Page 133 of Unexpected Redemption

“You’re three mikes out,” Klein tells them.

Three minutes. Here we go.

“Already off to a fucked-up start,” Shep sounds off through the comms. “What else could possibly go wrong?”

Klein, Mia, Kri, and Big Al palm their foreheads, all of them groaning and grumbling.

Sue whips her head around, searching for a better explanation.“What?”

Boss Dad heaves a labored sigh. “Youneversay that before a mission. Never. It tempts fate like dangling raw meat in front of a tiger.”

Mia cackles, tossing her head back playfully. “Not all tigers eat meat, Boss. Some of us prefer cake.”

Boss Dad rolls out his neck and huffs. “Let’s hope our tiger of fate is fucking full tonight or a vegetarian.”

Chapter 29

Places, everyone. It's showtime!

TOMER

Irecognize the value of my role behind the console when running an op, but sometimes I need to be hands-on. This is one of those times.

It’s fucking personal.

Fortunately, I have a people at HQ who I trust implicitly to have my back.

We’re divided into two teams with three of us on each. A third team is on call. Boss, Klein, and Junior could be a fourth team if our initial surveillance pass gives us cause for concern.

I’m on alpha team with Leo and Sawyer. Bravo team is Shep, Jonesy, and Aaron. Despite riding together in one van, we’ll be dropped at two different recon locations.

Alexei’s instructions said our contact would meet us behind a strip mall. After we survey the area, the two teams will approach from opposite sides to rendezvous with the target.

Henderson will remain in the van, circling the nearby roads surrounding the target destination to provide additional eyes.

The strip mall parking lot is empty this late at night, and most of the stores have long gone out of business. Given this side of town is a bit rundown, there won’t be many witnesses in the area.

Clearly, our asset wants to keep the hand-off a secret. Discretion is critical in something like this, especially if they’re trying to dismantle the mafia from within.

On the downside, there’s no witnesses if they swoop in with all their fucking goons and try to take us out. For all we know, we’re walking into an ambush.

But like I told Lettie, we’re prepared.

And heavily fucking armed.

We’re about two blocks from the meeting spot when Henderson slows to a roll near a small patch of trees that backs up to some older houses. “Alpha team, this is your stop.”

Leo exits stealthily from the front seat, silently closing his door and opening the slider. Sawyer and I egress, landing on silent feet. We instantly crouch low and disappear into the tree line. Someone in the van will close the door behind us, so we don’t bother.

My hearing hones in on the near-silent purr of the drone as it passes overhead.

Klein pilots our eyes in the sky from HQ. “We’ve got eyes on you, alpha team. Nice dismount.”

Once we’re covered by the overgrown vegetation, we drop behind a wide bank of dwarf palmetto bushes.

Perfect. We’ll get stabbed before we’re even within striking distance of the enemy.

Fucking palm fronds.

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