False Friends Read Online Free PDF Page B

bosses had known this was going to be a kil mission I don’t see that they’d have sent me,’ said Shepherd. ‘So I’m asking you again, did you know they were going to kil him?’
    Henderson turned to look at him. ‘We rehearsed dozens of scenarios. We tried it with booby traps, with return fire, with grenades – they ran us through anything that we might come across, and yes, in a lot of scenarios the targets ended up dead.’
    ‘And what about rehearsing what just happened? Where not a single shot is fired and Bin Laden is standing unarmed with his hands up?’
    ‘There was an AK-47 in the bedroom. You saw it.’
    ‘He wasn’t holding it, Guy. And he didn’t even make a move towards it. He wasn’t resisting. And he was shot twice. A double tap. One in the chest, one in the head. You only do that when you want to be sure of a kil . If Croft was worried about return fire one shot to the arm or leg would have done the trick.’
    ‘Dan, with the greatest of respect, you weren’t in the room. It was dark, there was a lot going on, they had no reason to know that they weren’t under fire. Plus, you had those screaming women, who could easily have been hiding bombs under their clothes.’
    ‘That’s bul shit and you know it.’
    The twin rotors of the Chinook started to pick up speed.
    ‘You’re asking me if I knew that they weren’t going to take him alive. I didn’t. That’s God’s truth.’
    ‘They had a body bag ready, Guy. And a kit to take spinal fluid for a DNA test. They wouldn’t have needed either if he was alive.’
    The demolition team came out of the compound. Croft shouted over at Tommy and pointed at the crashed Black Hawk. Tommy flashed him an
    ‘OK’ sign and ran over to the helicopter with his men close behind.
    The co-pilot was already in the cockpit using a hammer to smash the radio and the instrument panel, and any other equipment that the military regarded as classified. America was years ahead of the rest of the world when it came to helicopter technology and the Pakistanis would happily sel anything they found to the highest bidder.
    As the co-pilot continued to smash up the cockpit, the three demolition Seals began attaching C4 charges around the Black Hawk, paying particular attention to the engine, the avionics and the rotor head. Tommy shouted for the co-pilot to get clear as the Seals placed the final charges around the undercarriage.
    Tommy shouted, ‘Fire in the hole!’ and tossed two thermite grenades inside the bel y of the Black Hawk. The Seals al pushed up their night-vision goggles as the helicopter erupted in a bal of flame.
    Croft ran over to Henderson. ‘We’l use the Chinook,’ he said. ‘You and your girlfriend take the Black Hawk. You’l probably have to refuel over the border.’
    Henderson nodded. Croft looked at Shepherd as if he was about to say something but then he appeared to have a change of heart and just shook his head contemptuously before running over to the Chinook. He stood at the rear of the helicopter counting off his men as they approached.
    As the final Seal ran up the ramp, Croft clapped him on the shoulder, then he stopped to look at Shepherd. He mouthed an obscenity and gave him the finger, then turned and jogged into the bowels of the helicopter. The ramp at the back slowly rose into place then the turbines roared and the Chinook rose a few feet off the ground. It turned to the east and then sprang forward and leaped into the air.
    The remaining Seals were hurrying towards the Black Hawk, bent low as its rotors began to blur.
    ‘Come on, Dan, I’ve got the feeling that they wouldn’t be heartbroken if we got left behind.’ Henderson slapped Shepherd on the back and the two men ran towards the helicopter, cradling their weapons.
    Chaudhry hefted his bike on his shoulder and carried it to his second-floor flat taking care not to mark the wal paper. There was more than enough room to leave it in the hal way but one of the residents