Page 24 of Forged
I sit in the back of Hale’s SUV, vest tight, my rifle across my lap. The closer we get, the flatter the land becomes. Wide open fields with low brush and scattered clusters of scrub trees offering little cover.
We kill the lights and pull into an old garage overlooking the highway, property owned by one of the Saints’ associates.
“Convoy’s on schedule,” Cash says. “Left Luling twenty minutes ago.”
We take up positions in the loft above the garage. From here, we have a clear view of the road. Minutes later, headlights crest the hill.
To anyone else, they’d look ordinary. To me, the formation is unmistakable.
Cash folds his arms. “If Sera hits, this is her spot.”
“Then where is she?” Hale mutters.
“She won’t be on the road,” I say.
Cash glances at me. “Meaning?”
“She stays hidden. She won’t take the obvious angle.”
Hale scoffs. “She’s one woman. Not Batman.”
He doesn’t get the chance to say another word as something moves above the convoy.
“Drone,” I say.
Cash swears, raising the binoculars. “Son of a?—”
A charge drops onto the lead SUV. Fire blooms and metal screams. Men spill out, shouting, disoriented.
“How the fuck did she acquire drones?” Hale breathes.
“Veleno must have deeper pockets than we thought,” I say.
A second drone appears. Another charge drops and the truck tears open, fire erupting into the air as Maravilla’s men scramble.
“She’s not here,” Cash growls. “She’s running this remote.”
“Fuck,” I mutter. “She just changed the game.”
The rear SUV swerves out of control and rolls into a ditch. Then silence. This time, there’s no roses, no signature left behind, just devastation.
“This was a clear message,” I say, lowering the binoculars.
“What kind?” Cash asks.
“The kind that says she’s done playing small.”
“And us?”
I track the sky where the drone disappears. “If I were a betting man, I’d say she knew we’d bewatching.”
Smoke rolls past us through the open window, thick and acrid.
Hale exhales sharply. “That shipment was worth over a million. Maravilla’s going to burn the city down over this.”
Cash turns to me. “We’re going to need more men.”
My eyes stay focused on the sky.
