“Told you Mac! Knew it was a good idea to snag these wheels!”
Mac watched the street as the others positioned themselves inside the SUV before finally taking his place in the passenger seat in the front with Jack.
“Countin’ on you to get us the hell outta here Alabama.”
Jack slammed the Hummer into gear and slammed his foot down onto the accelerator.
“Like I stole it Mac! Like I fucking stole it!”
As the Hummer leapt forward onto the street, Mac heard multiple gunshots from behind them followed by the sound of bullets ripping into the Hummer’s tailgate and rear bumper.
“Heads down!”
The others followed Mac’s command immediately, as Jack turned the vehicle sharply to the right, driving across a median and onto another street as the V8 engine roared under the strain of Jack’s demands. Mac looked into the passenger rear view mirror and saw two more of the now familiar government issued black SUVs attempting to follow them.
None inside of the Hummer said anything as Jack maneuvered them around parked cars, across lawns, and even down and back up several large irrigation ditches as he worked his way toward the main road leading to Benina Airport. Once onto that main road, Mac looked back again and saw no vehicles behind them.
They passed a sign indicating the airport was eight kilometers away. Jack smiled again as he slapped his hand down hard onto the dashboard as the speedometer indicated they were travelling at nearly eighty miles an hour.
“Just a few more minutes and we’re there Mac, and on our way out of this shithole!”
Having done extensive work throughout both Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years, Mac Walker was all too familiar with the effects of an IED. Easy to make, easy to hide, and easy to have detonated when travelled over, they became by far the number one killer of American soldiers in those two wars.
The Hummer’s left front tire was lifted entirely off of the road surface as the explosion twisted the metal framing of the driver area inside the vehicle’s cabin. Both doors on the left side blew inward several inches, sending bits of metal from one end of the cabin to the other. The SUV’s entire frame groaned as the left tire blew out, slamming the left front axel onto the paved surface of the road, sending sparks shooting up as the Hummer’s momentum continued forward.
Mac watched as Jack, his head and face already bleeding from several chunks of metal that were imbedded into his flesh and skull, fought to keep the vehicle from turning over onto its side. His face grimaced with the effort as his lips pulled back from his teeth in a bloody snarl.
Finally the Hummer came to a stop on the right side of the road, the steel frame of the front left corner ripped apart by the roadside bomb. Mac pushed the passenger door open as his right hand held his handgun, yelling for everyone to get out. It took no more than a few seconds for everyone to exit the SUV and take cover behind it.
Everyone that is, except for Jack.
Mac made his way back to the open passenger door and peered inside.
“Jack! You need to get out of there!”
Jack Thompson looked back at his friend and team leader Mac Walker and shook his head as he moved his right arm to reveal the large piece of metal that was jammed deeply into the left side of his abdomen. When he spoke, Mac instantly recognized the sound. It was the voice of a human being quickly nearing death, and fully aware of its arrival.
“Not gonna happen Mac.”
Benny and Minnick stood beside Mac, looking in at Jack’s wound.
“Oh shit no. Goddammit no!”
Benny turned away, both of his hands covering his eyes. Minnick stood silently, though his lower lip trembled slightly as his hands clenched tightly at his sides.
There were no profound words to be uttered by Jack Thompson when death arrived. He was simply there, and then, he wasn’t. Mac watched as Jack’s eyes fluttered briefly, and then remained open and unblinking. His hands fell from his lap and remained on the driver’s seat, while his body slumped forward, a slight wheezing sound escaping his mouth as the last bit of air from his lungs was released.
“We have company Mr. Walker.”
It was Ella who now stood next to Mac, her hand on his shoulder.
“The ones who did this, the ones who killed Jack, are now coming to finish the job.”
Mac’s eyes looked down the road at the two approaching black SUV’s, certain one of them contained Mark Densmore. It was Densmore who was in charge of whatever shit was going on in Benghazi. Densmore who had the pull to order a drone strike against Ella’s building, and Densmore who set up the explosive device that killed Jack.
Mac Walker grabbed one of the sniper rifles from the back of the Hummer and began walking slowly down the middle of the road toward the quickly approaching SUVs.
It was killing time…
XVIII.
The first shot from the sniper rifle found its mark as the fifty caliber round plunged through the front windshield of the black SUV to Mac’s right, ripping through the left side of the driver’s skull and then blowing out the rear left passenger window as it exited the interior cabin. The initial kill shot set off a chain reaction where the SUV on the right careened sharply into the other SUV, the dead body of its driver slumped forward against the steering wheel.
The second SUV swerved to avoid being hit, nearly losing control completely and running into the ditch that ran alongside the road. Mac calmly aimed the sniper rifle and fired again.
The second shot missed its mark as the bullet tore off a chunk of the SUV’s roof, sending a spray of sparks and metallic fragments into the air. Mac took a deep breath, held it, and fired for a third time.
The bullet split the middle of the windshield, blew a fist sized hole in the chest of one of the men seated in the back, before imbedding itself in the rear tailgate. Mac knew the speed of the SUV left him with just one more shot before the vehicle would be right on top of him.
The fourth shot was aimed at the passenger. Mac was able to look through the sniper rifle’s scope and see Densmore looking panicked as he screamed at the driver to run Mac over. The image brought a small smile to Mac’s face as he prepared to pull the trigger again.
A bullet skimmed Mac’s right arm. The shot had come from one of the men from the first SUV Mac had fired at. The vehicle sat motionless on the side of the road some fifty yards away as three men emerged from it with guns, looking for a fight, all three pointing their weapons directly at Mac as the other SUV was now just twenty feet away and closing very fast.
Mac Walker had no choice but to jump and roll to his left to both avoid being shot and or driven over. He chose the left side knowing the passing SUV would then provide him a brief second of cover from the three armed men moving toward him. As he shifted back onto his left knee, already aiming the rifle for another shot, he spotted Minnick making his way down the ditch, attempting to get behind the three armed men. At the same time Mac heard Benny, Ella, and her men firing several rounds into the passing SUV.
Mac’s next shot blew half the head off of one of Densmore’s men, while Minnick just as quickly ended the lives of the other two. That left Densmore and whoever else remained alive in the second SUV.
Mac pushed himself back onto his feet and made his way quickly to where Ella and the others stood pointing their weapons at Densmore’s vehicle that sat unmoving in the middle of the road nearly a hundred yards from their position. Mac could hear its motor was still running, but detected no movement from inside.
Ella turned to Mac, her own assault rifle resting against her right shoulder.
“Suggestions on how you wish to proceed Mr. Walker?”
Mac used his rifle scope to look over the motionless SUV. Its darkened windows still made it difficult to determine how many, if any, were still alive inside. Udi stood next to Mac also looking at the vehicle through a pair of binoculars.
“Front right tire is blown. Nothing left but the rim.”
Udi was right, the SUV’s tire
had blown apart.
Mac reloaded his rifle and began walking toward the vehicle.
“Spread out, ten yards apart, all weapons at the ready. Anything moves inside there, kill it. Otherwise, wait on my order.”
Mac walked slowly toward the SUV as the others in the group followed alongside him. He felt a stinging pain in his right bicep and realized he had forgotten about the bullet that had skimmed him moments earlier. He looked down and scowled at the wound.
Stop bleeding you little bitch.
The back window of the SUV blew out as several rounds of gunfire were shot from inside of it. Mac, Ella, and the others crouched low to the ground and brought their own weapons up and returned fire. Multiple bullet holes ripped through the black SUVs metallic skin as more of its windows shattered into fragments.
Mac held up his left hand to halt the gunfire. Again there was no movement from inside the SUV until after nearly two minutes, the passenger door opened and a man crawled out.
It was Mark Densmore.
Densmore stood up slowly, his right arm braced against the door frame of the vehicle.
“You shouldn’t be here Walker!”
Mac began walking slowly toward Densmore while keeping an eye out for any threats from inside the SUV.
“I was thinking the same thing about you Densmore. What the hell is FBI doing running around Benghazi? You here to solve crimes, or committing them?”
Densmore moved away from the black SUV, his steps somewhat unsteady as he wiped away a layer of blood from his upper forehead.
“Look Walker, you can’t kill me. I’ve already called this in. They know all about you and your team. They know about THIS right now. You understand? You kill me and they have you for murdering a federal agent. You and your team, you all go down. You got no protection back home. Tilley’s gone. Mardian too. They might let you go, you’re just a small bug in all of this, but you kill me – that can’t be allowed to just happen Walker. So be a smart guy for once, and just let me walk out of here. Do yourself a favor, do your team a favor, and we all just walk away from this.”
Mac stood no more than forty feet from Densmore.
“Can’t do that Densmore. You killed one of my men. That don’t sit right with me, you know? See, in my world, we don’t cut deals with little fucking shits like you. No, we do the world a favor and kill them. Kill them fucking dead.”
Densmore glared back at Mac, his face twisted in contempt.
“You’re so stupid Walker. So fucking dumb. What’s going on out here, it’s so much bigger than you could ever imagine. Do you know the powers involved in this? Do you know what will happen to you? You kill me, it won’t make a bit of difference. There’s a new world coming Walker, and you’re either living in it or dead. It’s gonna happen. It IS happening. Killing me won’t change that. It’ll just make it worse for you and anyone or anything you care about.”
Mac lowered his rifle, looking Densmore up and down slowly as he shook his head.
“There ain’t a bit of man left in you Densmore. Look at you, begging for mercy, making threats that some higher ups are gonna come and get me and my men. Is it worth it to you? Working for this kind of government that would kill its own so easily? You think they won’t let me live? What about you? It’s just sad seeing you like this – you got no fucking soul left, man. Whatever you were all those years ago, it’s gone. Dead. You been dead for years but just didn’t know it. Sold out. Maybe there’s nothing left for me anymore in America. You could be right about that, but I aim to find out one way or the other. As for you…”
Mark Densmore finally made his move. Mac had intentionally lowered his rifle, knowing Densmore was hiding a handgun tucked into the back of his pants. Even a shit like Densmore deserved a fighting chance – Mac’s code of honor required he give him that.
Not that Densmore had any real hope of outdrawing Mac Walker. The former Navy SEAL rested the sniper rifle barrel in his left hand, which allowed his right hand the freedom to pull out his own handgun at a speed too fast for Densmore’s eyes to follow. Densmore froze with his own weapon raised up halfway between the ground and Mac, his eyes wide in terror at knowing his life was soon to end.
“No-no-no-no Walker! Don’t do it! I can get you out of here! Protect you! All of you! You kill me, they’ll come for you! All of you!”
Mac, the death of Jack still front and center in his mind, gritted his teeth as he glowered back at Densmore.
“Shut up.”
The bullet entered Densmore’s still speaking mouth, exiting the lower base of his skull in a spray of blood and bone. For a half second, Mark Densmore seemed stunned Mac had actually pulled the trigger, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly as he attempted to speak yet again. Then his body crumpled to the paved road below his feet where it remained motionless.
Benny, Minnick, Ella and her men were already making certain no other men were alive inside the second SUV. Two bodies were found and pulled out, both killed by gunshot wounds. They did the same with the other black SUV, pulling three more dead bodies out onto the pavement.
Minnick looked over each one closely, checking to see the weapons issued, their clothing, and cell phones.
“These are all U.S. government Mac. Every one.”
Mac didn’t bother to look down at the bodies.
“Yeah – figured they would be. Get Jack out of the Hummer and into whichever one of these other vehicles that can still drive. We got a plane to catch.”
Mac, Benny, Minnick, Ella, Udi and Tamir sat inside of the first SUV Mac had shot at that day, with Jack’s body lying in the back as they drove into the Benina Airport facility. They were stopped by several armed United Nations security guards at the gate. Mac leaned his head out the window and growled to the guard who appeared to be in charge.
“We’re here to see Mr. Danton. He’s expecting us.”
The armed men were looking over the many bullet holes that riddled the SUV’s exterior like a series of steel framed pock marks. Mac overheard a familiar, French-accented voice coming from one of the guard’s communication devices.
“Let them in!”
No sooner had Mac brought the vehicle to a stop next to the entrance to Louis Danton’s office did Danton himself emerge from the second story stairs and make his way down to greet Mac and the others, a genuine look of relief on his face.
“I wasn’t certain I would be seeing you this morning Mr. Walker. I had been told your arrival here was not to be allowed by others. It appears you didn’t listen. Am I to assume Mr. Densmore is no longer among the living, and that he perhaps met his demise on the road to Benina?”
Mac nodded.
Densmore’s perfectly aligned and brilliant white teeth revealed themselves in a wide smile as he nodded back at Mac.
“Very good then Mr. Walker! You know, it is a sad but undeniable fact that militant bandits have become quite common in these parts. I will be sure to file a report of the tragic loss of Mr. Densmore and his men to such bandits.”
Mac smiled faintly but then nodded toward the SUV.
“I lost a man today Mr. Danton. I need a couple of favors from you if you don’t mind.”
Louis Danton stood in front of Mac and held his gaze as he replied.
“Whatever you need Mr. Walker. I believe whatever help I might provide you at this moment will be the last help you receive from anyone for some time. The United States is not the country you once knew it to be, but I assure you, I will have you returned there safely.
Mac Walker closed his eyes at Danton’s remark about America, knowing all too well how true his words were. Mac felt himself returning to a home no longer his own.
XXIX.
Mac, Benny, and Minnick sat in the back cargo area of the Air France flight Danton had coordinated to take them from the Ivory Coast to the United States. On the floor of the plane lay a simple pine casket where Jack’s body was stored.
Before boarding the flight from Benghazi to the Ivory Coast, Mac had t
aken a moment to thank both Udi and Tamir, and then say goodbye to Ella. She and her men were to be driven to the Bulgarian consulate in Benghazi for protection.
“Stay alive Mac Walker. This world needs more men like you.”
Mac looked back at Ella and grinned.
“I think a few more like you would do us all a lot more good Ella. Thank you for your help. For everything.”
The two didn’t kiss, or embrace. They simply looked at one another for a few more brief moments, and then walked away.
Hours later, as Mac sat with his remaining team around Jack’s casket, he poured each of them a shot glass of Jack Daniels whiskey, provided to them as one of the two favors Mac had asked of Louis Danton. The second favor was soon to begin as the song Sweet Home Alabama began to blare from the speakers hung in the cargo area of the plane.
Mac raised his glass and watched as Benny and Minnick did the same.
“To Jack Thompson, a big corn fed son-of-a-bitch who I’m gonna miss like hell.”
Mac was surprised to feel tears stinging the corners of his eyes as he struggled to continue with the toast.
“Jack didn’t want this mission, but he came anyways, for no other reason than I asked him to. I’ve got to live with that fact for the rest of my life. None us know how long that might be. We’re heading back to a country that seems intent on selling itself out to the highest bidder. But, we’ll make sure to get Jack back to his people, where he can be laid to rest right. He would of done the same for any of us. That’s what soldiers do. We’re brothers. We finish the mission. Goddammit, I’m so sorry Alabama. So sorry…”
Mac drank the whiskey and then poured another, and then another.
It was late morning of September 12th when Mac sat around a table inside of an airport bar just an hour after arriving back in the United States. Louis Danton had made good on his promise to deliver them home safely.
Mac’s phone rang. It was Ella.
“Mr. Walker, are you in the United States?”
Mac sensed the strain in Ella’s voice.
MAC WALKER'S BENGHAZI: The Complete Collection Page 17
