my boss lets me keep it because of all the trips I take to Afghanistan. It wouldn’t be right if I crashed and got captured with my baby face. At least this way the terrorist that gets his hands on me might be impressed by my studly ‘stache and keep me in the land of the living.”

  Dunn didn’t know how to respond. Travis just chuckled and moved to find a seat. It would be an interesting flight to Wyoming.

  Episode 3

  Chapter 29

  Grand Teton Mountain Range, Wyoming

  11:58am, September 28th

  Visibility had turned to shit. In order to avoid being split up, Cal’s team had opted to close the gaps between men. It wasn’t the best tactical decision based on proper troop dispersion, but it was a practical call made out of necessity.

  They’d just entered another gully that had only recently been a stream full of running water when an explosion knocked Cal from his feet. As he settled in the snow, he looked around. He could see a couple of the men struggling to get up and find cover. One man had a hand pressed to his bloody face. Where the hell did that explosion come from? Cal thought as he crawled over to a rock outcropping and made himself as small as possible. A minute later Gaucho was next to him, his white trouser leg covered in blood.

  “You okay?” Cal asked, concerned.

  “No problem, boss. Just a scratch.”

  Gaucho had already applied a hasty bandage to the shrapnel wound.

  “Have any idea where that came from?” Cal said as he tried in vain to see anything through the incessant snowfall.

  “I’m pretty fucking sure nobody shot at us. I think it was a triggered IED.”

  “Anybody hurt?”

  “Just some minor cuts and bruises. We got lucky because of the snow, I think. I’ll bet that damn thing was on a delay or I would’ve been smoked. We’ve gotta get off this trail.”

  Cal nodded. The terrain wouldn’t open up for a while. Staying on the narrow trail had been a gamble they’d just been called on. They were sitting ducks despite the snow cover. It would be easy for their enemy to rig traps all along the winding path. Taking to the higher trails would slow their journey considerably, but was necessary considering the alternative.

  “Okay. Why don’t you run point on the left side of the canyon and I’ll take the right. As long as we keep going uphill and don’t shoot straight across the ravine, we should be all right.”

  Gaucho didn’t look pleased with the idea of splitting his team further, but he trusted Cal’s judgment. The Marine was a formidable warrior in his own right and could handle himself.

  “Just promise me one thing, boss.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Wait for me to catch up before you take out all the bad guys.”

  Cal grinned and crawled off to find Daniel.

  +++

  Trapper peered through his thermal scope. He could only pick up faint blurs because of the blizzard, but he could see that his plan had worked. The small IED wasn’t meant to kill anyone, although the ruthless mercenary wouldn’t have minded. His goal was to get them to do exactly what they were now doing: separating.

  Ponder’s second-in-command loved a challenge. Trapper knew that if his boss was with him he would’ve wanted the attackers killed quickly. “Kill those fuckers right now,” he would’ve said. That wasn’t Trapper’s style. He liked to take out enemies slowly and methodically.

  Trapper loved the hunt almost as much as the final kill.

  +++

  Cal found Daniel and Lance behind a pile of fallen trees. The men were deep in conversation.

  “What’s going on, Daniel?” Cal asked over the howling wind.

  “Lance thinks the explosion was from his friend Trapper.”

  “The guy that got away?”

  Briggs nodded. “He’s some kind of tracker. Lance says he’s really good. Tell him, Lance.”

  Lance looked at Cal uncertainly. “Yeah. Trapper likes the hunt. I think he was an MP in the Army. He gets off on seeing other people in pain.”

  Cal didn’t know what to believe. While he trusted Daniel’s judgment regarding their prisoner, he couldn’t bring himself to believe in Trapper’s former partner. “So where do you think he is?”

  Lance pointed up to the ridgeline. “Up there somewhere. He used to bring me over here to scope out the area and check on his hides. He liked to shadow hikers. Trapper said it kept his skills sharp.”

  “Did you say he has hides up there?” Cal asked incredulously. “Why didn’t you tell us about that before?”

  Lance looked to Daniel for support. Daniel answered for him, “I asked him the same thing, Cal. He figured Ponder would probably keep Trapper close to home. They don’t have a ton of guys to guard the place. I believe him.”

  Cal knew it was a moot point. “You think you can show us where the hides are?”

  Lance nodded. “It might be a little harder with the snow, but I’ve been here a few times, and I’m pretty good at land nav. I think I can find them.”

  “Good. The three of us will go together. Daniel, go find Gaucho and tell him what we’re doing. I want to have a little talk with Lance.”

  Daniel stared at Cal for an extended moment then left to brief Gaucho. Cal knew what Daniel’s look meant. Keep your temper in check, Cal.

  Cal turned back to Lance. “I want to make sure we’re on the same page here, Lance.”

  The blonde giant gazed back in confusion. “What…what do you mean, Mr. Stokes?” Lance had seen how the other men respected the young leader. He looked uncomfortable under the Marine’s scrutiny.

  Cal’s eyes went cold. “I appreciate you helping us this far and not giving us any trouble. But I want to tell you that if you so much as think about betraying us, I will take care of you personally.”

  Lance’s face turned serious. “Mr. Stokes, I know what you’re saying, but let me tell you something. You guys have treated me nothing but decent. I mean to repay that favor by helping you find Trapper and Mr. Ponder. I won’t let you down, sir.”

  It wasn’t the reply Cal had expected. Up to this point, Lance hadn’t said a word to Cal.

  “Okay. I’ll make you a deal. When we get out of this thing alive, I’ll put in a good word for you when you look for a new job.”

  Lance knew it was more than he deserved. He was grateful for the chance. The disgraced former Marine knew that Ponder wouldn’t give him the same chance.

  “Thank you, Mr. Stokes.” Lance reached out to shake Cal’s hand.

  Cal grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. “Just one thing. Stop calling me Mr. Stokes. It’s Cal.”

  +++

  Five minutes later, Lance was leading the way up the steep slope. He’d told Cal and Daniel that Trapper had as many as twenty observation points in the area, but that of those, only two or three were in the immediate vicinity.

  The rest of the team was fanning out in pairs, keeping as much dispersion as possible considering the heavy snowfall. Over Gaucho’s objections, Cal had ordered the rest of the men to proceed toward Ponder’s hideout. He knew they were run
ning out of time. Daniel and Cal would take care of Trapper.

  Chapter 30

  Grand Teton Mountain Range, Wyoming

  1:36pm, September 28th

  “Have you heard from Cal? Everybody okay after that IED?” Brian Ramirez asked MSgt Trent as they both stopped for a quick sip of water. The going had gotten a lot tougher since they’d left the trail. They had to resort to taking quick breaks both to recharge a bit and to check in with the other teams that were somewhere out in the invisible terrain. Their small radios were struggling to transmit in the storm.

  “Last time I had a signal, they were breaking into smaller groups too. Cal said he and Briggs were gonna find that guy that escaped.”

  “The guy with the nose?”

  Trent nodded as he stuffed a whole Power Bar into his mouth. “Cal says the Upshaw kid might know where he is.”

  “I don’t know if we should be trusting him.”

  Trent just shrugged. “If Snake Eyes thinks he’s cool, that’s good enough for me. Besides, if Cal takes out Ponder’s number two guy, we’ll be doing a lot better than we are now, Doc.”

  Brian had a hard time agreeing. From the start, the whole operation felt like they were three steps behind. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, least of all Cal’s, but Brian couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap.

  After checking in with the rest of their team, Brian and Trent continued up the mountain.

  +++

  The first hide they found was empty. Lance told them that normally there was a stash of survival goods hidden in a small depression in the back of each small cave. They didn’t see any signs of recent passing.

  Cal looked down at his watch. They were losing a lot of time looking for someone that might not even be there. “I think we need to split up. The next two hides aren’t too far apart. Maybe we can save some time if I take one and you and Lance take the other.”

  By the look on his face, Daniel didn’t like the idea. “We’re already spread thin, Cal. It won’t take much longer for all three of us to check the other two hides. We might need all the firepower we can get.”

  Cal knew the sniper was right, but he’d already made up his mind. “Let’s split up and then meet at the next checkpoint. If one of us doesn’t show an hour after that, we can go looking for each other.”

  Daniel knew he couldn’t change Cal’s mind. They reviewed their maps one last time and went their separate ways. Daniel watched as Cal disappeared into the squall. He could only trust that he would see his friend again soon.

  +++

  Cal felt alive. Being all alone in the wintery wilderness, he suddenly remembered what he loved most about being a Marine. He loved the thrill of coming to a brother’s aid, even in the face of almost certain death. Cal didn’t want to die, but he wasn’t afraid of it. Like many other warriors, he’d always hoped that his life would come to a swift end. He’d seen fellow Marines suffer and fight through horrendous injuries only to succumb in the end. No, Cal preferred a sniper round to the head. Instant. No pain.

  He shook the macabre thoughts from his head. It wasn’t his time to die. He had to save Neil and get his men out alive.

  Ten minutes later, Cal knew he was getting close. He stopped to consult his map and study the terrain. Despite having an ultra-reliable GPS, Cal still liked to fall back on his land navigation skills. As long as he had a map and a compass, Cal could find his way.

  Confident that he was exactly where the GPS indicated, Cal moved cautiously toward his objective. He didn’t want to approach the hide from the most obvious route. It would take him a few more minutes to traverse up and over the objective, but Cal didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

  Just as he neared the point where he’d decided to stage his pack, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked around. There wasn’t anything in his field of view. Turning back to his pack, he took off his skis and arranged them in a standing X over his gear so he could find it again after clearing the objective. It wouldn’t help one bit if he lost all his equipment.

  As he stuffed his last spare magazine into one of his large cargo pockets, he heard what sounded like an animal roar. What the hell?

  Weapon out, he spun in a quick three-sixty. Nothing. What the hell was that sound? His breathing picked up as he tried to scan through the snow. He’d have to get back at MSgt Trent for putting the idea of bears in his head. Almost since they landed, Trent had talked about wanting to see a grizzly bear. He even kidded about the bears being hungrier than usual. “If they’re so hungry, I’ll bet one of those grizzlies would love to catch them some Mexican meat, Gaucho,” Trent had joked.

  Maybe my mind’s just playing tricks on me, Cal thought.

  Cal did one last check of the area and picked up the small day pack that had been clipped to his larger hiking pack. It had some emergency rations and a first aid kit. The smaller pack came in handy. At least he didn’t have to lug the larger one around for a few minutes.

  Stepping toward the steep drop, Cal looked over. He couldn’t see more than ten feet down. Damn all this snow. Cal tested his footing and crept along the ledge that would take him to a small game path up ahead. He found the passage and did a quick look around to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Looking back the way he came, he squinted. Holy Shit! He saw a huge form running toward the ledge. An enormous grizzly bear was charging straight at him.

  Without a moment to think, Cal turned and sprinted as fast as he could down the game trail. The angry bear wasn’t far behind.

  +++

  Daniel had already found three claymore mines on their approach. Rather than take the time to disable the booby traps, the expert sniper bypassed them altogether. Trapper was watching his back and using some heavy firepower to do it.

  Just like Cal, Daniel and Lance staged their gear as they neared their destination. Briggs grabbed his sniper rifle and handed the smaller H&K submachine gun to Lance.

  “You know how to shoot one of these?” Daniel asked.

  Lance nodded.

  “Good. Hopefully you won’t have to use it, but here are two extra mags just in case.” Daniel handed the ammunition to Lance. As Lance checked their gear one last time, Daniel pulled out the small radio and tried to reach Cal. All he got was static. He couldn’t pick up any of the other teams either. As long as they made their rendezvous, they’d be fine.

  Daniel closed his eyes and tapped into his heightened awareness. He said a silent prayer and then motioned to Lance that it was time to leave. They moved off quietly, both wondering if this would be the right place.

  +++

  Cal’s lungs burned as he ran. He could hear the bear getting closer and closer. The path was getting narrower as he moved. He had to be careful not to get too close to the edge.

  Ducking under an overhanging tree branch, Cal stopped suddenly. Two inches from his face was a thin wire. Cal traced it to its origin on the rock wall and found a claymore mine carefully concealed behind debris. He’d come within inches of having his head blown off.

  The grizzly was closing in despite the size of the path. Maybe I can use this, Cal thought. He eased his way under the tripwire. Although he hated to do it, Cal unslung his pack and placed it under the deadly trap. Cal quickly opened the main pouch, took out his small emergency kit and stuffed it in his cargo pocket. Next, he extracted one of the compact bags of cold weather rations and tore it open. He ripped each small food packet open and threw it on the ground. Maybe that’ll give me a couple extra seconds.

  Not waiting to see if his trap would work, Cal turned and moved away from the roars of the angry bear.

  +++

  Daniel was the first one to see the small hide. It was obvious that someone had been there recently. Despite the heavy snowfall, he could see boot prints. The sniper slowly stalked toward his objective, checking for tripwires as he went.

  “Move another inch and I’ll blow your fucking head off,” came a voice above the cave. Daniel halted and lo
oked up. He could just make out a white form sitting on the branch of a large pine tree. Daniel couldn’t see the man’s face but he knew it was Trapper. “Put your rifle on the ground and puts your hands up,” Trapper yelled over the howling wind.

  Daniel did as ordered. He couldn’t believe he’d walked right into the trap. The only consolation was that apparently Trapper hadn’t seen Lance yet. As his enemy climbed down from his perch, Daniel hoped Lance would have the sense to stay out of sight.

  +++

  As luck would have it, Lance had just bent down to examine something on the ground when he heard Trapper’s voice. Lance froze as he strained to take in the unfolding scene. He couldn’t see his former co-worker, but Lance could just barely observe Daniel putting his weapon on the ground carefully and placing his gloved hands on his head.

  Lance flattened himself on the ground and started to crawl toward the hide. He stopped again as another figure walked into view. Trapper had his weapon trained on the Marine sniper. Lance didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t smart enough to come up with some elaborate play to help his friend. Lance decided it was better to sit back and wait. Maybe an opportunity would present itself.