Page 88 of Gangster's Empire: Leeza & Havel

He sucked in his breath. It was “I love you” in their shared birth language. She used the words not meant to be spoken often and only used between devoted lovers. Partners for life.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Miluji te, Leeza.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Havel signaled to his mission partner to cover him as he moved noiselessly to their next checkpoint. The group was split in two, Havel and Ayaan were together while Cooper and Jozef were a team. Each pair was meant to converge on their target from a different point, giving them a better chance of success as they navigated through the warzone.

Jozef had jumped at the chance to fill in for the team when Halil, who was supposed to come with them, had broken his arm on his last mission. Jozef missed working in the field and Havel was glad to have someone with Jozef’s experience on the team. It was a win-win for everyone except Halil.

Ayaan crouched next to Havel as they waited behind a concrete barrier for a military Jeep to pass. Other than the occasional burst of gunfire, the streets were quiet. The bulk of the fighting had occurred in the first few weeks after the military attempted a coup, its intention to overthrow the government.

Government forces were fighting back, but they were outnumbered and outgunned. A good portion of the populace was siding with the military, having lost trust in corrupt politicians. The government was in a losing battle and the end was near.

Which was why Havel and his team had been called in. It was their job to assist the president and his family in fleeing the country.

Clear, he signed to Ayaan, moving to a low crouch and leading the way from their hiding spot.

They were wearing gray fatigues, which helped them blend into a city environment, but they stood out anyway. The job was in an African country, and Havel’s pale skin and tattoos stood out like a beacon.

With the exception of Ayaan, who was of African descent, there was not enough diversity among his field teams, Havel thought. An oversight he'd rectify when he got home.

Havel took point as they made their way street by street. They didn’t encounter resistance until they were two blocks from their target. Bullets hit the building next to Havel, taking chunks out of the facade as he and Ayaan dove for cover.

I’ll hold them, you go around. Havel crouched in the alleyway next to the wall of the building and returned fire, aiming for the vehicle across the street. Two men were shooting at them, one from each end of the vehicle.

Ayann left his side and he held his position for three minutes, exchanging gunfire with the enemy. When he was positive she was in place, he stopped firing, waited for the enemy to shoot at him again before letting out a gurgling death shout.

Havel could hear the two men muttering though they were too far away for him to make out their words. He expected one would approach to make sure he was dead, while the other would cover him.

But, as was often the case with rebels, the men were undertrained, fighting with passion, not experience.

One approached, but the other left himself too exposed. When his guy was nearly on top of him, a shot rang out and his partner slumped. It was Havel's signal to take out his target, which he did without further delay.

He stood and waved at Ayaan who was standing behind the vehicle, next to the dead body of the other soldier. He joined her and they continued on wordlessly.

They reached the entrance of the building across from the presidential palace a few minutes later and Havel nodded at Ayaan who took off her jacket, exposing a plain shirt underneath. She dropped her hat on the floor and fluffed up her hair. He watched as she took off at a jog, blending in with a crowd of protesters.

Crouching in the building, which was deserted, Havel watched her wend her way toward the palace gates. The protesters were displaced citizens. These were the poor who had no means of leaving, nowhere to go. These were the ones most oppressed by the current regime.

Havel was there to rescue the man they wanted to see stand trial, but it wasn’t up to him to moralize a job. Mercenaries weren’t known for their charitable tendencies.

His satellite phone vibrated against his hip and he lifted it to read the message. Jozef and Cooper were in place.

Good, everything was on track.

Glancing at the time, he hid in the shadows of the doorway.

Seconds later a series of explosions ripped through the protesters. Havel hurtled out the door, running into the crowd of panicked people who were desperately trying to flee the streets.

He used the confusion to make his way to a street grate that Ayaan had opened next to a military vehicle, dropping into the hole in the road. Balancing on the metal bars as he reached over head to close the grate, grunting with effort. He released his hold on the bars and dropped to land next to Ayaan.

“Those fireworks sure make a bang and lots of smoke,” she said with a grin.

Stop talking, Havel ordered. She knew better than to use her voice when they were in a combat situation unless the situation was dire. Like all of her fingers had been blown off and she couldn’t respond with sign language. Her fingers looked fine to him.

She looked guilty. Sorry, Boss.

He’d have to pull her from the field and retrain her if she fucked up again. She was an excellent soldier, maybe the best he had, and he was willing to put up with more from her than he might with anyone else due to her youth and skill, but he couldn’t have her screwing up a mission because she couldn’t control herself.

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