Hit And Sprint

nine

"Is that it?"

I'm in the driver's seat of my car, looking at a hotel that was about an eighth of a mile in front of me. Numerous other buildings were scattered across the area, ranging from southern steakhouses to banks. They didn't quite matter yet, though.

"Sure looks like it," I respond, speaking to Roy, who was in the passenger seat. 

Robert was in the back, along with a large duffel bag. An important bag, at that.

Inside of it were all of the supplies that we could potentially need to carry out Smiley's murder. It wasn't much, really. A couple GPS trackers, some smaller handheld weapons, and an M21 sniper. 

Turning into the parking lot for the hotel, I choose a spot that's almost fully surrounded by other cars. We wouldn't be using the car again until it was time to go, so I wanted to hide it decently. 

Putting the car in park, I glance around at the men accompanying me. "Alright, sunglasses, hoods, whatever the hell you want, just cover up." If Smiley happened to see one of us before we saw him, we needed to make sure that no one would get recognized.

Roy pushes a pair of aviators up the bridge of his nose, then begins to roll down the sleeves of his button-up, in order to cover his tattoos. 

The spiderweb that he had on his wrist still poked out slightly, but he seemed to be okay with that.

Robert had a hat and sunglasses, though he was still the most recognizable, even with the facial covering. He had a distinct look, and that was difficult to hide.

I completed the triad by putting on my sunglasses. I didn't care to do much else.

Wasting no time, I exit the vehicle, pocketing my keys and waiting on everyone else to get out.

My eyes scan across the parking lot, hypervigilance already kicking in. This part of the city wasn't very crowded, which had its pros and cons.
On one end, it would be much easier to spot Smiley, and to leave less witnesses. On the other, we could've been covered better if there were more pedestrians.

Watching as clueless citizens meander down the street, I begin to feel a presence beside me.

When I turn, Robert is next to me, holding up my duffel bag, expecting me to take it. His head was tilted downward, so I could still see his eyes over the dark shades. He looked slightly nervous.

Taking the bag and slinging it over my shoulder, I start verbally mapping out my plans. "Roy, you're gonna walk the street that's on the far side. And Robert, you can take the other one." I start sifting through the duffel bag as I continue. "I'll sift in and out of bars."

I find what I had wanted soon after, pulling out a ziploc bag with three earpieces in it.

I rip it open, taking the first piece and putting it in my left ear. Dumping the other two into my palm, I dispose of the bag and offer a device to each of the men. "They're already synced up," I explain, watching them each insert their pieces.

After that, I don't say anything, knowing that they would be talking up a storm on the earpieces soon enough. Instead, I begin to walk toward the street, branching off on my own expedition to find Smiley Michaels.

I knew it would most likely be hours before any of us saw a sign of him, but god, I was ready to shoot him in the damn face.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

"I think I see him."

Roy's voice comes through my earpiece, sounding hushed. He was likely trying to keep himself hidden, if he had genuinely seen Smiley.