Chapter 44
Mike waited in an almost darkened house, his profile at a minimum as he scanned the front of Gibbs' house looking first one way then the other. Pistol held at the ready he moved swiftly and silently to the back of the house and checked the patio and side doors. He then glided to the foot of the stairs.
"Sit rep." he said in a soft husky whisper. He was answered immediately.
"Nothing yet Mike." An equally husky whisper returned. "You?"
"You'll hear me Jack if anything pops." Mike rolled his eyes as he gave the same answer yet again. He moved back to the front window again. This time however when he looked left he saw a difference in the shadow of the neighbor's old maple tree. Very slowly Mike pushed the filmy sheer curtain aside just that little bit with the tip of his gun so he could see with his eye more clearly.
"Tree cancer." He muttered, referring to the faulty positioning of a sniper. "Well, let's see what you got big boy. Where's your buddy at, or ain't we worth a team?" He moved back to the stairs. "Out front, neighbors tree. Goin' huntin' for another one."
"Got 'im." Jack said grimly.
Mike made his way quickly through the house and slipped into the shadows that were present around the side door. Slipping from the hedge to the side of the garage he glanced up. The night light in little Jack's room was on. They had maintained routine with this in case their stalkers were aware of nightly habits. His vision moved to a vantage point he would have used if he was an observer. He then looked to the right side of the crux of branches. Knowing it was easier to see anything in the dark by looking past it, with his side vision he picked out the ghillie netting.
"Ahhh…" he said inside himself. "You got'cha a nice little nest there don't ya. Let's see what I can do to make ya miserable."
He slid past the garage and into the deeper shadow of the tall cedars at the back edge of Gibbs' lot. Just as he was slipping beneath the sniper he heard the loud 'CRACK' of Jack's Winchester 1873. Only one shot. Mike grimaced and pointed his Smith and Wesson 9mm with its sound suppressor up through the gap of branches over his head and let fly with 5 rounds. He jumped past and whirled back. There was a grunt and a body fell and draped itself over the cedar tree Mike had just been under. There was no movement.
Mike ran back to the house and entered through the same side door he had come out of. He ran to the stairs putting a fresh clip in his gun.
"Jack!"
"I'm here. He's on the front walk. He ain't movin'. There's a car that don't belong parked near the corner. I saw a light flash in there. Somebody's smoking."
"OK. Give me a slow count of 10 and put one right through the radiator. They gotta be thinkin' about movin' out. Nobody's reported in."
"You got it."
Mike found his throat was tight. He was pure and simply furious, this was his family. Gibbs and he looked at life the same. His friend couldn't deal with this threat. He and Jack could. He went through the side door again and running only in the shadows, he made his way through 3 yards and came out on the sidewalk on the cross street.
He slowed his gait and strolled as if he were making his way home after a few drinks. Not staggering but loose. He started to cross behind the car and noted 2 men inside. They were in active conversation, one waving a hand. Another 'CRACK' sound reverberating in the still of the neighborhood and the impact actually raised the hood out of shape on the car. The men inside dropped out of site. Mike appeared at driver's door and ripped it open. He shot the second man. The gun pointed at the driver's head.
"You didn' introduce yourselves so we had to kill all your friends. Are you gonna tell me anythin' I want to hear?"
"We're just doing a job. That's all it is. A job." He had his hands on the steering wheel and didn't look at Mike.
"Does your job usually have you killing infants and grandfathers?"
The man looked up at Mike slowly. "Are you the grandfather?"
"I'm one of 'em stupid. The other one's with the rifle."
"Jesus, he's a hell of a shot."
"Yeah. WW2 created a lot of those. So did Nam. So don't make me ask you again."
"I was told to take out all the people in the house. They wanted a clean slate. I didn't know anything about infants and grandfathers."
"You stupid fuckhead. You want me to believe you run an operation without any research? Don't you move!"
The man tried to dive out the door, Mike shot him in the head.
"Well… shit." He stepped backward and put his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths. Quickly he checked the body. He then went around to the passenger door and checked that body for ID. He looked up at the sound of a foot fall and Jack was there, gun at the ready.
"Anything?" Jack said looking around alertly.
"Well apparently there is a "they" behind all this crap." Mike was now going through the glove box.
"I think I assumed that." Jack said scanning Jethro's neighbors' homes for lights.
A grunt was his answer. Then, "A rental. We can work with that. C'mon let's get back. Wait." Mike took pictures of both men's faces.
As they walked back Mike dialed a number. An electronically altered voice answered.
"Claim." The voice rasped.
"Need cleanup for four." He gave the address of the house and the location of the car.
"20 minutes."
"Suppression of local contacts needed."
"Done."
Mike went with Jack and took photos of the other two dead men also. They went back to the house and sat on the steps. Mike took his electronic cigarette out and leaned back with his elbows on the deck. Jack raised an eyebrow.
"That thing help?" Jack asked.
"Not really, needs smoke to smell."
"Why bother?" Jack grunted and scanned the street.
"'Cause it gives me somethin' to do besides killin' people." Mike growled.
"I can see that would be good." Jack said and kept scanning. The two sat quietly waiting.
