RAVIEL (23)

There was a narrow winding road on the west side of the main road leading out of town. I still had no idea where Alan Robert was headed, but he was clearly trying to get away from the problem. But I was the problem, and I was going after him.

Too bad I couldn’t find a high place around here, but I did find a spot with a perfect angle.

I was exactly five hundred yards ahead of them. My car was parked across the middle of the road. I stood right behind my car with my favorite rifle that had never failed to kill my targets. If I had known that plan A would fail, I would have brought my new weapon with me on this trip. It would be easier to use in a situation like this than the rifle I was currently using.

They came. I focused my aim on the driver. Their car started honking loudly, telling me to move aside. But I wasn't going to move aside until I managed to get rid of the people in the first car. .

I fired twice quickly, and both of my bullets managed to hit the driver's head along with a man in the front seat. The car swerved to the left at high speed before crashing into a ditch. The second car, which I guessed was carrying Alan Robert, tried to avoid the collision by swerving to the right. I saw my chance and I didn't waste the opportunity to shoot the people in the third car. Just like the first car, the driver was shot right in the forehead. The car swerved to the left and hit the road divider hard and exploded.

Now, I just had to catch up to the car carrying Alan. They managed to get away after nearly hitting a road divider while trying to avoid me. My tires screeched loudly as I stepped on the gas hard to catch up to Alan Robert's car. One of the guards in the front seat stuck his head out of the window and started shooting at me.

I tried to avoid the gunfire by zigzagging. I grabbed a gun from the compartment and fired back at the damned man in the suit. I missed. I knew it. I did it on purpose so that the man wouldn't block my real target. The back tire of their car.

After the first shot, the tire burst. The car swerved to the right and their speed began to decrease. The guard in the front seat was still shooting at my car and trying to knock me down. My car sped up to catch up with them. I was right next to the bodyguard. Our gun muzzles clashed. On the count of three, I opened fire. He did the same, but I ducked quickly. My bullet managed to hit his throat, while his bullet managed to hit my car window until it shattered into pieces.

The car finally came to a complete stop on the shoulder of the road. The driver took a gun out of his pocket, then jumped out to face me.

"Who are you? What business do you have with us?"

I lowered my baseball cap so that it completely covered my face. I could smell Alan Robert's fear from where I stood. He was trapped inside the car, with no protection whatsoever. He was as fragile and weak as a baby.

"I have no business with you, but Alan Robert."

Bang                                                                                                             

Dammit!

The damn driver shot me. The bullet managed to graze my left arm and it started to bleed.

Okay, stop playing around.

I hadn't slept for two days, and I wanted to end this as soon as possible.

“Drop your weapon. The police will arrest you any minute.”

“Really?” I grinned. “I doubt it.”

The brave man barely felt the pain because I did it so fast. He fell hard on the dusty ground with a hole in his chest that was gushing fresh blood. That's what happened when he pretended to be brave in front of me. He even tried to kill me earlier.

“W-who are you?”

Alan Robert stared at me in fear. His face was as pale as a corpse when I brought the muzzle of my gun towards him. He tried to open the door repeatedly, but it was locked. He was cornered. His body shook violently as he realized that his death was near.

“Please, let me go. I'll give you money. Whatever you want.”

“I don’t need your money.”

I saw something shining behind the lapel of his jacket. I quickly reached for it and found an active bug. The damn driver wasn’t lying about the police being on their way to arrest me.

“I’ll leave it on just so they can hear you die,” I grinned.

“Please, don’t shoot me. You’ll get in trouble if you kill me. They’ll find you and arrest you. I’m a senator. And you—”

“What? I can’t hear you, Mr. Senator?”

His head snapped back. A thin cloud of smoke danced around the gaping bullet hole in his forehead. The car looked a million times more horrific with his blood splattered across the windows and leather seats.

Poor guy.

I didn't pity him because I didn't know him. And I didn't try to find out his background because it didn't matter to me. Even if this senator was clean and my client was dirty, I would still vote for my client because he paid me and this dead guy didn't.

"I don't like being threatened, Mr. Senator."

This place was a mess. The police would be here soon to clean it up, and I'd be far away by the time they got there.

I didn't realize my arm was soaked in blood until I'd driven about a mile. I pulled the car over and rummaged through the glove compartment for a handkerchief. Once I found it, I quickly wrapped it around my arm. It should have stopped the bleeding, if only temporarily.

I put in my earbuds and tapped on my phone to call Seth. I checked my rearview mirror every now and then to see if anyone was following me, but there was none. Thank goodness. I didn’t have the energy to deal with another mess if that happened.

“Seth, did you take care of all the CCTVs on every street I drive on?”

“Done. The police won’t be able to find you, let alone trace your license plate.”

“Get my name out of the resort’s computer system. I tossed the key card in a pot, near the lobby.”

“Yes, sir. Torry is doing it for you.”

“Good. Listen to me carefully, get out of there right now. Take the really important stuff, and leave the unimportant stuff. We’re moving to my cabin in the middle of the woods.”

“Boss, you were right. There are bugs, in your office. Someone found out about Alan Robert’s assassination plan.”

“I know. And Barnes?”

“You’re right about that too. Jazz and Mike found a CIA chip implanted under his abdomen. We have a serious leak.”

“They’re probably going to raid the base anytime soon. So move all the important stuff from the base to my cabin in the middle of the woods. Don’t leave any clues that will lead them to us. I’ll figure out the next step after I’ve treated my wounds and gotten a few hours of sleep.”

My damn head hurt. I really needed some sleep and painkillers. My eyes were starting to get dizzy. But I still had about a mile to drive before I reached the motel, where I was to meet Clark and Red. Clark would drive me home, while Red would take care of this car. This car was evidence that had to be destroyed. And since my target was someone who really had a lot of influence in this country, I had to be extra careful from now on. I couldn't take the dead man for granted.

“Do you need a doctor to take care of your wounds, sir? I’ll have Jazz handle it.”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll treat it myself when I get home. You just focus on doing everything I asked you to do. The place has to be clean before midnight, and you all have to get out of there. Do you understand?”

“Understood, boss.”

“Good. And please take care of the rest of the payment for Alan. Make sure he does as agreed.”

“Yes, sir.”

I took off my earphones and threw them on the console as my headache got worse. I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed painkillers and sleep right now. And lucky for me, I was close to the motel. Clark and Red’s SUV was parked in the motel yard. Red jumped out quickly when he saw my car approaching.

“Boss. You look like a piece of shit.”

“I know. And don’t try to make fun of me with your fucking mouth behind my back.”

Red smirked and opened the passenger door for me. “Have a nice dream, boss.”

Finally, after more than two days of not sleeping, I got the chance to sleep. My eyes automatically fell shut as soon as my back touched this plush leather chair. And the next thing I knew, I fell asleep, or maybe passed out.