Page 29 of Brian and Mina's Holiday Hits
But everyone who will be at this meeting will be armed, partly because although they are allies, none of them trusts each other.
“There won’t be innocent people around. Several streets near the parade have been blocked off. It’ll be well after business hours so no one else but our targets and their entourage of fellow criminals and body guards will be in the building, and we aren’t blowing the entire building. That would require way too much explosive material. There are limits to even what I can source. We’re setting the bomb on the floor just under them.”
FIFTEEN
brian
Two weeks later.The day of the hit.
Mina is waiting when I get to our dungeon room carrying a package, and a flat cardboard box, along with a bag with some other supplies.
“I want to go,” Mina says.
I shake my head. “You can come with me tonight, when the building blows.”
“But what’s the point? It’s going to be boring. Nothing’s gonna happen. I don’t even get to go inside.”
I level a glare at her, and she crosses her arms over her chest like a petulant teenager whining about curfew.
“I would never take you out for your first time if there was any chance something could happen to you. It’s way too early in your training.”
“Do I at least get to wear weapons like a badass?”
I chuckle. “Yes, you get to wear weapons like a badass. And Kevlar, like me.”
I know she wants to ask why we’re going to be wearing full assassination gear if it’s a distance kill, but I like to have my bases covered. We’ll be out and about together near a lot ofpeople, and I have a few enemies out in the world. The last thing I need is someone to think my guard isn’t up and go in for an easy kill. And I definitely can’t risk it with Mina.
“What’s in the box?” she asks.
“A special delivery. It’s what’s getting me into the building to set up the bomb.”
Mina sits on the edge of the bed and watches me while I work. Two days ago, I ordered a Longines watch to be delivered with expedited delivery and a signature to Mr. Stryker on the top floor. The extravagance of the gift will ensure I’m able to get on the elevator and up to the top floor for the signature. But it’s not so extravagant as to raise questions.
I just got finished impersonating a delivery driver and stealing the package and a scanner off the truck less than an hour ago. This particular delivery is scheduled for the very end of the day so Todd will never know it was there. I almost shot him for having the name,Todd.
I’ll have the package in the hands of the target and it’ll be off Todd’s list of deliveries before he needs to know it was ever there.
The guard at the Stryker building should remember me from several weeks ago when I last delivered a package and planted the listening devices.
I use a the knife from the side of my boot and remove the packaging label, careful to slice beneath into the first layer of box so as not to rip the label.
“Bring me the laptop,” I say without looking up from my work.
Mina brings the laptop off the corner desk. I’ve already got it hooked up to the printer and the blank label in the machine. I log in, load the label making software, and create a reasonable-looking fake. It just has to be visually passable, it doesn’t have to be scannable.
“There’s packing tape in the bag, set up that box for me,” I say, while I finish the label.
“I didn’t know I was going to be doing assassin secretarial work,” she snarks.
“Gotta crawl before you can walk, pet.”
This box is much bigger than the one with the delivery, and it’s how I’m getting the bomb in. I go into the supply closet and bring out all the materials I’ve gathered. I assemble the bomb and place it gently inside the larger box.
I affix my new decoy label to the actual package being delivered and slip it inside. I add a small surveillance camera and packing peanuts, then seal up the outer box and tape the original label to the top.
Mina follows me out to the car.
“I’ll be back for you at seven thirty. Be ready to go.”
