by James Hilton
Andrea smiled weakly again. “At least there aren’t many trucks out here.”
“I know it doesn’t ease the hurt. I was just trying to explain the effects.”
Andrea reached out again; this time her fingers did stroke his face. “I know. You’ve already done so much. It’s unbelievable. I don’t know how I’m ever going to thank you all for saving my life.”
Danny moved back, breaking the contact. “Come on, I want you to hear about our next move. The guys are waiting for us.” Danny led her back into the living room. Clay and Tansen were now dressed and both had mugs of coffee in their hands. Tansen wordlessly fetched another and handed one to Andrea.
Clay was the first to speak. “We’ve been talking about our next move. I need to pick up some cash from a safety-deposit box I have tucked away in Vegas. That’ll keep us going for quite a while. That way we can stay off the grid. We don’t know how far of a reach these guys have. It’s better if we don’t use credit cards. It could be an unnecessary precaution, but better safe than sorry.”
“Vegas!” Andrea blurted out the word louder than she’d intended. “My passport is still in the hotel room’s safe!”
The men glanced at one another.
Andrea continued, “I’d forgotten—the rooms are booked until the end of the week. The trips up to Area 51 were supposed to be spread over four days, but we were going to go back to the hotel each night.”
“It’s risky to go back to your hotel. If there’re more men after you they’re probably watching it,” said Danny.
“But I’ll need my passport to get home.” Andrea looked panicked. “I can’t stay over here on the run for ever.”
“Going back to the hotel might do away with that option if they’re waiting for you.” Danny was aware that his voice had none of the tenderness it had had in the bedroom. A single tear ran down Andrea’s face. He cursed himself. She was still too fragile; he had to go easy on her.
Clay shifted in his seat. “I guess we could check it out. Take a look-see. If the coast is clear, we go in. If not, we head for the hills.”
Danny shrugged. Having said his piece, he was now resigned to the plan. “We should ditch the car. Leave as few tracks as possible. If I think it’s safe, Andrea and I will go to the hotel. Clay you pick up the money. If it’s not safe we all leave town pronto, no arguments.” He turned to Andrea. “Your passport is no good to you if you’re dead.”
Tansen spoke up. “I have an old pickup truck out back. You can have that. I just use it for lugging around horse feed and fence posts. It’s not pretty but it’ll get you where you need to go.” Tansen retrieved a set of keys from a drawer. “It’s four-wheel drive as well. It might come in handy. Just give me a hand to clear my stuff out of the back.”
Clay volunteered to help. The two men left the house by the rear door, leaving Andrea and Danny alone again.
“I tried to call my parents yesterday but they didn’t answer. If the news has reached them they must be sick with worry.”
Danny tried to control his face. She clearly didn’t know what a stupid thing she’d done. “It’s a good thing they didn’t. You can’t do that again. I know it seems hard, but I’m just trying to keep us all alive long enough to figure this out.”
“I just need to let Mum and Dad know that I’m still alive.”
Danny shook his head. “We don’t know how far the web stretches. These guys may have the resources to listen in on your parents’ phone. Believe me, it’s pretty easy to do these days. Until we find out exactly what they want with you, it’s best to stay off the grid as much as possible. So no phone calls, no emails, no social media, nothing.”
Danny was almost impressed at the way Andrea stuck out her chin defiantly. “But Clay is going into a bank to get cash. What if they’re tracking him now as well?”
“He’s going to get cash from a private safety-deposit box. He keeps it under a false name.” Danny smiled at the puzzled look she gave him. “Clay is very wealthy. It amuses him to keep stashes in different countries.”
“How rich is he?” Andrea flushed. “I don’t mean to be rude.”
“Even I don’t know what he’s worth. But I like to remind him that he’s got way more money than sense.”
“Did he strike oil in Texas or something?” Andrea asked.
“No, not exactly. It’s a sad story really. Just after he left the Rangers, he met and married Diana. She was a real techno-geek and was one of the first dot-com millionaires. She had a company that patented a search algorithm that’s still used in most search engines. I don’t know much more technical detail, just that she sold the company for more money than you could spend in a lifetime.”
“Wow. Where’s Diana now?”
“That’s the sad part. Clay and Diana were only married for two years then she was killed in a hit and run just outside of Dallas.”
“Did they get the driver who killed her?”
“No. The cops found the car burned out a few days later, but they never found the driver.”
“That’s so shitty.”
“Diana was an only child so Clay got everything, which turned out to be way more than even he knew about.”
Andrea puffed out her cheeks. She clearly did not know what else to say.
Danny walked to the front door and peered through. “They’ve brought the pickup around. You can help me load up if you want to.”
“Sure.”
Danny hefted the two backpacks of clothes and nodded at the paper bag of disposable cell phones. “You take that.”
Once outside, Danny popped the trunk of the stolen car and pulled out the two MP5Ks and the dead man’s backpack of assorted handguns and ammunition. He laid them on the flat-bed of Tansen’s truck. The Dodge Dakota pickup was dented in several places, and its faded yellow paintwork sported more than a few scrapes. It looked like what it was, a well-used utility vehicle. A thousand like it traversed Nevada daily. It would not draw any unwanted attention.
The sub-machine guns made muted clunks as he laid them out. Andrea looked at the angular weapons with curiosity. She touched one of the MP5Ks with a tentative finger. “Could you show me how to use one of these?”
Danny raised an eyebrow. “I could, but it’s probably not a good idea. I’ll ask Tansen for something more your size when we get finished.”
“I’m not a wimp, you know!”
Danny turned to face her. “I didn’t say that. But different weapons suit different people. I’m not trying to fob you off. I’m not against you having a weapon, just not one of these.”
Andrea huffed and let her hand linger on the sub-machine gun a little longer.
Tansen appeared at her side. “Ask Tansen for what?” He tossed a duffle bag at Danny. “Here. You probably shouldn’t have a platoon’s-worth of firepower rattling around for all the world to see.”
“Do you have anything that will fit Andrea’s hand?” asked Danny.
A grin like the proverbial cat that ate the cream lit up Tansen’s face. “Oh I’m sure I have. But we’ll have to test-fire a few to get the right match.” He took Andrea by the arm and led her back into the ranch house.
Danny motioned to Clay, who had ambled over. “Well that’s Tansen happy for half an hour.” He started packing the MP5Ks and the backpack into the duffle bag, along with the new cell phones, then pulled the satellite phone from his pocket. He checked that it was still powered off, then tossed it in too.
Within minutes single shots began to ring out from behind the house. The brothers smiled at each other. The tones of the retorts changed after every six or eight shots. Danny knew that Tansen would be working his way through a suitcase full of assorted pistols and revolvers. With the steady echo of gunshots in the background, he and Clay finished loading the pickup.
Clay wiped dust from his face. “Let’s dump the car while they’re out back shooting.”
Danny drove the Honda back into Castillo, Clay following in the pickup. He parked the stolen car i
n a side street near the Tarbucks coffee house and left the keys in the ignition. With a bit of luck the car would be stolen again and end up many miles away.
When they arrived back at the ranch, Tansen and Andrea emerged from the front door. Danny leaned out of the window and gave her his best cheesy grin. “Hi honey, I’m home. Did you find something neat at Guns ’R’ Us?”
Andrea angled herself, holding a small gun pointed down at forty-five degrees. The compact revolver looked like it belonged in her hands. “Tansen gave me a Taurus.” She turned to Tansen. “What did you say it’s called?”
“A Model 856. .85 Special ammo, chambers six rounds.”
She grinned, and pulled a small cardboard box out of her pocket. “And he gave me extra bullets.”
“Looks good on you, and you learned your lessons well, I see.” Danny nodded in appreciation of the safety stance.
“She was a good student,” Tansen added in affirmation. “Shame you can’t stay a few days. I’d have her shooting the wings off flies. Here.” He handed Andrea a small holster. “It’s Velcro, easy on, easy off.”
Andrea secured the holster around her belt at the hip, then slid the small weapon into its pouch. “I feel like a cowboy!”
“And you look like one—but you’re a cowboy who doesn’t have a licence to carry.” Clay grinned. “Better put it in the bag with the rest of the hardware for now.” As Andrea reluctantly removed the holster, Clay stepped forward and extended his hand to Tansen. “I’ll be back to pay for all of this as soon as I can.”
Tansen waved him away. “No need. Just stay alive. Come and see me again once this has all died down. I’ll have a crate of beer in the fridge with your names on it.”
“We can’t thank you enough, Tan. We’ll be back this way as soon as it’s safe,” said Clay. The men embraced. Danny offered his own thanks. Then Andrea stepped close and took the Gurkha’s face in her hands. She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a long affectionate hug.
* * *
Tansen felt himself blushing as the woman climbed into the pickup truck.
“Bye y’all.” His voice was drowned out as the Dodge pulled away. A waving hand came from each of the front windows.
He made his way back inside the house. He sat in his favourite chair and looked at the picture of his wife.
“Well Raj, I guess it’s just you and me for supper.” Raj stared back silently, the half smile for ever frozen on her lips.
18
The Western Lakeview Resort and Spa sat a few blocks west of the main Las Vegas strip. The lake itself was a man-made affair much like the rest of the city, although to call the two thousand square feet of water a lake would have been creative licence anywhere else, at least as far as Danny was concerned.
The hotel sat in the shadow of the giants: the Bellagio and the Wynn Las Vegas, and many other multi-million-dollar casino resorts were just a throw of a poker chip away. The six storeys of the Lakeview paled in comparison. Clay drove them up East Flamingo Road and Danny and Andrea got out of the pickup in the parking lot of the Earl E. Wilson stadium. It was half full of vehicles displaying licence plates from every state in the continental US.
Danny opened the duffle bag and pulled out the three Motorola disposable cell phones, all freshly charged. He slipped one in his pocket, then handed the others to Clay and Andrea.
“You give me a holler at the first sign of any trouble and I’ll be back.” Clay gripped Danny’s shoulder as he spoke.
The side of Danny’s mouth twitched into a smile. “You’re one of only two numbers in my speed dial.”
“Damn right. Be careful. I’ll be back in half an hour.” Clay drove off without further comment.
Andrea and Danny crossed the parking lot and then the main road at a trot. “You stay here. I’ll take a look,” said Danny. He punched a couple of buttons on his Motorola. Andrea’s identical handset began ringing.
“Like walkie-talkies?”
“Exactly,” said Danny. Andrea nodded and went to stand in the shade of the building. She pulled the straw cowboy hat she’d found in Tansen’s truck lower over her hair to shield as much of her face from passers-by as possible.
Danny rolled his neck and shoulders then arched his back. Both the muscles and skin around his midsection were tender but wouldn’t stop him moving fast if required. After taking a deep breath through his nose, Danny stepped from the burning heat into the coolness of the hotel. He allowed his eyes to adapt to the change of light as he looked around the lobby.
The interior of the hotel was a combination of postmodern bland with occasional nautical themes. Framed pictures of ropes knotted into intricate patterns marked the junctions in the corridors and several decorated the area behind the check-in desk, which occupied a third of the lobby. Three members of staff were busy behind the desk, two attractive women checking guests in, and a heavy-set black man who was probably security, flicked through a filing cabinet, his back to Danny. The man’s shoulders were much wider than the cabinet.
Danny scanned the room. Nothing alerted him to any danger. No tough-looking men with bulges under their jackets stared back. Just a normal smattering of couples and families on vacation. One man sat alone at a low table, a small cup of coffee untouched in front of him. The man held his head in his hands. Danny had two guesses: heavy losses at the casino or a heavy night last night.
Danny lifted his cell phone to his mouth. “Clear.”
Thirty seconds later Andrea entered the lobby, passed Danny without making eye contact and approached the desk. A woman whose name badge identified her as Tania, smiled at her. “Hi, welcome to the Lakeview. How may I help?”
Danny saw the tension in Andrea’s shoulders. Breathe. “I’m in room 4495. I left my room key here while I was visiting the Hoover Dam.”
“It’s incredible, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s something to see.”
Danny saw Tania hand over an old-style key complete with a red plastic fob. Not many hotels still used the traditional key; most had long since moved over to the key card.
“Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
“No that’s everything thank you.” Andrea began to turn away.
“Oh, Miss Chambers, you have a letter. This came in two days ago for you. I’m sorry, my colleagues should have given it to you when you checked in.” Tania produced a large padded envelope emblazoned with the FedEx logo and handed it over with a smile. Andrea thanked her and walked towards the elevator doors.
Danny slipped his hand into the crook of her elbow as she pressed the call button. “We should take the stairs.”
Andrea glanced around the lobby. “Is there anybody here?”
“I don’t think so. I just don’t like being boxed in if there’s even a slight chance of danger. I’ll go first. Stay about six feet behind me.”
They climbed the stairs without incident. As they reached the fourth floor Danny paused at the stairwell door, listening. Nothing. He waved Andrea forward as he slipped into the corridor.
“It’s down here.”
When they reached the room Danny held his hand out for the key. Andrea handed it over without comment and took a few steps back. Danny drew the Glock 37 he’d taken from one of the dead gunmen. He’d checked the clip earlier and knew it to be full. The Glock contained ten .45 calibre rounds, each one more than enough to kill. He put the key in the lock without a sound and turned it, then pushed the door ajar with his foot, allowing it to swing fully open before crouching and scooting inside. A rapid sweep of the room followed. His whole body worked as a single unit. Wherever his eyes went the Glock travelled simultaneously.
“Clear.”
Andrea followed him into the room and he locked the door behind her. Maid service had been; the bed was made, the room neat and orderly. She opened the closet to reveal a safe, punched in the four-digit code and it opened with an audible clunk. After removing her passport and a document wallet she sat on the bed. She opened the wa
llet and wordlessly showed Danny the contents: money, medical insurance card, plane tickets. He nodded, and she began pocketing the paperwork.
“Is that everything?” asked Danny. He received a nod in response. “Good, let’s go.”
Suddenly Danny pivoted, gun at the ready, as a repeated scraping sound came from the door. Danny recognised the sound. Someone was using a lock-pick gun. Certainly no staff member would use such a tool.
The door began to open.
19
The ringtone on his phone played the first three lines of “Jailhouse Rock” before he answered. He gave his surname by way of response. “Lincoln.”
“Go secure.”
Lincoln entered a five-digit code and a red light on the display lit up brightly. “Secure.”
“I’ve got an assignment for you. Are your team good to go?”
“Always.”
“This is a highest priority. A previous team may have dropped the ball, we need a swift resolution.”
“Brief?”
“I’m sending through the dossier now. Read it and respond within the next thirty minutes.”
Lincoln returned Magson’s call twenty-two minutes later. “Mission understood and accepted. The team’s good to go.”
“Do you require any ordnance?”
“Negative, we’re fully equipped. Just have the pay cheques ready.”
“Of course.”
“Oh, we’ll need transport once we hit Vegas: one truck and one bike that can go cross country as well.”
“No problem. One of our people will meet you at the airstrip. Your transport will be waiting.”
The man known to his employers as “Lincoln” downed the last inch of Wild Turkey in one gulp. He turned to his long-time friend and fellow President, “Washington”. “Round up the guys. We saddle up in an hour.”
Washington nodded as he uncurled his huge frame from the easy chair. He gave one last lingering look at the Girls Gone Wild: Spring Break Special DVD he’d been watching, then headed for the parking bay of Lincoln’s LA duplex.