Marrakesh, Morocco
B
right Penny, a.k.a. Rafik Bennani, cursed as he rushed to clear the city limits of his lifelong home of Marrakesh. Langley’s orders had come in only minutes ago, leaving him only minutes more to not only get his sniper rifle from its hiding place in his home, but get it into his car without the neighbors discovering he was actually a CIA asset. Not to mention that they needed him to find a position outside of the city to delay a driver without him knowing he had been deliberately delayed.
“He’s three minutes from your position.”
A colorful Darijan expletive erupted. He spotted a bend in the road ahead with a wide cleared area beside it that would give him a good view of any vehicles approaching. He turned off the road and skidded to a halt. He threw his door open and grabbed his sniper rifle from the back seat, then sprinted toward a large rock that he prayed to Allah would give him the cover from prying eyes he needed.
“Two minutes.”
He dropped to his knees and quickly set up his weapon before lying prone, pressing his eye to the scope. “I’m ready. Describe the target.”
“Black Mercedes sedan. One minute.”
He got a bead on the road and slowly tracked back then smiled. “Got it. Stand by.”
He aimed for the rear tire. It would leave the driver with the most control, since the aim wasn’t to kill the poor bastard. He inhaled, taking aim at the sidewall of the tire in the hopes the bullet would not only shred any run-flat feature, but pass through the tire and not embed itself in the rim, leaving evidence as to what had happened.
He gently exhaled as he squeezed the trigger.
The car swerved, and for a moment he thought the worst, but after a few tense seconds the driver regained control and brought the car to a halt. Bennani peered through the scope and smiled at the completely disabled rear tire. He rolled to his side and dismantled his weapon, packed it away, then returned to his car. He placed the gun in a hidden compartment in the trunk, then pulled back onto the road.
“Control, Bright Penny. Mission accomplished. Vehicle is disabled, no way to know for how long. On my way to the rendezvous, out.”
And
next time give me more than ten minutes!
