She said something to her friend and both women left the area as if they couldn’t get away fast enough.
Jesus, man. Get your fucking head in the game.
Rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses, Nate shook off the disturbing illusion and tried to find Karas again. With the women gone, he now had a clear view of the man they needed to talk to.
“Affirmative, Boss. I have Karas in my sights.”
“Good. Keep him there. King, I want you to slowly make your way over to that area. Get as close to him as possible without making it obvious. When he leaves, we’ll follow him out and box him in.”
Two bands later, Karas finally stood and began to make his way to the top of the amphitheater. One by one, the members of Bravo began to follow.
It was a game they’d played often. And they always won.
When they were in the grass and away from the thick crowd, Nate and the others pulled back a bit to avoid detection. Now on a sidewalk near the edge of the park, he watched as Karas veered off toward a small, brown car.
The older, beat up vehicle fit the description they’d been given, and was exactly the kind of car someone would drive if they didn’t want to stand out.
“He’s about to his car, Boss. I’m only a few yards behind him. Should I approach?”
“If you can. Be careful not to spook him.”
“Roger that.”
Picking up his step, Nate made it to the car just as Karas was about to start the ignition.
“Excuse me. I’m sorry to bother you, but would you happen to have a light?”
Appearing alarmed, Karas simply stared up at Nate as though he didn’t understand him. Pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, Nate showed Karas what he was referring to.
Speaking extra loudly and slowly, as a clueless tourist would, he asked the man again. “A light?” Gesturing with his thumb, Nate mimicked the action one would make while trying to ignite a lighter. “Do you have a light?”
Nate and the others already knew Karas smoked, which was why Gabe had bought each of them a pack to carry around. Depending on the situation, any one of the five men could’ve been the first to make contact with their mark.
Nate just happened to be the lucky winner.
“Oh,” Karas nodded. “Yes. I have light.” His accent was thick, and his English broken, but Nate understood what he’d said.
“Thanks, man. I’ve been jonesin’ for a smoke all night.”
Nate continued to ramble on while he waited for Karas to dig the lighter out of his pocket, which got caught inside his pants. When Karas looked down as he tried to pull it free, Nate used the opportunity to glance across the top of the car and check on the others’ progress.
They were headed his way, but not fast enough. Nate needed to come up with a way to distract Karas before he spotted them and took off.
Karas held the lighter out for him. Thinking on his feet, Nateaccidentallyknocked it out of his hand and onto the floorboard.
“Oh, shit, man. I’m sorry.”
Muttering what sounded like a curse, Karas bent over and tried to reach it. Knowing this was his chance, Nate pulled his pistol from beneath his loose button-up and pressed the barrel against the back of the other man’s head.
“Very slowly, I want you to move your hands onto the steering wheel and sit up.”
“I-I…I no…speak…”
“Cut the bullshit, Barry. I know who you are, and I know you can speak near-perfect English.”
“No. You have…wrong…man,” he continued the farce. “I not Barry. Name is…”
Nate rolled his eyes and sighed. “Look, Bare. It’s been a long fuckin’ week, and I’m sweatin’ my ass off out here. In fact, my hand is getting pretty slick. I’d sure hate to accidentally shoot you while trying to keep a tight grip on my gun.”
