Page 52 of Dead Drift

Brandt cleared his throat. “I took care of all of them, but I was unable to locate Tanya.”

He waited for Ebeid’s response as the man simply drummed his fingers on the desk before him. Ebeid was known as a man who did not accept failure, as evidenced by his predecessor’s death, and he had flat-out failed his mission. He’d considered disappearing, but he wasn’t a coward. He’d track down and kill that woman if it was the last thing he did, but he had to own up to Ebeid first.

Ebeid’s fingers stilled and came together as he held his hand up and shooed away the man who’d been serving him tea.

“And how do you presume to excuse your failure?” he asked once the servant was gone.

“I do not excuse it, sir. I only ask for the opportunity to finish my mission.”

“Finish your mission?” Ebeid arched a stark brow as he lifted his gold teacup just below his lips. “And how do you propose to do that?”

He clutched his black ski mask in his right hand, adrenaline pumping through him at a dizzying rate. “I will hunt Tanya down and finish the job.”

Ebeid took a thoughtful sip of his tea, then set his cup down. “But you felt it better to come here and tell me you failed, rather than doing that first?”

He cleared his throat. “I’d thought . . .”

“Thought?”

“You’d want to know the status.”

“I see. Well, I presume now that you have alerted me, you will complete your mission.”

“Yes, sir.” His stance reverted to the military one he’d known so well before becoming a mercenary.

“You have one chance.” Ebeid lifted his teacup again. “Finish the job.”

Khaled forced his hand to remain still, his fingers clasped around the cup, the unnerving sensation of unsteadiness shifting through him at the sight of the former young Marine now turned mercenary.

Perhaps it was his former service branch or his features so similar to Matthew’s that had kept Khaled from killing the mercenary, but Brandt would finish the job—Ebeid read it in his predatory gaze. Before the day was out Tanya would be dead.

Matthew’s young face on his Marine service portrait flashed through his mind.

Khaled’s son was betrayed by America, just as his father had been. But very soon the country that took his son and his father from him would crumble. He almost wished he’d let “Caroline” live to see the day, but the whore deserved to die at his hands. It was the last time he’d gotten his own hands dirty until he’d killed Cyrus, and he’d forgotten how magnificent it felt to pull the trigger. He envied Brandt’s next act, squelching the life out of Tanya as he had Caroline. Killing another person deserving of death was so liberating. He lifted Kate Maxwell’s recon photograph, delight surging through him, knowing she too would soon be dead.

22

Luke studied the Sparrow’s Point warehouse through his long-range binoculars as he very impatiently waited for Declan’s task force to arrive. Hank’s warehouse had been less than a five-minute drive away, while the team Declan requested had a healthy half-hour drive in front of them.

“We just got some news,” Declan said, indicating the communications piece in his ear. “It doesn’t bode well.”

Luke was afraid to ask. “What?”

“The truck used for the attacks this morning was tracked by traffic cams and found parked behind a Best Buy.”

“Not submerged in water?” Kate asked.

“Afraid not. The GPS tracker was stomped to pieces on the ground beside it.”

Which meant the chances they hadn’t bothered to check the other vehicles was zilch. He’d wager the trucks were gone and only the tracking devices remained in the warehouse. Luke swallowed hard. They’d lost their opportunity.

Declan exhaled. “Looks like the warehouse is empty. Thermal imaging indicates no warm bodies inside.”

“The warehouse may be empty, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t leave any surprises behind for us.” Luke indicated the direction he wanted Declan and Kate to look with a lift of his chin. “Two and seven o’clock.”

Declan lifted the binoculars, shifting to the warehouse across from the one they were raiding, and then handed them to Kate.

Two snipers. One on the southwest corner. The other on the northwest.