NIGHT DROP( A Eric the Red thriller: Book 1)

Chapter 23

Cartegna, Spain, safe house

Raising himself from his desk, Atticus grabbed the satellite phone. Holding his phone firmly in his grasp, he dialed ten numbers using cutting-edge digital encryption while keeping it close to his ear. In the meantime, Atticus had eliminated the two assassins he had previously used. He was surprised to find Gunner still alive. Atticus had no idea that Holiday had decided to send Eric the Red Donovan, his most accomplished assassin, to the embassy to make sure Gunner was safely extracted. 

The possibility of Red having a backup shooter piqued Atticus curiosity as his mind raced with this intriguing thought. He could not wonder who this unidentified back-up could be. He understood that he would have to closely examine the embassy security footage to piece the truth.

Atticus has Gunner been eliminated," Callan asked on the other end of the line.

Atticus let out a deep breath as he realized how serious the situation was. "We are facing an issue," he answered. "I sent out wet-job squads, but they are dead. Red probably has a backup shooter to take them down. Regarding Gunner, he remains alive. Very likely, they have sought sanctuary in one of their safe houses." 

 "This is not a portent. I should remind you that Huntley does not appreciate loose ends. Investigate where they took Gunner and resolve the situation. ---.

"Do not worry, they kill Gunner too; I will send another wet-job squad after I find them." Atticus lost his temper.

After quickly ending the call on his satellite phone, Atticus went back to his workstation. He put the phone down as he sat down and started typing on his computer right away. Atticus entered the United States Embassy mainframe with a single keystroke. He turned on the security stream, realizing he would give the go-ahead for the assassins to turn off the electricity. For an instant, his eyes grew wide as they focused on the outline of a long-haired, dark-black woman tightly holding an M4 rifle. 

Atticus used his facial recognition software to identify the face. The file flashed on the screen in a matter of seconds. Information about "Maizie Jennings" emerged, including her name. Atticus understood that the backup shooter was probably a skilled covert operative, no matter who she was. The document disclosed that Maizie Jennings was, in fact, a weapon specialist, and her background indicated that she was probably a former member of the special forces.

With a blazing sense of purpose, Atticus started to devise a strategy. He made use of extra intelligence tools to learn as much as he could about Maizie Jennings. He looked into her previous missions, strategies, and known allies in the hopes of identifying any flaws or trends that would give him the upper hand. 

As he scanned the file, he was able to spot a few instances of censored information. She had been stationed in Russia, Ukraine, and Afghanistan. Recalling Red's secret operation in Afghanistan, Atticus recalled what the sniper instructor had told him previously.

Interesting. 

He realized it would be difficult to find the safe house. Night Drop had to have used it as a secret hideaway long ago to elude capture by intelligence services. Holiday had purposefully avoided letting any group know about it. He had to find out where the safe was so he could send in a squad of hitmen to finish Gunner off. As the enormity of the issue dawned on him, he grimly realized that this operation was probably going to end in a violent and chaotic confrontation from beginning to end. There would be no space for mistake or indecision, and it was obvious that the mission would end in bloodshed.

The footage of Red and Jennings shooting at the mercenaries he had sent to kill Gunner replayed in his mind. During his time in the Marines, he discovered the impossible. Whether he was leading his platoon or overseeing a network of assassins for Huntley, he accomplished the impossible. Once he found the safe house, he planned to assemble a highly skilled team of assassins to eliminate it efficiently.

He learned about smart unnamed aerial Vehicle technology through his military experience and contacts at the Pentagon. With his connections, and Huntley, he acquired the newest UAV, the Reaper. He fixed his gaze on the massive screen as he took hold of the controls. Suddenly, the drone accelerated off the runway, reaching its designated altitude. The UAV was established and began moving forward, with its onboard camera and sensors continuously scanning the environment and collecting a torrent of data. These "eyes in the sky" could capture high-resolution images.

Atticus was observing an abandoned neighborhood in Oslo from the large screen in his office. He noticed that there were no people walking around, but he did see a Ford Mustang parked in the driveway. To get a better view, he decided to switch on the thermal/IR night vision.

Perfect!

The team of assassins he had to put together consisted of ex-Army Rangers and assassins from all over the world who preferred to work independently of their respective governments. Whether he did it to protect his country against its enemies or for national security, it all boiled down to the same thing: profit. 

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Outside the safe house, the assassins walked to the GMCs parked outside. As the armed mercenaries grabbed the handle of the door, Atticus watched from the shadows. It would have been better if he had fired autocannons and machine guns from the Predator drone and wiped out the safe house with them inside. However, he knew the drone was only used for surveillance if it was needed. They got into the back seat as the black-clad mercenaries closed the doors. They drove down the winding mountain road and arrived at a city dotted with castles and battlements. Finally, they reached a private airfield where a Gulfstream Two armed mercenaries stood outside the security gate, where they were waiting. The mercenary opened the door for the wet job team after getting out and walking around to the back. A covert slush fund controlled the airfield through a shell company that the organization of professional assassins controlled. They left the vehicle and opened the trunk to retrieve the Hardigg storm cases containing all the weapons

The ex-Army Ranger called Ari was a muscular man with a European complexion, emerald-blue eyes, and a buzz cut. He looked around the airfield and noticed the control tower wasn't far away. He couldn't understand why Atticus had picked him to join the team of assassins when there were other assassins far better than him. Ari was never one to follow orders and was only in it for the money. However, Atticus had made it clear that if he wanted to work for Headshot, he had to follow his orders.

After loading the weapons onto the Gulfstream, they only knew each other by call names. The target was high-risk, but they had no information about his identity. Ari and the others sat as the Gulfstream G700 took off into the night sky. He gazed outside before turning back to his team, who appeared untroubled. Each of them had neutralized a threat to the country, though they were unaware of what they would encounter. He felt a buzz in his pocket and pulled out his burner evealing an encrypted file. Upon opening it, he saw an image of the target and a woman standing next to him.

He placed his Bluetooth comm in his ear as he asked, "Who is the woman next to the target?"

"She is a covert operator for Night Drop. She used to be a special forces member," Atticus replied through Ari's comm.

Ari examined the image of the woman, furrowing his brow as he tried to recall where he had seen her before. He realized they had both been on a mission in Iraq. He couldn't believe it was her. She must have become an operator for Night Drop, which explained why he hadn't seen her since then. He closed the encrypted file, put his phone in his pocket, and proceeded to clean and reassemble his Sig Sauer XMarco before placing it back in his shoulder holster. There was no doubt in his mind - Jennings was the one protecting the target, and her skills were something to behold.