The Loneliest Stars || EDITING

Chapter 37

Trigger Warning: there's some violence in this chapter.

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The sun beat on his back, seeping through the layers of his clothes, and spreading torching warmth through his body, but still he remained focused on his task.

He had taken the overwatch position as the most accomplished sniper on the team, he wanted to be there for them instead of in the control room watching from a screen.

His scope and rifle were set up facing the building they were reconning. It was a nondescript den, small but full of vicious vipers. It was where a small group of terrorists were running an operation that smuggled people across the desert, into Libya and then finally into Europe if they were lucky.

Most victims ran out of money on the long journey across North Africa, the evil cartels no doubt raising the goalpost for funds as they progressed. The women were sold to brothels to work off their debt and the men were sold into modern day slavery in Libya. It was one of the most evil things he had ever heard and today he had a chance to destroy their base.

Dan, who was taking lead on the operation on the ground, gave the order to breach the door. They set the timer and a dull thud could be heard as the door collapsed off its hinges.

The team of 6 entered the building swiftly, Gabe could hear their chatter through the comms line as they cleared the building, room by room.

They found four men in the building which they brought out and bundled into the waiting French humvees. They destroyed drugs, gathered hard drives and documents and then doused the building in gasoline watching it catch fire and grow into a small controlled blaze.

Gabe spotted some activity coming down the narrow pedestrian road. An open top jeep, the driver obscured, with men hanging off the side bars. "Bravo 1, this is overwatch you've got a party headed your way," Gabe informed Dan. "I'm going to take them out, look out for any stragglers."

He noticed the AKs strapped to their backs, he waited a beat so they got closer to the building. He wanted to be able to know with confidence that's where they were headed before setting up his scope and squeezing the trigger until all the targets were eliminated.

"Bravo 1, all tangos down. I say again, all tangos down."

"Roger that, let's get out of here. Calling for transport."

Gabe got up from his position lying on his belly. His muscles protested when he stretched and felt the tactical clothes he wore saturated with sweat. It was so goddamn hot in this country, a thick oppressive heat with no wind and no let up. The air was heavy with sand particles and they got everywhere. Face, fingernails and even gums. The sooner he could leave this place the better.

The cell they had taken down today was the last of a long exhaustive list of targets given to them by Ty's employer who had been subcontracted by the US government.

Gabe reported to three different entities, the private contractor, the US government via an intelligence liaison and the French. The layers of bureaucracy drove him to the brink of insanity. If it wasn't for that he'd have been at home by now. Gabe was a hundred percent certain he wanted no parts of contracting when this was over.

"You wrote a will, you sick idiot and left it for me to find? When I see you I'm gonna kill you." Gabe winced as her angry voice bellowed - well bellowed as much as she could in her soft, feminine voice down the phone line.

"You're going to kill me?" He couldn't take that kind of threat from her seriously. She couldn't hurt a fly if she tried.

"That's what I said. Did I stutter?"