Chapter 8 Nathan
Chapter eight
Nathan
"Be careful out there," Nathan told his son, Cody, who would be focusing his task on one target: Tian Yu Mujin
"I've got it, Dad, don't worry," Cody said, then climbed out of the car.
Nathan dropped his son off near the area where Tian-Yu and his right hand, Han Wu Li, were last seen based on their intel.
There was a Chinese restaurant owned by the triad that was also one of their bases of operation, mainly the place where the biker gang of the triad hung out.
He knew his son—who he had highly trained—would be able to handle the job.
They'd never see him coming, and Cody was a master at being covert.
David watched his brother slip away into the shadows and knew he would be successful.
He felt a pang of envy that his twin had the level of skill enough for their father to trust him with the job.
He only hoped that he could prove himself tonight in his dad's eyes.
Nathan drove off in the direction of his target location, the place where several of Da Han Mujin's men were on the mend.
The triad had three high-ranking members here and about ten or twelve little brothers who were wounded during the attacks.
He planned to take them all out. He and his son climbed out of the car and gathered their equipment: face masks, tear gas grenades, and weapons.
They found a good hiding spot where Nathan could see his son clearly.
He set up his sniper rifle, aiming his barrel at one of the guards who was on patrol.
Nathan watched in silence, seeing his son do what they were born to do in the Bridger family.
"I'm going to take out the guards and the asshole who opens the door. That will give you the opportunity to penetrate. I'll provide backup once you're in," Nathan instructed his son through their comm.
"Okay, Dad," David said. He was armed with the tear gas grenades as it was his job to toss them into the house. He also had two daggers on him and three extra clips for his nine-millimeter with the suppressor.
Nathan aimed and adjusted the scope, then fired.
One of the guards' heads jerked back right before his body fell in a heap.
He aimed at the other guard, who was too slow to react, and the bullet splattered his brains all over the wall.
Another guard came walking around the building on patrol, and as soon as he came into view, Nathan fired, and the guard collapsed to the ground.
"Damn, Dad, you're so good at that," David praised.
"You'll get better with more practice," Nathan said. "Move out."
With that command, David ran toward the house and knocked on the door. "Who is it?" asked a man with an Italian accent.
"Sir, can you please help me? I'm lost," David said.
"Where the fuck are the guards?" the man said as he cracked the door open and peeked to see a preteen boy standing before him. "What the fuck, kid? Why are you here?"
"I got lost, and my cell phone died, and I need to call my dad to come and get me. Please help me," David said.
The man grunted, then closed the door. David could hear him talking to someone else, explaining that it was just some kid and for them to find out what happened to their fucking guards.
When the door opened this time, it was wider, and David looked up just in time to see the man's head jerk back as his father's bullet hit its target.
David pulled the pin and tossed the grenade inside the house, letting it fill with smoke that had the men inside confused and coughing, their eyes burning as they struggled to form a defense.
David slipped his mask on, pulled his gun out from his holster and shot the first guy he saw in the neck, blood splattering as the bullet did its job.
He moved deeper into the house, taking out two other men, and when he heard a bullet whiz past him, he turned to see his father behind him, mask on and handling business. He watched his father's hand signals and followed directions.
Nathan covered his son, letting David do most of the killing for the experience.
He watched with pride as his son ducked counter-attacks as they moved throughout the house.
When his son ducked for cover, Nathan shot the gangster when he popped up to fire back.
They worked as a team, taking out the men with skill and precision.
When David didn't look to his left, Nathan snatched him back, saving him from a bat to the face.
"Pay attention!" he snapped.
"Yes, Dad," David said, his heart pounding like never before.
Nathan shot the gangster with the bat, then three more.
He and his son killed all of the ones who were injured, some too wounded to move and were shot as they lay in bed.
Before they left, they dragged the corpses of the guards Nathan killed with his rifle inside, then set the house on fire.
Quickly, they gathered up their belongings and drove away.
"You can't enter a room like that, son," Nathan said as he chastised David.
"I know, I'm sorry," David said, regretting his mistake. "I didn't see him."
"It can happen, and that's why you have to be careful and quick. Your reflexes have to be sharp," Nathan said.
"Like yours?" David remembered how quickly his father was able to protect him and take out the asshole with the bat.
"You'll get there," Nathan said. "In any case, you did really well. I'm proud of you. How many did you kill? Did you keep track?" he asked, because he did. Not only was Nathan competitive by nature, but he was also pleased with the results of this mission.
"I think I killed twelve," David said.
"Fifteen," Nathan corrected.
"Oh, cool." David smiled at that.
Of course, Nathan allowed him to take the lead, and now he was waiting to get the report from his other son, Cody. He hoped everything went well.
There was a problem, Cody texted.
Nathan read the words and had to remain calm. Are you okay? he texted back because he didn't know if Cody was able to receive calls.
I'm fine, on my way back home, Cody texted. I'll be there in ten.
Nathan released the breath he'd been holding. Okay.
"Was that Cody?" David asked as he ate his cheeseburger.
"Yeah," Nathan said somewhat distractedly because he was concerned about what trouble his son had run into. He looked at the time on his phone and started counting the minutes.
"Is he okay?"
"He's fine. He's on his way here, but there was a problem with his mission," Nathan said.
"He must have missed the target," David said.
"That's a possibility." Nathan finished eating his dinner just as the front door lock beeped, then it opened, and Cody entered.
"Hey, Dad," Cody said with a frown on his face.
"What happened?" Nathan asked.
"I missed the target, but killed his bodyguard and this other guy who was with him," Cody said.
"Why did you miss?" Nathan asked.
"Just when I took the shot, his bodyguard stepped in front of him to open the car door.
He ducked after his bodyguard died. I took another shot and got the other guy who was trying to get into the car after Tian Yu climbed in.
The car took off before I could take out its tires and unload," Cody explained.
Still impressive, Nathan thought. In their line of work, they had to be prepared for the unexpected. Hell, if Ze hadn't jumped out of the way when his brother, Colton, took his first shot, the two wouldn't be married today. The important thing was to regroup and plan for a second attack.
Nathan sighed because that was a problem. "It's okay. We can fix it, but now it's going to be harder to get to Tian Yu, and I have to report this to Vito."
"I'm sorry, Dad. I failed you," Cody said.
Nathan patted his son's shoulder. "It happens, but you will be the one to clean up your mess."
"I understand," Cody said.
"Good. Don't worry. I'll help. For now, relax, and I ordered you a burger and fries."
"A cheeseburger?" Cody asked, with eyes full of hunger and anticipation.
"Yes."
"With bacon on it?"
"Yes."
"From Ronaldo's?"
"For fuck's sake, just go eat the damn thing," Nathan said with a wave of his hand.
"Thank you, Dad," Cody said with a smile. He was relieved that his father wasn't too upset with him.
"I can't believe you messed up," David said.
Nathan turned to him. "Hey, none of that. You didn't have a perfect night either."
"Oh? What happened?" Cody asked, both eyebrows cocked.
David frowned. "I didn't watch my three and almost got smashed in the face with a bat. Dad saved me."
"You're both twelve and have a long way to go," Nathan said. "I'm just happy you're okay."
"Thanks, Dad," the twins said in unison.
Nathan nodded, then lay on the bed and texted Vito to report.
That is disappointing to hear, Vito texted back.
I know, don't worry, we'll get the job done.
I hope so.
Nathan didn't bother to text back. A mess was made, and now he had to help his son clean it up.