"Why didn't you alert us he was here?" Christine said through gritted teeth as they sped down the highway. "That was your only job. Press one button."
"He took it," Stuart said quietly.
"The device you're supposed to have on you at all times? He took it?"
Stuart bowed his head. "Yes."
They sped off the ramp, down a street, and quickly turned onto the hitman's street.
As they approached the house, Christine was shocked to see a man on the front lawn. He was on his knees with his hands behind his head. As she pulled up, the headlights lit up his face. He was covered with blood and smiling.
"That's Gary," Michael stated.
Christine stopped in the middle of the road but didn't get out.
"Why's he here?" She asked.
"He said he was going to turn himself in," Stuart offered.
"What's the play?" She said frantically, "Why is he there?"
"There's no play," Michael repeated. "He told us to drive a specific route to that gas station, wait for you. And then tell whoever picked us up that he was here."
Christine sat in her car. The three vans pulled onto the street and rolled beside her. "That's Gary." She said into a radio, "Approach with caution, you cannot kill him."
She looked over her shoulder at Michael and Stuart. "You two get out of the car." When they didn't move, she pointed her pistol at them, "I don't trust you in here. Get out of my car and stand in front of the vehicle until Gary's secured."
______________
They killed Hank! They killed Hank!
The hitman paced in the woods trying not to scream in a fit of fury. Her gut had been right. It was a sting. No chance there was a real hit in her hometown. She'd traveled all over the country killing people. They expected her to believe there was a hit on an individual who happened to be a tourist in her own town?
She'd been downstairs when the intruder had broken into her house and snuck out a side door without him noticing. They sent someone to kill her, but instead, they killed Hank!
She peered down the scope of her rifle at the scene. The man that killed Hank was on his knees.
They set him up too! He was supposed to kill me. And then they were going to get him.
The scope of her rifle bounced with her jitters as she scanned. Then she saw him, the bastard behind the whole operation, the target, the one she was supposed to kill. He was an agent, their scapegoat, the one they would've hailed as a hero when they took her down. They'd say he was so brave for offering himself as a target.
If they want me to kill him, here you go!
————-
A blast went off from the left of the house, sending the entire scene into chaos.
"Get Gary!" Christine yelled as three agents sprinted to his position and pulled him to a van.
A second shot fired.
Michael fell to the ground out of instinct. What was happening?
Agents fired off random shots at the tree line.
Christine ran back to the car.
"Get in!" She yelled at Michael. "Get in!"
Michael made a short burst to the back of the car and laid in the back seat.
"Where's Stuart?" She yelled.
"Gary's been apprehended," the radio barked.
"Get out of here," Christine answered frantically.
Michael pushed open the far door to look for Stuart. He let out a yell when he saw him.
Stuart's body was lying on the pavement. He wasn't moving. Lights from the car reflected a puddle of blood around him.
"Someone get that body," Christine yelled into a radio as she swerved the car around and headed towards the interstate.
Michael watched out the rear window as a van swerved to block Stuart's body from the tree line where the shots had come from. The door swung open, and two agents pulled Stuart's limp figure into the van.