Sanctum by Jason Dean

Author:Jason Dean
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-SIX

At 11.44 that same evening, Korso and Ozan were parked in the same spot as before, watching the Casa Nueva construction site entrance from the other side of the mostly empty street. They’d been there for almost an hour. After leaving Quezada’s compound, Korso had driven them back to the Hilton, where they’d each disappeared into their respective rooms and made preparations for the night ahead. Somehow, Ozan had managed to wrangle himself the suite right next door to Korso.

With the car windows rolled down, Korso heard the oncoming vehicle before he saw it, the engine sounding as though it had been tuned to its loudest possible setting. Two seconds later, Korso saw it: a red Toyota pickup with huge wheels and a raised chassis, speeding eastwards at about sixty kilometres an hour. It looked about to pass by them when the driver hit the brakes and the vehicle screeched to a sudden stop, almost directly in front of the main entrance. The driver revved the engine loudly a few times. A thumping bass beat could be heard from within the vehicle.

A few seconds later, another pickup arrived from the opposite direction, going just as fast. This one was a silver Honda. The driver was heading straight for the Toyota and looked about to crash right into it. But when it was just twenty feet away, there was another ear-splitting squeal of brakes, the wheels locked, and the vehicle skidded to an equally dramatic halt until there was a gap of just three inches separating the two vehicles.

Doors opened and kids of both sexes emerged from the cars and bounced onto the street, all whooping and hollering over the loud beat. None looked older than twenty. Most were either holding beer bottles or drinking from pocket-sized bottles of Quetzalteca whiskey. Two girls in tiny tank tops and even tinier shorts started writhing and dancing on the sidewalk. Within seconds, two of the guys joined them. Pretty soon everyone joined in.

It was Friday night in the big city, and that meant party time. Or at least, that’s how it would appear.

‘Dumb kids,’ Ozan said in a sullen tone. ‘I pay them to be here at 11.30, and the little assholes show up fifteen minutes late.’ He steered out onto the street and turned right at the next intersection, slowly making his way along the northern perimeter. Theirs was the only vehicle moving. And no other pedestrians either. Not this late.

Korso kept his eyes on the security fencing. When he finally spotted the tops of the portable toilets he’d noticed before, he said, ‘Right here will do.’

Ozan pulled into the kerb, killed the engine and switched off the headlights. Korso pulled the navy backpack containing his equipment from the rear seat and slipped his arms through the straps. He was wearing a black turtleneck, black trousers and a black cotton beanie that could be converted into a ski mask if necessary. Reaching back, he grabbed the section of rolled carpet he’d brought along as well.

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