by T. K. Leigh
“Whoa!” Alexander seized his arm before he could deliver the blow. “We need him. If he walks in with so much as a mark on his face, Falconi will grow suspicious. Calm down.” He turned to his associate. “Martin, get the senator out of here while we discuss tactics. Keep him comfortable until Friday. Well, not too comfortable.”
“Sir,” he nodded, grabbing David forcefully by the elbow and pushing him out of the conference room.
Alexander turned back to Cam. “I’m letting you stay, but nothing said in this room is to be repeated. You do as I say. You don’t step a foot out of line or this whole thing could blow up in your face and you could lose her. Forever. Got it?”
Cam nodded his head, taking in Alexander’s words. “Got it,” he mumbled, hoping he could adhere to his orders.
~~~~~~~~~~
“GREG? ARE YOU IN here?” a female voice called out, waking him from his thoughts about whether his daughter really was in Chicago. He almost didn’t want to believe it. For the past year, she was in the same city as he was, in a hotel where he had attended numerous functions, and he never found her. The guilt of her being within his grasp was eating him up.
“In here,” he said from the kitchen, thankful that he didn’t keep any alcohol in his house. If there was a day that he was going to fall off the wagon, today was that day.
“How ya holding up?” Laney asked, her voice sweet and soothing.
He spun around to face her. “I’m so glad you’re here, Laney. I can’t go through this alone.” He wrapped his arms around her, needing to feel some sort of comfort in a world that was spiraling out of control.
“You’re not alone. You’ve got me, and Mark. Just try to clear your mind of it all.”
Greg laughed under his breath, pulling out of Laney’s embrace. “Easier said than done.”
“Well, I have some good news for you. I got a call from the Houston Medical Examiner’s office and they’ve finally decided to open the investigation into Holly’s death. They’ve agreed to allow me access to their findings.”
“Really? What made them change their minds?”
She shrugged. “Not sure, really. I think they were sick of me calling up and complaining about the similarities between her death and the body we found recently up here. Sometimes, my darling, Greg, it pays to be a pain in the ass.”
He smiled for the first time in the past few days and planted a soft kiss on her lips. “You may be a pain in the ass, but I love you.”
“That and, apparently, the chief down in Houston, your old boss, is on his way out. There’s a new guy who’s cleaning up the department, starting with questionable cases that were left unattended. I’m heading to the office to get a jump start. Houston said it would probably be a few days until they had anything for us. Are you going to be okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. Just a few minutes ago, he was ready to fall off the wagon, but seeing her calmed him dramatically. “I guess it doesn’t really matter anyway, now that we know who took Jolene.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But don’t you want to know who killed Holly? I think you need to know for sure.”
“You’re right.” He kissed her forehead. “You always are.”
They shared an intense moment, Greg’s heart filling with adoration for the woman who had stood by his side through his ups and downs.
“Well, I should get going,” Laney said, breaking her eyes away. “I’ll call you if I find anything, okay?”
“Thanks.” He leaned down and their mouths met. He slid her lips apart with his tongue, deepening the kiss before pulling back. “I sure missed you while I was away,” he murmured.
“I did, too. I’m just glad you made it back in one piece. I was worried that something would happen to you.”
“Impossible. You’d never let me live it down if it did.” He looked at her and beamed. “Why don’t we get out of town? When this all blows over, let’s go somewhere. I think we could both use a breather from all the drama for a while. I hear Bora Bora is beautiful this time of year.”
“That sounds perfect, Greg.” She planted one last kiss on his lips. “I’ll be in touch. I love you.”
He watched her saunter out of his living room, contemplating finally asking her the question that he should have years ago.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
WHEELS IN MOTION
“SENATOR MURPHY!” A RATHER attractive and distinguished-looking man in his sixties shouted across an extravagant hotel lobby early Friday afternoon. “I heard you were in town!” He walked up to the well-built senator and the men shook hands. Leaning in, he continued, “I saw that comedy special of yours a few weeks ago.”
David nervously danced from foot to foot. “Yeah. It’s an election year. According to my campaign strategist, voters love a reformed sinner.”
“Brilliant.” Falconi chuckled. “It was definitely a good laugh, although you did quite a number on my Jo-Jo Bear.” His tone turned harsh and he tightened his grip on his hand. “And I couldn’t have her limping around the poker room. She missed the whole week of work. I’m rather upset you didn’t call me when you found her,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“I’m sorry, Tony.” David attempted to pull his hand away. “I wasn’t thinking with my head and I got a little carried away. I should have called you when I realized it was her, but I got a bit selfish. I led you to the girl, though, didn’t I? If it wasn’t for that press conference, you’d still be looking for her.” He smiled weakly, hoping that Falconi would change his severe expression.
Several intense moments passed before Falconi loosened his grip, beaming. “It’s okay, old friend,” he bellowed, patting him on his back and leading him toward the registration desk. “We’ve all had momentary lapses of judgment in the past, myself included, particularly when a member of the opposite sex is involved. Don’t worry. She’s back to normal and will be working tonight in the poker room, where she belongs.” He winked.
“Speaking of which…” David turned to him, lowering his voice. “A good friend of mine is in town this week and is in need of some…entertainment.” He raised his eyebrows.
Falconi hesitated. “You know how I feel about people I don’t know.”
“I understand, but he’s a good guy. Discreet. He helped cover up my, um…previous indiscretions before I ran for office.”
“Can he…?”
“Afford it? This guy’s got more money than sense.”
Falconi surveyed David’s demeanor, trying to determine whether he should agree. In all the years that he had been coming for one of the girls, he had never brought a friend.
“Trust me. You don’t want to turn this guy away,” David insisted. “I’m talking major repeat business while he’s in town for work.”
“Who is it? Do I know him?” He nodded a greeting to a well-dressed couple that had just entered through the revolving doors of the palatial hotel.
David laughed. “I think half the country knows him.”
“What’s his name?” Falconi inquired, turning his attention back to him.
He took a deep breath, praying Falconi didn’t become suspicious. “Alexander Burnham. Told you the guy’s loaded.”
“Does he know what goes on here? You know the rules,” Falconi said sternly, narrowing his chestnut eyes.
“No. No. Of course not,” he assured him. “I haven’t said a word, but…well, he knows about my disposition to women and my unique taste. He’s the guy who helped clean up my record, and since we’re both in town together, he thought I might know of somewhere that he could, ya know…relax. He can’t go to just anyone. You know that. He’ll pay a premium for discretion. He is staying here, after all. You can at least meet the guy and then make up your mind.”
Falconi considered his options. He’d be crazy to turn down a big name like Alexander Burnham. The guy was loaded. True, it was a risk because he owned a private security firm, but that didn’t really bother him. He had allowed men in the same line of work
into the poker room in the past.
“Fine. He can come. He’s high-risk to me, though, so his buy-in to get into the room is fifty grand. And that’s just to get in the door. To have a seat at the table is a hundred grand. And then whatever girl he wants on top of that.”
David smiled vigorously. “I don’t think that will be a problem, but I’ll need to run it by him.”
“You do that. Call my office with the transfer info for both of you. Hope to see you tonight.” He turned and left, scanning the lobby to ensure his conversation hadn’t been overheard by any discriminating guests.
~~~~~~~~~~
“SO, TELL ME. HOW did it go?” Alexander asked when Martin escorted David into his suite.
“He thinks you’re high risk,” he explained. “Either that, or he just knows that you’re loaded. It’s fifty grand to get in the door and a hundred grand for a seat at the table. If you’re at the table, you get first pick on whatever girl you want.”
Alexander ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. “Bastard wants a hundred and fifty grand? Jesus.”
“And that’s just to get in and bid. If you want a girl, that’s additional.”
“Enlighten me, if you will. What kind of money are we talking about here?” Alexander was astonished that this guy had been able to get away with running such a high-scale operation without so much as a peep or rumbling about it until now.
David shrugged. “It’s hard to say, really.”
Alexander leaned into him and placed a hand around his neck, applying a small amount of pressure. “Do not piss me off. How much does the girl normally go for? When you bid on her, what’s your winning bid?”
David looked at him, wide-eyed, gasping for air. “Fifty grand.”
“Fifty grand just to get laid?” Alexander loosened his grip.
“Well, it’s more than that. I pay extra to be able to…”
“I don’t need to hear the details.” Alexander cut him off quickly, mindful of Cam’s reaction. “How the fuck does a U.S. Senator afford that?”
David lowered his eyes.
“Of course. Taking kickbacks in exchange for votes, I’m sure.”
“Hey! I’m not the only one on the hill who does it!”
Alexander shook his head. “Let’s not get into that now. Martin!” he called out.
“Yes, sir.”
“Call the office. Have a half-million transferred to the off-shore operations account. Tell them to filter it through several different countries so it’s untraceable, or at least will take a while to finally crack it. Hopefully by that time, if he becomes suspicious, we’ll already have the girl.”
“Hopefully?!” Cam shouted, finally piping up after listening to David go on about how much he had paid for Jolene in the past. He was trying to control his irritation and frustration, but the more time that passed, the more arduous the task became.
“Cam, calm down! Nothing is one-hundred percent, but I will try my damnedest to get your girl back to you in one piece. Please. Let me finish with this prick without any more interruptions. Time is of the essence here.”
Cam exhaled loudly. “Fine. But I hate this completely helpless feeling knowing that she’s in this hotel and I’m just sitting here.”
“Well, we won’t know for certain that she’s here until we actually have eyes on her tonight. Until then, we’re operating under the assumption that this is the guy that took her.”
“She’s here,” David said.
“She is?” Alexander asked firmly. “How do you know? Why didn’t you lead with that piece of information?”
“I forgot. I thought getting you into the room was more important.”
Cam began pacing the room, his agitation showing.
“Please sit down, Cam,” Alexander begged, noticing the looks of worry on the faces of his team members.
“I’m going to kill that fucker!” He pulled at his sandy hair, his mind racing through hundreds of different scenarios of what Jolene could be enduring at that precise moment. He could almost hear her screams and cries, his subconscious playing a cruel joke on him.
“I need you to keep a cool head. This operation depends on it. I’ll arrange the wire transfer to Falconi now, and we’ll get the girl tonight.” He turned to David. “Go to your suite. Miller will accompany you.” He nodded to an intimidating man that was part of his team. “I’ll have him bring you back here when it’s time.”
The man grabbed David and escorted him out of the room while everyone waited in relative silence for hours. Alexander and Martin whispered under their breath occasionally, discussing tactical moves, but other than that and the humming of the air conditioner unit, the suite was distressingly silent.
“God, this sucks,” Cam commented after a great deal of time had passed. “Is this really what it’s like doing what you do?”
Alexander briefly glanced up from his laptop. “Yeah. Not as glamorous as they make it appear in movies, is it?”
“I thought being a super-spy would be more exciting.”
He smirked. “You got that term from Olivia, didn’t you?”
Cam laughed. “Yeah. Sure did.”
“I’m not a spy. I’m a security consultant who runs an occasional cover-op here and there. It’s a lot like sitting in your doctor’s office and waiting for your appointment for days on end. You read a newspaper or a magazine, but you’re not really reading it because you keep looking around, hoping that you’ll finally get called next. Of course, at your doctor’s office, no one tries to kill you. Well, not intentionally. I normally don’t head out on operations. I have highly-trained agents who do that for me. But I had to do this one. I wanted to make sure that it went off smoothly. I owe you that much, Cam.” He gave him a sincere look.
Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door, startling both men.
“Room service,” a familiar voice called out.
Alexander nodded to Martin, giving him the go ahead to answer it. He strode over to the door and opened it.
Cora entered in a waiter’s uniform, her dark hair pinned back into a bun. Pushing a serving table into the room, she allowed the door to close behind her. “Are y’all ready for this?” she asked, her eyes brimming with enthusiasm. “I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about something… Well, maybe that thing we did with the cartel in Columbia. Man, it was great to be back home for a minute. Anyway, I could only get away for a few minutes, so we need to make this quick.” She grabbed a few files that were hiding underneath the warming plate and rushed over to the couch.
“Here.” She handed a keycard to Alexander. “I swiped this off one of his men. It’s a universal keycard. It’ll get you anywhere in the hotel.”
“I knew I hired you for a reason, sticky fingers,” Alexander joked.
“That, and I can assemble a firearm in about half the time as you.”
Cam sat wide-eyed as he listened to their exchange, wondering if he had gotten in over his head involving Alexander.
“What have you and Toby found out?” Alexander asked, turning serious.
“A lot. First of all, as I assumed, your best exit point will be the service elevator. It leads into the kitchen and, once there, you only have to make it about ten more yards to the service entrance out back. There’s a loading dock out there and the HVAC company is cleared on the list of authorized vehicles.”
“That’s where Miller will be waiting with the van. Cam…” Alexander nodded in his direction. “You’ll be in the van with Miller. We’re going in mostly unarmed, but we have to be prepared for the likelihood that we’ll be leaving under fire. The plan right now is to bid on Jolene, get her into a private room, and sit tight for a few hours before making our escape. Martin will attempt to distract the guards patrolling the hallway to cover our exit. This could change on a dime. You will stay in the van and not leave it. Miller has been instructed to do the same. Once I have Jolene safely in the van, you will take off. Miller’s already been briefed about what’s going
on, but just so there’s no surprises to you, you will be driving out of the city, stashing the van, and then grabbing a new set of wheels before heading to a safe house. Got it?”
Cam nodded in response. “I got it.”
“And I mean it when I tell you to stay in the van. No matter what you see happening, you need to trust me that we know what we’re doing.”
“Okay, okay. I understand. My ass will remain glued to the seat.”
“Perfect.” He turned his attention back to Cora. “Now, location of weapons?”
She took out a few rough sketches from the folders. “As you can tell, there’s not a lot of closets or hiding places on the top floor.” She gestured to the drawings in front of her. “You’re going to have to try to make it to the service elevator. I was able to hide a couple of MP5s, some nine millimeters, and a few small tactical knives, as well as a communication earpiece for you.”
She grabbed a diagram of the service elevator. “There’s six metal panels on each side. Weapons are stashed behind the fourth one from the front on the left. Here.” She pointed to the location on the papers in front of them. “The keycard will get you access to the service elevator. There’s a code written on the back. Enter it into the keypad and it’ll take you straight to the kitchen without stopping on any floor in between. It’s a convenience thing for the employees, and your saving grace tonight. There is a way for them to disable that feature but, hopefully, by the time they realize what’s going on and have a chance to kill it, you’ll already be in the kitchen.”
“Anything else?”
Cora hesitated for a minute. “Well, just so you know, the service elevator is on the slower side. Chances are, if one of his guys spot you trying to leave with the girl, this guy may have more than enough time to send men to cut you off.”
“Do you see any other option?”