Page 154
Story: Covert Mission
Seth released Teagan. “Violet is waiting for you. I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you, Seth. See you soon.”
Teagan stepped back, winked at him, and pivoted. She walked to her teammate. “Let’s go. We have work to do.”
They left the hotel and climbed into Teagan’s SUV. They drove squares for a few minutes, then headed for the abandoned building where she was to set up her sniper’s nest.
She parked behind the structure, then she and Violet drew their weapons and entered the building. After determining no one waited to ambush them, they retrieved their gear from the SUV and locked themselves in the building.
Teagan traipsed upstairs to the room from which she’d make her shots. Although crazy as a loon, Peters had studied the lines of sight well. Nothing would block her shot to the hotel eight blocks away.
She assembled her MK22 and activated her comm device. “We’re in place.”
“Nothing happening outside so far,” Iona said. “You have time to find King’s nest. Use it well.”
“Copy that.” Teagan glanced at her partner. “Ready, Violet?”
“Let’s do this.”
She set up her bipod and began the slow search for Russ King on high ground. The first hour passed with no luck. Well into the second hour, she caught a slight movement on the rooftop of an apartment building a few blocks away on the east side of the Capital Hotel.
Teagan waited five minutes, ten, fifteen. Still nothing. Ten minutes before Martin began his speech, she spotted more movement on the same rooftop and saw King’s face. She breathed easier. “Gotcha,” Teagan murmured. Now that she knew exactly where his nest was, she did her calculations for the shot to neutralize the other sniper. She took a moment to send Iona and Seth the address where King had his nest.
“It’s almost time for Martin’s speech,” Violet said. “Any luck?”
“I’ve got him.”
Artemis’ medic smiled. “I knew you’d find King. Good job, Teagan.”
“I hope I can make the shot. It’s not an easy one.”
“Ha. You’re not fooling me. Alex has set up harder challenges than this one for you, and you handled those with ease. I have faith in you.” Violet nudged her shoulder gently. “I bet a certain cop has faith in you, too.”
Her cheeks burned as she turned back to her MK22 and refocused on the ballroom. Inside, she spotted Seth and his teammates in different parts of the room, scanning the crowd. As she watched, Seth spoke into the comm device linked to the Secret Service. Seconds later, two agents escorted a man from the ballroom, one Teagan recognized from Haven. Keith, one enforcer Violet had defeated in the challenge Richardson set up their first morning in the compound.
How many more enforcers were in that ballroom? More important, where was Salitto?
Teagan drew in a deep breath. Time to get to work. Seth and his friends had the ballroom covered. She had other things to handle.
She breathed slowly, lowering her heart rate. Teagan went through the routine Alex taught her, easily settling into the zone. She blocked out everything, trusting Violet to keep the enemy off her until she finished her task.
In the ballroom, several people walked onto the stage. There he was. President William Martin. The man had guts. Teagan had to give him that. She didn’t know many people who would willingly step onto a stage, knowing someone would fire a sniper’s bullet at them. Didn’t matter that she would aim well above his head. The shot had to look like a genuine attempt to kill Martin. “Watch the clock, Violet.”
“You got it.”
At 2:05, President Martin walked to the podium to a standing ovation from his audience. Teagan used her scope to focus on the president. She slowed her breathing further, preparing for the shots of her life.
At 2:09, Violet murmured, “One-minute mark, T.”
“Copy.” Teagan began the countdown in her head. Thirty seconds later, she refocused on her true target, the pane of glass several feet above President Martin’s head. Once she took the shot, she’d have one or two seconds to refocus on King and pull the trigger.
Teagan hated the thought of killing the cop, but he’d kill the president if given a chance. She couldn’t allow him to take the shot.
“Fifteen seconds,” Violet said.
She stroked the trigger, mentally pulling it and seeing the bullet strike the spot she’d chosen as the least likely to injure anyone in the ballroom.
“Five, four, three, two, one.”
“I love you, Seth. See you soon.”
Teagan stepped back, winked at him, and pivoted. She walked to her teammate. “Let’s go. We have work to do.”
They left the hotel and climbed into Teagan’s SUV. They drove squares for a few minutes, then headed for the abandoned building where she was to set up her sniper’s nest.
She parked behind the structure, then she and Violet drew their weapons and entered the building. After determining no one waited to ambush them, they retrieved their gear from the SUV and locked themselves in the building.
Teagan traipsed upstairs to the room from which she’d make her shots. Although crazy as a loon, Peters had studied the lines of sight well. Nothing would block her shot to the hotel eight blocks away.
She assembled her MK22 and activated her comm device. “We’re in place.”
“Nothing happening outside so far,” Iona said. “You have time to find King’s nest. Use it well.”
“Copy that.” Teagan glanced at her partner. “Ready, Violet?”
“Let’s do this.”
She set up her bipod and began the slow search for Russ King on high ground. The first hour passed with no luck. Well into the second hour, she caught a slight movement on the rooftop of an apartment building a few blocks away on the east side of the Capital Hotel.
Teagan waited five minutes, ten, fifteen. Still nothing. Ten minutes before Martin began his speech, she spotted more movement on the same rooftop and saw King’s face. She breathed easier. “Gotcha,” Teagan murmured. Now that she knew exactly where his nest was, she did her calculations for the shot to neutralize the other sniper. She took a moment to send Iona and Seth the address where King had his nest.
“It’s almost time for Martin’s speech,” Violet said. “Any luck?”
“I’ve got him.”
Artemis’ medic smiled. “I knew you’d find King. Good job, Teagan.”
“I hope I can make the shot. It’s not an easy one.”
“Ha. You’re not fooling me. Alex has set up harder challenges than this one for you, and you handled those with ease. I have faith in you.” Violet nudged her shoulder gently. “I bet a certain cop has faith in you, too.”
Her cheeks burned as she turned back to her MK22 and refocused on the ballroom. Inside, she spotted Seth and his teammates in different parts of the room, scanning the crowd. As she watched, Seth spoke into the comm device linked to the Secret Service. Seconds later, two agents escorted a man from the ballroom, one Teagan recognized from Haven. Keith, one enforcer Violet had defeated in the challenge Richardson set up their first morning in the compound.
How many more enforcers were in that ballroom? More important, where was Salitto?
Teagan drew in a deep breath. Time to get to work. Seth and his friends had the ballroom covered. She had other things to handle.
She breathed slowly, lowering her heart rate. Teagan went through the routine Alex taught her, easily settling into the zone. She blocked out everything, trusting Violet to keep the enemy off her until she finished her task.
In the ballroom, several people walked onto the stage. There he was. President William Martin. The man had guts. Teagan had to give him that. She didn’t know many people who would willingly step onto a stage, knowing someone would fire a sniper’s bullet at them. Didn’t matter that she would aim well above his head. The shot had to look like a genuine attempt to kill Martin. “Watch the clock, Violet.”
“You got it.”
At 2:05, President Martin walked to the podium to a standing ovation from his audience. Teagan used her scope to focus on the president. She slowed her breathing further, preparing for the shots of her life.
At 2:09, Violet murmured, “One-minute mark, T.”
“Copy.” Teagan began the countdown in her head. Thirty seconds later, she refocused on her true target, the pane of glass several feet above President Martin’s head. Once she took the shot, she’d have one or two seconds to refocus on King and pull the trigger.
Teagan hated the thought of killing the cop, but he’d kill the president if given a chance. She couldn’t allow him to take the shot.
“Fifteen seconds,” Violet said.
She stroked the trigger, mentally pulling it and seeing the bullet strike the spot she’d chosen as the least likely to injure anyone in the ballroom.
“Five, four, three, two, one.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168