“We’ve got the element of surprise,” I tell them. “But only if we move fast. I’d like to take Gun alive. Which means taking the other men out.”
“If all fails, put a bullet in his head.” Pip catches my eye and tilts his head toward Cat. Yeah, I know what I’m protecting.
My modus operandi, up to now, is what’s got me into trouble. “Last resort,” I tell Pip. We want answers.
Quickly I sketch a drawing, pointing to the parts of the building where each of us should go. Heads bowed around me, everyone stares and listens. No one interrupts, they just nod.
“You going to be able to aim, Brother?” Goofy asks once I’ve explained my hastily thought up plan.
“Yeah, Goof.” As long as I can steady my rifle, my left hand can pull the trigger.
I point to the rough sketch again. “I’ll be up on the roof and take who’s holding Grinch first. Igor, when it’s time, you kill the outside lights, Brute, you get out the back, they’ll be surrounding us. Shoot first, ask questions after.” The prospect, I’m pleased to notice, has equipped himself with three guns fitted with silencers.
Cat’s green eyes flare, then fill with worry, but she stays silent. I’m guilty that as is usual for a sniper I’ll be in a position of relative safety, except… But what can I do? I’m handicapped with an arm and a leg out of use. I can’t creep up on anyone unawares, not balanced on crutches. The best I can contribute is keeping my head down and picking them off. At least this building is sturdy, or so I hope. I’ve got the easy job.
“You got this Pip?”
“I got this.” He tells me with a sharp nod. “I know what to do.”
“Cat, you’ll be okay in the safe room, it’s built like a fuckin’ tank. As soon as Pip’s back with you, the door will be closed.”
“I want to be with you.” Her voice trembles.
“No fuckin’ way.” I take the chance of curling my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her forehead into mine. “I can’t be distracted, Cat. I need to know you’re safe and not be worrying about you. If someone gets the door open, you’ve got the gun. It’s set to automatic fire. You just put your finger on the trigger and hold it there. And take care of App. He’ll be frightened, okay?”
She throws herself at me. “I can’t lose you, Finn. What I said before was wrong.”
There’s no time for discussion. “Be the strong woman you are,” I say against her ear. “You don’t get rid of me that easily. I told you, you’re mine and you’re not getting out of that. Be strong for me, Cat. All you’ve got to do is wait for me.”
“Why don’t you just kill Gun? Won’t that mean it will be over?” She bites her lip, asking for assurances I can’t give.
Pip comes nearer, his face full of sympathy. “I’m convinced Gun’s another foot soldier. He’s got no personal beef with me. I don’t know who’s pulling his strings, but I’m sure someone is. If so, those men out there will continue to fight for their paymaster.”
I agree with him. Gun’s the immediate superior, but taking him out will give them pause, but not move them from the objective.
Making myself pull away, I move Cat toward the safe room. “It’s time, Cat. Promise me you’ll do what we’ve agreed. This won’t work unless I know you’re doing exactly what I told you.”
Pip looks at her. “Every soldier must play his part,” he says, gently, giving a soft push to encourage her to move.”
“Finn…” I hate to, but I have to ignore her pleas. No words will change this. We’re outnumbered. It’s the only way.
I should give her more time to get over her ordeal, but if I’m going to die, I want to go with her taste on my mouth. She’s halfway into the safe room but I pull her back. When I lower my lips, hers come up to greet mine. Tangling my hands in her hair, I pull her to me, thrusting my tongue into her mouth. Then, before I’m ready, I pull back.
“Go, Cat. Be safe. I love you.”
I don’t watch her all the way into the safe room. Instead, I exit as fast as I can, making my way clumsily to the elevator, not thinking how I’ll be getting down later. With a final word to Pip, nods directed at Goofy, Igor and Brute, I take my lonely journey up to my perch, wedging myself between the parapet and an air-conditioning unit.
Wasting no time, I pull down my night goggles allowing me to find Gun. Grinch is being held by another man and has a gun trained on his head. The man holding him looks military from the way he’s standing. Whether Grinch knows what to do or not, his body isn’t directly aligned with the man holding the weapon. I’ve got a clear headshot. Gears is further back, he’s short and stocky, and luckily being held by someone taller.
We’re avoiding communication devices, knowing Gun might have hacked in and be listening, I wouldn’t put anything past him. So I use the old-fashioned method, watching the second hand of my watch tick round to the minute.
I steady myself, at five seconds I inhale and hold it, the lights go out and simultaneously my finger tightens…
At the same time as the second bullet leaves the barrel my world explodes.
My optimism was misplaced, this building wasn’t built to a high spec code, or the explosion of the bomb in the foyer was badly placed, or was far more powerful than I had anticipated. As the roof starts shifting beneath my feet, I throw myself clear of the air-conditioning unit, knowing its weight will drag me down.
I lose my weapon as I try to hold on to anything that appears relatively stable around me as blocks of the three-storey building start falling.
The creaks, groans, crashes which signal the death throes of the clubhouse are punctuated with the sharp sounds of gunfire. All I can do is hope that we’re on the winning side. At least Cat will be safe, the reinforced steel room she’s in was at least built to survive a full force explosion.
I start to slide. My right hand tries to work, scrambling for purchase, but the cast around my fingers is too tight for them to be much help. My left shoulder screams in agony as I grab strands of wire and hold tight to them.
Christ! Something hit my head. Hard. I shake it to clear the moment of fogginess. All I’ve got to do is hold on…
I’m at the front, right over reception, right where the building is slowly collapsing. I try to move back toward the rear of the building, but gravity is now against me.
I’m hanging over a precipice, a yawning three-storey gap beneath me. I’m losing my grip…
I grab at something, it’s an air-conditioning duct, swinging in the breeze, but at an angle. My cast covered leg almost gets stuck as I slide myself onto it, using it as a slide to get lower.
One floor down.
The duct twists, throwing me out, tossing me against the falling building. So close yet too far. A blown out window, I hold the frame, feeling the bricks crumble beneath. My hand’s sliced by glass, but I’ve more than that to worry about as the whole frame tilts and I’m falling again.
Another floor down far too fast.
Knowing this is going to hurt like hell if not kill me, I let go, tucking my body as though I was landing from a parachute. I hit the ground, jarring my legs, but automatically roll until I come to a stop on hands and knees.