the gun," I suggested.
Tanya snorted and pulled out a gun that you couldn 't strap to a hippo's leg with a bungee cord, much less conceal on her skinny thigh. "You watch too many movies. This is my gun," she said with some pride.
I whistled between my teeth. "I guess you'll want to keep that in the bag, then. As for the hair, I'd go with a French twist," I said. "Keep things simple." Since her regular hair probably required nothing except a wash and go in the morning and I figured she probably didn't know how, I did it for her, affixing the whole thing with a sturdy handful of bobby pins. I didn't want it coming down on her—she'd probably drag the poor wig off and shoot it.
Tanya huffed and puffed and put on an impatient tough-gal show, but I saw her checking out her reflection a couple times in the mirror out of the corner of her eye.
"So, what next?" I asked, once we were done.
" You leave first," she said. "The check's been paid. Go out the front door and there will be a black SUV in the third parking spot to the left. Get in and wait for Atkins. Then, you'll head to a local airstrip a few miles from here and take a charter plane the rest of the way."
" And you guys will take the Roadmaster and be decoys?"
" No," Tanya said disdainfully. "You're a civilian and you're being removed from the situation. Nathan and I will pose as you and Chance long enough to gain entrance to Dominick's compound. By the time he figures things out, we'll have the hostage secured and Dominick in custody."
" Don't forget," I warned her. "That hostage happens to be my friend and a fragile old man. You two had better know what you're doing."
I walked through the restaurant, feeling like a complete fraud in my disguise, half-expecting one of Dominick's men to drop his cheese Danish and grab me, but none of the diners even glanced at me as I exited the front doors. The SUV was where Tanya said it would be, and I climbed in.
A few minutes later, Chance came out. I recognized his purposeful stride immediately, but I guess anyone else that hadn 't studied his every move might have mistaken him for Nate. He was dressed in a black suit, white dress shirt and striped tie, and with his tanned skin, I had to admit, he did look sort of like Nate. Except for the missing ponytail.
" What about the hair?" I asked, as he got in the driver's seat.
Chance eyed me. "I don't know, I like your outfits better, but that short blonde thing is kind of hot."
I crossed my arms. "I was talking about Nate's ponytail, moron."
" I know. Just watch."
A moment later, Nate and Tanya left the restaurant. Tanya was walking with an exaggerated swivel to her hips. In the dress, she looked like a hot Fifties housewife out on the prowl. "I hope she realizes that I don't walk like that," I commented.
" Maybe you should," Chance said appreciatively. I punched him in the arm.
Slightly behind Tanya, Nate was running the fingers of one hand self-consciously through hair now cropped short like Chance 's. I noticed, though, that his eyes, too, were glued to the swing on Tanya's back porch. Men. Didn't he know that wench was impersonating me? And I didn't care how tiny her waist was. The girl's butt was flat. It was just the flounce in the back of the skirt that made it look bigger.
Shaking his head, Chance started the engine and backed out of the parking spot. I couldn 't watch the two of them get into my Buick. I'd probably never see it again, and I tried to remember that I could buy another project car when this was all over. Not a Roadmaster, because nothing could replace my Buick, but maybe a Hudson. I'd seen a '48 Commodore at a classic car show last summer that tickled my fancy. It wouldn't be the same but I could make it mine.
" Are we really just going to go someplace and wait until they call us and give us the all-clear?" I asked Chance as he turned out of the parking lot.
" I don't like it any more than you do," he replied. "But they're the
Tanya snorted and pulled out a gun that you couldn 't strap to a hippo's leg with a bungee cord, much less conceal on her skinny thigh. "You watch too many movies. This is my gun," she said with some pride.
I whistled between my teeth. "I guess you'll want to keep that in the bag, then. As for the hair, I'd go with a French twist," I said. "Keep things simple." Since her regular hair probably required nothing except a wash and go in the morning and I figured she probably didn't know how, I did it for her, affixing the whole thing with a sturdy handful of bobby pins. I didn't want it coming down on her—she'd probably drag the poor wig off and shoot it.
Tanya huffed and puffed and put on an impatient tough-gal show, but I saw her checking out her reflection a couple times in the mirror out of the corner of her eye.
"So, what next?" I asked, once we were done.
" You leave first," she said. "The check's been paid. Go out the front door and there will be a black SUV in the third parking spot to the left. Get in and wait for Atkins. Then, you'll head to a local airstrip a few miles from here and take a charter plane the rest of the way."
" And you guys will take the Roadmaster and be decoys?"
" No," Tanya said disdainfully. "You're a civilian and you're being removed from the situation. Nathan and I will pose as you and Chance long enough to gain entrance to Dominick's compound. By the time he figures things out, we'll have the hostage secured and Dominick in custody."
" Don't forget," I warned her. "That hostage happens to be my friend and a fragile old man. You two had better know what you're doing."
I walked through the restaurant, feeling like a complete fraud in my disguise, half-expecting one of Dominick's men to drop his cheese Danish and grab me, but none of the diners even glanced at me as I exited the front doors. The SUV was where Tanya said it would be, and I climbed in.
A few minutes later, Chance came out. I recognized his purposeful stride immediately, but I guess anyone else that hadn 't studied his every move might have mistaken him for Nate. He was dressed in a black suit, white dress shirt and striped tie, and with his tanned skin, I had to admit, he did look sort of like Nate. Except for the missing ponytail.
" What about the hair?" I asked, as he got in the driver's seat.
Chance eyed me. "I don't know, I like your outfits better, but that short blonde thing is kind of hot."
I crossed my arms. "I was talking about Nate's ponytail, moron."
" I know. Just watch."
A moment later, Nate and Tanya left the restaurant. Tanya was walking with an exaggerated swivel to her hips. In the dress, she looked like a hot Fifties housewife out on the prowl. "I hope she realizes that I don't walk like that," I commented.
" Maybe you should," Chance said appreciatively. I punched him in the arm.
Slightly behind Tanya, Nate was running the fingers of one hand self-consciously through hair now cropped short like Chance 's. I noticed, though, that his eyes, too, were glued to the swing on Tanya's back porch. Men. Didn't he know that wench was impersonating me? And I didn't care how tiny her waist was. The girl's butt was flat. It was just the flounce in the back of the skirt that made it look bigger.
Shaking his head, Chance started the engine and backed out of the parking spot. I couldn 't watch the two of them get into my Buick. I'd probably never see it again, and I tried to remember that I could buy another project car when this was all over. Not a Roadmaster, because nothing could replace my Buick, but maybe a Hudson. I'd seen a '48 Commodore at a classic car show last summer that tickled my fancy. It wouldn't be the same but I could make it mine.
" Are we really just going to go someplace and wait until they call us and give us the all-clear?" I asked Chance as he turned out of the parking lot.
" I don't like it any more than you do," he replied. "But they're the
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