43: Are you sure?

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The days when I had to watch my back were gone, fading into a comfortable routine where I didn't have to look for a knife in my back

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The days when I had to watch my back were gone, fading into a comfortable routine where I didn't have to look for a knife in my back.

I liked my routine. Anya was more than happy that I was getting more sleep and that I paid more attention to work.

A routine is good...until it's not. The thing about routines is that if you have one, you've become predictable. For someone like me, who has enemies on all sides, a routine is like a death warrant. So the day before our date, I was unsurprisingly ambushed. A shoot-out in public is hardly what I call convenient but there's not much you can do. At least there weren't many civilians here.

Just another day on the job.

God just loves to play his best jokes when I'm not looking, doesn't he?

Eddie ducked behind a crate, there was a cut on his forehead that was dripping blood into his eyes. He looked at me with a familiar crazed expression, wiping away his blood and handing me a new cartridge for my gun. I take it gratefully and load it into my gun.

"Thanks!" I said. "You good?"

He nodded, eye wide. "I've been in worse! Who are these guys?!"

A good question. I wish I had an answer. I peeked behind the crate. The shipping yard had been busy a few minutes ago with dock workers unloading crates and our men patrolling around. Now it was empty except for the machinery that was abandoned and a few dead bodies scattered around. Blood was turning the asphalt a murky brown as it mixed with the water, I could smell it as the breeze spread the stench of death towards us.

Several men in three black cars had broken through the barriers and opened fire on us. The cars were armoured and heavy, almost military-grade but they weren't the police. I had paid off enough officials and police officers to look the other way, if anyone wanted to snitch on me then I would know immediately. Anya wasn't the only one with a network.

There was no signal, no identifying feature. I had no idea who these men were and most of my bodyguards were dead except for Eddie.

I needed a place where I could have a good vantage point. The sniper I had strapped to my back was useless on the ground. I looked up. There was a crane, the operator missing. Maybe if I could get up there, I could have a better shot at taking these guys out and buying us enough time until the reinforcements arrive. It's a good thing that I had a light breakfast.

"Cover me!" I called out to Eddie.

I ducked out behind the crate and started running across the yard. I was completely in the open, dodging bullets and concentrated on hauling my ass to the open crates that were stacked on top of each other, giving me perfect cover. I could hear the bullets hitting the crate, sometimes going through the thin metal. They were split between shooting at Eddie and me. I trusted Eddie enough to hold down the fort. There was a reason I kept him around all these years. I just hoped that his luck wouldn't run out now.

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