Target Redacted by Brad Lee

Author:Brad Lee [Lee, Brad]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-01T16:00:00+00:00

61

THE ROOF

Hollywood Boulevard

Hollywood, California

Bone ducked into a 24-hour liquor store, keeping his head down to hide his face as much as possible, and bought a bottle of whiskey. He had to be realistic. If the choice was between having a few sips to steady himself or taking the shot sober with shaking hands, he’d risk the booze.

A few blocks further on, he retrieved his car, gave the valet a tip both large and small enough to not be remembered, and drove to a back street to prep what he needed for the mission.

His clothes were fine—straight out of his go bag yesterday morning after his trail run and meeting with Admiral Nalen. Black cargo pants, a black long-sleeve shirt, and a black windbreaker made him look hip on Hollywood Boulevard—and would allow him to slip into the shadows off it.

The larger pistol felt comfortable in the holster inside his pants.

The smaller 9mm in the calf holster, under his pants leg, was barely noticeable.

Tactical gloves went into his pocket. He couldn’t leave fingerprints behind.

Once the go bag was empty, Lamar’s AK went inside. It was long, but just barely fit on the diagonal once he extended the straps holding the flap over the top. Extra clothes padded the bag to make it look less like he was carrying a rifle.

The bottle of booze went in between the clothes, and he packed a few of the large bottles of water and several energy bars inside too.

An old wool blanket completed his load out.

As he closed the bag, he had another withdrawal sweat attack but ignored it. It was uncomfortable, both physically and as a sign of how much his body had grown to rely on alcohol, but it wouldn’t affect him. As a SEAL, he had learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

It had been much too long since he’d used that skill—and so many others. Tonight, though, he was back on track.

Bone drove the car around the back streets several blocks from Hollywood Boulevard, looking for a good place to park the car. He couldn’t be too far away from the buildings he’d picked but the spot had to be both safe and legal. Discovering the car had been towed right when he needed to make a speedy getaway would be bad.

He found a space a block to the west of the buildings on a street of apartments, slung the backpack over one shoulder, and locked up the car. Imitating a weary worker coming home after a long night, he made his way along the quiet residential street back to Hollywood Boulevard, head down.

At the second office building, he’d planned on finding a dark corner and waiting until right before dawn for the next stage, but he had a good feeling. The area was quiet, with only the occasional car. The restaurants had closed and there were no bars nearby. No lights were on in the offices. The few retail shops were all dark.

A long gray drainpipe along the back corner of the second building looked freshly added.

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