Free The Fine Line of Revenge by Martin Cox Page A

safety of the shoreline.  It must have been pure luck or a terrible aim that sent the immense speed of the AT4’s rocket way above them, as it disappeared into the distance.
    ‘I think we’ve out stayed our welcome,’ Jack decided, as he turned the Ranger and headed back down the coast.
     
    Unfortunately for Jack and Anjo there wasn’t any time to relax.  From amongst the foliage emerged a MD 520 helicopter, armed and in pursuit of the Ranger.  Jack banked right and sent the Ranger into a steep descent into the mouth of a wide River.  Jack kept low to the ground, hoping that the 520 wouldn’t notice where they had gone.  The Ranger gathered speed, whipping past the rock lined banks of the vast river.  But for Sperafico’s men, the chase was on.  The 520 was closing in fast.  Its smaller build was considerably more agile than the Ranger.  The jutting rocks were close.  The harsh training that Jack had been through was all flooding back. He was now one with the helicopter.  As the 520 gained on the Ranger, Jack manoeuvred the helicopter inhibiting any clear shots from their mounted, 0.5 calibre, machine gun pods.  Despite Jack’s efforts, Sperafico’s men fired the guns.  One bullet hit the glass next to Anjo, causing her to scream and lurch to her left. The bullet pierced a hole and exited through the front windshield.  The chase continued. The river meandered more and more, the rock faces becoming closer at every bend.  The 520 fired again. Bullets ricocheted off the Ranger’s blades.  Jack was becoming tired and the 520 was getting closer by the minute.
    ‘Jack, what do we do?’  Anjo screamed.
     

CHAPTER 7
     
     
    Jack thought for a moment, sweat beginning to appear on his brow and his top lip.
    ‘Take my gun and open your window, and when I say, empty it towards the cockpit of their helicopter, preferably the pilot,’ he instructed.  Anjo checked the gun.  It had a full cartridge.
    ‘What are you doing?’ Anjo asked.
    ‘I’m not sure that I really know,’ Jack replied.  The Ranger swept round a hard left turn.  Jack took a deep breath and slowed the Jet Ranger down.  It took all his concentration to stop fast, turning the helicopter side ways.  Anjo aimed as the 520 turned the corner.  She fired the full clip with precision, the 520 returning fire, spraying the back doors of the ranger. Anjo’s second bullet hit the pilot in his left shoulder.  The rest sprayed the cockpit, hitting instruments and the passengers.  Jack powered upwards, as the 520 banked steeply left, slamming into the rock face, dropping the short distance to the calm river below, its rotor blades tearing up the riverbed. There were no signs of the crew escaping as the 520 ignited, bellowing out thick, black smoke.
    ‘Shit!’ exclaimed Anjo. ‘How did you know that would work?’
    ‘Oh, it worked once before,’ Jack replied, confidently.  In his mind though, he spoke to himself with a little less self-belief. What if the screen had been bullet proof? And what if he had lost control of the helicopter and had ended up where they were?The Ranger gained altitude, Jack breathing a sigh of relief as he headed back to the airfield.
     
    The Jet Ranger landed safely at the airfield.  Jack turned off the controls and they both exited the helicopter.
    ‘How do we explain the damage, it’s only just been re-sprayed?’ Anjo asked.
    ‘I’ve left some money on the seat, it should cover the damage,’ replied Jack, straightening his shirt collar.  They made their way back over to the hangar.  As they entered they could see Senhor Sabino working on the engine of a red and white Cessna 180, light aircraft.  Sabino looked up from his work.  Jack threw the keys at him.  He clumsily caught them in his left hand.
    ‘Obrigado, Senhor, Senhorita,’ Sabino mumbled, his mouth full of chocolate.
    ‘Have a nice day,’ Anjo said, responding with a half-hearted smile, feeling bad about the damage that they had left