Chapter 42
Elijah
“Yeah. I’m on my way. Let me talk to my wife.”
The phone goes dead, and for a moment, so does my heart.
Being on the phone with that piece of shit and knowing he was only feet away from my wife was actual torture. The only thing that got me through it was knowing that our plan has worked so far. They don’t know we’re here. They haven’t set up their sharp shooters yet. That’ll be another test. It will be the first time any of our men come face to face with theirs.
“Twelve men are headed to the long-range positions. Eyes up, guns at the ready.” Cotton speaks like he’s accustomed to leading. That fits with what Adam said about him.The fixer. The brains.
So that’s twelve men on rooftops. Forty-five men inside the warehouse, and another ten on foot, watching the perimeter.
All I can do now is wait and hope. Hope that none of our men are the ones to fall. If they do, not only do we lose a vital member of the team, but we also alert the Latvians that we’re here. Every inch of our plan is set on a tightrope. It has to go exactly as designed or the whole thing goes up in smoke.
“Targets five and six, dispatched.”
Uneasiness calms a fraction with this first report.
“Nine and ten, expired.”
Several minutes or an eternity goes by before more news is relayed.
“One and two, terminated.”
Six. That’s six men down.
“Okay. Shit. You guys took all the good ones.” Jax is with Cal on Site Six.Damn, it’s good to hear his voice.
“We got it, we got it. Restart. Eleven and twelve, decommissioned.”
“Ew, that was a good one, brother! Seven and eight, in the pit.” Marshall is with one of the Italians on Site Four. Matteo is his name. He’s probably the most seasoned shooter in the bunch from what I heard in the briefing.
“Three and four. I don’t know. They’re pretty fucking dead.” No surprise that Adam lacks the enthusiasm of the rest of the group. Even having Eve by his side doesn’t alleviate the tension that she’s here in the first place.
Throwing my head back on the seat, I heave a deep relieved breath.They all made it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.Undeniable skill and the element of surprise secured a win in phase one of the plan. There’s still nearly half an hour before I’m supposed to be pulling through the gate. The hour time frame would put me at breaking the speed limit the whole way if I were leaving from Austin.
My guys can’t go after any of the men on the ground because we don’t know which one is signaling when I arrive.
“Shooters remain on the roofs. Phase two, guys, clear the ground after I enter the building. The rest of you, head down and get into position to help clear the ground.”
Our men on the ground outnumber theirs, and we’ve managed to retain the element of surprise. This means the next big obstacle is inside the warehouse. We’re relying on the sharp shooters’ visual to let us know where all the men inside are positioned. Thankfully, the clear panels in the roof allow for good visibility. I’ll be nearly useless for a time once inside. They’ll pat me down, so there’s no need to bring any weapons.
“Vaughn and Grizzly are in chairs about twenty feet apart on the west end of the building. Their hands are bound behind their backs and...FUCK. They’re both beat to shit. They’re moving. They’ll be fine.” Marshall radiates a furious heat through the radio.
They beat them. They beat her.All at once, a familiar calm comes over me. I was born for this. The fear is gone. Uneasiness, no more.There are letters to be written. Messages to be sent.I’m the soldier for the job.
Inside the gate, I can only count six men on the ground. The others must be on the south end.
There it is.One man lifts his radio to his mouth, speaking quickly. My arrival has been relayed inside.Ground crew can move.
Once I step out of the truck, three men close in on me and pat me down. Leading me inside, they pass me off to three different men inside the warehouse. These men pat me down again. This time, they remove my boots and touch every square inch of me.Nice to know my reputation precedes me.
“Mr. Post Man. How kind of you to join us this evening. I assume English is preferred, yes?”
“How you doing over there, Little Devil?”
“Peachy, baby. I have this under control. Go home.”
