for your trouble."
I threw forty dollars on the bar, figuring the bartender deserved it more than the two punks on the floor. He hung up the phone without saying a word.
I turned to leave and found myself facing one of the college girls. A brunette showing more cleavage than was necessary. She said, "Hey. I know those guys, and they deserved it. I'm Skeeter."
You've got to be kidding me. Heather will never believe this.
I said, "Nice to meet you. I'm gone."
Then I practically sprinted out of the bar.
I reached the car, mentally preparing myself for some verbal abuse from Reaper. Instead he was all business, the bar fight completely forgotten.
"Target just entered the old prison. We're late for the dance."
Chapter 7
I got the positions of the vehicles while en route and, now that we were at an endgame, took over control of the team from Kranz, coordinating for the assault.
The plan was pretty simple: Kranz, Jesse, and Reaper would provide early warning down Magazine, Franklin, and Wilson Streets while Bull, Retro, and I would collapse into the courtyard of the jail for the capture. Once complete, Jesse would bring the van he was driving into the courtyard for a transfer; then we'd move to the marina in convoy, with Kranz leading the way and providing blocking for any trouble en route.
The assault team composition wasn't random. I had worked with Bull and Retro for years; we'd been under fire in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places. I knew their capabilities. Reaper was turning out fine, but there was no way I was going to take a couple of CIA guys on an assault without more training and rehearsals. They might be perfect on surveillance and with other spy stuff, but when it came to breaking heads, I'd stick with what I knew to work.
The jail itself was a three-story stone structure in the shape of a castle on the corner of Magazine and Franklin streets, the road actually curving around it. Outside of a forbidding tower, it held a small courtyard surrounded by large brick walls. To the east was a parking area. Intel stated the target would park there before entering the gloom of the courtyard to accomplish whatever this meeting was about.
The only variable was the unknown coming to the meeting. We didn't want to take down two people and would prefer to hit the target while he was waiting alone. Unfortunately, it wasn't our call. The decision was in the hands of the target and whatever plan he had created.
Waiting to hit him after the meeting was a no-go, because we didn't know who would exit first or how long either of them would stay, which left us with no choice but to take them both down during the meeting itself. That was okay, though. We were prepared for that contingency.
I slid into my slot behind Bull' s vehicle, killing the lights. "Status?"
Bull came through the earpiece: "Kranz and Jesse are set. Nothing spiking at this time. Target is sitting in his vehicle. Hasn't exited yet."
"Reaper," I said, "you set?"
"Yeah. On Wilson. Nothing moving. You're clear."
I pulled out my night-vision goggles and strained to see the target vehicle. There were three in the small parking area.
"Bull, which car?"
"Farthest south. The one that's a little crooked."
I focused on the vehicle he'd described and saw a dim shape inside. "Got it."
My watch read twelve thirty a.m. If he waited too much longer, we were going to miss exfil. I toyed with the idea of taking him now, but I didn't like that his car could be seen from multiple angles. We were in a poor area, with government housing all around, and I needed the cover of the compound walls to mask our actions.
At 12:55 the target exited the vehicle and moved into the courtyard.
"All elements," I said, "target is hot. Give me a status."
I saw Bull and Retro working kit in the car in front of me and heard, "Franklin clear," then "Wilson clear."
Jesse came on and said, "Magazine not clear. I say again, Magazine not clear. There's a minibus coming. Give it
I threw forty dollars on the bar, figuring the bartender deserved it more than the two punks on the floor. He hung up the phone without saying a word.
I turned to leave and found myself facing one of the college girls. A brunette showing more cleavage than was necessary. She said, "Hey. I know those guys, and they deserved it. I'm Skeeter."
You've got to be kidding me. Heather will never believe this.
I said, "Nice to meet you. I'm gone."
Then I practically sprinted out of the bar.
I reached the car, mentally preparing myself for some verbal abuse from Reaper. Instead he was all business, the bar fight completely forgotten.
"Target just entered the old prison. We're late for the dance."
Chapter 7
I got the positions of the vehicles while en route and, now that we were at an endgame, took over control of the team from Kranz, coordinating for the assault.
The plan was pretty simple: Kranz, Jesse, and Reaper would provide early warning down Magazine, Franklin, and Wilson Streets while Bull, Retro, and I would collapse into the courtyard of the jail for the capture. Once complete, Jesse would bring the van he was driving into the courtyard for a transfer; then we'd move to the marina in convoy, with Kranz leading the way and providing blocking for any trouble en route.
The assault team composition wasn't random. I had worked with Bull and Retro for years; we'd been under fire in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places. I knew their capabilities. Reaper was turning out fine, but there was no way I was going to take a couple of CIA guys on an assault without more training and rehearsals. They might be perfect on surveillance and with other spy stuff, but when it came to breaking heads, I'd stick with what I knew to work.
The jail itself was a three-story stone structure in the shape of a castle on the corner of Magazine and Franklin streets, the road actually curving around it. Outside of a forbidding tower, it held a small courtyard surrounded by large brick walls. To the east was a parking area. Intel stated the target would park there before entering the gloom of the courtyard to accomplish whatever this meeting was about.
The only variable was the unknown coming to the meeting. We didn't want to take down two people and would prefer to hit the target while he was waiting alone. Unfortunately, it wasn't our call. The decision was in the hands of the target and whatever plan he had created.
Waiting to hit him after the meeting was a no-go, because we didn't know who would exit first or how long either of them would stay, which left us with no choice but to take them both down during the meeting itself. That was okay, though. We were prepared for that contingency.
I slid into my slot behind Bull' s vehicle, killing the lights. "Status?"
Bull came through the earpiece: "Kranz and Jesse are set. Nothing spiking at this time. Target is sitting in his vehicle. Hasn't exited yet."
"Reaper," I said, "you set?"
"Yeah. On Wilson. Nothing moving. You're clear."
I pulled out my night-vision goggles and strained to see the target vehicle. There were three in the small parking area.
"Bull, which car?"
"Farthest south. The one that's a little crooked."
I focused on the vehicle he'd described and saw a dim shape inside. "Got it."
My watch read twelve thirty a.m. If he waited too much longer, we were going to miss exfil. I toyed with the idea of taking him now, but I didn't like that his car could be seen from multiple angles. We were in a poor area, with government housing all around, and I needed the cover of the compound walls to mask our actions.
At 12:55 the target exited the vehicle and moved into the courtyard.
"All elements," I said, "target is hot. Give me a status."
I saw Bull and Retro working kit in the car in front of me and heard, "Franklin clear," then "Wilson clear."
Jesse came on and said, "Magazine not clear. I say again, Magazine not clear. There's a minibus coming. Give it
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