Chapter 22
Keeping my thoughts compartmentalized was part of the job. Had been all of my life. Sitting here in the Onyx Security small conference room with the women of Jasper Creek on speaker phone was making it a little harder than normal. I wished Katherine were here beside me to listen to this.
“Are you sure a phone is the correct instrument for this job. I think we all need walkie-talkies.” By this time I was able to recognize Florence Horton’s voice even if I were blindfolded in the middle of a tornado.
“I’m sure, Mizz Horton,” Jase said soothingly. “The technology in cell phones is much more advanced.”
“What about those ear-doo-hickies that you Delta types wore during that movie, Zero-Light-Fifty? The ones that made it look like you were talking to space commandos,” Florence asked. “Can we get those?”
“Florence, the movie was Zero Dark Thirty, and they were SEALs,” Pearl interrupted. At least I was pretty sure it was Pearl. “She’s right, Jase. Can we get that kind of equipment?”
“And just where would we hide the comms units?” Little Grandma asked. “We’d all look pretty funny walking around with earplugs and mics hanging around our necks. We need to use the phones just like the boys are telling us.”
I heard another woman on the call trying to stifle their laughter, but they weren’t succeeding very well.
I think it was Ruby. I looked over at Jase in amazement, the cousin I grew up with would have been ready to bash heads together, instead he was listening to all of this with amused patience. It had to be parenting the twins.
“Ladies, do we all agree that you’re going to use phones to communicate with one another?” he asked with a smile in his voice.
“I do. This is Ruby.” I was right, it had been her who had been trying not to laugh. There was still traces in her voice.
“I agree, Jase, and so does Lettie, don’t you dear?” Little Grandma answered.
“Yes,” Lettie spoke up.
“I suppose,” Pearl reluctantly agreed.
“I agree under protest,” Florence said. “I want that written into the record. Are you writing that down, Jase?”
“I am, Mizz Horton,” I said.
“Good.”
“Now what about for the rest of it?” I asked. “Do you all know what you’re supposed to do?”
“Well of course we do,” Florence said sharply. “We might be old, but we’re not senile. You just told us the plan an hour ago.”
“Why don’t we go over it one last time, see if there’s anything that needs adjusting. Y’all might have come up with a better idea since then.” Jase said.
“Well, you’re right, we might could have,” Florence agreed.
“But probably not, it is a good plan, don’t you think, Florence?” Little Grandma asked.
“It never hurts to go over it again just to be sure.”
Jase pressed mute on the phone in the middle of the conference room table. “Ten bucks says she’s patting her purple beehive hairdo right now.”
I snorted out a laugh as Jase unmuted the phone.
“Who’s laughing?” Florence asked.
Lavendar? I mouthed to Jase.
He nodded.
“I just spilled some soda on myself, Mizz Horton, and Code’s laughing at me,” Jase said. “Now let’s go over the plan. Who wants to start?”
“I will,” Pearl called out. “Whoever sees Viktor Sokolov first at either my restaurant, Java Jolt or the Downhome Diner, will admit that they know that Angelica Drakos and Kit Lord have come to Jasper Creek, but they really wanted some time to themselves, so they’ve found a cabin to rent somewhere up the mountain. And we won’t know where.”
“Exactly right,” I nodded.
“Then when he leaves, we all get on a conference call and inform one another what was said. Chances are he’s going to search for more answers,” Pearl finished.
“I hope he comes to the coffee shop last,” Florence said with glee.
“We know you do, sweetie,” Lettie said. “So, the next thing is that he’ll be coming for more information about where someone could find a cabin to rent that would be close to nature, and out of the way for a little bit. That’s when one of us will say it is too bad the old cabin was just rented.”
I grinned. These ladies were better than most seasoned operatives I’d worked with. Well some of them were.
“Of course, that’s when we’ll give the address. Hold on, I have it written down.”
“Florence, you can’t be reaching into your bra in front of the man,” Ruby cautioned.
I stopped myself from snorting. It was a near thing. Seriously, this was the most outrageous prep I’d ever been a part of.
“I won’t have to, Missy. I’ll have it memorized by the time we go live.” She cackled. “Did you hear that? Go live. I love this.”
“Florence, memorize it now. We don’t want to hit a home run, and then forget to tag home plate,” Pearl said sharply.
“It’s okay, Pearl. She’ll have it memorized,” Little Grandma said soothingly. “Now boys, do we have this right?”
“Y’all are amazing. Viktor should be in Jasper Creek in a couple of hours. As soon as we have better intel, we’ll get it to you.”
“You be sure to get us that intel, Jase,” Florence spoke up. “In the meantime, we’ll get in our places.”
“You’ll do great,” I applauded.
“Of course we will.” Florence said with no humility whatsoever.
Jase and I grinned at one another and disconnected the call.
Jase and I walked down the hall to the large conference room where five men were seated, and the atmosphere was charged with a totally different energy. Simon looked up from the head of the table.
“Take a seat and tell us how it went.”
“Florence is ready to lead the charge,” Jase said as he folded himself into one of the remaining leather seats.
One of the two identical men, who had to be either Kai Davies or Beau Beaumont, let out a groan. “Whose idea was it to let Mizz Horton in on this?”
“Mine,” Jase said with a shit-eating grin. “You know she’d sniff out that something was going on and probably step in it if we didn’t. This way Ruby can control her.”
The man’s twin nodded. “Good thinking.”
“Let’s get the introductions over with,” Simon interrupted. “Everyone, this is Lt. Colonel Code Drakos, Cyber Warfare. Code, around the table counterclockwise. You know Nolan, next to him is Kai Davies, Delta Force.”
Kai nodded.
“Next to him is his brother Beau, former Marine Raider.”
Beau gave me an easy grin and a small wave. “I’m still not convinced on Mizz Horton, but if anybody can keep her in line it’ll be Ruby.”
“I’m Michael Rankin, Marine.” The next man said, face neutral.
“So basically we could take on forty Russian Special Operatives,” I stated.
“Basically.” Beau grinned. “Have you seen the armory that Simon has?”
I shook my head. “That’s not the plan. Remember, they’re not coming in hot. They’re coming in to kidnap two women. We’re taking them all alive.”
Every man frowned except for Simon. He immediately understood. “You’re right. Sokolov would be an excellent capture.”
“I don’t get it,” Beau said. “Let me in on the secret.”
“It’s simple,” I started. “Russia has Americans basically held hostage. They might have them on trumped up charges, but they’re held hostage. So far, the only way that our country has been able to secure their release is prisoner exchanges.”
The men nodded.
“Shit, we need tranq guns,” Jase said.
Nolan got a shit-eating grin on his face. “When Hart joined our merry band of misfits, our fearless leader took advantage of his wife owning a veterinary hospital. Simon acquired a couple of tranq guns that are now sitting in our armory. Only two of them, but it’s something.”
I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. Things just kept getting better and better.
Code, Any luck tracking down Russell Dunlap?” he asked me.
“I’m working on that with Thompson, but he’s gone to ground since Laurel Canyon. Our best shot is Sophie flushing him out.”
Simon nodded.
“I want to make sure that the few homes that are located on the mountain on the way to the cabin are evacuated,” Nolan said.
“Agreed,” Simon nodded. “I’ve got Bernie Faulkes already working on that.”
I frowned. This was the first I’d heard about this.
“Bernie used to own the cabin, before I did,” Simon explained.
“He still owns a lot of the rentals along the road up to the cabin. He’s going to say that there is maintenance that needs to be done to get the residents to vacate for the day.
He’ll think of something to say to the others, he’s good that way. ”
Jase and Nolan both nodded. So I shrugged—this was their environment; they knew what they were doing.
“Let’s head on up the mountain,” Simon said to the group.