Chapter 39
“On my way,” she said.
“Me, too,” he said. “Any sign of Marty?”
She checked her rearview mirror. “He’s a couple of cars behind me.”
“Not doing a good job of hiding from you, huh?”
“He would not a make a good spy.”
Ronan laughed. “Do you want to go over the plan again?”
“We’ve already done that seven times.”
“So, the answer is no, then.”
“Obviously.”
—
Marty grinned as Emma turned off South Palm Canyon Drive and onto West Baristo Road. She had taken the exact route he had predicted.
A few blocks later, she pulled onto the circular driveway in front of Spencer’s Restaurant.
Instead of following her all the way to the restaurant’s entrance, Marty turned onto South Tahquitz Drive and paused at the curb half a block down. Using his rearview mirror, he kept an eye on the driveway to make sure she didn’t leave right away.
He was momentarily confused when he saw her car pull out, until it stopped in a street parking spot and a man in a valet uniform climbed out.
Perfect.
He pulled back onto the road, eager to get to Emma’s place as quickly as possible.
—
Fifteen minutes earlier, Vladimir had watched Marty pull out of the RRE parking lot mere seconds after Emma had left.
Vladimir snorted and shook his head. What an amateur.
If the woman even had an inkling that she might be followed, she would spot Marty in no time.
A few moments later, Erik’s voice came over Vladimir’s phone. “He just drove past me.”
Erik was parked on a side street, two blocks from RRE.
“Hold position,” Vladimir said.
“Holding.”
Thanks to the tracking bug Vladimir had put on Marty’s sedan when the engineer had first met with Popov, they knew exactly where his vehicle was at all times and could easily catch up to him.
But Vladimir wasn’t ready for that yet. First, he wanted to know what the watchers on the parking garage would do in the wake of Marty’s and Emma’s departures.
If they remained where they were, he wouldn’t need to worry about them.
If not…
He stared at the parking garage exit, and not fifteen seconds after he’d told Erik to hold, a blue Audi SUV carrying the two men he’d seen turned down the street in the direction Emma and Marty had gone.
Vladimir grimaced. He would have to worry about them after all.
“A blue Q5 is about to pass you. Give it a good lead, then go.”
After a beat of silence, Erik said, “I see it. So, am I following them or Lundstrom?”
“Lundstrom, but I have a feeling the Audi is going to the same place. Under no circumstances let them realize you’re behind them.”
“Got it.”
Vladimir fired up his bike and weaved through the city using a different route than the cars before him, finally catching sight of Marty’s vehicle a few seconds before Marty turned onto West Baristo Road.
Vladimir checked his map, then took a street that paralleled Baristo.
On the tracker, Marty turned onto the road at the end of Baristo and then stopped, mid-block.
Vladimir called Erik. “Where are you?”
“About three minutes behind Lundstrom, on Palm Canyon.”
“What about the Audi?”
“I caught a glimpse of it a couple minutes ago. It was still behind Lundstrom then.”
“Don’t turn on Baristo. Find someplace nearby to wait.”
“Okay.”
Vladimir reached the end of the street and pulled into a parking spot that faced a pair of tennis courts. He glanced down the connecting road to Baristo. Marty’s car was still pulled to the side.
Vladimir used his phone’s camera to zoom in for a better look. Marty appeared to be focused on his rearview mirror.
Unfortunately, the road was curved in such a way that Vladimir had trouble seeing what exactly he was looking at.
Thirty seconds later, Marty’s gaze returned to the road ahead, and he started driving in Vladimir’s direction.
Vladimir thought Marty would see him, but the guy turned at the intersection, oblivious to Vladimir’s presence.
Vladimir rang Erik again. “Looks like Marty’s leaving the area. Give him a good cushion, then follow. And keep a lookout for the Audi. I’ll join you soon.”
Curious as to what Marty had been looking at, Vladimir headed in the opposite direction.
—
From a parking spot just down the street from Spencer’s, Ronan watched Marty drive slowly toward the restaurant, where Emma had just stopped her sedan at the restaurant’s entrance.
Instead of following her up the driveway, though, Marty turned right and disappeared.
Ronan knew it was probably best to wait at least five minutes before checking if Marty was still hanging around, but his impatience got the better of him. He barely made it three minutes before he drove to the corner and scanned down the road Marty had taken.
No sign of him.
Ronan then headed straight onto Spencer’s driveway and tapped Emma’s number on his phone.
“Is he gone?” Emma asked, her voice coming through the car’s speakers.
“Yeah. I’m pulling up in front, so come back out.”
A minute later, Emma and Ari were in his car, and Ronan was driving them away.
—
Vladimir drove by the driveway to the restaurant just in time to see Emma Perez and her dog climb into a different car than the one she’d arrived in. Which was odd, since she hadn’t been there long enough to have a drink, let alone a whole meal.
He turned down Baristo and immediately any thoughts of Perez’s odd behavior took a back seat. Parked at the curb half a block down was the blue Audi Q5, and in the front seats the same two watchers.
The fact that they were here and not following Marty told Vladimir their interest lay with Emma.
He slowed so he could observe how they reacted to Emma and her friend driving by. As predicted, moments after the older sedan passed, the Audi pulled a U-turn and followed.
Interest in Emma confirmed.
Which meant Vladimir needn’t worry about them, unless they got in the way.
A minute later, he had passed both vehicles on his way to catch up with Erik. He called his brother and updated him.
“Why would she leave her car at the restaurant?” Aleksei asked when Vladimir finished.
“How should I know?” Vladimir said, snippy. “I didn’t stop to ask them. Or would you have preferred that?”
“I would prefer to know where they are going.”
“They probably decided to eat somewhere else and wanted to take one car.”
“That’s one possibility,” Aleksei said. “What if she’s going home?”
“Then why would she leave her car behind?”
Aleksei was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know, but there is something about this I don’t like.”
“Like what?”
“If I knew that I’d tell you.” Aleksei fell silent again. “I’m sending Adam and Grigoriy to meet you in Thousand Palms, just in case.”
Vladimir might not have always agreed with his brother, but he knew from experience not to dismiss Aleksei’s instincts. “All right. Tell them to call me when they get close.”
—
After hanging up with his brother, Aleksei exited the steam room at the spa and walked down the hall to the massage room Popov was in. Grigoriy was standing outside the door, on watch.
“I need you and Adam to help Vladimir. Take one of the Broncos and go to Thousand Palms. When you get there, call him. He’ll tell you where he wants you.”
“Yes, sir,” Grigoriy said.
“Oh, and keep an eye out for a silver sedan with a man and a woman and a dog inside, and a blue Audi SUV with two men. If you see either, let Vladimir know.”
Grigoriy dipped his head and hurried off.
Aleksei tapped on the massage room door in a pattern that signaled it was him.
“What?” Popov called from inside.
Aleksei opened the door just a crack, so he wouldn’t have to yell, and said, “I just spoke with Vladimir.”
“Come in.”
Aleksei did so.
Popov lay on his stomach on a massage table, a towel draped over his waist, while the masseuse, a well-toned Latina, was working on his left calf.
He looked expectantly at Aleksei, who shot the woman a glance.
Catching his meaning, Popov said in English, “Give us a moment.”
“Of course,” the woman said.
As soon as she was gone, Aleksei said, “Lundstrom appears to be on his way to Dr. Perez’s house.”
“To obtain the device he mentioned?”
“He did not share his plans with us, but that would be my guess.”
“Good,” Popov said, then narrowed his eyes. “Why do you not look happy?”
“I’m just a bit concerned.”
He told his boss about Marty following Dr. Perez to a restaurant, his subsequent departure, and Vladimir witnessing her leaving with someone else mere minutes later.
“I would feel more at ease if I knew where the woman was going,” Aleksei then said. “Also, there is a third party who appears to be interested in Perez. Two men in an SUV, following her.”
“Who are they?”
“Unknown at this time. From Vladimir’s description, I would guess they are ex-military. Perhaps bodyguards?”
“Why would she have bodyguards?”
“For no reason of which I’m aware.”
“You’re worried that Perez and these other men might be going to her home and will interfere with Lundstrom’s plans.”
“Correct. Which is why I sent Adam and Grigoriy to bolster his team.”
“Good,” Popov said. “But make sure Vladimir and the others understand that getting our hands on whatever it is Perez is developing is the priority. Which means aiding Lundstrom at all costs.”
“I will.”
“Then can I get back to my massage?”
Aleksei dipped his head and said, “Of course.”
As soon as he was alone again, Aleksei called his brother.
“Here are your instructions.”