Chapter 65

Liv checked the digital clock mounted to the dashboard. It was nearly 10 AM. The entire battle on the plain had lasted about an hour. Liv stopped Rokee, hopped out, waded through the snow to the front of the Jeep, and secured the rocket grappling hook to the winch. There were traces of blood and oil on the shining metal. Shivering, she climbed back in the Jeep. "You think we can still make it for our noon tee-off time at the golf course?"

"It'll be pretty close." Finn was consulting the forest service map. "If we take the road along the edge of the canyon and go about a mile, we should be able to see the turnoff to the Bathsheba. Looks like there's a bunch of switchbacks going the rest of the way up."

Liv nodded and headed for the snow covered shelf road. On one side of the white ribbon was a sheer rock face, on the other, a canyon drop-off. The going became treacherous as the road narrowed. It was barely wide enough for the armored SRT-8, and Liv clenched the steering wheel tightly, turning her knuckles white. All too often, the armor covering the MATTRACKS scraped against the rocky cliff.

Finn kept the gun camera focused on the road ahead so that Liv could see where they were going. Her face was scrunched in concentration as she expertly kept the Jeep centered. The only sound was the burble from the Hemi, the clank of the suspension, and the occasional, horrendous sound of armor kissing rock. Periodically, the Jeep would tilt toward the canyon as the tracks climbed a hidden boulder. The disconcerting motion caused Finn to suck in his breath. He would only remember to breathe once they were level again.

After thirty agonizingly long minutes, the shelf road emptied onto another plain. To the left, a smooth, snow-covered slope rose steeply above them. Snowmobile tracks zigzagged up to a dark opening at the base of a cliff. Finn motioned for Liv to stop, while he scanned the gun camera up and down the mountain.

Finn zoomed in on the opening, then switched to the thermal sensor. He was barely able to make out a pair of guards flanking the entrance. "Looks like we have a goddamn welcoming committee. I thought you made golf reservation for just the two of us. Uh oh, looks like they brought their pitching wedges," he said as an RPG streaked toward their position. At that range, the rocket had almost no chance of hitting the Jeep, but nevertheless, Liv and Finn felt their stomachs tighten in fear.

"Fire!" Chin-Hae tapped the gunner on the shoulder and watched the RPG streak toward the miniature vehicle below them. He was one of four men lying in the snow in front of the Bathsheba Mine. They were cold, but happy to finally see some action. The rocket raced down the slope, a trail of smoke chasing after it. It was a long shot, but Chin-Hae was worried and willing to try anything. He couldn't reach Max on the radio. That, combined with the fact that the armored vehicle was here, could only mean one thing. Somehow, the armored vehicle and its occupants had wiped out an entire squad of well-trained mercenaries.