Free SEALs of Honor: Shadow by Dale Mayer

big animal was gone, Shadow shifted his position to see if any unwanted attention had been attracted. But nothing moved. Uneasy but with nothing to show for it, he hunkered down and waited.
    In the distance he could hear the hum of the plane as it approached. He tensed.
    This was where it was going to get dicey. This was a Canadian military plane. It needed to be able to take the four family members out safely. No one could be left behind.
    Swede gave a low cry. Shadow answered with the same series of raptor cries they’d perfected.
    The plane’s arrival had been noted.
    He waited until the plane was visible. Still there was no movement. Either the enemy wasn’t here or they had been in position already. They were terrorists, but that didn’t mean they had outdoor training and maneuvers or were used to the sheer vastness of the Canadian wilderness. He’d spent months in the Yukon exploring a countryside that was so different than anything else he’d seen. If anyone needed to remember their connection to nature, spending a week in the woods up there would do it. Like here, there was so much country it was daunting. And stunning. And full of hardship, yet also offered great rewards.
    The plane came in low and landed smoothly, just barely enough light to make it down. Thankfully, the storm had passed and the water was calm.
    The first out of the plane were two soldiers with a stretcher.
    Good, now to transport the casualties.
    Swede met them at the edge of the water. Transferring the senator to the first stretcher and loading him on board took time. Knuckle baring time. According to Swede, the senator wasn’t likely to make it. He hadn’t regained consciousness once, and his old frail body had taken a beating that left Swede thinking major internal injuries. There’d been nothing they could do for him out there, but Swede hadn’t wanted the old man who’d given his life to his country in a different way – to die alone. So he’d held the injured man to the end.
    Now as the senator was loaded up into the small plane, Shadow could only wish him well. Then it was the wife’s turn. He hadn’t had a chance to ask Cooper about her, but Cooper would have said something if it had been bad. He smiled as Cooper got wet carrying Kevin to the plane. Kevin turned to check on his sister’s progress.
    Shadow had finally caught sight of something.
    The enemy. Sneaking up on Arianna.
    He lowered his rifle.
    And took aim.

Chapter 9

    A rianna watched the plane land with wonder. It had actually arrived. The night had begun to feel endless. With the moon fading back and the sky brightening as the sun rose but a long time away from sunrise, she studied the area in surprise. It felt locked in time. Frozen by the years. She didn’t think anyone had been here since her last visit. Her favorite rocks and hollows leading to the lake where she’d spent hours of fun swimming were undisturbed. But it was not a world she wanted anything to do with right now.
    “We’re up next,” Swede said. “Can you walk?”
    “I can. But go ahead. Get Father on first.” She hobbled forward, hating the pain biting into her with each step.
    They walked together as a group until she realized how slow she really was. “Go and come back for me,” she said.
    Indecision rode him then he nodded abruptly and ran ahead. As in he picked up his feet and raced to the water’s edge. The plane had coasted in as close as it could. She watched as two soldiers hopped into the water and carrying a stretcher, made their way over to Swede. Catching her breath and trying to hold back the waves of pain, she kept moving forward. Her brother was almost to the water now. He’d gone with Cooper. She took several more steps and gasped. Then a couple more. She didn’t have far to go. And that plane was looking mighty fine. She watched her father being transferred and then it was her stepmother’s turn. They were safe. Thank God. Cooper had picked up Kevin and carried him