Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 127249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
We run through the setup until it gets close to the agreed time. Men in civilian clothes pretending to admire Australian snakes and Nile crocodiles flood the grounds. Snipers are in place on the rooftops of the cafeteria as well as the office buildings that frame the park. A team is on standby in a mobile surveillance center set up in a van that’s parked in the street. They’re monitoring the feed coming in from our drones and ensuring we have men carrying hidden cameras on every corner of the premises, including in the dimly lit interiors housing the terrariums.
A van with tinted windows is circling nearby. The driver will arrive on my command to take Ms. Foster away. I want it done quickly and quietly. For that reason, I have a man with a tranquilizer dart gun in place. She won’t even know what has hit her until it’s too late.
She’ll feel dizzy. I’ll pretend to support her as her head starts spinning. Reino will cover my back while I carry her to the waiting van. For anyone looking in from the outside, it will appear as if she’s fainted. Low blood sugar. Poor thing hasn’t eaten in a while. That’s what we’ll say if anyone asks.
I arrive at the park early, doing the rounds to familiarize myself with the layout I’ve studied. There are two main exits, one facing north and the other one south. Smaller revolving gates lead to streets on the west and east sides. An entry ticket with a barcode has to be scanned to unlock the gates.
At a quarter to three, an alert from the surveillance team pings on my phone, informing me that Ms. Foster has just cleared the northern gate.
I’m standing in a gazebo not far from the cafeteria, hidden from sight. From this angle, I have a clear view of the woman who approaches a few minutes later on the path that cuts through the garden. The leather fringe jacket and baggy jeans don’t hide the bony state of her body. A frayed bag hangs over her shoulder. She’s pulled her hair into a ponytail through the gap at the back of a baseball cap. Even with the big sunglasses obscuring her face, it’s not difficult to recognize her. She’s skittish, looking around with jerky head movements and constantly glancing over her shoulder.
When she arrives at the cafeteria, she scans the unoccupied tables outside before walking to one right in the center. Peering around, she pulls out a chair, hooks her bag over the back, and sits down. Then she interlocks her fingers on top of the metal table and bounces her knee as she waits.
Ulysses’s voice comes through my earpiece. “Target in place.”
I straighten from where I’m leaning with my arms on the rail. “Moving in.”
Reino, who’s drinking coffee at a table on the other side of the courtyard, gives the command. “Keep your positions.”
The shooter speaks. “I have a clear shot.”
Dressed as a gardener, he’s raking up a pile of leaves on the lawn bordering the courtyard.
“Ten meters,” I say.
A jogger with headphones runs past. He’s one of mine.
My hacker hijacked the security cameras. For the moment, we’re using them to monitor the park. As soon as we have Ms. Foster in the van, he’ll wipe them clean.
“I see you.” Ulysses is overseeing the surveillance in the van. “You’re good.”
I lower my head and stop a few paces away. “Keep an eye on the bag.”
One of my men, wearing a long summer coat and driving gloves, goes over to her table.
“There you are,” he says with a broad smile, spreading his arms and embracing her before pulling her to her feet.
Her body goes ramrod stiff, but she’s wise enough not to make a sound. The man pretends to greet her with a welcoming hug while swiftly patting her down for concealed weapons.
“Sit.” Stepping away, he keeps her at arm’s length. “I’ll get you a coffee.” Once she’s plonked back down in her seat, he takes her bag. “I forgot my wallet. You don’t mind, do you?”
She says nothing, her face chalk-white behind those oversized glasses as he goes through her bag. After searching it, he leaves it on the table and heads toward the coffee kiosk.
I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. She knew what she was doing when she schemed with men to hurt my wife.
My man carries a steaming paper cup back to the table. As soon as he’s put it down in front of her, he slips away.
Picking at her cuticles, she stares at the cup but quickly looks up when my shadow falls over the table.
I smile and take a seat, ensuring that I move the chair an inch to the left as I make myself comfortable. The position gives Reino a clear view and the man with the dart gun as well as the snipers a clean shot.