Sarah - Exposed Shot - Part 4

From last time ...

... he saw the big guy coming around the backside of the big black Buick and he had a Thompson in his hand and it was blowing little puffs of smoke at him and then he came to it and he knew where he was and he knew he had the second shot and so he sighted down the barrel of his Springfield and squeezed off the round and the target disappeared under a cloud of red.

And now ...

Sarah was always a bit surprised by the light recoil in this weapon Jake had given her. Because of that light recoil, the weapon stayed on target after a shot, as it had done with this shot.

Flores was down. But as she swung her view a little to the right, she was startled to see Giamatti looking back at her. Just standing there, looking right back at her, or so it seemed. The distraction charges had started going off - the little ones, made to sound like rifles, to disguise her location, and the bigger ones, the heavy ones, throwing sand and dirt and stones in the air, meant to confuse and frighten those who were not targets.

She could see someone jump out of the car Giamatti had been driven in, she saw the distinctive muzzle of a Thompson pointed skyward as it moved toward the back of the car, and she realized Mackey needed to take this shot, but a quick glance his way told her he wasn't ready, Doesn't he see him? Doesn't he SEE?, and she could see the guy starting around the back of the car and that muzzle was starting to fall forward and she was shouting "SHOOT!, SHOOT!" and then she saw Mackey take his aim and her eye went back to the scope and she sighted in on the 'muscle' that was laying across the hood of Flores' car taking pot shots in her general direction with an ineffectual .38 revolver. She took that shot and he slid off the car - she watched as his hand disappeared behind the crown of hood, the gun following the shooter down the other side of the car to the ground.

She scanned the scene with her scope - she couldn't find Flores' other muscle - she guessed he was flat on the ground behind the car. Strangely, though, Giamatti still stood there. He hadn't moved. He looked as though he hadn't even blinked. He just stared in her direction, but then he bent over Flores' body and picked up the bullet that was still clutched in his hand and stood up, looking at it. And then looking right back at her, again. He slipped the bullet into his pocket and climbed into the back seat of his car. Sarah could see him say something to someone she couldn't see, and as Giamatti got into his big black Buick, the front passenger door of his car opened and someone slid into the front seat, got behind the wheel, backed the car into a tee turn and drove back the way they had come just a short time before.

"Mackey, what the hell is the matter with you? You tryin' to get us killed?"

"What? I saw him. I was gonna get him but with you shoutin' at me and all ... well, anyway, he's down. We better get outta here. Cops will be here before long."

"Well, get your shit, then, and let's go. Signal Billy so he can uncover the Jeep and we can get movin'."

"I just heard the Jeep start up - he"ll be here in a second."

"Good. Mackey?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you gonna be okay? Are you gonna be with me when I need you, or not?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"I don't know where you were, but you certainly weren't with me when that big bruiser came around that back of that car with a fucking machine gun in his hands. We could have DIED, Mackey!!"

"I told you, I had him all the way. Now leave it, okay? When you need me, I'll be there. That's all there is to it."

"I hope so, Mackey. I hope so. We're a team. All of us. You, me, Billy, all the kids from the Res doing recon for us, everybody. We all got jobs to do, and we all got to stay focused when we're doin' our jobs. What you got goin' with Ma - whatever that is - is fine. But Mackey - that's lovin'. And lovin' and work don't mix. Like my momma says - "Don't let your work interfere with your lovin', and don't let your lovin' interfere with your work.""

"Smart woman, your momma. Smart woman."