Spider Shepherd: SAS: #1 by Stephen Leather Read Free Book Online

chances here.’
    “I don’t get it,’ said Shepherd. ‘What’s the plan?’
    ‘We need to know if there’s still a sniper up there,’ said Harry. ‘Ivan here can lure then out. No sniper means he’ll be on his way, if there is a sniper he’ll show himself and hopefully you’ll be able to pick him off.’
    ‘Are you serious?’
    ‘Bloody right. We need to know if there are still snipers up there.’
    ‘But what about the Geneva Convention?’
    ‘Do you think the snipers care about the Geneva Convention? I’ve seen enough dead women and kids to know that they don’t.’
    After a lot more verbal to-ing and fro-ing the Ivan had made up his mind and gave a grudging nod. ‘Okay,’ he said.
    ‘Right, take off your jacket,’ Harry said, looking at Shepherd.
    ‘Me?’ said Shepherd, confused.
    ‘Yes you. You’re going to lend it to our friend here.’
    The Russian struggled into the jacket. ‘It’s a bit small,’ Harry said, ‘But it’ll do.’ He bound the Serb’s arms loosely with cable ties. ‘We can’t have you waving to your buddy and giving the game away, now can we?’ he said. ‘And now for the finishing touch. Dan, you’ve still got your beret with you, haven’t you?’
    Shepherd took it from his bergen and gave it to him with a dubious look. Harry set the red beret on the Russian’s head and adjusted it to a jaunty angle. ‘Looks a picture, doesn’t he?’ Harry said to Shepherd. He winked at the Russian. ‘Your mum would be so proud if she could see you now, Ivan. Right, no time like the present, off you go.’ He gave him a push in the back, propelling him out of the cover of the trees and into the open. ‘Dan, get ready, yeah?’ Shepherd took up position.
    The Russian hesitated, glancing fearfully about. ‘I wouldn't hang around if I were you,’ Harry called.
    Still with Shepherd’s red beret on his head, the Russian began to walk slowly towards the foothills where he had been captured, glancing nervously around him all the time. He began to jog but had covered no more than a few yards when a single shot rang out from the hills and he fell to the ground, the back of his head blown off by the shot that had killed him.
    Shepherd had been lying up with his rifle at the ready, waiting for the sniper to fire. He saw the muzzle flash and then a brief dark outline against the washed-out blue of the early morning sky as the sniper rose from cover for a second to see the results of his handiwork. His head filled the scope of Shepherd’s rifle as he zeroed in on him, took a deep breath in and then, as he exhaled in a long, slow sighing sound, he squeezed the trigger home smoothly. He was concentrating so hard he barely heard the report of the rifle or felt the recoil into his shoulder, but he saw the sniper suddenly disappear from sight, one hand thrown up and the sunlight glinting from the barrel of the weapon he had been holding, as it tumbled from his grasp.
    Shepherd smiled. ‘Definite wound, probable kill,’ he said.
    ‘Nice one, Dan,’ Diesel said.
    Shepherd nodded in acknowledgement. He had almost certainly just snuffed out an individual human’s life, but he spared the dead man no more thought than the sniper would have given for Shepherd, had their positions been reversed. They were soldiers, this was their job and Shepherd took out the human target that had been offered to him with no more concern than if it had been a bullseye painted on a wooden board.
    The body of the other Russian still lay in the open. Shepherd stared at it for a few moments, then said, ‘Cover me.’
    Harry stared at him. ‘What for?’
    ‘There’s something I need to get.’
    ‘It’s just a hat, Dan.’
    ‘It’s more than that to me.’
    Harry gave a theatrical sigh but he and Diesel took up positions to cover him. Shepherd took a few slow, deep breaths, studying the ground he would have to cross, then broke cover. He moved fast, ducking low, dodging and weaving as he ran, and making use of