But she was betting he wasn’t in the cranes. Based on his previous perch, the one she’d investigated with Kyle, he liked a sheltered nook with multiple choices for a hasty retreat. They were also susceptible to significantly greater influence by the wind coming up off the waterway. It’d make any shot more complicated. He was more likely to be on the shipping containers, tucked into a hidey-hole with a clear line of sight on the meeting place.
As her breathing normalized and her heart rate recovered, she shimmied farther along the top of her crate alligator-style to avoid unnecessary noise. At the edge, she waited until she recognized each of the night sounds. The splash of water against the edge of this industrial island out in the waterways. A random seabird or two. The dull roar of distant engines as planes left the nearby airports and flew past Seattle. She took each sound, identified it and disregarded it as she searched for the sound that didn’t belong.
It was the scent that helped her locate him first. The sweet smell of bubblegum wafted to her as a light breeze picked up. She turned her face quickly into the wind and studied the area ahead of her.
She eased her own rifle and scope out of her duffel. First she checked that the scope shade tape was still in place to be sure no random reflection of the scope would betray her location, then using the scope, she took a closer look at both the far stack and the near. Of course he wasn’t lying directly on top the way she was. But she’d hoped to see some hint to give her a target. She had to find a way to identify where he was and get her shot.
At this point, she needed to do something unconventional to flush him out.
Leaving her rifle out, she slipped it into place across her back. Tightening the three-point harness hard against her body, she made sure it wasn’t going to flail at all while she climbed. She shimmied back down off the high stack she’d been using. Reaching back into her duffel bag, she came up with a flare and a flash grenade. Neither of them was particularly quiet and both of them were about to ruin his night vision.
Hey, even ninjas require some help to go unseen.
She uncapped her glorified road flare first and closed her eyes as she lit and tossed it along the edge of the nearest container aiming for the darkest shadow in the aisle. As it flew and skittered noisily across the ground she jogged toward the first stack, keeping far enough away to keep the top edge in sight. As she put distance between her and the flare, it began to burn brighter and brighter until a hundred new shadows danced in the red light.
There was a brief flash, catching her eye. She froze and slowly crouched down as she peered up at the first stack. There, the short end of the container, second from the top, had tarp stretched over its end instead of two closed metal doors.
A puff of white vapor slipped out from the edge of the tarp. Hard to see, definitely. If she hadn’t been watching for it she’d have missed it.
Gotcha.
She crept in close until she was pressed to the side of the bottom container of the stack. The metal wall of its side was cold and rough with rust. It smelled metallic and salty and she wondered how many times this particular container had traveled the Pacific.
Hefting the flash grenade, she considered her options. Flash grenades were heavier than they looked and made a decent amount of sound in conjunction with the blinding flash. Once it detonated, the light from the flash grenade would sear his retinas and potentially do permanent damage.
Which was why she was going to lob it someplace else and not be looking anywhere near its direction when it went off.
There wasn’t much time before the rest of the team arrived with Kyle. This sniper needed to be neutralized and she needed to be in her own perch well before they arrived.
She yanked the pin, drew back her arm, released the handle, counted slowly to one-Mississippi and threw the flash grenade. Without waiting, she turned and began to climb as soon as it hit the ground and began to clatter along the asphalt. The tarp above her flapped slightly.
She definitely had the right location. Good. Otherwise, she’d end up shot in the back.
The flash grenade went off less than a second after bouncing, casting the metal under her hands in brilliant white light. She kept climbing, scrambling furiously now. As she reached the edge of her target container, she gathered her legs under her and launched herself into the tarps.
Heavy fabric parted for her and she plunged into darkness, hearing more than seeing the man inside. He’d been lying on the floor, close to the edge and she’d managed to land partially on him. As he rolled away from her, she managed to kick his trigger hand. His rifle fired and she kicked again, sending the rifle out and over the edge.
His knee connected hard with her cheekbone as he cursed.
She rolled onto her back and pivoted on her tailbone to bring both her legs together between them. Her two-footed kick contacted with the soft portion of his torso and she was rewarded with his grunt of pain.
In the dark, she heard the telltale click of the safety coming off his secondary weapon. Question was whether he could see her or not and how much time she had to disarm him.
She could see his faint form as a darker shadow against the black. He was in reach, she could do this. In two seconds, this would be over either way.