Covenant

66

Ethan sat in silence as Bill Griffiths parked his car near the entrance to a narrow street and glanced in his rearview mirror before climbing out. Ethan followed him to the corner of the street and peered along its length.

At the opposite end of the street stood a warehouse nestled against a small grove of acacia trees that rustled gently in the morning breeze. Outside, two MACE operatives stood in their distinctive black suits and sunglasses.

“That’ll be the one then,” Ethan said quietly.

“It’s one of six buildings used by MACE to store equipment. We were ordered to bring the remains here to be packaged for shipment.” Griffiths looked about nervously. “There could be more of them. Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“It’s the only idea I’ve got left.”

“Fantastic.”

The sound of a car engine behind them caused Ethan to turn in time to see Aaron Luckov’s jeep pull up nearby. The towering Israeli climbed out and Ethan and Griffiths joined him.

“You bring everything we need?” Ethan asked him.

Aaron grinned beneath his beard, leading them to the rear of the jeep and yanking off a canvas cover. Inside lay several weapons, including a sawed-off shotgun, pistols, and two flash-bang grenades. Luckov picked up the sawed-off.

“Gentlemen, meet my good friend, Old Painless.”

Griffiths balked.

“Jesus Christ, who the hell do you think you are? Steve McQueen?”

Ethan grabbed a pistol, checking the mechanism.

“MACE is serious,” he replied evenly. “No sense in handing them the advantage.”

Griffiths looked at the pistol handed to him by Luckov.

“I’m not a soldier,” he said quietly.

“Neither am I,” Luckov replied. “Let’s get this over with.”

Rafael sat silently with his back to the wall of an alley, watching as the three men lifted their weapons from the back of the truck. Griffiths, Warner, and the big Israeli strode off toward a series of low warehouses opposite an apartment block near where Rafael sat.

He looked up at the building, at the vantage points offered by a number of the higher apartments, and settled in to wait. It would, he was sure, not be long before his quarry would arrive, especially now that the fool American was launching his own attack. Now, at last, he was fully prepared.

Quietly, Rafael pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.