Page 72 of Savage Reckoning

“What am I looking at?”

Jack and I move round so we can also see.

“There. It’s a Code 8 request.” Freddie points to the top-left corner of the screen. “That means an armed assault. Lethal force.”

“An assault on who? Or what?”

“You, sir.” Freddie hits a couple more keys, and another dialogue box appears.

Target : Ethan Savage

Location : tbd by contractor

“What the fuck does this mean?” Jack snarls.

“It means that someone is willing to pay a lot of money to have Mr Savage killed. Lethal force. The place of the attack to be determined by whoever takes this contract on.”

Ethan’s lip quirks. “How much money are they offering, exactly?”

Freddie consults the information on the screen. The latest bid is for half a million dollars. It’ll go for less than that, though, because someone is sure to undercut me.”

“Undercut you?” I gape at him.

He nods. “I needed to put in a bid to keep the negotiations open, give me access to the discussion and time to come here and find you.”

“How many bidders are there?” Ethan asks.

“Three, sir, including me.”

“Do you know who the other two are?”

“Not their names, but I can see where they are, so I can make a guess. This first one is located in Nairobi. There’s only one outfit in Africa capable of a hit like this, and that’s Ngunde Esperate. He’s a sniper. And he’s very good. If he got the job, well, I think you would have had it. Sir. But he’s too dear.”

“It pays to hire the best,” Ethan points out drily.

“But this client is a cheapskate. Look, he’s going for the lowest offer. That was me, even though I’ve no experience of this sort of work.”

We all squint at the screen and can see what he means.

“Who’s the other bidder?” Jack wants to know.

“Not sure. He’s located in the UK. And that’s who’s probably going to get the job. See, he’s already said he’ll knock fifty grand off my price.”

“Holy fuck,” Ethan breathes. “Why doesn’t the buyer just seal the deal, then?”

“The money hasn’t changed hands yet,” Freddie explains. “No idea why. The final offer was made nearly twenty-four hours ago, but something’s holding up proceedings.”

“Maybe the buyer’s short of cash,” Jack suggests. “Four hundred and fifty thousand isn’t the sort of money you find down the back of the sofa.”

Freddie squints at the screen. “No, but it’s not a lot for a job like this. A million is nearer the mark, and then you’d be dealing with Esperate. Whoever’s bidding here, he’s not in it for the money.”

Ethan has heard enough. “Whatever the delay is, it won’t last long. This bastard means business. Jack. I need a war conference. Main hall, ten minutes. Get everyone there, and those on the mainland by video link.” He’s already sliding his legs out of bed. “Megan, I need you to help me get some clothes on. And I’ll need a wheelchair…”

“You can’t, you’re not well enough.”

“Fuck that. If what Einstein here says is right, we’re about to be under attack. We’ve got shit to do, and I won’t be doing it from a hospital bed.”

CHAPTER 16

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