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I was a good sniper, but not that good. 1609 meters… 1760 yards… 5280 feet. No matter how you measured it, a mile was a long fucking way.
The longest confirmed sniper kill was a 3079-yard shot by an Australian sniper in Afghanistan in 2012. But even at 1700 yards, we were talking about the 11th longest confirmed kill in the last 100 years. An American sniper had done it in Iraq back in 2004.
There was no way I was that good. Not ‘Top 20 in Recorded Military History’ good.
Which meant I was going to have to get in closer… and that meant even more difficulties.
You might be thinking, Just take a boat out on the lake and shoot from there – but the lapping waves make it nigh impossible. A tiny shift of just a centimeter could make a shot go wide by several feet.
The only way it would work was if the surface of Lake Como was as smooth as glass – and I didn’t anticipate that happening.
The next option was infiltrating van der Linden’s estate and taking the shot from land. The problem there was that the property extended for a thousand feet on either side of the villa. I could get within 350 yards of the house – an excellent distance – but there were state-of-the-art surveillance systems all along the perimeter. His security team would see me coming, so I would have to stay 500 yards back to remain hidden. And at that distance, you had to factor in the foliage between me and the target – the uphill slant – the wind coming in off the lake –
It was a logistical nightmare.
I could potentially find a position in the hills on the other side of van der Linden’s property, farther from the water – but then my window of opportunity would be limited to him walking in or out of his front door. Unless he liked to hang out in his front yard, which I figured was unlikely.
I was still pondering the intricacies of the job as I left Rovenna, the town at the southernmost tip of Lake Como, and started driving up the two-lane road that led to my rented chateau.
Shortly after that, everything went to shit.
As I drove, I pulled the necklace and engagement ring out of my shirt and rubbed it absentmindedly between my forefinger and thumb like a rosary.
I decided I would find a way to contact Rachel when I got to the house – either by buying a burner phone at a store or finding a pay phone. Fuck Alistair. He could chew me out as much as he liked, but I wanted to talk to her. I couldn’t leave things like they were yesterday.
It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear, the sun was shining bright, and there is no better scenery for a drive than along Lake Como. The sparkling water… the charming Italian towns along the shores of the lake… the beautiful mountains with their old-growth forests… the entire place was enchanting.
Even if I’d been paying attention, I don’t think I could have avoided my fate.
I went through a long tunnel carved through the granite mountains that surrounded the lake. When I emerged on the other side into daylight, I immediately saw a line of four cars stopped ahead of me –
At a police barricade.
My heart stopped.
My immediate impulse was to turn around, but the two-lane road was so narrow that I couldn’t do it in one single motion. It would require me to turn, back up, turn again, back up – which would put me in the path of oncoming traffic and would surely draw the attention of the police.
I reminded myself that It’s fine… no one knows who you are… you’re just a tourist on vacation… stay calm.
I slowed to a stop behind the last car and waited.
Fear gnawed at my gut, but I did my best to keep my outward appearance calm.
I slipped the ring and necklace inside my shirt without consciously thinking about it.
The Glock was in the rear with the rifle. There was no way I could get it out before I reached the police – not without being noticed, anyway.
I grabbed my passport, license, and the car’s registration out of the glove box. I saw that the car was registered to a rental company, and there was a receipt for when I had ‘rented’ it two hours before.
Everything was in order.
You’re going to be fine.
One car drove past the blockade, and everyone else in line crept forward.
A car in the opposite lane drove past me into the tunnel.
The second car ahead of me went, and I inched forward a bit more.
