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"Nah. Man with that kind of skill never goes to waste. He got lured into private military contracting. Began putting his skills and experience to use for the highest bidder. Last I heard, he was on contract for a middle east firm. Goes by the nameTrojan."
"Isn't that the same firm that almost had Khurshid executed?"
Salim Khurshid. Noted journalist and speaker of truth.
I inclined my head. "The very same."
"Why Oakmont, though? There's hardly enough excitement for someone of his caliber here."
"He's not after excitement," I replied tersely. "He came here to track down Gov activity before Hurricane Pandora. But from what I know, he's also on another op."
Pandora was on the official radar for the last week. It was expected to enter the city early next month, and before that happened, the City Council would be meeting to ensure everyone stayed safe.
I knew Omar's early agenda involved keeping track of names and numbers, but I also knew he'd been taken off that op. Something else had pulled him in—something with bigger money.
"He got hired by a private firm is my best guess. They paid Trojan enough to get Omar to focus on something else. That's as far as my intel goes."
The Honda Accord finally stopped within a clear vision of the designated safe house where Omar was scheduled to make an appearance. The house was located in a rundown neighborhood in downtown Oakmont.
It was a two-story house with an overgrown lawn and peeling paint. Despite its outward appearance, the safe house was heavily fortified.
Thick metal bars covered the windows and doors, and multiple surveillance cameras were positioned around the perimeter.
We parked the Honda Accord in a concealed spot, making sure we weren't being watched. Asher cut the engine, and we sat in silence, our eyes glued to the night vision binoculars.
As we watched, we spotted guards patrolling the area armed with high-powered rifles and communicating through earpieces. Asher muttered under his breath, "This is not going to be easy."
I could feel the tension building in the car. We both knew that we had to act fast before the guards spotted us. Asher checked his equipment. "Keep an eye on those guards," he said.
I scanned the area through the binoculars, watching the guards as they made their rounds. Suddenly, one of them stopped in his tracks and turned in our direction. I whispered, "Asher, one of them is coming this way."
Asher cursed under his breath. "We've been made. Get ready."
We quickly put on our masks and gloves and readied our weapons. The guard approached the car and shone his flashlight inside. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest.
But then, to our surprise, the guard just nodded and continued on his rounds. Asher and I let out a breath we didn't even know we were holding.
"Good thing we chose this spot," Asher said with a grin. "We're invisible here."
I rubbed my eyes and took out the flask of coffee we'd brought along. Good foresight. I handed him the flask. He poured out a cup and proceeded to add what looked like the entire yearly sugar production of Florida to it. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
"Is that enough sugar?"
He snorted. "I could use some more, but that's all we got."
I grunted and pushed the binoculars to my eyes. "I'll let you get high on your sugar. Maybe you could write the next summer anthem."
The distant droning of cars sounded. With years in the field, we'd know the low rumble of an SUV anywhere.
Tension filled the air, hot and heavy. My nerves stood on edge. Suddenly, we saw movement behind the windows of the safe house.
"More guards mobilizing inside," Asher muttered, craning his neck as he adjusted his binoculars. He spilled some hot coffee on his jeans and immediately let out an anguished yelp.
I gave him an annoyed stare-down. "Can you be serious?"
He looked injured. "Hey, I just spilled boiling coffee on myself and I didn't cry like a bitch. What else you want from me?"
I rolled my eyes. That coffee wasn't near enough to boiling hot.
