Free Whiskey Tribute: A Trident Security Series Novella - Book 5.5 by Samantha A. Cole Page A

cargo pants, boots, and a grey T-shirt. “That man right there? He’s
your commander. You can call him Lieutenant, Boss-man, or sir. You will listen
to everything he says and you will follow his orders. Give him a big ‘yes,
sir’.”
    Grinning, the kids all shouted, “Yes, sir!”
    Ian clapped his hands together, then waved everyone into a
huddle which included the back of the pickup so the girls didn’t have to get
down. “All right, team. First, we’re going to talk safety. It’s extremely
important in combat. Number one—you always point the muzzle of your gun at the
ground until you’re given the go order.”
    “How come?” one of the boys asked. Curt couldn’t remember his
name at the moment. “You said they don’t have bullets in them.”
    “That’s right.” Ian pointed at the youngster. “Good question.
We train that way because sometimes we use real weapons and sometimes we use
the fake ones. You don’t ever want to mistake one for the other in the heat of
the moment, so you treat every gun as if it’s the real thing. You never aim a
gun, fake or real, at anyone you don’t intend to shoot. Got it?”
    The boy nodded. “Yup.”
    “Okay. Next. Our bad guy, or tango, over there…” He tilted
his head toward Boomer. “…is going to hide somewhere in the barn. If it’s not
your turn, no giving away the tango’s location if you saw where he went. That’s
poor sportsmanship. Whoever’s turn it is, you’re going to team up with Elmer here.
He’ll walk right behind you and point out where you need to go. When you see
your target, aim and shoot. Got it?”
    The kids shouted in unison, “Got it!”
    Taylor raised his hand. “Lieutenant Ian, who goes first?”
    Taking the ball cap Urkel handed him, Ian showed them it was
filled with folded pieces of paper. “Since it’s Connor’s birthday, he gets to
go first. Everyone else will go in the order their names are pulled. Fair
enough?” They agreed. “Okay. Hand signals.” He held his fist at shoulder
height. “This means stop and stay where you are. No talking until you’re given
the all clear. I’ll point where I want you to go. We’ll keep it simple with
those two signals. Elmer, get Connor ready. The rest of you can watch from the
door on the other side of the barn or up in the loft, so you’re out of the way,
but can still see everything. And remember…no giving away the tango’s
location.”
    While the other kids scrambled to get a good observation
spot, Curt gave Connor a crash course on how the gun worked. It was pretty
simple—there was a safety switch, sights, and a trigger. If it wasn’t for the
fact it was painted red for safety reasons, the assault rifle looked and felt
like the real thing. Because the boy’s arms weren’t long enough for the stock
to rest against his shoulder, Curt instructed him how to hold it, point, and
shoot.
    When everyone was set, a four-man team consisting of Connor,
Ian, Urkel, and Brody closed in on the target building, using trees and the
bales of hay for protection as they leap-frogged forward. Curt coached the boy
on how to cover his teammates when they were moving out in the open. The team
waited patiently as Connor limped from spot to spot. Soon they reached the
large opened barn door with Connor, Curt, and Urkel on one side of the door
frame and Ian and Brody on the other side. Ian signaled Egghead to enter and
provide cover for the others. He then pointed with his finger for the birthday
boy to enter and search for the tango.
    With Curt’s hand on his shoulder guiding him, Connor moved
from stall to stall searching for the tango. He found Boomer hiding in the
third one on the left and fired his weapon. Of course, the former SEAL had to
get dramatic, clutching his chest and performing one of the worst death scenes
ever. Cheering, Connor’s teammates high-fived him, and the kid was on cloud
nine. This is why the men loved to do shit like this with children…to see that
mile-wide