The Portal (A Delphi Group Thriller Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

mountain, so it wouldn’t be long before the signal to attack was given.
    Knowing time was short, Zane slipped from behind the fir and crept softly forward. He trained the suppressed Glock squarely on the man’s head, ready to shoot if it became necessary. If all went according to plan, he wouldn’t have to.
    He was about halfway there when he heard a soft voice. No others were around, so the man was probably speaking into a headset. Zane took several steps forward and stopped. At first there was only silence, then the man began speaking again. Zane stiffened as he recognized the language.
    What are they doing here?
    He crept a bit closer. The man was talking faster now, clearly giving some sort of instructions. The attack was either imminent or had already commenced.
    Finally, the man grew silent. He then raised his rifle into position, signaling that he was ready to provide cover. It was the moment Zane had been waiting for.
    He launched forward, covering the remaining ground with cat-like speed. As he neared the man, his foot hit a rock, sending it skittering loudly against the pile of lumber.
    The sniper turned at the sound, but since he was lying on his stomach, he was in no position to defend himself. Zane took one more step and leapt, bringing the butt of the Glock down across the man’s head. Both rolled off the stacked lumber, and by the time they came to a stop, the man was out cold.
    Had they been heard? Zane waited but couldn’t hear anyone approaching. Nor did any sound come through the man’s headset.
    Without wasting any more time, Zane grabbed the man’s ankles and dragged him behind the barn. Pulling out his flashlight, he turned it on and directed the beam at the man’s face. He was wearing night vision goggles, which Zane quickly ripped off and tossed aside. Illuminated by the light was the face of a young Asian male. Zane knew from the earlier conversation that he was a Chinese national.
    As he pondered why they might be conducting an assault on Slater’s lodge, a small snippet of information tried to rise to the top of Zane’s thoughts, but he couldn’t bring it out. He’d have to worry about it later.
    He entered the barn and found a length of rope and a rag then returned to the man and quickly bound his wrists and ankles tightly, stuffing the rag into his mouth.
    Remembering the night vision goggles, he picked them up and slid them over his head. Immediately the night transitioned to a milky world of greens, blacks, and whites.
    Now on more equal footing, Zane sprinted out to a sapling in the clearing and lowered to one knee. He saw movement just ahead. Two dark silhouettes had exited the woods and were now moving toward the lodge with speed. They were hunched over, waving automatic rifles back and forth.
    Since the two men were facing in the other direction, Zane stepped out from behind the sapling and sprinted to a bush about halfway across the clearing, just behind the gunmen. They continued toward the lodge, obviously trusting that the sniper had them covered in the rear.
    Zane ran after them, knowing their own steps would mask the sound of his approach. Seconds later, the two men parted. Zane followed the one on the right, who eventually pulled up behind a gazebo and stopped. Stealth was not an option now, so Zane bore down on his target. When he was a few yards away, the man turned. At first he seemed startled, but then he recovered and lifted his rifle.
    But he was too late. Zane already had his pistol up, a red dot wiggling on the man’s forehead. He squeezed the trigger once. There was a soft spit, and the man writhed spasmodically before crumpling to the ground.
    Zane ran past the body without a glance. He knew the man had died instantly. After skirting the gazebo, he saw the other gunman running just ahead and watched as he disappeared into a grove of young cedars planted around the back deck of the lodge. Zane continued to the spot where the man had entered, pausing a few feet