Page 34 of Coup De Grâce
“He’s just over there,” Ibrahim pointed in the distance.
I followed his direction, but I couldn’t see anything. “What are you talking about?”
“There. Do you see that tall building? He’s inside.”
Frustrated, I turned to him. “That’s not a clean shot. And that’s not an easy distance either. Ibrahim, I need something that’s guaranteed to be successful. If I fuck this up, it’ll only make things worse.”
“This is our opportunity. You have to take it.”
There were too many factors. The distance, for one, reminded me of the last time I was here. When I collected that fucking HOGs tooth. That had been one hell of a shot, but I didn’t have days to sit on my target and hope for the perfect shot. Not to mention the wind was an issue, along with the fact that I’d be shooting through glass, which could change the trajectory of the bullet.
And if I didn’t succeed, they would have a secondary location to search. It would make leaving even harder. This time, I would have Al-ahmar’s men searching for me.
But there was no way around it. I had to try. I took Sally off my shoulder and set her up, then started scouting the best position for the shot. Several hours passed as I waited not only for the shot to become available, but for the wind to die down enough where I was confident I could be successful.
I settled into my position, readying for the shot. My finger slid over the trigger, calming me instantly. This was where I was most confident, where everything fell together just right. I was never so sure of myself as I was behind Sally, but that didn’t mean the shot was a sure thing.
Deep breath. Exhale. Squeeze.
The bullet pierced the glass, and Al-ahmar tumbled to the ground. I kept my eye to the scope, waiting to see if he would get up. Chaos erupted in the room as people rushed around him, blocking my view. I wouldn’t be able to stick around for long. It was best to get out before they had an idea of where the shot came from, before I could be spotted.
After another minute, he still hadn’t gotten up. I rolled to my back and quickly dismantled my weapon, packing up Sally in the case. Wiping the sand away, I removed all evidence of where I’d been. They might still notice the marks, but there would be nothing to place me at the scene.
I was on my feet and moving down the steps in just seconds, following Ibrahim into the shop and back through the tunnel. My feet pounded on the ground as we ran through almost complete darkness. I trusted my instincts, which told me that this man was good and he would lead me to safety.
I had abandoned all my things at the hotel, which meant I had no means of escape. I had to rely solely on others to make sure I got out. But I wouldn’t take a dime from Ibrahim. His family needed every penny they had. I was used to finding unique ways to get by, and this time wouldn’t be any different.
When we reached the end of the tunnel, he once again peeked through a door, making sure it was clear before waving me out.
“This is where I leave you, my friend. There is a vehicle waiting for you out back. I have left you everything you need to cross the border.”
“But—”
“I must go, my friend. Be safe.”
He slipped back inside without another word and left me alone once again. I went around back and found the vehicle he was talking about, only then understanding what he meant by his words. Inside was a disguise waiting for me, along with papers that should get me across the border.
Getting into the vehicle, I drove away and prayed I didn’t get caught.
13
EVA
“Red,you’ll coordinate with Thumper and?—”
The door flew open and Fox came running in, interrupting Lock’s orders. I was there strictly to listen. It had been way too long since I sat in on a meeting at OPS.
Lock sighed heavily at the interruption. Or maybe it was the fact that it was Fox. Then again, it could have been the extremely large sack he was dragging behind him. It was hard to tell.
“Fox, what the fuck are you doing?” Lock snapped.
His eyes widened as he shoved Eli and Red apart from their spots around the table, then hoisted the bag, or tried to, onto the table. It kept flopping to the side as crunching sounds rattled from inside the sack. Every time he started to get part of the sack up, another part fell.
“Hold on,” he cried out. “Almost got it. Red, get that side.”
“Get it yourself,” Red muttered.
“I was at home, waiting for my weekly delivery when something amazing happened,” Fox grinned, still trying to push the huge sack onto the table. “I mean, it was kismet.” He stopped struggling and frowned. “Is that the right word?”
