Chapter Thirty-Three
While Candy had poured herself another drink and settled into a couch to watch television, Phoebe paced.
She wasn’t happy.
She wasn’t happy one bit.
In fact, she was furious.
She could understand why she might not be allowed to stay in the office while an arrest went down, but she couldn’t fathom why she was locked in a room with a babysitter. It didn’t help that she was starving. She could be miles away in the kitchen making herself something to eat.
She’d had enough.
Glancing across at Rocky, she decided she’d find his weak point and win him over. But the door suddenly opened and Agent Miller walked in.
“Rocky, we’re setting up surveillance and need your expertise. Girls, stay put and keep the door locked.”
“No problem. In fact, I’m exhausted,” Phoebe lied, thinking she might have a chance to slip away. “I’m going into the bedroom to lie down.”
“Great, though it shouldn’t take long to wrap this up. Maybe thirty-minutes or so.”
“Oh…right…” she muttered.
“Phoebe, are you okay? You look…odd.”
“Yes, Agent Miller I’m fine, I just feel a bit dizzy. I haven’t eaten much and it’s been a crazy night.”
“Well, like I said, this will be over pretty quick. In the meantime, yes, you should have that lie down.”
“I will. Thanks.”
“Let’s go, Rocky. Oh, by the way, I’ll be taking the key and locking your door from the outside. It’s not that I don’t trust you, I know you’ll stay put. It’s for your safety. I don’t want anyone getting in except us.”
“But isn’t the house cleared?” Candy asked, looking up from her television show.
“As far as we know, but it’s a huge place. There could still be people lurking around. But more importantly…how do I say this…?” he muttered thoughtfully. “I don’t expect any trouble when we make the arrest, but I’ve been around long enough to know things can happen. If he manages to get away somehow I don’t want this door unlocked.”
“But if we lock it from in here, then he can’t get in, no-one can,” Phoebe argued. “I don’t understand.”
“You’ll be in here alone, and I’ll feel better making sure it’s secure myself. Please humor me. It’s my job to keep you safe. Take that nap and this will all be over shortly. Come on, Rocky.”
As they left and the door closed behind them, Phoebe stood for a minute, staring at it, not sure what to do.
“Hey, Phoebe, what’s up?” Candy asked.
“I need to talk to Donovan.”
“Can’t you just call him?”
“It’s worth a try. Excuse me,” she said, walking quickly into the bedroom and lifting out her phone.
* * *
While Rocky and the other two agents were setting up the equipment, Agent Miller searched Manny’s desk.
“Are you looking for something specific, Agent Miller?” Donovan asked, walking across the room and watching the agent thumb through pieces of paper.
“Nope, just seeing if there’s anything interesting. But you can call me Randy.”
“Thanks, I will. Wouldn’t he keep everything encrypted on his computer?”
“Yeah, probably, but you never know, and maybe I’ll get lucky and find his password written down somewhere.”
“That would be helpful,” Donovan remarked with a grin as his phone rang. “I need to take this. It’s Phoebe.”
“She’s probably upset. I locked them in.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want them getting restless and leaving. We don’t know how this will go down and their safety is my main concern.”
“Ah, I understand. Hey, Phoebe, is everything okay?”
“No. Can you please get the key and join me?”
“Why?”
“Just trust me. I need to see you.”
“Hold on. Hey, Randy, I want to pop in and see her. I need the key.”
“But we’ll be ready to let Manny out any time now.”
“Where are you putting the monitors?”
“I’m not sure, probably the room next to this one.”
“Why don’t you set them up in the suite Phoebe and Candy are in. Phoebe’s my partner, not just my girlfriend, and Candy might be helpful. After all, she’s lived with the guy for years.”
“Hey, Rocky? How much longer will this take?” Agent Miller called.
“Twenty minutes, maybe thirty.”
“Let me think about it,” Randy said with a smile. “I don’t usually like civilians around during an operation, even if it’s just to watch. They can be distracting.”
“I can understand that, but as I said, Candy knows him. That could be invaluable, and Phoebe isn’t just a civilian. Regardless I need to see her. The key, please.”
“Make sure you lock it when you leave.”
“Sure,” Donovan replied as the agent handed it over, but as he left something didn’t feel right.
* * *
Alexi Kozlov was growing impatient, and Manny was becoming increasingly nervous. Alexi wasn’t a man to mess with.
“Where is your man?” Alexi demanded. “Why isn’t he here. What’s taking so long?”
“Apparently something is jammed and nothing is—”
“How can you have a vault with locking mechanism that can do this? I have to get back to the yacht. I have people waiting to hear from me. Tell him to stop fucking around and get some proper help. Call the fucking people who built it.”
“But, Alexi, it’s the middle of the night.”
“You think I care? Do it. Tell him to call them and get them out of their fucking beds. Threaten them, bribe them, I don’t care, just do it!”
“Oh, it’s a text from him,” Manny said urgently. “He must have found the problem.”
Make sure you’re ready. I’m getting you out in a couple of minutes but we’ll have to move fast.
* * *
As Donovan unlocked the door and marched into the suite, he found Phoebe nervously pacing.
“Thank God!” she exclaimed, hurrying over to him and pulling him into the bedroom.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Candy can’t hear this,” she said lowering her voice. “Agent Miller, he lied to me. He said he locked the door from the hall for our safety. It was a lie. Everything he said was a lie. Donovan, something is horribly wrong.”
“It sure as hell is,” he muttered, grabbing his phone. “I’m calling Sam.”