She sat with Beatrice and her two friends at a square, card table. Sadie’s eyes swept her surroundings, on guard for the unexpected. But who would bother her in a park?
“Now get this straight, Cheekbones. It ain’t poker we’re playin’ here. Don’t go all cut- throat on us.”
Sadie screwed up her face. Beatrice liked to call her, “Cheekbones,” because she made good money pouting in front of cameras. The world thought she was beautiful, but when Sadie looked at herself in the mirror, all she saw was the skinny girl from the wrong side of Seattle. If others wanted to give her attention for her looks, that suited her fine. It made a great cover for her work with the CIA. Sadie shrugged. “Just tell me the rules.”
“What? You never played bridge before?” The lady to her left, called Mabel, paled. Her face contorted, as if she had gas.
“It can’t be that hard,” Sadie said widening her eyes and forcing her mouth to remain straight.
“I ya yi.” Jane, the lady to her right, slapped the table with her hand. “A virgin.”
Beatrice shook her head. “Ah, don’t worry about it. This one’s smart as a whip.” But her hand trembled, as she shuffled the cards.
“So we have partners?” Sadie knew how to play bridge well enough for an afternoon with the ladies, but playing Beatrice was much more fun. “Do we have a secret handshake or something?”
Beatrice gave her the evil eye. “Pick up your damn cards and sort them in suits.” She exhaled a lungful of cigarette smoke. “Talkin’ about partners. Where’s that handsome giant of yours.”
“In Amsterdam.” Sadie sighed. “He has an important business meeting.”
“Sheesh, you two. You need to spend more time together. Make it real, you know.”
Real? Her relationship with Sebastian couldn’t be more real. But she got Beatrice’s point. Being a long-distance couple had its challenges.
“You two, shut up already,” said Jane. “Are we here to play cards or talk men?”
Sadie smiled. “So when do I get to give my bad cards away?”
Bee grumbled and pointed two fingers at her own eyes and then at Sadie’s, the classic, “I’m watching you” look.
Sadie laughed. “Okay, I’ll be serious.
Beatrice grunted. “You need to figure out how many. . .” Her words faded.
People in the park started murmuring all at once. Some stood and pointed to the east. Sadie couldn’t see anything, but she could hear a buzzing sound, like a large mosquito. Scratch that, like a horde of mosquitoes. The buzz grew louder and louder.
Then she saw it. “Ladies, take cover.”
As she stood up, she pulled her gun from her purse and aimed it at the approaching drone, just in case. It floated in space surveying the area with a camera. About two feet in diameter, it looked like an electronic, hunter spider with a big body in the middle and many arms stretching out, each equipped with propellers. Below the body hung a lens the size of an eyeball and below that a square package. That package could be dangerous.
People started screaming and ran to get away from the specter. The drone made wide circles above the people.
The rotating eye faced Sadie and stopped. Oh no! It stopped. The grumble of the engine increased and headed straight toward her. The whooping of the tiny propellers and the buzz of the engine grew louder and more distinct.
Mabel and Jane ran for the library which adjoined the park, but not Beatrice. Standing at Sadie’s side, she raised her purse, ready to take a good swing at it. “I didn’t tell you to bring a friend.” Cassy barked.
“Call 911,” Sadie said. “Take Cassy and run.” The drone, now ten yards away, closed in.
Should she shoot? It might explode. Sadie started jogging backwards. The drone followed. If she could get into the library and close the door she’d be safe, but then others might not be. Was it on a timer or remotely controlled? She couldn’t risk taking her eyes off of it to look for a control man on the ground. He could be in the crowd or miles away.
A security guard in uniform came out of the library. Thank God. He started moving people back. The police would be on their way. But not in time.
How could she draw the drone away from the crowds? Where in Manhattan are there no crowds? Five yards and closing in. If she threw a coat on top of it, would it be blinded? Maybe, but a blind drone could still be dangerous. What if she threw a rock at it? What if. . . Time was running out. And Beatrice hadn’t moved from her side. Cassy kept barking and leaped into the air.
Sweat beaded above Sadie’s upper lip. Ah hell. She steadied both her hands on her gun and shot above the package, hoping to kill the engine. “ Boom!”
Ancient Danger Page 22