anyone out there from spying in. Bullets had no issue piercing glass, but it was hard to shoot if you couldn’t see your target. Not that he thought Monroe’s people would start pumping lead into the room anyway, at least not with Walter somewhere inside with him.
Jack turned his attention back to the door. He had reloaded the Sig556 with a fresh magazine, which left him with one extra. Fortunately, he still had two spares for the Sig Sauer P250. And then there was the Ka-Bar. You never knew when a little close-quarters action was necessary.
He stood very still and listened, trying to pick up sounds coming from outside. If Monroe’s people were coming, they were taking their time.
“You finished?” Jack asked without turning around.
“What?” Walter said.
Jack nodded at the laptop on the desk in front of Walter. “You finished?”
Walter shook his head.
“How much longer?” Jack asked.
“I was only halfway…”
“How much longer? ”
Walter thought about it before shaking his head again. “Maybe another thirty minutes?”
“Jesus Christ.”
“It’s complicated—”
“Whatever,” Jack said. “Get back to work.”
“What?”
“Get the fuck back to work. ”
Walter peeked around the desk and at the laptop, then at Jack, but he remained on the floor.
“I mean it,” Jack said. “Get back to work.”
“What if they start shooting again?”
“Pick up the laptop and move it behind the desk with you.”
“Oh,” Walter said.
Jack smiled to himself. For a guy charged with moving millions around on a daily basis, ol’ Walter could be a little dense.
He watched the man lean out from behind the desk, then quickly scoot forward on all fours, stretching his long body around the metal furniture as if he were some kind of caterpillar. Walter snatched the laptop by one end and pulled it around the desk until it, along with the rest of him, was safe behind cover again.
“Well?” Jack said.
Walter didn’t answer. Instead, the familiar tap-tap-tap filled the room, along with a strange vibration…coming from one of his pants pockets.
He thought it was the burner phone he was using to contact the client, until he realized the vibration, followed by the generic ringtone, was coming from the wrong pocket.
Monroe’s.
He didn’t even remember stowing the phone during the gunfight. Jack fished it out now and looked down at the unknown caller ID on the cracked screen. When he didn’t answer it, the phone stopped vibrating…for five seconds; then it started up again.
Jack pressed the screen to answer it. “Front desk.”
“Funny,” Monroe said. “Found the stiff in the room next door, by the way.”
“Of course you did.”
“Looks like he’s been dead for a while. I get the feeling you’ve been lying to me about having friends, Jack.”
“One good turn deserves another, I always say.”
“Fair enough.”
“What do you want?”
“Smart, going into the same room with Walter. I guess that’s so we won’t try to bum-rush you again?”
“You’ve already proven you have plenty of bums to go around. Thought I’d play it safe this time.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think that was going to work, but I had to give it a shot.”
“Seems to me you didn’t come very prepared. Gotta say, Monroe, I’m not overly impressed here.”
“You’re right,” Monroe said. “We didn’t get much of a lead time. Had to come with what we had on hand.”
He’s confirming my suspicions. Why?
“Which is why I need to end this quickly,” Monroe said. “Time is not on my side. Or yours, but I’m sure you already know that. One way or another, this thing ends by morning. With that said, how do you feel about a partnership?”
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…”
“Understandable. But you have to know you don’t have a lot of choices at the moment.”
“Don’t I?”
“No. You don’t.”
Jack didn’t answer, because Monroe was right. The only possibility was to use
Jack turned his attention back to the door. He had reloaded the Sig556 with a fresh magazine, which left him with one extra. Fortunately, he still had two spares for the Sig Sauer P250. And then there was the Ka-Bar. You never knew when a little close-quarters action was necessary.
He stood very still and listened, trying to pick up sounds coming from outside. If Monroe’s people were coming, they were taking their time.
“You finished?” Jack asked without turning around.
“What?” Walter said.
Jack nodded at the laptop on the desk in front of Walter. “You finished?”
Walter shook his head.
“How much longer?” Jack asked.
“I was only halfway…”
“How much longer? ”
Walter thought about it before shaking his head again. “Maybe another thirty minutes?”
“Jesus Christ.”
“It’s complicated—”
“Whatever,” Jack said. “Get back to work.”
“What?”
“Get the fuck back to work. ”
Walter peeked around the desk and at the laptop, then at Jack, but he remained on the floor.
“I mean it,” Jack said. “Get back to work.”
“What if they start shooting again?”
“Pick up the laptop and move it behind the desk with you.”
“Oh,” Walter said.
Jack smiled to himself. For a guy charged with moving millions around on a daily basis, ol’ Walter could be a little dense.
He watched the man lean out from behind the desk, then quickly scoot forward on all fours, stretching his long body around the metal furniture as if he were some kind of caterpillar. Walter snatched the laptop by one end and pulled it around the desk until it, along with the rest of him, was safe behind cover again.
“Well?” Jack said.
Walter didn’t answer. Instead, the familiar tap-tap-tap filled the room, along with a strange vibration…coming from one of his pants pockets.
He thought it was the burner phone he was using to contact the client, until he realized the vibration, followed by the generic ringtone, was coming from the wrong pocket.
Monroe’s.
He didn’t even remember stowing the phone during the gunfight. Jack fished it out now and looked down at the unknown caller ID on the cracked screen. When he didn’t answer it, the phone stopped vibrating…for five seconds; then it started up again.
Jack pressed the screen to answer it. “Front desk.”
“Funny,” Monroe said. “Found the stiff in the room next door, by the way.”
“Of course you did.”
“Looks like he’s been dead for a while. I get the feeling you’ve been lying to me about having friends, Jack.”
“One good turn deserves another, I always say.”
“Fair enough.”
“What do you want?”
“Smart, going into the same room with Walter. I guess that’s so we won’t try to bum-rush you again?”
“You’ve already proven you have plenty of bums to go around. Thought I’d play it safe this time.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think that was going to work, but I had to give it a shot.”
“Seems to me you didn’t come very prepared. Gotta say, Monroe, I’m not overly impressed here.”
“You’re right,” Monroe said. “We didn’t get much of a lead time. Had to come with what we had on hand.”
He’s confirming my suspicions. Why?
“Which is why I need to end this quickly,” Monroe said. “Time is not on my side. Or yours, but I’m sure you already know that. One way or another, this thing ends by morning. With that said, how do you feel about a partnership?”
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…”
“Understandable. But you have to know you don’t have a lot of choices at the moment.”
“Don’t I?”
“No. You don’t.”
Jack didn’t answer, because Monroe was right. The only possibility was to use
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