Page 69 of Domino
Chapter Twenty-Five
Domino
The sun beats down on us, and unlike Blue Rock, the heat out here in this wasteland is unrelenting. Cosmo and I are both in desert camouflage, laying prone on the dirt of the rise that looks down over the gas station. Our getaway vehicle is behind us, unable to be seen from Ortega’s meeting point. I checked it myself before we hunkered down to wait.
“Christ, is being a sniper always this boring?” Cosmo grumbles.
“It’s a game for those who have patience.”
“So, what you’re saying is yeah, it’s always this boring.”
“I told you not to come,” I reply.
“What? And miss all this?”
I laugh despite myself and shake my head. Cosmo can be damn funny when he wants to be. And right now, I do appreciate his attempt to lighten the mood. I certainly need it. With nothing better to do than wait, I check the sights on my rifle again, adjusting the scope, and take notice of the wind. It actually seems like it’s lessened as we’ve been sitting up here. It’s a break I’m as thankful for as I am surprised by it. Lucky breaks have been in short supply recently.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“Ten minutes after the last time you asked.”
“Don’t be a shithead. As my spotter, it’s your duty to answer my questions.”
He sighs. “Ten forty-three.”
We’ve been sitting up on the rise for the last hour and a half. We arrived well ahead of the meeting time that Bala had provided for us to settle in. And as expected, the sun is at our backs, which should make us all but invisible up here.
“So, how are things going with Ashley?” Cosmo asks.
I nod. “Good. Really good, actually.”
“What happened to playing the field for a while. You know, dipping that quill into as many inkpots as you could?”
“That was never my idea. That was Trig, if you remember right.”
“You didn’t seem all that opposed to it.”
I shrug. “Maybe I found something I liked.”
He laughs softly. “I knew you would. You aren’t the kind of animal Trig is. You know the value of a good woman.”
“I suppose I do.”
“I have to say, ever since you met her, you’ve been slightly more tolerable than usual. So, I assume she makes you happy.”
Her face floats into my mind’s eye and I smile. Just the thought of her fills me with a happiness that’s still so foreign to me. But it’s a feeling I think I can really get used to. Provided we survive the day, or course.
“Yeah, look at that smile. That’s the smile of a man in love,” he says.
“You’re sounding a lot like Derek with this obsession with my love life, you know.”
“It’s like I told you before, your love life is the most interesting thing happening with the MC lately.”
“The rifle in my hands would beg to differ.”
There’s a brief lull in the conversation and Cosmo shifts his position again. He looks over at me.
“How in the hell do you do that? Lay in one position forever like that?” he asks.
