Foxtrot #3
“Xena and Coop on comms,” Madison broadcast.
“Roger that. Lambchop and Lah-lee have just entered their building,” Yvette acknowledged. “Should be on comms within ten minutes.”
In the raised lobby, Woods and Roth peered over the edge as the bellboy pointed out the different structures, the coffee shop, the various restaurants, all four of the pools by name, and which building their room was in.
The buffet was below them; the spa behind them.
He highly recommended a visit to the spa for a treatment.
It was also where the gym was located. Then he escorted them and their luggage to their room, which was in building three, the building right before their target, their onsite Ops Center, and Lambchop and Laura Lee’s room.
Once the bellboy left. They each removed their comms from the case and inserted them into their ears.
“Crash and MP, on comms.” Briana had been an MP when she was in the army.
On the mission several months earlier when Roth had assisted her with a client who’d been murdered by her husband, Brody ‘BT’ Templeton, who’d been covering Ops, had referred to her as MP in communications.
The callsign stuck even after her Operator training.
“We’re all on now,” Cooper broadcast. “We’re getting the long-range camera and mic set up on the target’s slider. The wind will be a factor on the mic.”
“If he does business by the Preferred Club Pool as it appeared he was earlier today, you may be able to pick that up from there. If not, we can move it to one of the rooms on this side of the resort,” Yvette added.
“We have one camera installed pointing at his slider, picks up the first six feet into the room. Razor will install one with a mic inside his room if he goes out for dinner after his nap.”
“We’ll need several of you on active surveillance and available to intercept him if he returns before I’m done and clear,” Garcia said.
“Just let us know when,” Cooper said. “We’ll all be ready to move on a moment’s notice.”
“Everyone should get dressed for dinner. We’ll let you know when he heads out and to which restaurant or bar he’s going to. We should have a good vantage point of the whole resort from here,” Yvette said.
“Lambchop, you and Saxton should head out ahead of our target and get a drink at that bar in the middle of the restaurant area, so you are ready to follow him wherever he goes. I see people strolling around the resort with their wine glasses, so grab a drink to blend in,” Cooper said. “And everyone stay on comms.”
“Roger that, Coop. We’ll change and head out right now,” Lambchop answered. “Switch your comms to receive only,” he told Laura Lee as he did the same to his. “How fast can you get ready?”
“Two minutes,” she answered. “I just need to change into a sundress and sandals.” She glanced around the room at the lack of privacy. Even from within the semi-frosted confines of the shower and toilet room, more would be seen than she was comfortable with.
“We both keep our backs turned,” Lambchop said, as though he could read her mind.
She chuckled. “If it were anyone else but you.” She paused and shook her head.
Lambchop also chuckled as he pulled clothes from his suitcase and then turned his back to her to change.
A few minutes later, they were both dressed in resort casual attire.
Her floral sundress and sandals gave her no place to hide her weapon, so she carried a small handbag with it inside.
Lambchop wore a pair of black dress shorts, a black form-fitting T-shirt with a dark striped, short-sleeved button-down shirt worn open.
His weapon was easily hidden in the small of his back.
After activating the do not disturb feature in their room, they walked to a beautiful circular building in the center of the resort restaurant area that was one of the many bars in the resort complex.
Once seated on a comfortable sofa, the server came over to take their order.
Lambchop ordered them both a club soda with lemon.
In Madison and Cooper’s room, they finished getting the camera and super mic set up.
They tested the super mic out, focusing its laser beam directly at several windows on the building across the resort.
“The wind is definitely an issue,” Cooper said.
He had the headphones on and strained to hear.
Then he directed it towards a group of men who sat in one of the cabanas near the closest pool.
“I’m picking up the conversation in that cabana well, though,” he told Madison.
Madison had her eye trained through the scope of the camera. “I’ve got good sightlines to the target’s building and almost everywhere else from here. If he’s conducting business in the open, we’ll get good shots of all the players.” Their comms were still set to transmit, so all heard.
Briana stepped out onto the balcony and gazed across the expanse at the building she knew Cooper and Madison were in.
She couldn’t make out anything that looked odd, like the camera or super mic.
All the glass doors seemed to have a privacy coating, either that or the sun was reflecting just right so her gaze couldn’t penetrate into anyone’s room.
Roth stepped out beside her. There were privacy screens between each balcony, so he couldn’t see if anyone was out on theirs nearby enough to hear them.
He raised a finger to his lips to warn Briana not to speak openly.
“It’s a beautiful resort — paradise. I’m so glad we booked our vacation here,” he said.
Briana was on the same page. “It is. Let’s get changed and go for a drink before dinner.”
“Crash and MP, picked you up loud and clear,” Cooper broadcast.
“Okay, so we know the super mic’s uses and limitations in the wind,” Garcia said. “Coop, I’m going to send Mother to babysit the equipment in your room so you both can go to dinner to help surveil our target. I want to get that equipment planted in his room this evening.”
“Roger that, Razor,” Cooper replied. He switched his comms to receive only as Madison did the same. “You'd better get changed before Mother arrives. There’s not much privacy in this room.”
Madison smiled flirtatiously. “No, there’s not. I’ll be enjoying the view inside this room the entire time we’re here.”
Cooper took her into his arms. “Not as much as I will be.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Change into something sexy, Blondie. I want to show my beautiful wife off around the resort tonight. And I’m hoping we can stand down for a few hours after our target’s tucked into bed for the night.”
“That would be great. It would be a shame not to enjoy that nice, big, king-sized bed.”
Then Cooper laughed. “Something I’m sure Crash and MP are thinking too. But I do feel bad for Lambchop and Lah-lee. The lack of privacy in this room could be a touch awkward for them, I’d guess.”
“They’re both professionals. I’m sure they’ve already figured out how to make it work,” Madison said as she opened her suitcase.
She quickly retrieved a sundress and her sandals.
She changed into her strapless bra and then whipped her hair into a bun on the top of her head from the ponytail she’d pulled it into when she’d stepped from the plane when they’d landed.
“Oh, I like,” Cooper said, pressing kisses to the back of her neck and shoulders. “Bare and beautiful.”
“Down, boy,” she said. “Hopefully, there’ll be time for that later.”
A few minutes later, as Cooper changed, there was a knock at the door. Madison peered out the peephole and saw Mother. She let him in as Cooper pulled his light gray pants up.
“Don’t you two look fancy,” Mother said. He wore beige cargo shorts and a white T-shirt.
“Do you want us to order you room service before we go? There’s a butler’s cabinet they can put it in from the outside, and then you grab it from here for contactless delivery,” Madison said, showing him the compartment built into the wall.
“No, I’m fine, Mac and Yvette had food delivered to their room for Garcia and me. I just finished a burger and fries.”