CHAPTER NINETEEN
Mouse
“Ready for this?” B-ry asked me with a slap on the back.
“Of course,” I told him as I tossed my long range rifle in the back of the SUV that would soon be headed to the container yard where we were meeting with the Irish.
Shit had gotten all mixed up this week. The hand-off was supposed to take place three days ago, but for some fucking reason, the Irish called and moved it pretty much at the last minute. We had no clue what was going on there but we agreed to keep the peace.
Half the table was out on the run and B-ry had stayed behind after finding out about the switch. I guessed it was a good thing I wasn’t scheduled for the run now, it would have thrown things way off.
“See you over there,” he said as he mounted his bike. I gave him a chin jerk as I closed up the SUV.
The prospect climbed in behind the wheel. Knight headed out first, B-ry and Fire Beard behind him. The SUV rolled out in the middle. Then Dade, Blade, and I followed suit.
It might have seemed like overkill for a simple hand-off like this but with the odd last minute day switch, we felt the need to add a few extra eyes and ears.
We were fifteen minutes early, as planned. I rolled my bike behind some shipping containers so it would be out of sight. I wasn’t trying to be shady, in fact, I had a good idea that the Irish knew I’d be there. It just made me feel a little better for some reason.
I wanted to get this over with and I let out a deep breath as I jogged over to the SUV to get my gear.
Looking up at the sky, I found the midday sun hanging pretty much overhead. This wasn’t all that great for me. While night was the best time of day to stay hidden, it wasn’t always necessary. However, I preferred a more angled sun-line. If I could put it to my back it would have been a hell of a lot better. I knew it would be hell trying to hide the light from flickering off my scope as I breathed. It was pretty much unavoidable at this time of day. Oh, well, not shit I could do about it now.
I picked the best spot, not all that thrilled that it was further away than what I wanted. It didn’t really matter, I would make it work, at least the containers were stacked high, with one row having an extra one on top. I could tuck myself into the corner and be a little more hidden.
Like I said, I didn’t have to go through all these lengths, not for the Irish, but it did help to keep my skills sharp. Plus, I loved this sort of thing. My mind worked well in these types of situations. I had my dad to thank for all of this. He taught me everything I knew about how to shoot and what to look out for.
Popping my earbud in, I pulled up the app on my phone that Cable had set me up with. It linked me into the closest security feed so I would have ears too. Since I had my scope, I didn’t need to watch.
“You good?” Knight called out as we heard the incoming vehicles make their way around the stacked containers to us.
“Good,” I called back right before I caught sight of the first hood.
I hunkered down and flattened out as much as possible while I lined up my eye and slid my finger parallel to the trigger.
I didn’t listen in on the conversation. It would have taken too much away from my focus. I was more tuned into tones and breathing. I had trained my mind to pick up on the differences even if I wasn’t listening to the words.
There was always a hint in someone’s voice before shit went down. Whether it be a big meet like this, or someone robbing a convenience shop, or even a man about to jump off a building. It was a slight pitch change, or a quick, inhaled breath. Or even in some cases, a small relieved exhale. It was usually involuntary and most people never caught onto it. Even the person that was about to make the move.
The problem came when I went up against people like me. People that were aware of all those things and had learned to control their body to where their mind cut off. In these cases, raising an arm to shoot became that pitch change and there was no warning. That was when you had to be quick on your feet and have a sharp eye.
But enough about that. I was pretty sure the Irish weren't trained like that. While they were rough and a little crazy, they weren’t the type to go the extra mile to learn these things. I wasn’t calling them dumb. I just knew who I was up against here.
I watched as Connor got out first, followed by Fergal. Elliot got out of a separate SUV and I was a little surprised to see him here.
I studied the kid for a second. He was young, probably about the same age as Sketch. And he hadn’t gotten the serious vibe down. No, he was too playful, too wet behind the ears. It was clear in the way he puffed up his chest and tried to walk like the big men. I held back a chuckle because it was almost embarrassing to watch him. I moved my focus to his hands as he got settled on Fergal’s left side. I didn’t have to look to know that Connor was in his right. Elliot’s fingers twitched at his side but I knew it wasn’t because he was eager to draw. No this was a nervous kind of tick. I almost felt bad for the guy but I figured I didn’t have anything to worry about with him.
My focus shifted. Connor stood tall, that cop stance clear as day, only both of his hands were at his sides instead of one of them resting on the butt of the gun on his hip. Thank fuck, it made him look a little less like a tool. Hey, I didn’t mind the guy, and he might have been an outlaw like us, but he was still also a cop.
A few more men stood sporadically behind them, ready to go if shit went down, much like I was.
I knew Fergal had more seasoned men that he usually brought with him. I wondered why he’d chosen to bring Elliot and not one of them.
That was something to think about for another time.
Fergal seemed at ease, his tone light with the faintest hint of playfulness as usual, which was good. But that didn’t mean I was going to relax my finger.
The crates had already been brought out and were waiting for Fergal to look over. I waited patiently as he checked over each one. You would think these hand-offs were exciting, but really it was kind of dull. Especially when I didn’t get that edgy buzz that had my hair standing on end.
