screamed at you to let me go to sleep. Deal?”
Bruno smiled, even though he was still frowning. “You call me and give me your room number as soon as you get settled.”
“Okay, already,” she said, laughing and then led Dan down the hall toward the elevators. She didn’t look at Dan, but kept her eyes fastened to the elevator doors and spoke loud enough for Bruno to hear her. “So I take it I have to go down to the desk, get a new key, blah, blah, blah?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dan said nervously as they got onto the elevator. “Again, we apologize for the inconvenience.”
The moment the elevator doors closed behind them, Dan began to fill her in with rapid bursts of information.
“Guzman knows? Shit! That is such not good news,” she said quickly, looking at the descending lights.
“You’re telling me?” Dan looked at the numbers for a second and then focused on her. “The room next to your suite is vacant. Leave the lock off. Hank wants you covered, if Colombians are about to go to war, and he’s putting someone capable in there to watch your six. When you get to the lobby, you’re registered in room 712, but your key works in room 217. Give Bruno 712. I’ll put the television on in there. This way, anybody that could be looking for you in the hotel or following Bruno on rounds, whatever, will get an empty room. Got it? And if he somehow goes there and gets wise, the girl at the front desk is one of ours, and will pretend to have made a dyslexic type of mistake, all right? Just don’t shoot first and ask questions later, if the adjoining room door opens. That’s one of ours, Hank said.”
Sage nodded as the elevator stopped at the lobby floor. “You go on and get out of here, Dan.”
He pressed a key into her hand and held it briefly. “I’ll be glad when this is all over and we all can stop worrying about you.”
She brushed his cheek with a platonic kiss just before the doors opened. “Get out of here, kiddo. That’s a direct order. Everything is gonna be fine.”
* * *
A quick shower at the base, a change into civilian clothes, a chopper flight into South Beach, a soft landing on top of an office complex heliport, and he was out. The unmarked vehicle was waiting for him in the underground parking lot beneath the building, unlocked. Keys were beneath the visor, along with a hotel room key.
He dropped his black weapons bag on the seat beside him. That, right now, was the only luggage he needed.
* * *
Sage sat in the dark, facing the adjoining door in her room with a gun in her hand. She’d called Bruno from her cell phone, not the room phone, and he hadn’t sounded worried. A couple of agents were walking the halls dressed as hotel security to be sure Bruno didn’t decide to check it out on the seventh floor after all. No calls meant good news.
And although Hank might have sent one of their agents in, she was too aware that a lot could happen between now and the time that person arrived to take the room next to her suite. What if the other side was aware of the switch? What if one of Guzman’s mercenaries forced his way in with the new agent just to get to her? There was no telling until a visual ID was made.
When she heard the outer door of the next room quietly open and close, she stood up and steadied her weapon. A light tap at the door just caused her to tighten her grip. The door slowly opened and it took a moment for visual recognition to kick in. Adrenaline made her trigger finger tremble.
“Isn’t this how we met?”
She lowered her weapon and let out an inaudible breath. Captain Anthony Davis’s voice thrummed through her belly. “Yeah, but how about a cup of Joe instead of a concussion this time?”
He didn’t respond, just lowered his gaze. She’d meant to make him smile.
Sage dragged her fingers through her hair and set her weapon down on the coffee table. “Bad joke,” she said in a quiet voice, and then hugged herself. “I’ve
Bruno smiled, even though he was still frowning. “You call me and give me your room number as soon as you get settled.”
“Okay, already,” she said, laughing and then led Dan down the hall toward the elevators. She didn’t look at Dan, but kept her eyes fastened to the elevator doors and spoke loud enough for Bruno to hear her. “So I take it I have to go down to the desk, get a new key, blah, blah, blah?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dan said nervously as they got onto the elevator. “Again, we apologize for the inconvenience.”
The moment the elevator doors closed behind them, Dan began to fill her in with rapid bursts of information.
“Guzman knows? Shit! That is such not good news,” she said quickly, looking at the descending lights.
“You’re telling me?” Dan looked at the numbers for a second and then focused on her. “The room next to your suite is vacant. Leave the lock off. Hank wants you covered, if Colombians are about to go to war, and he’s putting someone capable in there to watch your six. When you get to the lobby, you’re registered in room 712, but your key works in room 217. Give Bruno 712. I’ll put the television on in there. This way, anybody that could be looking for you in the hotel or following Bruno on rounds, whatever, will get an empty room. Got it? And if he somehow goes there and gets wise, the girl at the front desk is one of ours, and will pretend to have made a dyslexic type of mistake, all right? Just don’t shoot first and ask questions later, if the adjoining room door opens. That’s one of ours, Hank said.”
Sage nodded as the elevator stopped at the lobby floor. “You go on and get out of here, Dan.”
He pressed a key into her hand and held it briefly. “I’ll be glad when this is all over and we all can stop worrying about you.”
She brushed his cheek with a platonic kiss just before the doors opened. “Get out of here, kiddo. That’s a direct order. Everything is gonna be fine.”
* * *
A quick shower at the base, a change into civilian clothes, a chopper flight into South Beach, a soft landing on top of an office complex heliport, and he was out. The unmarked vehicle was waiting for him in the underground parking lot beneath the building, unlocked. Keys were beneath the visor, along with a hotel room key.
He dropped his black weapons bag on the seat beside him. That, right now, was the only luggage he needed.
* * *
Sage sat in the dark, facing the adjoining door in her room with a gun in her hand. She’d called Bruno from her cell phone, not the room phone, and he hadn’t sounded worried. A couple of agents were walking the halls dressed as hotel security to be sure Bruno didn’t decide to check it out on the seventh floor after all. No calls meant good news.
And although Hank might have sent one of their agents in, she was too aware that a lot could happen between now and the time that person arrived to take the room next to her suite. What if the other side was aware of the switch? What if one of Guzman’s mercenaries forced his way in with the new agent just to get to her? There was no telling until a visual ID was made.
When she heard the outer door of the next room quietly open and close, she stood up and steadied her weapon. A light tap at the door just caused her to tighten her grip. The door slowly opened and it took a moment for visual recognition to kick in. Adrenaline made her trigger finger tremble.
“Isn’t this how we met?”
She lowered her weapon and let out an inaudible breath. Captain Anthony Davis’s voice thrummed through her belly. “Yeah, but how about a cup of Joe instead of a concussion this time?”
He didn’t respond, just lowered his gaze. She’d meant to make him smile.
Sage dragged her fingers through her hair and set her weapon down on the coffee table. “Bad joke,” she said in a quiet voice, and then hugged herself. “I’ve
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