Another pause, heavier this time. “You don’t abort.”
“I do when civilians enter the line of fire.”
That earns me a breath on the other end. He’s recalibrating.
Silence stretches between us, filled only by the faint hum of the heater rattling behind me. I picture him exactly as he is—seated, composed, already pulling up files, timelines, satellite imagery. He’s not surprised that the job wasn’t completed. He’s surprised that I didn’t complete it. This is a first for both of us.
“I’ll refund the advance. Full amount.”
“No,” he quickly declines. “You didn’t miss—you lost your window.”
That distinction matters. He knows it. I know it.
“The client understands that. What they don’t accept is delay without resolution.”
I lean forward, forearms braced on my thighs. “Then the parameters need to change.”
“They already have.”
He doesn’t rush into it; he never does. Pressure works better when it’s applied slowly.
“The target won’t return to the States. The exposure was too high. He’s relocating.”
“Where?”
“Somalia.”
The name settles into the room like a weight. That’s enemy territory—unstable ground, too many moving parts. “I don’t operate there,” I decline flatly.
“You have.”
“Not alone.”
“And yet, here you are.”
I exhale through my nose, irritation flaring again—sharp and unwelcome. Somalia isn’t just hostile—it’s unpredictable. Militias, shifting alliances, porous borders. The kind of place where things don’t go wrong cleanly. They unravel.
“The target is Yusuf Aden Barre,” he reminds me. “You’ve seen the numbers. All the lives he’s taken.”
“I have.”
“Which is why we need to act fast. He’ll be attending the peace talks in Mogadishu in two days. It’s public-facing, high visibility. Ironically safer for him than any bunker.”
Peace talks, crowds, media? That’s too many eyes.
“This wasn’t part of the original assessment.”
“The assessment adapts,” he replies calmly. “The objective doesn’t.”
I lean back, staring at the stained ceiling, jaw tight. The towel slips slightly, but I don’t bother adjusting it. This isn’t about comfort.
“This increases risk exponentially.”
“That’s why you’re still on the contract. You were chosen because you finish what others can’t,” he adds. “Barre doesn’t get to survive because geography changed.”
I close my eyes briefly. Somalia is a mess, but Barre alive is worse.
“What’s the cover?” I ask.
