Brothers in Arms by Kendall McKenna Read Free Book Online Page A

the same as Fallujah, which looks the same as Baghdad,” Shankman finished.
    “Look sharp, gents,” Jonah said into his mic when they started down the narrow portion of the road partially obstructed by foliage and heavily rutted by past artillery strikes. This was a prime location for an RPG attack or an IED.
    The explosion surprised Jonah with both its suddenness and its volume. The roar was deafening and the concussion slammed into their Humvee, forcing Shankman to control the unexpected sideways motion.
    “Fuck!” Shankman shouted as he steered into the skid.
    Jonah ducked, reflexively but futilely. He swore loudly, the words swallowed by the blast and sounds of falling debris. He clutched his weapon in a tight grip, bracing his feet against the floorboard to steady himself against the whiplash motion of the Humvee. When the vehicle fishtailed again, Jonah braced a hand against the dash. He felt pressure in his chest and bouncing around inside his skull. He wanted to breathe. Jonah’s body tried to breathe, but the force against his chest wouldn’t let it expand.
    Shankman finally got the Humvee under control. They slid to a halt, and in the same moment, the pressure around Jonah dissipated, and he took a long, deep, gasping breath. He shook his head sharply to clear it, battling back haze.
    “What the hell was that, Gunnery Sergeant?” Garcia called from the backseat.
    Jonah had no fucking idea. The blast had come from behind them, and it had felt close. It felt and sounded like an IED, but as the lead vehicle, they should have been the ones to set it off.
    Chaos erupted on the comm right in Jonah’s ear.
    “Shit! It was Two-Two!” Garcia shouted, twisting in his seat to look out his window. Jonah almost didn’t hear him over the noise of the radio.
    Jonah felt the hard impact of an AK-47 round slamming into their Humvee. A split second later, the loud crack of the weapon itself carried over the heated sand. He keyed his mic and shouted over the growing sounds of battle and injured men, “Contact right, contact right. Everyone, out of your vehicle.”
    Even as he gave the order, Jonah knew some of them, him included, would have to chance an exit on the passenger side.
    “IED! IED!” He could finally make out the cry, but he was unsure if it carried on the air or over the comm. “Hitman-Two-Two’s hit. No one’s getting out.”
    Round after round of AK fire was striking the Humvee, landing in the dirt around them and kicking up dry puffs of dust. Jonah had to get out of his vehicle and to his injured men. He kicked open his door and dove out onto the ground. Jonah stayed low, rapidly crawling around the rear of the Humvee until he was safe against the wide tire on the other side.
    “Shankman,” Jonah barked. “Get me Company comms.”
    Shankman stayed as low as he could as he ducked into the driver’s door of their vehicle to switch radio frequencies. He dropped back down to the dirt and gave Jonah a nod.
    Keying his mic again, Jonah shouted over the rapid fire of AK-47s and the answering M16s, “Diyala Firm base, Hitman-Two-One, we’re taking heavy fire and Hitman-Two-Two has been hit by an IED. How copy?”
    The ensuing radio silence seemed to last forever, though Jonah knew it was only seconds before First Sergeant Resler’s voice sounded loud, firm, and calm in Jonah’s ear.
    “Solid copy, Two-One. Location and casualties?” Resler asked.
    “The main street route just east of Kan’an,” Jonah replied, giving the map grid coordinate. “We’re pinned down, and I can’t get to Two-Two’s victor. I see no movement.”
    “Roger that,” Resler answered immediately. “Slayer-Three and Assassin-Two are en route to your location with the two Corpsmen, Bertel and Pauling.”
    Jonah was relieved medical help was on the way; they’d probably need it when this was over. “Two-One copy. I’ll advise when I know about casualties. Two-One out.”
    Jonah rose to his knees and shifted to the rear