Read Online The Swords of Babylon (Matt Drake 6) by David Leadbeater - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: David Leadbeater
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a bee-line for a big, green Ukrainian built KrAZ truck. The behemoth was a six wheeler, with an open back partly covered with a tarpaulin that strapped into hooks situated all along the truck’s high, steel sides.
Perfect for deflecting bullets.
Dahl clambered up into the high cab, whooping with delight when he found that the truck was already idling. Drake reasoned that his team’s helicopter arrival had interrupted some kind of delivery and the driver was long gone.
The team climbed aboard, two in the cab and the rest in the truck bed, sitting with their backs against the solid sides. Dahl pumped the accelerator and shifted gears, wincing as the mechanism made a deep, angry grinding sound.
Alicia sat beside him. “It ain’t your wife, Dahl. You can’t smooch the damn thing into submission. Give it some fuckin’ wellie.”
Dahl rammed the gear lever home and stepped on the pedals. The truck roared and lurched forward. Diesel smoke belched from the exhausts. Bullets pinged and bounced off the sides as the guards rounded the stranded chopper. Dahl trod on the accelerator and turned the wheel, aiming for the prison gates.
He slammed the back panel. “Gatehouse!”
A trio of guards already stood outside, aiming their weapons as the truck roared toward them. Mai and Drake stood up in the back and let loose on full auto. Two of the guards twisted and fell, the third ran like a spooked rabbit. When the truck slowed, Drake jumped to the ground and ran, using the enormous wheels as shelter, before smashing his way into the gatehouse where he searched a wall-mounted, gray console. The commands were written in Russian, but there were only two significant buttons. One red, the other green.
He hit the green one, heard the satisfying crunch and saw movement as the gates swung inward, and climbed back into the truck as it began to pick up speed. As he paused atop the sides he cursed. “Bastards are chasing us.”
****
The heavy truck rumbled and roared as it bounced and crashed its way through the prison gates and on to a rough-and-ready road. Dahl fought the wheel at every turn. Alicia checked the side mirrors to gauge the pursuit.
“Three trucks, a little Land Rover type thing and a kind of mini-pickup. Drake would probably know the makes, models and street value.” She smiled tightly.
Dahl was wracking his memory. “You remember the map? If we branch off up the road ahead we come to Zalinsk – the empty town?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” Dahl swung the wheel hard when the turn came up, sending the truck jouncing along an even bumpier road and his teammates sprawling across the truck’s bed. Through the subsequent yelling, Dahl uttered the quiet words, “Apologies people.”
They crested a muddy rise. The town of Zalinsk lay in a shallow depression, nothing more than an unsystematic jumble of buildings, many now open to the elements as the place had been abandoned for so long. With the pursuing vehicles only a half mile behind, Dahl set off down the slope only a little faster than was safe. When the truck hit the bottom he aimed it at the middle of two of the nearest buildings and hauled on the brakes when it had effectively blocked the road.
“Pile out!”
Dahl hit the dirt first, Alicia a step behind. Drake scaled the truck’s sides and flipped himself over the top, then waited for Yorgi. Mai landed deftly beside him.
“Who is your new friend, Matt?”
“Prisoner. Thief. Informer. Entrepreneur. It’s good to see you, Mai.”
“It will get even better when we reach civili zation.” Mai smiled demurely, then raced off through the open door of a nearby building, heading for the roof. The pursuing convoy was already thundering down the slope, some of the guards taking hopeless potshots. Drake followed Mai as Hayden and Kinimaka aimed for a nearby structure, the big man as usual ensuring he was the screen between his boss and the line of fire. Drake thought that Hayden was so used to his routine, she
Perfect for deflecting bullets.
Dahl clambered up into the high cab, whooping with delight when he found that the truck was already idling. Drake reasoned that his team’s helicopter arrival had interrupted some kind of delivery and the driver was long gone.
The team climbed aboard, two in the cab and the rest in the truck bed, sitting with their backs against the solid sides. Dahl pumped the accelerator and shifted gears, wincing as the mechanism made a deep, angry grinding sound.
Alicia sat beside him. “It ain’t your wife, Dahl. You can’t smooch the damn thing into submission. Give it some fuckin’ wellie.”
Dahl rammed the gear lever home and stepped on the pedals. The truck roared and lurched forward. Diesel smoke belched from the exhausts. Bullets pinged and bounced off the sides as the guards rounded the stranded chopper. Dahl trod on the accelerator and turned the wheel, aiming for the prison gates.
He slammed the back panel. “Gatehouse!”
A trio of guards already stood outside, aiming their weapons as the truck roared toward them. Mai and Drake stood up in the back and let loose on full auto. Two of the guards twisted and fell, the third ran like a spooked rabbit. When the truck slowed, Drake jumped to the ground and ran, using the enormous wheels as shelter, before smashing his way into the gatehouse where he searched a wall-mounted, gray console. The commands were written in Russian, but there were only two significant buttons. One red, the other green.
He hit the green one, heard the satisfying crunch and saw movement as the gates swung inward, and climbed back into the truck as it began to pick up speed. As he paused atop the sides he cursed. “Bastards are chasing us.”
****
The heavy truck rumbled and roared as it bounced and crashed its way through the prison gates and on to a rough-and-ready road. Dahl fought the wheel at every turn. Alicia checked the side mirrors to gauge the pursuit.
“Three trucks, a little Land Rover type thing and a kind of mini-pickup. Drake would probably know the makes, models and street value.” She smiled tightly.
Dahl was wracking his memory. “You remember the map? If we branch off up the road ahead we come to Zalinsk – the empty town?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” Dahl swung the wheel hard when the turn came up, sending the truck jouncing along an even bumpier road and his teammates sprawling across the truck’s bed. Through the subsequent yelling, Dahl uttered the quiet words, “Apologies people.”
They crested a muddy rise. The town of Zalinsk lay in a shallow depression, nothing more than an unsystematic jumble of buildings, many now open to the elements as the place had been abandoned for so long. With the pursuing vehicles only a half mile behind, Dahl set off down the slope only a little faster than was safe. When the truck hit the bottom he aimed it at the middle of two of the nearest buildings and hauled on the brakes when it had effectively blocked the road.
“Pile out!”
Dahl hit the dirt first, Alicia a step behind. Drake scaled the truck’s sides and flipped himself over the top, then waited for Yorgi. Mai landed deftly beside him.
“Who is your new friend, Matt?”
“Prisoner. Thief. Informer. Entrepreneur. It’s good to see you, Mai.”
“It will get even better when we reach civili zation.” Mai smiled demurely, then raced off through the open door of a nearby building, heading for the roof. The pursuing convoy was already thundering down the slope, some of the guards taking hopeless potshots. Drake followed Mai as Hayden and Kinimaka aimed for a nearby structure, the big man as usual ensuring he was the screen between his boss and the line of fire. Drake thought that Hayden was so used to his routine, she
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