Sarah - Exposed Shot - Part 2

As promised - a Friday edition beginning a whole weekend of Sarah ...

From last time ...

The little leather shop was out in the middle of nowhere. No hills. No gullies. Just flat desert with cactus and scrub. She didn't like the shot any more than Mackey did - but she wasn't going to let HIM know that. Old fucker .. gonna get us killed.

And now ...

"Car coming down the road. That looks like the car that Flores uses - hey ... there's another car behind it ... close behind ... they must be together. What's going on?"

"I don't know, Mackey. You're the one with the glasses and the intel - you tell me."

"I don't know Sarah ... unless that's Giamatti's car ... I wouldn't have any idea what he drives or even if he drives or if someone drives him. We'll just have to wait until he gets out of his car ... IF he gets out. We've never seen more than one car at a stop. This is new. The game has changed - which means, Sarah, you're going to have to call it - if you want to go through with it you have to say so and the whole team has to agree."

"We can't ask Two Feathers, Mackey, he's too far away and if we break cover we'll lose the shot. So it's you and me. Billy is just going to have to trust our decision."

"Fine. What do you want to do?"

"I say we stay under cover and play it by ear. We have the advantage of surprise and they have no idea we're here."

"True, Sarah. We have to stay here no matter what - we couldn't break cover now if we wanted to. But we can't predict anything now. There are too many variables in the mix. I don't like it."

Mackey raised the binoculars to his eyes and focused on the two cars coming through the shimmer over the road.

"Driver alone in the front seat ... two people in back. At least that much is normal. I can't see into the car behind, though. No tellin' how many are in that one. I estimate two minutes."

Sarah began her preparations to take the shot. She squiggled down behind her weapon, turned the hat on her head around so the bill covered the back of her neck, and sighted in on the front of the store. I hope to Christ this whole thing stays simple. Mackey's acting like an old woman all of a sudden. I don't know if I can trust him now. I wonder what the hell Ma did to him.

"We take the shot if it all stays clean. Agreed?"

"Yeah. I guess so. I just don't like the fact that there's gonna be more people now. What if they don't scare? What if they don't run? What if they come out here after us?"

"Dammit, Mackey. Get hold of yourself. We have enough firepower to take on a whole platoon. Now get ready for the backup shot, okay?"

Mackey turned his hat around as Sarah had done to hers - something he had taught her - about keeping a clear field of vision when you were behind your weapon. She's smart, this one. Cool as a cucumber. She would have made one fucking good Marine.

The two cars pulled to a stop in front of the little desert leather shop - the first car to the left of the door, the second car a little to the right, so that from Sarah's vantage point, the doorway was clear and unobstructed.

Flores and his two men got out of the car. The two 'muscle' men stood as lookout while Flores walked back to the car behind his. A fat man of medium height got out of the car and walked forward to meet Flores. So that's what Giamatti looks like. I ought to .. I really ought to ... but not yet. Not until they're all gone ... and he's the last. Sarah watched through the scope as the fat man approached Flores with his hand extended toward the Mexican. There was something in his hand. CHRIST!! The BULLET!!!

Just as Flores took the bullet from Giamatti and started to turn to look - to see if someone was out there, after him - Sarah took the shot.