Die Trying by Lee Child

us.”

“He’s doing it because he’s crazy,” McGrath said.

“He must be,” Webster said. “He’s a maniac. Otherwise I just can’t

understand why he’s trying to attract so much attention. Because like

he says, he holds all the cards already.”

“We’ll worry about that later, chief,” McGrath said. “Right now, we

just need to stall him.”

Webster nodded. Forced himself back to the problem in hand.

“But we need longer than two hours,” he said. “Hostage Rescue will

take at least four to get over here. Maybe five, maybe six.”

“OK, it’s the Fourth of July,” McGrath said. Tell him the linemen are

all off-duty. Tell him it could take us all day to get them back.”

They stared at each other. Glanced at Johnson. He was right out of

it. Just slumped against the rock face white and inert, barely

breathing. Ninety hours of mortal stress and emotion had finally

broken him. Then the radio in Webster’s hand crackled again.

“Well?” Borken asked, when the static cleared.

“OK, we agree,” Webster said. “We’ll fix the line. But it’s going to

take some time. Linemen are off-duty for the holidays.”

There was a pause. Then a chuckle.

“Independence Day,” Borken said. “Maybe I should have chosen another

date.”

Webster made no reply.

“I want your Marines where I can see them,” Borken said.

“What Marines?” Webster said.

There was another short laugh. Short and complacent.

“You got eight Marines,” Borken said. “And an armored car. We got

lookouts all over the place. We’ve been watching you. Like you’re

watching us with those damn planes. You’re lucky Stingers don’t shoot

that high, or you’d have more than a damn helicopter on the ground by

now.”

Webster made no reply. Just scanned the horizon. McGrath was doing

the same thing, automatically, looking for the glint of the sun on

field glasses.

“I figure you’re close to the bridge right now,” Borken said. “Am I

right?”

Webster shrugged. McGrath prompted him with a nod.

“We’re close to the bridge,” Webster said.

“I want the Marines on the bridge,” Borken said. “Sitting on the edge

in a neat little row. Their vehicle behind them. I want that to

happen now, you understand? Or we go to work on Holly. Your choice,

Webster. Or maybe it’s the general’s choice. His daughter, and his

Marines, right?”

Johnson roused himself and glanced up. Five minutes later the Marines

were sitting on the fractured edge of the roadway, feet dangling down

into the abyss. Their LAV was parked up behind them. Webster was

still in the lee of the rock face with McGrath and Johnson. The radio

still pressed to his ear. He could hear muffled sounds. Like Borken

had pressed his hand over the microphone and was using a walkie-talkie.

He could hear his muffled voice alternating with crackly replies. Then

he heard the hand come away and the voice come back again, loud and

clear in the earpiece.

“OK, Webster, good work,” Borken said to him. “Our scouts can see all

eight of them. So can our riflemen. If they move, they die. Who else

have you got there with you?”

Webster paused. McGrath shook his head urgently.

“Can’t you see?” Webster asked. “I thought you were watching us.”

“Not right now,” Borken said. “I pulled my people back a little. Into

our defensive positions.”

There’s nobody else here,” Webster said. “Just me and the general.”

There was another pause.

“OK, you two can join the Marines,” Borken said. “On the bridge. On

the end of the line.”

Webster waited for a long moment. A blank expression on his face. Then

he got up and nodded to Johnson. Johnson got up unsteadily and the two

of them walked forward together around the curve. Left McGrath on his

own, crouched in the lee of the rock.

McGrath waited there two minutes and crawled back south to the

Chevrolet. Garber and Johnson’s aide were in front and Milosevic and

Brogan were in back. They were all staring at him.

“What the hell happened?” Brogan asked.

“We’re in deep, deep shit,” McGrath said.

Two minutes of hurried explanation, and the others agreed with him.

“So what now?” Garber asked.

“We go get Holly,” McGrath said. “Before he realizes we’re