Read Online Braco by Lesleyanne Ryan - Free Book Online Page A

here.”
    Jac tore his eyes away from the bodies and followed Janssen towards the carrier.
    â€œKeep them back, Jac,” Janssen said, climbing to the top of the vehicle. “I need some space to get out of here.”
    â€œYeah. Okay.”
    Jac stepped away and motioned to the wary crowd to stay back. The carrier came to life and the sergeant battled to pull the vehicle out of the ditch. The metal box pivoted to the left and then to the right, launching earth and rock like missiles. The crowd ducked. Some ran away.
    Jac glimpsed movement in the corner of his eye; someone was running towards the carrier. He swung around. A cow trotted in front of the carrier just as the vehicle dug in and surged ahead. Erik shouted to the sergeant, but the animal was out of Janssen’s line of sight. The carrier struck the cow. The animal cried out, but the sound was lost to a chorus of cracking bones and popping organs. The vehicle came to a halt and Janssen stood up in his hatch. He stared, wide-eyed, at Erik.
    Erik raised his hands and pointed as he spoke to Janssen over the headset. The sergeant nodded and relaxed. Jac crossed in front of the carrier to inspect the damage. A layer of red covered the muddy white metal skin. Pieces of shattered bone poked out of the treads. Rivulets of blood flowed into the ditch.
    â€œIs it dead?”
    â€œOh yeah. It’s dead, Sergeant.” Jac glanced at the crowd, convinced the incident would make his job easier. “Go ahead. We’ll meet you down below.”
    The carrier moved away, but the crowd remained. Karel and Maarten joined Jac. They waved their arms, encouraging the anxious refugees forward.
    â€œCome,” Jac shouted. “To Potocari. Come.”
    They led the crowd along a road sheltered from the Serbs while the carrier rumbled down the lower road. After a short distance, Jac spotted Janssen standing on top of the carrier, motioning to the refugees to come forward. They approached the vehicle and stopped behind it.
    â€œRest,” the sergeant said.
    A few refugees sat down. The rest stayed on their feet, staring at the peacekeepers.
    They think we’re going to take off on them, Jac thought. He took Maarten’s arm and pulled him to the edge of the crowd.
    â€œSit down with me. Show them we’re not going to leave without them.”
    The peacekeepers sat down in the middle of the road and, one by one, the refugees followed suit. They drank water and adjusted their belongings. One woman emerged from the forest, leading a white horse with two children on its back. Gunfire popped in the south. Mortars flew overhead and slammed into the hills above the crowd. People flinched and ducked.
    â€œJesus, Jac, I know they’re not trying to hit us, but if just one shell falls short.”
    â€œI know.” He looked back. Janssen was on his feet, motioning to Jac. “I think he has the same idea.”
    â€œGet them going,” Janssen said. He dropped into his hatch.
    Jac stood. The crowd stood with him
    â€œTo Potocari,” he said. “Come. To Potocari.”
    Maarten walked to the front of the carrier as it started up. Jac and Karel waved everyone forward. The carrier crept ahead at a pace slower than the slowest refugee. They walked with Jac, crowding him but staying behind the carrier.
    Ahead, a road to the northwest led to another Dutch observation post. The post, Tango, was manned and, the last Jac had heard, it was under fire. He imagined the crew huddled inside their bunker waiting for the attacks to end. Jac trotted up to the carrier and waved to Erik.
    â€œAny word from Tango?” Jac asked.
    Erik shrugged and picked up his binoculars, scanning the road ahead.
    â€œOh my God!”
    â€œWhat is it?”
    Erik pointed towards the intersection while he spoke into his mic, reporting to Janssen. Jac peered ahead.
    â€œI don’t see anything.”
    â€œRefugees. Go, go.”
    Jac joined Maarten and they