we can just gag ’em and zip ’em.”
Court was still taking in the surroundings, making certain of his and Zack’s immediate security. While doing this, he looked up the dark road, and he saw movement there.
“Hold,” Court whispered, and Zack said nothing in return.
A few seconds later two forms took shape in front of Court on the road. “I got two pax moving in from the east, heading in the direction of the van. Backpacks, ball caps, hands empty.”
“Roger that. I got them.” Zack watched them for a moment. “They look a little squirrelly.”
Court replied, “Amped up, yeah. I see it.”
While both men watched, the men came flush with the van, then left the road, walking towards the back door of the vehicle.
Zack said, “Surveillance techs?”
Court didn’t answer; he just watched while one of the men reached for the latch on the door, then looked back to his partner, who stood fifteen feet away on the road in the darkness.
Zack said it first. “Oh shit.”
Then Court recognized what was about to happen, as well. “Son of a bitch.”
The first man opened the door, and the second drew a pistol from his bag and opened fire. His weapon didn’t even flash as he dumped round after round through the long suppressor and into the occupants of the van; the sound of several loud thumps echoed around the trees.
Court and Zack just watched helplessly from forty yards away.
There was a sharp tinkling of spent shell casings on the asphalt, and then it was quiet on the scene for a few seconds, until the body of a young man with dark hair tumbled out of the rear of the van. The body wore headphones, which were snapped back by their cord, and then hung there over the body by the rear bumper.
The two men shined flashlights inside the van for a moment, and then they began walking back up the street in the direction they came.
“What do you suppose that was all about?” Zack asked softly.
“I got here the same time you did.”
To this Zack replied, “I sure as hell wish I knew who the good guys were.”
“That’s us. I don’t know about anybody else.” He thought a moment. “These guys might be the same jackwads I ran into in Caracas. And a few days ago, on the Ku’damm. They were no slouches. Do not engage till we get more information.”
To this Zack whispered back, “Only way we’re gonna get more information about those assholes is to see where those assholes went.”
“Let’s do it,” Court said, and the two men moved out up the street, now one hundred yards behind the two killers.
“What about calling in Travers?” Zack asked.
“Negative,” Court replied. “This is still recon. If a helo full of gun monkeys shows up, it’s going to make a lot of noise; they might scare them away. Let’s find an enemy and fix them to a location before calling in the shooters.”
“Roger that. Hey, Six, you know what would be cool right now?”
“What’s that?”
“A boat. We could come at them across the lake.”
Court thought it over. “You want to steal a boat?”
“Yeah, like a speedboat, something with some power. But something quiet.” Without waiting for Court’s approval, he began walking towards the lakeshore, just a few dozen yards off his right.
Court followed along through the heavy mist, mumbling under his breath. “Fucking Navy guys.”
* * *
• • •
Annika Dittenhofer arrived at the front gate of the massive animal feed factory, and even through the fog she could make out a dark array of broken-down buildings strewn with garbage and graffiti. She saw no lights or vehicles ahead, and she’d heard no warnings from Moises and Yanis, so she decided to keep going in search of Mirza’s phone.
The tall chain-link gate was closed and locked with a rusty padlock, but part of the nearby fence had been pulled back, giving her enough room to slip through.
She was dressed head to toe in black and gray, so she felt stealthy enough, but for the first time in her career, she wished she carried a gun. There could be all types of ne’er-do-wells to deal with in here, but she felt an overwhelming need to press on.
A minute later Annika still hadn’t heard from Moises or Yanis, and she took that to mean she was clear to move forward. The signal from Mirza’s phone was being broadcast from the inside of the building closest to the water, so she walked quietly and carefully through the ruined