Page 8 of Shockproof

People make even the most theoretically impenetrable places vulnerable.

They’re always the weak point.

Easy to exploit.

Hard to predict.

“When did you get information and access?”

“Two…Two…” The man’s head slightly bobs around. “Two…”

“Did you give him a fucking stutter?” Reynolds airily chuckles. “Is that shit really possible?”

“Yeah,” I offhandedly reply. “Neurogenic stutterin’ caused by a traumatic brain injury is very real shit.” My gaze lingers at the male doing his best to stay conscious enough to give me the answers I’m demanding. “But that’s not the case here.He’sjust strugglin’ to get enough oxygen.” There’s no delay in me leaning slightly forward. “And that struggle is about to get even worse when I break your fuckin’ nose for tryin’ to buy yourself time to lie to me.”

He stills his head and swallows his building fear. “Tw-tw-two th-th-this m-m-morning.” The captive in our custody does his best to steady his voice. “I got the details at two this morning.”

“How?”

“A…um…a…uh…dead…dead drop.”

“Where?”

“An a-a-all night gas station.” Crunchy, scratchy sounds invading his speech indicate his lung is beginning to collapse. “Outskirts. Backroad. Heading s-s-south.”

“Towards Austlandia or Dos Santos?”

“Austlandia.”

“Cameras?”

“No.”

“Secluded location. Casual cover. Hard to track,” Reynolds casually comments. “That’ssmart.Real smart, Wahl.”

Too smart.

Whoever this asshole poacher is knows how to operate in the unseen.

That’s not run of the mill basic operative shit.

That’s highly trained.

Highly skilled.

Highly intelligent.

Myleastfavorite combination for an unknown enemy to have.

“Tell me about the drop itself.”

“Envelope.” Heavy blinks are delivered as if trying to wake himself up. “Taped to uh…the um…b-b-b-back of uh…an um…off-brand cereal box. The one in the uh…way,wayback.”

“Less likely to end up in the wrong hands,” my team member acknowledges. “More countermeasures.”

More proof of a pro.

“It had everything I n-n-needed with instructions to burn and flush certain items when f-f-finished...” the wavering of his words appears just before he attempts to suck in more air. “To prevent an…an…an evidence trail.”

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