Page 80 of Falcon

Eagle popped one into his gun then shoved a few more in his pockets. “Gotta be prepared.”

I got my pistol ready and grabbed a few extra clips but made sure my favorite knife was tucked into the sheath on my belt. “Everyone remember the plan?”

Rooster and Pitty nodded. Eagle put the bag away and walked toward me. “We’re good, brother. Let’s get this shit over with.”

The tree cover kept the sunlight off of us as we hiked toward our target. The woods met the back of the house, too, so we could get pretty close before the man posted out there would notice anything. Before we got too close, Pitty and Eagle broke off, one to the left and one to the right. They’d make their way around to the front, but there was a clearing between the entrance and the tree line, and it was midday, so they’d have to be more cautious.

Eagle would scope it out, then message Pitty to cause a momentary distraction—just enough of a sound that we would hear it—and Eagle could take down the two guards at the front. He was one of our best shots and could easily take out two men from a good distance.

Rooster and I walked until the huge, white house came into view. It was what they called modern architecture with sleek lines and lots of windows. We had just found some thick trees to hide behind when my phone vibrated and I pulled it out. Keys said security was down. I messaged the others to let them know we were ready to move. I got eyes on one guy dressed in a suit with an AK-47 on the back patio but didn’t see anyone else. There were supposed to be at least four guys, so some must be inside.

My phone vibrated again. Eagle only had eyes on one as well, and Pitty replied to see if he should wait to initiate the plan. Rooster looked in my direction. I had to make a decision–wait until we had eyes on the other two or move in and adjust as we went. Did they have fewer guys than usual? Were they inside? Could there be more than expected?

There were four of us. Glancing back at the house, I didn’t see any movement on the inside. I shot off a text to the group: let’s move in.

A loud whistle sounded from the direction Pitty had gone off in. I crept up toward the house and waved for Rooster to follow then readied my gun from behind another tree. It was as close as I could get to make the shot and still have some cover. The guard on the back walked to the edge of the patio and dropped one hand to his pocket while he looked around, bewildered.

I got a shot off, nailing him just over his eye, and he crumpled to the ground. We hustled to the back of the house, and I dragged him toward the house, so his body wasn’t in plain sight. Rooster grabbed the AK-47 and slid across the back of the house until he got to the French doors and stopped. He looked over for my signal as I got closer. No major commotion had broken out, but I didn’t know if Pitty and Eagle had made it inside yet. Rooster had an automatic rifle, so I waved for him to move in, and he followed me inside.

Just as we walked into the kitchen, a tall asshole holding a sandwich in one hand and an AR in the other yelled, “Fuck! Breach!” as he fired shots toward us.

Rooster lifted his AK-47 as he jumped behind an island, and I ducked down by the edge of the counter where we just entered. Chunks of granite flew in all directions and more shots rang out on the other side of the house.

When the gunfire stopped, I poked my head around and saw the sandwich laying a few feet from the gun and a puddle of blood creeping into view. I walked over and grabbed the rifle and put a bullet into his head with my pistol, just in case. We didn’t need anyone getting a second wind and sneaking up behind us.

I walked out from the kitchen and Rooster crept around looking for anyone else. Eagle gave his signature whistle, so I knew they were around the corner. I moved that way, making sure to try the doors I passed in the pristine house. It was full of white and beige walls and decor, like the front of one of those home magazines.

A staircase came into view near the front door that hugged the wall and turned ninety degrees at the corner of the room as it went up. Eagle was by the door with his pistol trained at the top of the stairs and Pitty was checking the adjacent room. There was a body on the stairs and another in the foyer. Both were dressed in suits and their slicked back hair had so much gel that not a strand was out of place, even though blood was splattered all over the walls and floor beneath them.

Without lowering his gun, Eagle said, “I think there’s at least one more up there with him, I saw some movement when this fucker came down the stairs.”

Pitty said, “I’ll go with you.”

“Watch my back.” I took off up the previously white staircase, stepping over the body. I was only yards away from Romano. Now I just had to figure out what room he was hiding in. I wasn’t sure if this guy was dumb enough to call the cops, so I couldn’t hesitate.

I crept up the stairs and stopped at the last couple with Pitty right behind me. There were so many windows that I watched the wall for a moment for movement. Catching a shadow, I held my rifle around the corner as best I could and fired. I was careful not to move my head and provide them a line of sight to fire at me. Something hit the floor with a loud thud, so I was about to move in when I saw another shadow from the opposite direction. I swung my gun that way and fired until their shots ceased and there was another loud thud.He had more than four with him today.

Going left as Pitty went right, we carefully checked all the doors until there was only one left. I had moved to check the handle when bullets flew through the flimsy wood, so I spun back toward the other room, pressing my back to the wall. We knew we had whoever was in there cornered, we just didn’t know how many guys were hiding in there.

Using the barrel of the gun, I knocked on the door and a few more shots came through. After a few seconds, I knocked once more and they fired again. Following another knock, there was only silence. I pointed to the doorknob and Pitty lifted his rifle. Reaching over, I turned the handle. He used the barrel of his gun to push the door open more and another barrage of bullets sprayed the doorway, shattering the decorative window on the opposite wall above the stairs. When the unmistakable sound of a clip being dropped registered, I ran in and saw only one man–Romano. He was crouched on the other side of a king-sized bed draped in a white comforter that appeared to have been slept in, clips scattered across top. Besides the disheveled bed, the room was just like the rest of the house–minimalist, tidy, and bright.

His eyes went wide as he rushed to reload, but I was on him before he could finish. I grabbed his gun, yanking it from his grasp. He put his hands over his face when he realized I still had my weapon aimed at his head. Pitty walked up and grabbed Romano’s empty piece, then checked the room and opened the door to the bathroom.

I stood, waiting for Romano to move. His shaky hands finally dropped a little and he peeked through like a little boy scared of a monster in his room. Ironically, he was the monster; I was just the one to make him pay for his wrongdoings.

“W-what do you want?” he asked with a shaky breath.

“I want you to get a good look at my face,” I said. I’d thought of this moment for a while now. Seeing the fear in his eyes was just as satisfying as knowing I’d be the last thing he saw before he died.

He moved his hands away and looked up at me. I’d only gotten a quick glance at him the last time we met, but I remembered his face. He wasn’t much older than me, but clean shaven. Petrov was right. He must have been sleeping, because he was wearing silk pajamas. He didn’t appear to be out of shape. He could easily pass for a skeevy salesman at a shitty used car lot.

He gritted his teeth as he looked up at me. He was trying hard to not shake, but his expensive pajamas gave him away.

“Stand up,” I ordered.

He pushed up on the bed slowly and stood. I put my gun on the bed, and he looked down at it as his brows pinched together. He looked back up. “I don’t understand. I thought you came to kill me?”

“I did. But first I need some information.”

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