Edge of Tomorrow

by Wolf Wootan

  “I appreciate his interest—and his help. So, how did a lady Marine meet Mr. Powerful?” asked Syd.

  “I met Hatch in September of 1995. I was a major by then—Provost Marshall for a Marine base in Southern California—and I was visiting Fort Bragg, North Carolina for a big seminar on hostage rescue teams, SWAT, and so on. That’s the home of the 82nd and 101st airborne units, and the famed Delta Force. It’s kind of the core of elite Rapid Response Units. A lot of police departments were there, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) people, all of the Military Services, including the Navy SEALS. I was a speaker pushing the value of women on HRTs and RRUs. I also gave a demo on hand-to-hand combat, proving women can take care of themselves in a man’s world.”

  They arrived at the house and Sara parked the cart and hooked it up again. The two of them disembarked and went upstairs to Syd’s suite. One of the beds had a note on it saying that some new clothes were in the closet, and new underwear and bathing suits were in the dresser.

  “Mrs. C. did her job well, as usual,” observed Sara. “Put on a bathing suit. There probably will be a cover-up in the closet with your clothes. If not, there’s a bathrobe in the bathroom closet. I’ll finish the story at the pool.”

  Syd opened the top drawer of the dresser and found an assortment of bras and panties. Much more expensive brands than she usually wore. Even a Wonder Bra! Was Mrs. C. sending her a message? The next drawer had three bathing suits in it. There was a red bikini, a sky blue one-piece cut high on the legs and low on top, and a Navy blue two-piece cut a little fuller than the red bikini. Decisions, decisions.

  I wonder what Sara will wear. She will probably let it all hang out from the way she talks. If you’ve got it, flaunt it! But is that what I want to do? Show Hatch what I’ve got? Or play it down? Or does it matter? After all, we just met.

  She got undressed and tried on the red bikini. White skin showed on her breasts and hips.

  This won’t do! Much skimpier than I’ve been wearing. I’ll have to sun bathe in it in private to tan these white areas. It does show most of what I’ve got! Scandalous!

  She took it off and put on the blue one-piece suit. It fit nicely, and didn’t show her tan line except between her breasts at the plunging neckline. Demure, but sexy enough. She kept it on and looked for a cover-up. She had a strange feeling that her life was about to change drastically.

  Chapter 12

  Klaus Haus, Florida

  Wednesday, August 1, 2001

  2:15 P.M.

  When the two women arrived at the pool, Sara put her canvas beach bag next to a lounge chair. It was one she had bought at Disney World and had a picture of Mickey Mouse on it. She went to a wooden cabinet hidden behind a large boulder and retrieved four large, white towels. She handed two of them to Syd.

  “Take a lounge, Syd,” said Sara, pointing to the one next to hers. There was a small, square, glass-topped table between the two lounges with an ashtray on it. Syd looked in amazement at the pool. It was more like a large mountain lake. It had a black bottom, which gave the water a deep blue color. It was free-form, with lots of rocks highlighting its perimeter. At the far end, the boulders rose at least eight feet with water cascading down over them, forming multiple water falls. Plush landscaping finished the effect.

  “Are you sure this is a pool? It looks more like a mountain tarn,” said Syd, dropping her cover-up over the back of her lounge. She spread one of her towels on the lounge and eased herself down on it.

  “Yes, it’s very nice—and restful. I like the sound of the waterfalls,” Sara answered, shedding her black cover-up and revealing her skimpy, black bikini. No tan lines showed anywhere, leading Syd to believe she must use a tanning salon—or sunbathed in the nude.

  “Great suit, Sara, what there is of it,” laughed Syd.

  “It suits my personality. I’m making up for my miserable teen years. I thought you would go with a bikini, too.”

  “Maybe next time,” she said as she leaned back on her lounge. “Remember, I am a college professor! Or at least I was. I don’t know what I am right now. I’m in limbo.”

  “Is there some law against professors being sexy?”

  “I think so.”

  “This isn’t the Harvard swimming pool. Lighten up!” laughed Sara.

  Sara searched through the canvas bag and came up with a plastic bottle of sun screen, which she commenced to rub on her long legs. When she finished her body, she tossed it to Syd.

  “Do my back and I’ll do yours,” Sara said.

  “While I’m doing that, continue with your story about how a Marine Corps major met a billionaire at Fort Bragg,” Syd answered, rubbing lotion on Sara’s back.

  “Well, in 1995 he wasn’t as big as he is now, but still big enough. He used his connections and got invited to the seminar, taking it all in, including my contributions. An Air Force general brought him over and introduced him to me after my speech. He must have arranged that, because I didn’t know the general. We chatted for a while. He asked very detailed questions about my views on Hostage Rescue Teams. He said he hoped he would see me at the cocktail party that evening. My heart was doing back flips. That gorgeous, powerful man who could manipulate generals said he would look for me!”

  Syd sat back down on her lounge and rubbed lotion on her legs. She could visualize how this story was going to end, and she did not like it.

  “It sounds more like the beginning of a love story than a job interview,” Syd said.

  “As it turned out, it was neither. I wore my best, sexy cocktail dress instead of my dress uniform—which was permitted—and he did search me out. We sat at a table for two, talking, and getting very drunk. I made up my mind that I was going to get laid that night! All of my inhibitions were gone. He didn’t decline when I invited him to my room, which was in a hotel off-base. He shed his coat and tie and we drank some more.”

  Sara took the lotion and smeared some on Syd’s back as she continued her story.

  “I figured all I had to do was drop the top of my dress and he would be all over me. I was sitting on the bed showing a lot of thigh, and he was on the love seat. But he started talking and got all teary-eyed. He was really drunk, and so was I. I didn’t follow everything he was saying, but I finally figured out that the tenth anniversary of the death of his first and only true love had just come and gone. He kept saying, ‘Poor Kat! They killed my dear Katerina,’ and things like that. After a while, it became clear that his main attraction to me was that I was a larger version of Kat. She was petite compared to me, but my face, hair, eyes—they all reminded him of her, and he got all maudlin.”

  Sara paused and looked at her nails for a moment.

  “I really shouldn’t be telling this story. It is embarrassing—to both of us, actually, but mostly to me,” she finally continued.

  “You can’t stop now! Did you get him to bed, or not?” asked Syd, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

  “I went and sat next to him on the love seat and put my arm around him, trying to console him. I was really prepared to take advantage of his very vulnerable state of mind. I led him to the bed and he lay down. I took off my cocktail dress and lay down next to him, completely bare-chested. He was already asleep, or passed out. Seconds later I was, too. The next thing I knew, I woke up and he was gone. I told you this was embarrassing. I think I need a drink!”

  She reached into her bag and pulled out a Blue Phone like Hatch carried and started dialing. Syd felt a wave of relief surge through her body—she wasn’t quite sure why. How could she be jealous of people she had just met?

  A young man that Sara called Eddie, and who was dressed in a white linen jacket, appeared from somewhere and asked what he could do for them. Sara ordered a tall gin and tonic with a twist and Syd followed suit. Out of the corner of her eye, Syd noticed that Eddie was ogling their glistening bodies. It made her feel good that a young guy liked looking at her over-thirty body.

  “So, that was it?” asked Syd when Eddi
e was gone.

  “No. I had obviously wasted my blatant hussy come-on, but later that day I received two dozen long-stemmed roses from him. Then he called and apologized all over the place for getting so drunk and talking my ear off. I guess he had passed out before my striptease, so I didn’t mention my behavior. He must have seen me half naked on the bed when he left, but he didn’t mention it. I didn’t hear from him again until July of 1996, when he called me in California, where I was stationed, and asked me out for dinner.”

  Eddie returned with their drinks and put them on the table between them, getting another eyeful.

  “And? Did you …?” urged Syd, apprehensively.

  “No, we were on our best behavior. We were both a little nervous and embarrassed, but Hatch put me at ease, and the rest—as they say—is history. I accepted his offer and here I am five years later. The hardest part was knowing I wouldn’t be able to pursue him anymore,” said Sara with a mock groan.

  Syd smiled inwardly and sighed.

  I don’t have that problem! I don’t work for him, so I declare him fair game!

  “Something occurs to me, Sara. Weren’t you worried that he wanted you around only because you reminded him of his long, lost love?”

  “That occurred to me at the time, but the job was real—something I really wanted to do. And he came right out and told me that intra-company relationships—particularly sexual ones—were prohibited by his company rules. Insiders refer to it jokingly as the ‘No-fuck Rule.’”

  “Well, the job really must be something great for you to give up what you had, and no chance of bedding the boss! Maybe someday you can tell me what your job really is,” ribbed Syd with a smile.

  Syd took a pull on the straw in her gin and tonic.

  Curiouser and curiouser, thought Syd. What job would cause her to quit before her twenty years were up? Money, certainly. Hatch could definitely offer her any amount she wanted, and more. But she doesn’t seem the type to sell out for just money. The Corps was her life. Something else is going on around here! I wonder if I’ll ever know what it is.

  Syd was jolted from her thoughts when Sara said, “Here comes Hatch. Maybe we’ll find out about your sister now.”

  Syd looked up and saw Hatch coming from the house. He had on brown swimming trunks, a tan tee shirt, and flip-flops on his feet. His arms and legs were as well-tanned as Sara’s body. He carried a clipboard with some papers attached to it; he also had his Blue Phone. Eddie followed along behind him. Syd marveled at Hatch’s firm, muscular body, and a thrill ran up her spine. He turned left before he reached them, and headed for a large, white, colonial-style gazebo which was about ten yards from the pool. Sara gathered her cover-up, towels, canvas bag, and drink and headed after him. Syd followed Sara. The three of them sat down at the round table in the gazebo.

  “Eddie, bring the ladies a refill, and I’d like a glass of White Zin. Bring us some snacks, too, please,” said Hatch.

  “Yes, sir. Right away,” answered Eddie as he hurried off.

  Hatch looked at the two women and was pleased with what he saw. He was used to seeing Sara nearly nude, and he always enjoyed looking at her. Syd was another thing. She took his breath away.

  I have to get to know her better. She really fascinates me. Maybe we are kindred souls of some sort. We both did dirty jobs under the umbrella of a government’s orders. We’ve both been betrayed by people in our own agencies. We’ve both killed to avenge the death of our loved ones. I’m much older than she is though. I wonder if that matters to her. I guess time will tell. I have to get her alone somehow.

  “You ladies look very fetching this afternoon,” observed Hatch. “You can sue me for sexual harassment for saying that, Sara. You can’t sue, Syd, so you will have to choose some other action.”

  Sara laughed and Syd blushed, but laughed along with Sara. Hatch just smiled.

  “I’ll just say that you are looking pretty good yourself,” countered Syd. “You can’t sue me either.”

  They all had a good laugh at that.

  “I have some good news, and some bad news,” Hatch said, changing the subject. “First, the good news. Bruno says there is no one watching your place, Syd—at least, not at the moment. Bruno’s team went in and swept the place and found no surveillance equipment of any kind. That means the two men at The Blue Grotto were watching your house and followed you.

  “The bad news—and it isn’t really all that bad—is in San Francisco. Our fake Radon inspectors checked out your sister’s house. There is a bug in her phone, so that is how they found you so quickly, Syd. We left the bug there. We don’t want them to know that we found it. We can use it to feed them misinformation—maybe set a trap for them. Assuming there are more of them, as we suspect.”

  “I still can’t believe how stupid I was calling my sister!” moaned Syd. “She doesn’t suspect anything, does she?”

  “No. We didn’t tell her about the bug we found, or anything else. She’s not suspicious yet. But I don’t like the fact that someone is listening in on her private conversations, so I propose we try and draw those bastards into the open as quickly as we can, so we can get rid of that bug.”

  “She probably talks to clients on that phone!” added Syd. “How do you propose we do this?”

  “Whatever we do, we can’t let Syd’s sister get suspicious,” interjected Sara.

  “Yes, that is important,” agreed Hatch. “We do have to use Syd as bait, whatever we do. Here comes Eddie. We’ll form a plan after he’s gone.”

  Eddie had a large tray balanced on his right hand, which he put down on the round table where the three were seated. He placed their drinks in front of them, and gave each a small plate and napkin. He placed a large platter of finger food in the center of the table.

  “Thanks, Eddie,” said Hatch as Eddie departed.

  Hatch picked up where he had stopped when Eddie had appeared.

  “We have surveillance teams in place at Syd’s house and at her sister Karen’s house. We don’t know where the bad guys are. I’m guessing there are two in San Francisco, and two came here. However, the two live ones may be on their way here because they haven’t heard from their buddies. So where do we set the trap? Here, or San Francisco? That is the question.”

  “Can’t we just tell the FBI what we know and let them handle it?” asked Syd.

  “From where I sit, that would make things worse for you, Dr. Z.,” chimed in Sara. “It would end up in the press eventually, no matter how they try to handle it; then the entire Arab world would know where you are, not to mention what your sister would find out. As far as we know, these guys are not wanted for anything in this country, so the FBI wouldn’t do anything proactive.”

  “Plus,” added Hatch, “the police would take a new look at the killings at The Blue Grotto. We would be in for a lot of questioning—waste a lot of time, and open a can of worms. The only way we can contain this is to handle it ourselves. We are capable of handling this, Syd. Trust me.”

  “If you manage to find them, what do you do with them? You can’t turn them over to the FBI. You can’t just kill them!” fretted Syd. “This is America, not the Middle East.”

  “I have something in mind. What if these guys were apprehended in Israel, Syd? What would happen there?” asked Hatch.

  “That’s an easy one. They would be tried for crimes against Israel—several bombings, killing of soldiers. That is, if they just didn’t disappear,” laughed Syd. “The MOSSAD works in mysterious ways.”

  “That’s what I thought. I’ve known the CIA to do similar things a decade ago, but it’s harder now. So, when we catch them, we deliver them to Israel,” concluded Hatch.

  “You don’t think small, do you, Hatch? How do you accomplish that without the support of the U. S. Government?” wondered Syd.

  “Remember, Dr. Z., who Hatch really is,” explained Sara. “He’s not your ordinary man on the street.”

  They all paused for a moment and munched on the hors
d’oeuvres. Hatch seemed deep in thought as he chewed his cracker smeared with caviar. Syd preferred the cream cheese on a wheat cracker.

  “Let’s catch them first,” Hatch finally said, breaking the silence. “In order to keep your sister isolated from this entire mess, I think it best to lure them here. Your sister is under 24-hour surveillance, so she will be safe no matter how this goes down.”

  “God, I hope so! I hate myself for getting her involved in my problems,” moaned Syd.

  “She’ll be quite fine. Now, here’s what I want you to do, Syd. I want you to call your sister and have a little chat. Tell her you are enjoying your vacation; tell her where you are, et cetera, et cetera. Hopefully, the bad guys will be listening and know that you are still alive. They should make a beeline to your place, just like the other two did. You won’t be there, of course; you’ll be here, and we will be watching your house. We’ll watch the Miami Airport as well. If we don’t screw up, we should take them quietly, and alive.”

  Syd’s mind was racing. Hatch’s latest remark sounded more like what the MOSSAD, or the FBI, or the CIA, or the police would say than what a private citizen would say. Her life and Karen’s life were on the line here! What Hatch was proposing bordered on the illegal; even if you considered capturing the terrorists as a citizen’s arrest, it could not be proven that the bastards had done anything illegal in this country. It amounted to kidnapping. Syd decided it was time to probe deeper into what these people were all about.

  “Hatch, what you just said, and actions you have taken already, need to be explained to me. Once, I was a naive college professor; I no longer am. Ordinary American citizens don’t have multiple surveillance teams at their disposal, or the ability to kidnap people and whisk them out of the country. I think it’s time for you tell me more. You can trust me, I promise,” Syd pleaded, her dark eyes flashing.