waiting on him. Especially when the desk claimed they’d never called.
In the end, I decided it didn’t matter. He could get as suspicious as he wanted, because we were headed to Gonur tomorrow and the mission would be done. The fire alarm option was flirting with contact with official authorities I didn’t want to engage.
I said, “Okay, you get in the lobby and make the call on my trigger.” I keyed my radio. “Retro, this is Pike, what’s your status?”
“It’s going quicker than I expected. I’m on disc four right now. Maybe another ten minutes.”
I relayed the plan over the radio, then said, “Retro, come down the stairs to Decoy’s position. I want you close, but I don’t want you to pass Jake on his way out.”
He said, “Roger all.”
Twelve minutes later, he was done with the CDs and set. I got an up from Knuckles and said, “Execute.”
I waited for three more minutes, then Jake passed me, all sweaty from his manly workout. I let him get thirty feet away and stood, saying over the net, “Room’s clear. I say again, room’s clear.”
I began following Jake and heard, “Moving.”
I hoped the elevators would be slow getting to our floor, thus giving Retro that much more time. The bank came in view and I saw that wasn’t going to happen. One opened and a man in a bellboy uniform came out carrying a box with an address on it and an envelope of legal size.
Oh shit. They deliver packages to the rooms.
Jake spoke to him and the bellboy used a small radio to talk to someone else, then he shook his head at Jake. Our target turned and began heading back to his room.
I passed him and entered the elevator. When the doors closed, I said, “Abort, abort. Jake’s headed back.”
Retro said, “I’m not done replacing them. He’ll know someone’s been in the room.”
I said, “If he opens the door and sees you I don’t think there will be any doubt. Abort.”
I reached the bottom and immediately went back up. I turned the corner to the backgammon alcove and saw Knuckles had beaten me back. He shook his head.
I keyed my radio. “Decoy, you got a status on Retro?”
“Negative. He hasn’t come back this way.”
I paused, then keyed the radio again, “Ahh . . . Retro, status?”
I heard two clicks, and Knuckles realized what had happened at the same time I did.
He’s hiding in the room.
I said, “What do you think?”
“I think if Jennifer were here she could have walked right out holding some towels.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Fire alarm. That’s the only thing that will work. Another phone call’s asking for compromise.”
I nodded my head and was looking for an alarm to trigger when Retro appeared around the corner, pulling off his name tag.
We both stared at him, and he grinned.
“Well,” I said, “what the hell happened?”
“I swear, Pike, he would have figured out the CDs had been tampered with if I had aborted. I had to stay, but I knew he’d been to the gym. What do you do after working out?”
Knuckles said, “Take a shower.”
“Yep, and that’s exactly what he did. I hid under the bed until the water came on.”
Gutsy. But very switched-on thinking.
“You also gave us a heart attack.”
He said, “You? When I dove down I remembered I hadn’t checked to see if the bed had one of those boxes around it to prevent people from leaving things.
That
would have been embarrassing.”
We all chuckled at the near miss, the adrenaline subsiding and the camaraderie beginning to flow. I broke down the surveillance box, saying, “Meet at the bar on the sixteenth floor. Retro’s buying. Last chance before we head out to the desert tomorrow.”
Up top, in the restaurant bar, we poked fun at Retro and fended off the working girls out looking for a mate. Well, most of us did. I noticed Decoy sizing the women up when he went for another beer, plying his Tennessee charm.
Man whore.
I was in a pretty good mood, lubricated with the beer and happy at the
In the end, I decided it didn’t matter. He could get as suspicious as he wanted, because we were headed to Gonur tomorrow and the mission would be done. The fire alarm option was flirting with contact with official authorities I didn’t want to engage.
I said, “Okay, you get in the lobby and make the call on my trigger.” I keyed my radio. “Retro, this is Pike, what’s your status?”
“It’s going quicker than I expected. I’m on disc four right now. Maybe another ten minutes.”
I relayed the plan over the radio, then said, “Retro, come down the stairs to Decoy’s position. I want you close, but I don’t want you to pass Jake on his way out.”
He said, “Roger all.”
Twelve minutes later, he was done with the CDs and set. I got an up from Knuckles and said, “Execute.”
I waited for three more minutes, then Jake passed me, all sweaty from his manly workout. I let him get thirty feet away and stood, saying over the net, “Room’s clear. I say again, room’s clear.”
I began following Jake and heard, “Moving.”
I hoped the elevators would be slow getting to our floor, thus giving Retro that much more time. The bank came in view and I saw that wasn’t going to happen. One opened and a man in a bellboy uniform came out carrying a box with an address on it and an envelope of legal size.
Oh shit. They deliver packages to the rooms.
Jake spoke to him and the bellboy used a small radio to talk to someone else, then he shook his head at Jake. Our target turned and began heading back to his room.
I passed him and entered the elevator. When the doors closed, I said, “Abort, abort. Jake’s headed back.”
Retro said, “I’m not done replacing them. He’ll know someone’s been in the room.”
I said, “If he opens the door and sees you I don’t think there will be any doubt. Abort.”
I reached the bottom and immediately went back up. I turned the corner to the backgammon alcove and saw Knuckles had beaten me back. He shook his head.
I keyed my radio. “Decoy, you got a status on Retro?”
“Negative. He hasn’t come back this way.”
I paused, then keyed the radio again, “Ahh . . . Retro, status?”
I heard two clicks, and Knuckles realized what had happened at the same time I did.
He’s hiding in the room.
I said, “What do you think?”
“I think if Jennifer were here she could have walked right out holding some towels.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Fire alarm. That’s the only thing that will work. Another phone call’s asking for compromise.”
I nodded my head and was looking for an alarm to trigger when Retro appeared around the corner, pulling off his name tag.
We both stared at him, and he grinned.
“Well,” I said, “what the hell happened?”
“I swear, Pike, he would have figured out the CDs had been tampered with if I had aborted. I had to stay, but I knew he’d been to the gym. What do you do after working out?”
Knuckles said, “Take a shower.”
“Yep, and that’s exactly what he did. I hid under the bed until the water came on.”
Gutsy. But very switched-on thinking.
“You also gave us a heart attack.”
He said, “You? When I dove down I remembered I hadn’t checked to see if the bed had one of those boxes around it to prevent people from leaving things.
That
would have been embarrassing.”
We all chuckled at the near miss, the adrenaline subsiding and the camaraderie beginning to flow. I broke down the surveillance box, saying, “Meet at the bar on the sixteenth floor. Retro’s buying. Last chance before we head out to the desert tomorrow.”
Up top, in the restaurant bar, we poked fun at Retro and fended off the working girls out looking for a mate. Well, most of us did. I noticed Decoy sizing the women up when he went for another beer, plying his Tennessee charm.
Man whore.
I was in a pretty good mood, lubricated with the beer and happy at the
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