If You'd Let Me

Chapter 17

My ribs ached, I pressed my hand to them. It hurt less than a few days ago, but they still hurt like a bitch. I had bruised them on a job when I had been stupid enough to go out and do my job while I wasn't entirely in the right frame of mind. I had been distracted and this was how I paid for it.

I hadn't visited Eliza the past few days. I hadn't wanted her to worry, so I had planned to stay away for a bit, though I still video called her. I just knew she'd fuss if she saw me and I didn't want that.

I had been on rest for the last few days since the job, but I had another tonight. The team wanted me to heal properly, but it was a big job and they really needed me too. I knew they did, though they said they wanted me to heal and rest up. So I had said I'd be there.

I headed to HQ as it was nearly time. I greeted everybody on my way in.

"How are your ribs?" Flanna asked.

I smiled at her, "It'll be okay."

She gave me a pointed look, wanting me to sit out this time.

"I can go instead."

It was a kind offer, but we both knew they could really use my specialisation — climbing and scaling buildings as well as jumping across large distances — tonight. We'd need that tonight because of where the job was taking place.

The security of the building was near impenetrable if we entered from the front entrance and even the back door would be extremely tricky. So we wanted to enter through the window — the window on the top floor. This was where I came in. We'd go to the roof of the building next to the target's building and I'd leap across to the target's building to enter through the window.

Yesterday we'd already been on the roof next door, well the skyscraper next door, to prepare. We'd done our research beforehand and the gap was a little under 5 meter. I knew I could make it. The only thing that brought slight nerves was the drop, which was quite a big one.

It was showtime right now as I adjusted the comm in my ear. Hong was our tech support tonight. He'd take care of any camera's if we accidentally walked in view. Besides me was Car, the both of us decked out in black from head to toe. Black pants and shirt, gloves and mask.

We went to the roof of an abandoned building on the same block as our target's. We jumped and scaled from building to building until we reached next door.

"I'm in position. Over," I muttered into the comms, giving Car a nod to make her way to the building next tot this one to set up her riffle.

A minute later Car said, "I'm in position, too. Over."

"Same. Over," Flanna answered from the ground. She was our back up and would release a gas in the vents on my sign if needed.

After Car quickly reassembled the sniper's riffle, she gave me the okay. We were all in position.

I watched the lit up office across from me. I knew I could make the jump. It was only a matter of timing. I noticed our target discussing business with antoher man. "Target's in sight. There is a witness. Over." I sat crouched on the rooftop, keeping my sight on the two of them.

"Want to wait for him to leave? Over," Car questioned.

I squinted and recognised the other man. He wasn't a threat. "No, witness isn't a threat to the operation. I repeat the witness isn't a threat. Over."

"Are you sure, Row?" Flanna asked.

"Yes, we commence. Over."

"Copy that. Over," she said.

We'd done this enough as a team that they trusted me to make the right call and calculate the risks. Normally we'd wait for the witness to leave. It was in our code that we didn't kill innocent bystanders.

"Car, are you in position? Over."

"I am. Over."

She was my back-up in case anything went wrong or I needed assistance.

For a moment it thought the business partner looked me right in the eye, but he looked back at the target a moment later. He must not have seen me. He couldn't possibly see me with how dark out it was.

Before I moved away from the edge, I gauged the distance. I tested the run up, but didn't actually leap yet. I moved back in position and check the sheaths on my leg. They were tightly secured.

"Ready to jump. Over."

"Copy that. Over," Hong muttered. That was my cue to go.

I ran to the edge and jumped. For a moment I was weightlessly moving through the air. I landed on the roof and tucked and rolled. I came to a stop and stood up, walking back to the edge. I looked over the edge at the opened window. We were very lucky that the building had windows that actually opened. Most buildings with this many floors didn't. I moved to stand above the opened one.

"Ready to enter. Over."

"You're in sight. Over," Car responded.

The window opened at the top, so the upside of the window leaned slightly out from the building. Enough that it could be considered a hazard, but lucky for us.

I turned my back to the gap. "Cut the camera's, Hong. Over."

"Copy that. Over." A second later he muttered, "Camera's cut. Over."

"Entering now. Over." I gripped the edge and lowered myself slowly down. I quickly let my feet move inside the window and let myself drop through the window.

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