by L. T. Ryan
“I can’t,” I said. “And the only phone I had is gone, so unless we bump into each other at the grocery store, it ain’t happening.”
He nodded, but I knew he didn’t buy it. Frank knew me too well. And it was the same with me in regards to him. They wouldn’t accept her with open arms. One of the reasons the SIS was created was for the kind of job he was talking about. All of its agents were essentially off the grid ghosts and could move about the country with ease. Few cared how dirty their hands got, so long as what they were doing was sanctioned. And the jobs were sanctioned at the highest level of the Pentagon, even if those giving the OK didn’t truly know what was going on.
I looked up as the SUV veered onto the interstate heading east toward Indianapolis. “Where are we going?”
“Here’s the deal. You’re reactivated as of three days ago.” Frank swatted away my objection before I could voice it, and tossed me a set of credentials. “And don’t even try to wiggle out of this. You know the charges that can be brought against you over this Thanos thing. I figure three days gives you enough time that everything you’ve done up till now is covered.”
There was little I could say in retort. “One condition. I’m gonna need—”
“First of all, you are not in a position to give me conditions,” Frank said. “Second, I figured sooner or later you were gonna ask about a partner for this, so I took the liberty of getting Logan on a plane to Indianapolis. He’s landing in less than an hour. Gonna drop you off at the airport. There’s an Audi in long-term parking in the terminal garage. It’s already outfitted with everything you’ll need. Firearms, couple of phones, a laptop, a GPS tracker you can stick under a wheel well of a car, and plenty of cash. I want you to check in with me at five p.m.”
I was officially an SIS agent again. The taste that left in my mouth nearly caused me to vomit. At the same time, Bear was on a plane to Indy.
And that was the first bit of good news I’d heard since arriving in Chicago.
25
Frank and his guys dropped me off in front of Indianapolis International Airport around eleven a.m. near the arrivals gate. The place looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, shaped like a giant alien craft. The front and sides were floor-to-ceiling windows, spanning almost a hundred vertical feet.
I made my way inside and found a coffee shop where I grabbed the largest travel mug they offered and filled it with the darkest roast they had on tap. The warm brew took me away from the moment, eased my tense lungs, cleared the dull ache in my head. It only took the Audi’s keys pressing into my leg to bring me back to the current situation. I wondered what Frank hadn’t told me about the car. Why was it in long-term parking? Had it been sitting there for a while? Had he resorted to resource sharing with another agency? After all, why Indianapolis of all places? This wasn’t a major hub for the SIS. And I was sure the vehicle had additional capabilities beyond what he told me. Tracking of the vehicle was bound to be in place. Before starting, hell, before unlocking the doors, we had to check underneath for anything obvious.
With the coffee in hand, I wove through the meandering crowds en route to the gate. I found an empty spot on the wall and settled in. Wave after wave of travelers arrived. Some weary from business, others excited to see their loved ones. I only had to toss a glance in the pack’s direction to know that Bear wasn’t in their midst. After fifteen minutes, I saw him poking out, a head above the others, shaggy mane and beard. He pushed through the middle of a Japanese family, he was dressed in jeans and a brown leather jacket, and headed toward me with a broad grin.
I left the SIS in ’02, and Bear retired from the Marines a couple of years after. We started a little business venture in the following months. Mostly work-for-hire for various government agencies in the US, UK, western European countries, and a few in Central and South America. Business had been good, but after an incident involving Frank Skinner, a double-crossing FBI agent and a terrorist, both Bear and I realized we were suckers for doing only their dirty work. There was no good guy or bad guy in this business when you reached the level of operations we had. Didn’t matter who backed you, you were nothing more than a cog in their machine, and when you freelanced, that was a bad thing. So we changed our philosophy, worked for the highest bidder.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me in for a quick one-armed hug. The kind where guys beat each other over the back, somewhere between a hug and a brawl.
It’d been a couple months since I’d seen Bear. He’d taken off for the winter for some time in the Keys. He needed to unwind. I stuck around New York and picked up a few easy jobs to keep the funds coming in and to watch over our interests. It was a nice break for the both of us, but after spending the majority of my adult life with the Bear by my side, I was used to having him around. God forbid one of us ever decided to start a family. The poor wife would hate us.
Bear had traveled light. Everything he needed was in his backpack, so there was no need to go by baggage claim. We followed the signs for long term parking and walked the aisles until we found the Audi. Could’ve used the key fob to honk the horn, but that would draw unnecessary attention to the vehicle.
Frank had spared no costs on this one. The black S8 looked brand new. I popped the trunk and pulled up the floor. There were compartments on both sides of the spare. I worked my hand down the side until I found the latch. Inside were two Beretta 92FS 9mm pistols, which we were both more than familiar with. He’d also provided two cell phones, and a bag with approximately thirty-thousand dollars in mixed bills. There were two black duffel bags embossed with corporate logos on the back seat containing clothes for both of us.
“Check underneath,” I said.
Bear dropped to the ground and wormed his way under the vehicle. “Looks good, man.”
I felt around each wheel well for attached devices but came up empty. Under the hood everything looked normal too.
“Think it’s clean?” Bear asked.
I shook my head. “Doubtful, but we don’t have much choice. Besides, I’m starting to think Frank is our ally on this one, for some reason.”
“Do you remember what happened two years ago?” Bear draped his arms over the roof and leaned forward. “I mean, all that time in the hospital, Joe the FBI terrorist, Skinner? It was a total cluster, man.”
“I know, Bear,” I said. “Frank had me, man. Had me in a damn SUV with two of his guys. They could have taken me out in a gas station parking lot in the middle of nowhere. They could’ve detained me in the car and taken me to a field station instead of the airport. He knows what I was doing in Chicago.”
“Which was what, exactly?”
“I’ll get to that,” I said. “Point is, he brought you out here, took me to you, and gave us this ride, loaded with everything we need.”
“So what you’re saying is that we’re gonna do his dirty work for him, which by the way is something he won’t have his own guys involved in, and then he’s gonna kill us.”
I pulled out the ID Frank had given me in the SUV. Most people wouldn’t be able to differentiate it from their own identification. There were only a few who knew better, and when it came down to it, I was better off with the credentials than without. I tossed it to Bear. “He reactivated me.”
Bear shook his head, pulled his door open. With one foot inside, he stopped and said, “Here we go again.”
26
As we drove toward Chicago I caught Bear up on everything that had happened, starting with my meeting with the Old Man and the alley encounter, all the way up to sending Lexi and the dog off with her father. He nodded along with my story, let me finish before offering his input.
“Sounds to me like we need to start with Thanos’s security guys,” Bear said. “They were there the night before you planned on finishing the job. I’d like to know where they took him, and why. I guess you don’t have any idea how he usually spent his evenings, do you?”
“Unfortunately, no.” I hit the blinker and moved into the far le
ft lane to get around a long line of white pickup trucks. “I had little to go by on this one. My thinking at the time was that if he left at night, it was for a meeting. Something hastily thrown together, maybe even unplanned. Certainly not the type of get together they wanted the public aware of.”
“He the kind of guy the public would care about?”
“No,” I said. “But the men Lexi dealt with while undercover are.”
“So for him to go with his guys had to be with someone he didn’t completely trust. Someone he feared didn’t have his best interests at heart.”
“Could be. Or maybe he just wanted to match firepower with firepower.”
“Lexi’s mob guy.” Bear drummed his fingertips on the dash. “Do we know who that is?”
“I don’t have a name, and haven’t tried to find one, but I’m sure it’s not hard to figure out.”
“Right, but we need to be careful there. Can’t go scaring a bunch of thugs and wind up with this guy breathing down our backs. How heavily do you think you can lean on the Old Man now?”
“Now that I’m officially SIS again? Hardly at all. I can probably get away with feeding him some disinformation to see what he’d throw back. But we’re in recovery mode now. If we find Thanos alive, we need to take him into custody. I’ll deal with the Old Man later.”
“That’s a big if at this point, partner.”
That had been my feeling since the morning Thanos’s house was shot up. There was still the lingering question of whether they were there for only her, or had they intended to take Lexi and Thanos out at the same time?
“You got a way for her to reach you?” Bear asked.
“She’s got the number. Just need to pick up a phone to redirect to it. Hopefully she hasn’t tried and given up yet.”
“Let’s stop and get one.”
I patted center console. “I don’t trust this car, man. My gut tells me there’s something in it that’ll allow Frank to check for cell signals. We can use the city, tall buildings, to our advantage. But out here on the highway, not a chance. I don’t need him coming down on us. Remember, Lexi’s got a contract out on her that originated somewhere in the Pentagon. For all we know, Frank is in on it.”
“He’s probably hoping you find her.” Bear held up his hand like a pistol and pretended to take a shot. “Do his dirty work for him, then cut you loose again.” He paused a beat. “Or use her life as a bargaining chip to get you to stay in the SIS.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of, Frank using this situation to gain control of me. When it comes to Lexi, he could put it simply. Do it, or die.”
“Or take my hand,” Bear quipped. “Ever wonder why that guy’s got such a hard on for you?”
“Not really.” I tapped the mirror and leaned toward it. “I mean, can you blame him?”
Bear laughed. “Don’t get so full of yourself, man. Without me, you’re nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Even your fanboy Frank knew he had to haul my hairy ass in from the Keys to Indianapolis to make sure this job gets done right.”
“Nah, he’s probably got something in store for you too. Wanted to make sure you got a bit of a workout before he put you to task. Good thing, too. You look like you softened up a bit.”
“The beach and beer.” He patted his stomach. “Does it every time.”
We went back and forth for a little bit then settled into the ride. My mind kept tracing over the same basic questions as though they were written in sand and the waves kept washing them away. It helped to get Bear’s perspective, and giving him a bit of time to mull things over might uncover something that hadn’t crossed my mind. Together we’d solve this. We always did.
We reached Chicago a little after three that afternoon and found a garage to park the Audi about a quarter-mile from Thanos’s office. We took a walk, grabbed a couple burgers at Beacon Tavern, then made our way to the building.
A bus stop two blocks away provided good cover. It was near where I’d parked a couple of days earlier. The sun bounced off windows across the street, creating a hell of a glare. It’d also affect those sitting in the offices. I banked on it making it more difficult for Ginger and his guys to ID me and Bear. Plus, turnover was constant at a bus stop. People came and went all day long, sometimes waiting as long as twenty or thirty minutes for their bus. It was a waste of resources to dedicate a lookout for the location.
I grabbed a newspaper off the bench and covered my face with it while focusing on Thanos’s building’s entry and roof. A guy positioned on top wearing sunglasses and a heavy coat walked the perimeter. He hadn’t been there last time I was here. Were they anticipating me, or someone else?
Bear kept his gaze at street level, studied anyone that wasn’t moving at a decent clip.
“Anything interesting?” I said after the other couple at the stop boarded a bus.
“Not really. Couple old ladies and a few homeless stand out for no good reason. Everyone else looks like they belong.”
“Yeah, so far I’ve only spotted a rooftop watch. Everyone else? Guess they’re keeping security close.”
“Or loose because they know they don’t need it right now.” Bear stood up and stretched. “Or they’ve gone home ‘cause they know there’s no point in showing up.”
“We need to go for the head. We need to find Ginger and put him to the fire.” I looked around at an out-of-place gothic building across the street that looked as though it had been abandoned for some time. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”
I knew Ginger wouldn’t get on the bus, and there was little chance he was staying in a nearby apartment or hotel room. Thanos lived a good thirty minutes away. Maybe the head of his security rode with him, possibly acted as his driver. Or maybe he went back to his own place, which I figured was temporary, so likely a hotel near Thanos’s house. Either way, he had to have a vehicle. And there wasn’t anywhere to park a car all day long in front of, along the side of, or behind the office building.
“That’s gotta be it.” Bear aimed a finger at a black sign with white vertical letters that spelled out PARKING. We stopped underneath it.
“There’s gotta be an entrance somewhere on the other side, too.” I peered into the cavernous garage and made out a wide opening catty-corner to us. “Come on.”
We made our way through the shadows, used parked vehicles for cover.
“Any of them look familiar?” Bear asked.
I scanned each row for the Cadillac SUV I’d seen a few nights ago. “Not really. Keep a lookout for a black on black Escalade. I’ve got the plates memorized.”
“Good thing,” Bear said. “Those things are everywhere.”
He should know. That’s what he drove.
Bear continued. “Let’s get to the other side and wait in the shadows for a bit.”
“I got a better idea.” I looked through the opening to the street. “They haven’t seen you.”
“Gotcha.” Bear swung his leg over the concrete barrier. “Hang tight and wait for my call.”
27
Aside from the smell of exhaust and the occasional gust of frigid wind, the parking garage wasn’t that bad. Every couple of minutes I moved into the sunlight, careful to keep my face hidden in the shadows. Made it feel twenty degrees warmer. Bear had phoned to let me know he was in place across from the building. From his vantage he could see the front entrance, the side doors, as well as the street perpendicular to the other end of the building. The man he was looking for was six-foot tall, thick, and redheaded. He stood out in a crowd more than Bear.
I kept myself occupied by matching passing faces with the internal database tucked away in a far corner of my brain. Never knew when someone from ten years or ten hours ago might show up. For now I was most concerned with recent history, starting on my last day in New York. From the beginning, nothing seemed right about this job. Anything billed as easy was certain to be a major pain in the ass. I knew it, and I still signed on for this. The more I thought
about Charles’s associate, Matt, the more I became convinced he had something to do with this. Since I now had Frank and the official SIS channels in my back pocket, it might be time to put them to good use.
My dealings with the Old Man were a tricky subject with Frank. Though I carried out similar tasks for the two men, Frank had the Pentagon on his side. To him, Feng was a ruthless killer who had no problem profiting off the vices of others. Drugs, gambling, dealing with foreign governments, the Old Man found none of it untouchable. It was my involvement with him and a few others that led Frank to recently cease communications with me. It didn’t bother me, as I’d been turning him down for a while. I’d never trusted and distrusted someone at the same time as much as I did Frank Skinner. From my last days in the SIS, I questioned whether he had mine or any of his agents’ best interests at heart.
My phone buzzed and I quickly answered.
Bear’s voice piped in through the bluetooth earpiece. “Your guy poked his head out of the building.”
“Where’s he now?”
“Back inside.”
“Sure it was him?”
“Pretty sure. Went to get a pic, but he was already gone.”
“He didn’t see you, right?”
“The hell, Jack, you think this is amateur hour up in here?”
“No offense, big man, but you’ve been on vacation. You might be a bit rusty.”
“Screw that,” he said. “I’m well-rested and ready to kick someone’s ass. So you keep that talk up and you’ll be first in line.”
The line went dead. I shoved the phone back in my pocket and went back to watching the street and garage.
It felt good to have Bear on board. While having Frank around left me feeling like something was gonna go wrong at any moment, Bear countered that and even had me somewhat optimistic that we’d figure out where Thanos had been taken.