My eyes instantly dry at the thought of tearing into Ricky’s flesh, to feel his meat gather underneath my fingernails as I yank his rib cage open, to feel his heart in my hands. The muscle pumping in a steady rhythm before I remove it in front of him.
“Tonight.” I start, my eyes burning into Eli. “We scope one of the warehouses tonight, and if it’s empty we burn it. We burn them all until there’s nothing left but fucking ash. I’ll rip Ricky and his entire empire apart, piece by piece. He’ll be begging me for death.” I say, my voice filled with a darkness that I don’t recognise.
Eli’s mouth tips into a sinister grin at my words, and I watch as Cecilia comes to stand at the side of him, her eyes shining with a burning wrath as she speaks. “Burn it down.”
Slipping the mask over my face, I step out of Eli’s truck with my sniper rifle and head to the far east building that overlooks the warehouse. The night sky is clear of clouds, the moon shining brightly over the derelict building that seems to stand in silence. I don’t clock any movement as I reach the top of the opposite building but it’s still not enough to confirm to me that it’s empty, it could be packed with Ricky’s rats.
I find a spot on the top corner of the building and quickly assemble my sniper rifle in record time. It’s been a while since I’ve used this gun but the moment I rest my chin on my hand and look through the scope, I’m filled with a familiar adrenaline. A buzzing electricity dancing through my veins as I scour over the warehouse, hearing the scopeclick click clickeverytime I turn it, finding nothing out of the ordinary. I start to do another scope when the earpiece in my ear crackles to life.
“Viper, you good up there?”
“All good. Nothing to see from up here but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people inside.” I say with certainty.
“Heard. Have my six whilst I get this shit heap ready to blow.”
“Copy that, Storm.” I reply and press my face back onto the gun. After a couple of minutes, I watch Eli walk across the gravel towards the warehouse with bricks of C4 in his hands. It’s not enough to blow the place to pieces, but enough to shock anyone who might be inside. We’re taking a huge risk by doing this without checking the inside first, but our best chance of getting the drop on Ricky is the element of surprise and I can only pray that Ana isn’t in this one.
Regaining my focus, I watch on as Eli attaches the explosives to the outside doors before quickly making his way around the perimeter of the building, placing the C4 on the windows and walls, then he jogs back towards the truck.
“Job done. I’ll meet you at the truck and we’ll blow this fucker.”
“Copy that.”
Once my sniper rifle is packed away, I quickly make my way back down to the ground floor and across the gravel towards Eli’s truck, then throw my gear into the boot before grabbing my bag containing various knives and guns, along with a night vision goggles.
Eli begins to strap up, filling his cargo pants with knives, handguns and a rifle over his shoulder and I do the same, slipping the semi automatic into the holder that’s strapped around my thigh, along with a couple of smoke canisters. Once I’m covered in all the weapons I need, I tighten the straps on my bullet proof vest then slip the night vision goggles over my mask. At the click of a button, the screen in the goggles turns green, allowing me to see everything in the dark.
Turning on my heels, I face Eli who already has the detonator ready in his hand, his gloved thumb hovering over the button.
“Ready to cause some shit?” He sniggers through his mask.
“Too fucking right I am.” I say and tip my head towards his awaiting thumb. I watch his thumb press down on the detonator, immediately the concrete floor beneath us shakes as the doors and windows burst open on the warehouse.
“How much did you use?” I fire out, my eyes wide as I watch plumes of smoke swirl into the night sky.
My best friend shuffles on his feet. “I may have ordered a little bit too much, but they had a good deal on!” He protests and I shake my head, a chuckle slipping free.
“Let’s move.”
Keeping my back against the brick wall of the warehouse with Eli standing behind me, I ready my gun in my hand and signalfor him to follow me inside. The bare bones of the warehouse comes into view through my goggles with clouds of smoke still swirling around in the air, and I hear the crunching of glass and debris crack under my boots.
Lifting my hand, I signal with two fingers for Eli to go on in front of me and for me to watch his back. He tips his head, his rifle steady in his hands as he scours the open space. We move effortlessly through the open space, finding empty crates that are now blown to pieces.
Immediately, the sound of muffled voices has us both stopping in our tracks, guns ready. “You hear that Storm?” I say through the coms.
“Heard. It’s coming from that far room.” He tips his head towards the direction of the room.
“If Ana isn’t here, keep one alive. Everyone else dies.”
“Copy that.”
We follow the sounds of the muffled voices, when suddenly we’re hit with a spray of bullets firing into the wall behind us.
“Hang back!” I shout to Eli. He falls back against the wall as the bullets continue to fire above us. The moment the aimless shooting stops we move. Eli quickly sends a bullet into one guy’s forehead, his blood spraying across the gray walls like spilled wine, and I finish off two others in quick succession. They both fall into a heap, blood pooling beneath them. I scan the room one more time before lowering my weapon.
“All clear.” I confirm, then both make our way out of the small room and into a filthy hallway where more voices can be heard, but this time they sound like they’re in pain. Eli keeps close to my back, our weapons drawn as we enter the next room. The entire ceiling has caved in, crushing Ricky’s workers under the debris and plumes of cocaine can be seen floating in the air.
Turning my head to the side, I see Eli standing at the side of me. “I guess that C4 worked well then.” I say, a hint of humour in my voice.
