Page 18 of Steel Vengeance

“Here we go,” he muttered. “Showtime.”

Sloane stiffened beside him.

The convoy pulled up in front of the restaurant, blocking their view of the entrance. Four men jumped out of the first vehicle, guns in hand, making no effort to hide them. Any nearby shoppers scattered.

The armed men set up a perimeter around the convoy.

“Holy shit,” Sloane whispered, reaching for her phone, but he clamped a hand on her arm.

“Not now.”

The back doors of the second and third SUVs opened, and two men with turbans stepped out of each, flanked by bodyguards.

“I can’t get a visual,” Stitch murmured, trying not to make it obvious by craning his neck.

“Me neither,” Sloane whispered back.

Moments later, the four VIPs were ushered into the restaurant, along with a few guards. The rest stayed outside, watching over the SUVs.

“Who are they?”

Stitch clenched his jaw. He had a good idea but wasn’t about to tell her. “No clue. Maybe Afghans. I didn’t get a look at their faces.”

“I need a photo,” Sloane whispered. “This is huge.”

“It’s too risky from here,” he said. “We’ll have to wait for them to come out.”

“But I won’t get a clear shot with the cars in the way,” she complained.

He thought for a second. “Over there.” He nodded toward a shop next to the restaurant. It sold all kinds of cheap stuff, with racks of scarves, hats, and sunglasses out on the sidewalk. “If you can get behind the scarves, you might be able to snap a few shots without drawing attention. I doubt they’ll notice.”

“That’s risky,” she breathed.

Stitch met her gaze. “Yeah, but if you want the shot…”

Heneeded that shot too. It was the only way he could confirm his hunch about who they were.

She hesitated, eyes darting between him and the shop.

“Okay,” she finally said.

Forty minutes had passed,and still no one had come out. Other than the guards, the street was deserted. No one was dumb enough to walk anywhere near that restaurant.

“We’d better move.” Stitch stood up. “Time to get into position.”

She slung her bag over her shoulder. “They could be in there for a while.”

“Yeah, but we’re too exposed sitting out here. Let’s head toward the fruit stalls. More cover, and we can still see the restaurant.”

She followed, and he was glad to see she didn’t glance back at the guards watching them.

“Got another scarf or something in your bag to change your appearance?” he asked.

“You mean because they’ve already seen us?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Don’t want them recognizing you if you walk back this way again.”

“I can buy one from the store.” She nodded toward a shop selling tunics, burqas, and headscarves.