Sniper Elite by Scott McEwen Read Free Book Online

paused and turned around. “And I suggest you leave the volume set where it’s at.”
    He closed the door on his way out, and Gil prepped himself for the worst as he clicked the Play button on the screen.
    The video started, and he sat watching as five men stood crowded around the same side of a bed, their backs to the cameraman who was obviously filming them through the doorway of an adjacent room. The men were laughing and struggling for position, almost as if they were competing for the opportunity to shake hands with whoever was lying on the bed. Then someone off camera shouted at them, and entered from stage right, shoving them out of the way. He turned toward the cameraman, revealing his bearded face and bloody eyeball. The cameraman waved the other five men out of the way with his free hand.
    That’s when Gil clearly saw the pale, naked form of Sandra Brux tied spread eagle to the bed, a vicious bullet wound to her leg, eyes clamped shut, nipples flame red from having just been twisted and pinched. The bearded man dropped his trousers and climbed onto the bed with her.
    Gil clearly made out the Pashto word for whore , which was dammay zo . And then he made out, almost as clearly, kuss di ughame , which he knew was Pashto for “fuck your ass.”
    Sandra began screaming a few moments later, and the cameramanmade sure to get the angle correct so the penetration would be clearly visible. Gil did not watch it directly, turning the volume down as low as it would go without muting it. The rape itself lasted nearly eight horrific minutes, and Sandra screamed the entire time. It was the most unholy thing he had ever witnessed, and the close-up of her face at the end, of her shattered humanity, brought tears to his eyes. He sat on the bench with his face in his hands for a long time after the video had finished, having never known such rage.
    After a while, Steelyard returned and stood leaning against a locker with his arms folded.
    Gil looked up, speaking in a calm voice, “When they made the video of Daniel Pearl’s execution I could at least understand what they were trying to accomplish.” He reached and closed the laptop. “But what can these fuckin’ bastards hope to gain with this here . . . other than a violent death?”
    Steelyard stood away from the locker, arms still crossed, toeing the floor with his boot. “They expect to gain twenty-five million dollars.”
    Gil’s mouth fell open.
    â€œThey want twenty-five million dollars within seven days,” Steelyard explained. “Otherwise, they promise to make an even more brutal video for Al Jazeera. All of this information is highly classified, so if word gets back to CID that we’ve seen this video, Ray’s ass is grass. His opposite number with CID showed him in complete confidence, and the guy doesn’t know Ray managed to burn a copy.”
    â€œWe got any leads on where she is?”
    â€œNothing actionable, but the second there’s a lead, I’m recommending you for the infiltration and identification—if you want the mission.”
    Gil was on his feet. “We’re killin’ these people, right? Every fuckin’ one of ’em?”
    Steelyard shrugged. “Nothing’s come down from the Head Shed yet. I think maybe they’re considering paying the ransom.”
    â€œThat’s no reason not to put DEVGRU on alert. Or are they going with Delta?”
    â€œFrom what I’ve heard,” Steelyard said, “nobody in SOG has been officially alerted yet.”
    â€œThat doesn’t make any damn sense.”
    â€œWell, I’m hearing through unofficial channels that Karzai’s office has offered to function as the intermediary for a ransom exchange.”
    â€œSomebody needs to get rid of that son of a bitch,” Gil said. “He’s been playing footsie with these Hezbi cocksuckers for the last twelve months. Hell, he’s