Sniper's Justice (Caje Cole Book 9) by David Healey (best classic books txt) 📗

“It ain’t gun oil,” he muttered. “But grease from that boar will have to do.”

He unloaded the magazine and reloaded it. Two rounds left. It would have to be enough.

Cole ran his hands over the bright, smooth steel and the burnished walnut stock, enjoying the feel of the checkering under his fingertips. The sporterized Springfield was indeed a beautiful rifle. He just hoped that he had an opportunity to return it to Hans once this business was finished.

With the knife sharpened and the rifle ready to go, Cole leaned back against the fallen tree and gazed up at the stars. Danny slept, but Cole had Orion to keep him company. Some distance away, the dying flames of their campfire flickered through the empty woods. Hauer might be watching the fire, but he hadn’t shown himself. Cole stayed awake, keeping his own vigil.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dawn arrived slowly, the sun touching the mountaintops first, then creeping into the valleys. Cole stood and stretched, but didn’t feel the least bit cold. It was as if he could sense the heat of the coming action in his blood. One way or another, the final confrontation with Hauer would be this morning.

With any luck, Hauer had been drawn by the firelight and had spent the night watching the dying coals, anticipating his revenge. He would be as cold and exhausted as his quarry this morning.

Cole had spent those wakeful hours planning his trap. His plan was simple, but it was going to rely on Danny. The question was, would the boy be up to the task?

“You awake?” he asked, by way of waking Danny up.

Groggily, Danny opened his eyes. “Darn, I was hoping that all this was going to be a bad dream when I woke up, but I guess it wasn’t.”

“No such luck,” Cole said.

Quickly, he outlined his plan to Danny. Cole would walk out into the open, heading back to where he had butchered the boar yesterday, as if planning to carve off more meat for breakfast. He would leave the rifle with Danny, who would be hidden at the forest edge. Once Hauer showed himself, or if he took a shot at Cole, it would be up to Danny to put Hauer in his crosshairs and finish him.

Just as Cole had feared, Danny didn’t like the idea one bit.

“I can’t do it,” Danny protested. “You want me to shoot him?”

“You’ve got to,” Cole said. “My arm and shoulder are too stiff to shoot that rifle. It’s up to you.”

Danny shook his head emphatically. “I can’t. Pa Cole, you know I couldn’t even shoot a deer when you took me hunting back home. I just couldn’t. I sure can’t shoot a human being.”

“Even if that human being is trying to kill us?” Cole grumped. He had no such compunctions about defending himself from a threat, but he had to remind himself again that Danny was still young enough to trust that people were essentially good. Cole had learned otherwise a long time ago.

“You know what I mean. It’s not right.”

“Danny, Hauer doesn’t have any human decency. Put it out of your head that you’re shooting at a person. He’s just a target. Instead, remember all the basics of shooting that I taught you. You’re a good shot, Danny. You can do this.”

“How am I even going to see Hauer if he’s still in the trees?”

Cole had thought about that. “The thing with Hauer is, he’ll want to gloat. He ain’t gonna shoot me from a distance if he can avoid it. If he does, he’ll wound me and then come closer to finish me off. He’ll want to make sure that he’s the last thing I see.”

“So you’re using yourself for bait?”

Cole didn’t comment on that, but only handed Danny the rifle. “You’ve got two shots,” he said. “Don’t miss.”

“Easy for you to say.”

They crept closer to the edge of the forest, where it opened up to the valley. Cole got Danny set up with the rifle across a log, Cole’s cap stuffed under it to steady his grandson’s aim.

“Are you sure about this, Pa Cole?”

“You just remember everything I’ve taught you,” Cole said. “You may not be a hunter, but you know how to shoot. Just take your time and be sure of your target. You’ll do fine.”

Danny nodded, but he didn’t look convinced.

Hauer had them right where he wanted them. Cole was wounded, and that grandson didn’t pose any threat. They had tried to give him the slip on the ridge by laying the false trail, but Hauer felt confident that they had moved back down the mountain.

His instincts had been correct and he soon found their trail. All that he had to do was follow them. A wounded man and a teenaged boy had no hope of escape from The Butcher.

He made his way back down the mountain, taking his time. It would not do to be overconfident. Cole still had a rifle and could set up an ambush. The American might be wounded, Hauer thought, but he still posed a danger.

He thought back all those years to the war. The Hillbilly sniper acted as if Hauer should feel some remorse, but did the wolf regret the sheep that he had killed?

There had been no real rules, not when the officers felt inclined to look the other way when there was dirty work to be done. If Cole kept a grudge against him, then the feeling was mutual. The American sniper could act as righteous as he liked, but the truth was that he had caused the demise of many German soldiers. His hands were not free of blood.

Hauer grinned, wondering how the final act would play out. He preferred not to shoot Cole from a distance. He wanted the American to see that the end was coming for him. Hauer wanted to savor that moment.

Already, it was starting to get dark. He wanted to make sure that they did not somehow give him the slip during