Deep Black

67

He checked his watch. Two hours were left now before his target would come. The security people were already in place, most of their sweeps already done.

The assignment itself was straightforward. He was not concerned with completing it.

Afterward — that was a more difficult problem. For certainly his employer would not want him to complicate the delicate situation.

He had no doubt he could make it out of the building. Beyond that, the difficulty would increase.

His wife and son were already safe. When he eventually joined them, a deal would be arranged — the money he was owed in exchange for silence.

He doubted his employer would concede easily. But that was a problem for later.

It was possible, of course, that he would not be followed, that the rest of the money would arrive in the accounts as promised. Unlikely, but possible. The assassin by necessity planned for the alternative.

Something moved on the street. The sniper looked down from his perch toward the street as a garbage truck moved slowly past.

Two hours, no more. He rolled his head around his neck, listening to the joints crack, then sat back to wait.