Russian Roulette: Family secrets [2021 version]

Ch. 64: Well, aren't you the persistent little shit?

Window one. Upper left of the house. Lights off at 11:21 pm.

Window two. Right side of the lower house. Lights off at 11:43 pm.

Everything was quiet.

The house laid in darkness as he watched through his rifle scope.

He surveilled a nice two-story brick villa in a classic Italian style. Two houses built into one; one smaller than the other in a displaced joining in the middle. It blended into the landscape perfectly with the yellow bricks and red tile roof, complemented by the colors of the fields. A large patio on the side of the villa held a small pool, which was covered up because of the season.

From what he had observed, it was perfect as a hideout. Secluded, had every modern need inside, cradled in the valley of a perfectly landscaped area to have a view of people approaching from the road or coming by foot from the surrounding hills.

Days.

Days upon days.

And nights too, he had stayed hidden in some bushes on a hill near a small forest formation, observing everything. Logging every move made by the two men in the house.

Grocery deliveries twice a week. To bed before midnight, not up until at least nine in the morning. Ate breakfast separately in different parts of the house. During lunch, one of them usually drove away and came back at around four in the afternoon. Dinner eaten together in the dining room area with a view of the patio. Leisure time in the evening spent in the same room, watching tv.

The routine had taken some days to get into place. At first, they acted antsy and suspiciously kept watch for people, ready to storm the place.

People, meaning Gareth's men.

In time, they had relaxed and gotten into their routine.

Cracker had stayed in the same spot for days until they had seemed settled and felt comfortable and secure with their escape.

That had been the idea.

He had felt nothing as he had waited. The cold. The fatigue. The hunger and thirst. That was what he had trained for and knew how to do.

Observe and wait.

If only a simple kill mission, he would have hauled ass ages ago. But a catch and detain, that took time.

Staying hidden in the house once they had felt safe was not their forte. Vasyl often stood at the door to the patio with his cigars. Iri had no problem parking the cheap stolen car in front of the house instead of covering it with a tarp behind the building. And he happily walked to it with no worries about being seen.

After the routine had clicked in place, Cracker had moved position and observed from different angles of the villa to get a feel for the rooms and to time their bathroom breaks and cooking times. Anything they did regularly but could vary in length, he had timed and estimated with the variables.

From the night at the compound where he, Vasili, and Roarke had chased Vasyl and Iri, only one goal had stayed clearly manifested in Cracker's mind.

He would get them.

With or without help.

From the compound and to the nearest town, they had chased on foot, all surprised at Vasyl's stamina, his age and physical condition considered. Cracker had chalked it up to probably Vasyl's survival instinct taking over, pushing him beyond his normal capabilities, for him to get away.

Adrenaline, fear, and perseverance played an enormous factor in the human mind when chased.

Too far behind them to catch up with them on foot from the get-go, they had still pushed through. The only reason they had known which way to follow from the town was because Iri apparently sucked at breaking into and starting stolen cars, unlike Roarke. Vasyl and Iri had barely left the driveway of some random house in their stolen car when they had caught up with them. Roarke had broken into the nearest vehicle, and together they had pursued them to the border. Far enough behind to see where they went, but not far enough to lose them.