End Game

CHAPTER 24

They parked their Yukon well behind Walton’s cabin and entered the house from the rear. After searching it and making sure it was empty, they took up surveillance on high ground away from the cabin, but where they could keep eyes on the road leading up to it.

Reel had her scope out and was looking through it.

Robie did his surveillance with the naked eye. Then he checked his watch. “We’ve got some time.”

“Who do you think she’ll show up with?”

“Either Luke Miller or whoever helped her last night.”

Reel made a slight adjustment on her scope calibration and then shot him a glance. “I heard about London. Sixteen for sixteen with a spare for interrogation.”

He shrugged. “That was the assignment. I heard you did all you could and more in Iraq.”

She frowned and said, “Well, just goes to show that scuttlebutt is inherently flawed.”

“Outnumbered and outgunned and facing armor with a rifle? What options did you have that you didn’t employ?”

She shot him another glance, this one suspicious. “That sounds like you got debriefed on the mission.”

“Why did you volunteer for Iraq, Jess?”

“They needed a sniper and I fit the bill.”

“The Army has a lot of snipers who fit the bill.”

“Okay, maybe I just missed Iraq.”

“I’m glad you missed something.”

She sat back on her haunches and looked over at him. “We’re up to our asses in another mission right now, so why don’t we just focus? How’s that for a plan?”

“So just to clarify, all the things you said on the tarmac when we got back to DC were what? Just stuff to make me feel better?”

“Robie, this is not the time or the place for this!”

“Apparently, it’s complicated.”

She shot him a glance.

“You could have just sent a text, Jess,” he said quietly. “You didn’t have to break into my place.”

Reel looked away, started to sight through her scope but then slowly lowered it. “It is complicated, Robie. And I’m not prepared to talk about it right now.”

He looked out onto the road. “Well, that’s good, because here they come. An hour earlier than Holly said.”

It wasn’t a Harley coming their way.

It was a van with no side windows.

“How many people you think they can stuff in there?” asked Reel.

“About a dozen. From how far down the chassis is riding on the rear wheels, I’d say it’s pretty full of something.”

“You know, I was really hoping it would just be her.”

“Shows how much hope is worth,” replied Robie drily.

She slid her rifle out of its pack and attached the scope on its rail.

Robie watched her load the Remington. “Why did you switch from Lapua rounds to Win Mags?”

“Just wanted something new, I guess.”

When she caught the rigid look on his face at this comment, she added, in a more contrite tone, “Someone I respect recommended them. That’s the only reason.”

“Yeah,” said Robie tersely before looking back at the van. “How do you want to do this?”

“On the off chance it’s just her and the weight in the van is due to something innocuous, let’s not open fire until it’s confirmed that she tried to double-cross us.”

Robie examined one of his M11s and then burnished the blade of his knife with his coat sleeve. “Works for me.”

She said, “If we keep this up, we’re not going to be too popular here.”

“We were never popular here.”

The van pulled up to the cabin and the doors opened.

“You ready to fight?” said Reel.

“It’s what I do,” answered Robie.