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“He shoot my boat, you pay,” Alex grunts. But there’s new determination in his eyes. “You know what you doing, love boy?”
“I do. Roey!” I shout into the phone. “Where’s your drone?”
Another shot comes, but Alex is driving in a wavy trajectory, hunching like he’s in the Venture Cup racing competition. He’s soaked with the salt spray, his face wet, but his eyes are sparkling with excitement as he murmurs something in Russian.
“I have the drone, Jace. I see you,” Roey snaps into the phone.
“I don’t need you to see me. Right now, I need you to get very close to Reznik and distract him.”
“Distract how?”
“Distract so he doesn’t shoot at us or look back.”
“He’ll shoot the drone.”
“I don’t care about the drone! This is our only chance, Roey. I have one shot. I can’t miss it. If I do, we have nothing. Do your best!”
Another shot rips the air, and I pray to God our boat is not shot and sinking, because then I lose Lu for sure.
I press the binoculars to my eyes and see the drone keeping up with Reznik’s boat. The drone costs over ten grand, but Miller has several and is proficient with them.
“Alex! Get closer!” I shout. “As close as you can on the driver’s side!”
“He will shoot my boat.”
“Don’t worry about the boat. Get fucking close!”
His momentary glance in my direction is angry but full of determination. He’s either an adrenalin junkie or senses that I’m not an average boat rider. Or he might be carelessly drunk. His boat probably costs close to a hundred grand, but he’s too enthusiastic about the chase.
There’s a freshly lit cigarette bobbing between his lips. I don’t even notice when he lights them, or how, with both hands on the helm, wind blasting, the boat slamming against the waves, and sea spray showering us head to toe.
“Roey! Now! Get close and distract him!” I shout into the phone, the boat bumping, but I drop the phone and grab the flare gun.
My eyes are on the drone that starts descending onto Reznik’s boat. He looks up, distracted, his boat swerving slightly as he holds the helm with one hand, the other pointing the gun in the air.
Lu is looking back at our boat, and I wave for her to get away from Reznik. She scoots all the way to the left.
“Alex! Now pull up to their side and try to keep steady!” I shout.
“Got it.”
The drone is hovering lower, and Reznik shoots at it, but the drone swerves to the side, ditching the shot. Reznik’s boat swerves toward ours, and Alex swerves away, making me wobble.
But I steady myself and widen my stance.
There have been a few times in my life when I wasn’t sure if I could handle my task. The first sniper assignment. The first person I had to shoot at. The first bounty hunt when I was nervous about using my rifle on the mainland.
There’s no way to sync my heart with the target right now like I do when my eye is in the scope.
I don’t have a proper gun.
The boat is unsteady.
The wind blasts in my face.
But I absolutelycannotfucking miss! This is my only chance.Sheis my only chance. So this flare gun? It better work.
I point it at Reznik, who’s only forty or so feet away, both boats bumping the waves.
