Page 6 of Savage Protector
“Fair enough. What’s the plan?”
“Aaron did the original deal, so he and Ethan will confront Eddie and explain the error of his ways. With any luck, he’ll listen and pay up. That meeting is to take place on the roof of a disused multi-storey car park, which is where you two come in.” He swings his gaze from me to Nico and back again. “You provide cover, from a distance. Any sign of a double-cross, you make sure our guys get out okay then all four of you get the fuck out of there.”
“Whatever it takes?”
“Absolutely.”
Just checking. Enough said. We shoot to kill if need be.
“The rest of us will be heading to one of the Gallagher lock-ups, a warehouse at the Port of Tyne about ten miles east. If Ethan and Aaron get what they want without too much of a scrap, we just leave again. If not, we go in and repossess our merchandise, or goods to the equivalent value. After, we rendezvous with you here.” His finger stabs a point on the map lying open on his lap.
“What is that place?” Nico wonders.
“A country park near Wallsend, about halfway between the two sites. Plenty of space for the chopper to land. You’ll be in a fast car which will be waiting for you at the bottom of the car park.”
“How do we get to it if the Gallaghers get nasty and don’t want us to leave?”
“If they get nasty, put a stop to it. As I said, you do what it takes. The building is scheduled for demolition, so all the pedestrian stairways are locked and sealed. Use the car to escape via the ramps, same way you’ll be getting in, or if for any reason you can’t drive out of there, you abseil. The gear’s there.” He nods in the direction of four rucksacks tucked between our seats.
“Oh, fuck. I hate heights,” Nico mutters.
Jack is unsympathetic. “Tough, get over it. Call yourself a hit man?”
He has a point. Our calling, mine and Nico’s, often requires us to perch up somewhere high and wait for the perfect shot. I know Nico can cope, but he doesn’t have to like it. For myself, I’m easy, and glad of this opportunity to demonstrate my worth in what could be a genuine combat situation.
I’ve trained for this, long and hard. Gruelling, lonely weeks spent in the wilderness of the Cairngorm mountains practicing my sniper skills in all weathers and all terrains. I can confidently take out a rabbit a mile away in a force-nine gale, so a couple of guys on a rooftop at a distance of no more than two hundred metres at best should be a piece of cake.
As well as my skills with a high-powered rifle, I was always handy with a knife, and I have developed a certain finesse with explosives, though I definitely prefer the one-to-one nature of a meticulously planned and executed shooting.
“Touchdown in three minutes. The landing site is a school sports field about half a mile from the car park.” Our pilot passes the information back over her shoulder, and we start to descend.
“You do the rest on foot,” Jack informs us. “Get your packs ready. Shouldn’t be many people about at this time in the evening, but be as unobtrusive as possible. You’ll find an entrance unlocked at the rear of the car park. The roof is six floors up.”
It’s to be hoped he’s right about the area being quiet. ‘Unobtrusive’ doesn’t come easily when you’re toting a pair of M107 Semi-Automatic Long Range Sniper Rifles, or LRSRsto their friends.
It turns out the intel is accurate. We make our way from the school sports field and through the deserted streets to arrive without incident at the car park. Nico phones Ethan as we enter the premises.
“We’re here, boss.” He pauses, then, “Okay. See you in two.”
“Boss is already here, with Aaron and Tony. Our guests are expected in twenty minutes.” He starts up the stairs.
I follow at a brisk sprint. We can use the few minutes’ grace to ensure we get the best vantage points at either end of the roof. Cover all angles as well as making sure we have sight of each other, too.
We emerge onto the roof. Ethan leans on the parapet opposite us, his ankles crossed, studying something on his phone. He glances at us as we approach and raises a hand in greeting.
Tony is on his right, his brother on his left. They both nod at us, cordial greetings are exchanged, then it’s down to business. Deadly, serious business.
Tony issues both of us with an earpiece. We’ll be able to listen to the conversation with the Gallaghers and be ready to respond if things don’t go well
The roof is around four hundred metres in length, well within range for either of us. Ethan chooses a spot for the meeting well away from any structures that might block our view of proceedings, and his hired Mercedes is parked right there. He ambles over to perch on the bonnet and leaves us to set up where we think fit.
I take three of the abseiling packs and amble over to the north end. Nico, along with the other two rucksacks, heads for the south wall. A three-foot-high metallic structure built to house electrical fittings offers a decent spot for anchoring my rifle, and I’m concealed behind it with the rucksacks. Only the barrel is visible, and the Gallaghers may not even spot it in the half-light if their reconnaissance is sloppy.
Nico finds a similar spot to set up, and within less than a minute, we’re all set. Now, we wait.
A few minutes pass before we hear the roar of powerful engines careering up the ramps beneath us. Three dark-coloured vehicles surge onto the roof where, amid much pointless squealing of burning tyres, they treat us to a display of their handbrake turns.
Morons.
