[REWRITING] SHOOT TO THRILL ✷ May Parker

08. black water

08. black water
(🕸🧷🎒🤟🏼🕷)
a venetian street
ext. night

VENICE WAS IN ITS QUIET hours. The shops and homes that lined the water were dark, and all the windows were shuttered.

     That made Gavin's job a hell of a lot easier.

     "Talk to me, Maria. What am I looking for?" Gavin touched his earpiece, crouched by the edge of the canal. He watched the little waves lap against the tethered gondolas.

     "I'm not sure. NSA picked up chatter about three hours ago, but their channels have been quiet since."

     "Shocker," Gavin muttered. "...Something's gotta be here they don't want anyone to find."

     "You're sure about that?"

     "Yeah." He stood, the water to his back as he started to search along the wall, fingers working themselves in the grooves and along the surface of the brick. Gavin paused, feeling out the shape of an S. He reached into his back pocket and produced a switch blade, starting to scrape away the mortar.

"...What're you doing?"

"Trying to—" The brick came out of the wall little effort. It was hollow inside, except for a slip of paper. Gavin shook it out, staring at it in his palm.

"Carver?"

"Found something," he told her. "It makes sense. Using symbols, leaving notes—it's Kobra's M.O."

     "Well,  just—wait a minute—"

     "Yeah...? I'm waiting."

     "No—shut up. I'm detecting a heat signature. Gavin, get out of there," she warned.

     He huffed a little, beginning to unfold the paper. "Ten bucks it's a drunk tourist."

"Gav—ge—you—"

     His comm went dead. Gavin tapped it frantically. "Hill? Maria—hey—"

     "Drop the paper."

     Gavin felt the cool touch of a gun against the back of his head. The voice was a woman's: clear and with an accent, French maybe. He gritted his teeth, letting the piece of paper slip from his fingers. "I'm surprised you didn't send someone else to do your dirty work," he chided. "That Stark shipment must really be worth it for you to crawl out of your snake pit."

The woman laughed. "All bark, no bite—per usual. It's nice to know you're still useless without someone whispering in your ear. But, I'm afraid Agent Hill won't be joining us. I like my privacy."

Gavin turned to face her, staring down the barrel of her gun. "What do you want, Dee? Why are you here?"

Freida looked as though she didn't know the answer to that. "You're not going to ask me how I've been?"