He was sweating – a lot.
He and Jack had arrived at the meeting point he was told about on the phone. To keep his cover Mac had gotten off a few blocks away. They couldn't be sure he wasn't observed already by whatsoever organisation or the guy himself who had called.
Mac was now wearing a black cap. As nervous as he was right now he somehow felt relieved they decided to go without the leather jacket. He had a big weight to carry right now and the heavy, cold leather would have been too much of a burden on his shoulders. Pulling him down even more in his thoughts.
"You are a killer, just like me."
With closed eyes Mac shuddered. His recall of the conversation was so vivid – even though it was a year ago he met with Murdoc. But his words still sound within him.
Unconsciously Mac searched for Jack's frame in the heights of the sky scrapers around the car park he was standing at. Prior they have decided to give Mac a transmitter, so they would be able to detect him, but they did the whole mission without an ear piece. The risk to get caught while meeting this guy was too high. Eventhough they chose a transmitter with a mic so they could hear Mac talking.
He thought of seeing him at one roof but Mac needed to turn away or he would have given in Jack's position. It was way to suspicious to return staring at the same spot.
Before they had left Pheonix they had come up with a plan. Mac was to meet the guy who had called while Jack was staying in wait and observe the area from a little distance. Far away enough to not raise suspicion but near enough to interfere when necessary. Still Mac wasn't feeling near his normal self, even though the sniper rifle was on point.
Mac licked his lips for the thousands time in the past hours. Still they felt dry like sand. His heart was beating like crazy, he felt so nervous. And whatever he did, he couldn't bring himself to calm down. All the training he had received in his education didn't pay off. And he had have lot of training. He was a trained bomb defuser, for god's sake! It was his life to stay calm in situations that would freak every normal person.
"You are a killer, just like me."
The sentence was running loop in his head. Without him realizing he had started to chew his lips, even drawing a little blood. Crap!
With a fast hand movement he swiped it away.
You're a killer, get yourself together! You're a killer!
With this mantra he tried to get himself back in his act, his role. He was a killer. He was a psychopath. He was a man without doubts. He was a man without feelings.
I am a killer.
Mac breathed out heavily. He looked at his watch. Only 3 minutes.
He eyed his surroundings. He was at a parking deck above the ground, directly standing at a concrete wall about waist height. The wind was blowing, without the black cap his hair wouldn't be as neatly. It was cold.
Mac shivered again. Another 2 minutes.
He felt like the time going in slow motion. Every second felt so incredibly long.
It's just a normal operation, keep calm.
On his radio clock he counted the last seconds. 3… 2… 1…
A ringing.
Mac almost flinched – suppressing it at last second!
He would have given his cover away if he was watched right now. What kind of killer would be so tense about a meeting to actually flinch because of a phone ringing! A real killer was making his money with meeting his clients or talking with them on the phone. So he must stay in character, everything else would have been way to dubious and putting him in a very dangerous position.
So he must stay in character – no matter what!
"He's calling", Mac whispered. He didn't get an okay from the others because the talking was one way, but he knew they copied.
Mac swallowed as he pressed the button with shaky fingers. Hopefully his voice wouldn't give him away. "Hello?" He sounded relatively calm and normal – or was it just his imagination? Mac started sweating. His back tensed up.
"I see you are there", he heard a deep and calm male voice.
"I am", Mac confirmed, slowly turning on spot, looking in every direction, "Where are you?"
"Somewhere I can see you, but not visible to you right now."
Mac turned at faster pace. Where was this guy? In a car? Was he even on the parking deck? Was he on a roof like Jack? Or in one of the apartments?
Mac's uneasiness grew with every second.
It was then he realized he hadn't spoken for quite a while.
"Caution is a good trait", he said, "But I want to know who I'm going to work with. It feels a little unfair to me you have a face to talk to and I don't."
Right at this point he regretted his words. He was a killer, a man people hire to kill someone. And a killer was just interested in the job, not the person behind it.
A breathe from the other side of the line. Mac meant to see the caller laughing. Was this a good sign?
"I like you."
Mac sagged a little in relief. He had thought he had given himself away.
"So when am I going to meet you?", Mac asked as coldly as he could.
"Relax, relax", the man in the line appeased, "We will meet in person, I don't want to discuss the details on the phone as well. The job is important and needs a good talk."
"I don't want to talk about the job, I'm not interested in any unnecessary information", Mac responded, "Just give me the name and the job is done. Or any specific moment you wish for."
"What a service", the man chuckled, but Mac was sure he wasn't laughing at all.
"In my kind of business the propaganda per mouth safes my living", he snarled pertly, "And I want to have a good reputation."
Silence at the phone.
"I like you."
Thank god, Mac thought, the conversation is going good. And he still had the guy on the phone. So maybe Riley was actually able to track him down. Just keep him talking!
"I will send you your next location", the man said, "There you will meet my man. Be there in half an hour."
With that the call ended.
Mac was about to respond, but then there was the well known beeping sound audible. His breath stuck in his throat for a second. Then he clicked the line away.
With fast steps he walked towards the concrete stairs. He was at third floor and he was sure, his next meeting point would be quite a way to go. And he couldn't drive with Jack anymore as he now knew he was being observed from somewhere.
Hopefully Riley was able to pinpoint his location. But Mac was not sure, the call seemed relatively short. Riley was fast, very fast, but somehow he got the feeling that the time was not enough.
So he was going into the unknown – all alone.
Hopefully Jack was there.