“To the Ritz,” replied Mitchell as he buckled himself in. A moment later, the car began to roll forward. Driving out of the hangar, the limo, closely followed by the Hummer, made its way past a long row of private jets, and then turned onto a road that led to a guarded gate adjacent to the highway. Quickly joining in with the busy noonday traffic, the limo was soon heading east on highway 267.
A red light buzzed on the dashboard. Mitchell pressed a button and a small television screen came on, showing the occupants in the back. Atsuko could see Mitchell on a much larger screen on the armored wall that separated the driver’s compartment from the passengers.
“Yes, Miss Satomi, how may I be of service?” asked Mitchell politely into the small camera mounted on the dash.
“Mister Mitchell?” said Atsuko with an accent that reminded him of someone from Southern California.
“Yes.”
“How long is the drive?”
“If traffic doesn’t get too bad and people don’t drive like fools in the rain, we should be at the Ritz-Carleton in less than two hours.”
“Very well, I hope it is not any longer than two hours. I don’t think I could take being cooped up inside your tank any longer than that.”
Mitchell smiled to himself. He remembered his discussions at Polaris about Atsuko and her disdain for extra security. “Please just sit back and enjoy the ride in this ten million dollar tank.”
“Pardon? Did you say this behemoth cost my father ten million dollars?” blurted out Atsuko.
“No, Miss Satomi, that’s how much it costs to buy. We’re just renting it for a couple of days.”
“Thank God, ten million dollars would have been an obscene amount of money to waste on me.”
“Your father, I suspect, would disagree with that statement. Besides, I’m not sure you can put a price on the safety of the people we care about.”
Atsuko sat quiet for a moment, reflecting on what Mitchell had just said. Slowly, she looked back up at the screen. “If money is no object, then why did your organization only send one man to look after me?”
“They didn’t,” said Mitchell with a grin. “There’re a few more of us on this assignment. Hopefully, you’ll never see them, and neither will anyone planning on doing you any harm while you are here. It kind of keeps everyone on their toes.”
“A very sound practice,” said Atsuko. With that, a small smile spread across her thin lips. Switching to Japanese, she started to talk with her personal assistant.
Mitchell reached over and switched off the camera. He looked out the window as the limo made its way to the capital. In the rearview mirror, he could see the black Hummer close behind; Mitchell didn’t expect anything to go wrong while Atsuko Satomi was in Washington. He had checked in with Luis Ortiz earlier in the day, he was told that there were no threats, credible or otherwise, reported by the FBI, Interpol, or the Japanese police themselves against Miss Satomi. Ortiz smiled when he told Mitchell that it should be a relatively quiet assignment. He went so far as to call it the perfect one for Mitchell and his team to dig their teeth into after being placed back on active duty. Still, something deep down bothered him. He couldn’t place his finger on it; his gut was telling him to be wary. Perhaps it’s only nerves, thought Mitchell. However, after being out of the field for several months, whatever it was gnawing at him, Mitchell intended to pay attention to it. He knew he wouldn’t be happy until he saw them all back on the plane and flying home to Japan.
The Ritz-Carlton, located on 22nd Street in the west end of Washington D.C., has some of the most exclusive and expensive suites in the entire city. Miss Satomi and her personal assistant were naturally booked into the Presidential Suite perched atop the hotel. With 1350 square feet, the room was larger than many people’s homes. Luxury here was not an option, with several bedrooms and a dining room that sat six, all for the low price of only six-thousand, five hundred dollars per night. Satisfied that the room was safe, Miss Satomi’s security detail guarded her door while Mitchell headed to the Gallery to check in with Jackson and Fahimah. He wanted to make sure that everything was set for tonight. After a few minutes of chatting with his friends, he was more than satisfied that they had it in hand. Mitchell said his good-byes and then made his way back to the Ritz-Carlton where he changed into a tailored tuxedo for the evening’s black-tie event.
With one last look in the mirror to make sure his shoulder holster wasn’t too obvious under his jacket, Mitchell decided to make one last quick call to Mike Donaldson and Luis. Both men said that there was absolutely nothing on the radar. Chiding Mitchell for his uncharacteristic caution, Donaldson made him promise to return Fahimah to work as soon as possible. Mitchell realized that Donaldson was lonely. The folks of the intelligence section stuck in the basement didn’t get too many visitors. Promising to personally walk Fahimah back home once the assignment was finished, Mitchell thanked them for their help and then ended the call. Better safe than sorry, flashed through Mitchell’s mind as he stepped out of his room and made his way down the long, red-carpeted hallway to the Presidential Suite. Standing guard outside of the room was one of Matsuda’s men. Statue-like, he stood there with his hands clasped in front of him, silent and rigid; even his breathing was shallow and controlled. The man was like a coiled spring waiting to strike.
When he saw Mitchell approach, the guard lifted his left arm and spoke into a mic hidden inside his jacket sleeve. A moment later, he nodded slightly at Mitchell and then opened the door so he could step inside. Met at the door by Matsuda’s second man, Mitchell smiled and then proceeded inside the palatial suite. He could hear a melody being played on the grand piano. Walking around a corner, he saw Atsuko sitting behind the piano. Mitchell had heard the tune hundreds of times in the past, but the name of the piece escaped him. He saw that Atsuko had changed into a pearl-gray suit with an open black shirt. Her head swayed as her delicate fingers danced over the piano’s keys. Smiling to himself, Mitchell was amazed at how truly talented and intelligent the young woman was. He had no doubt that she could succeed at whatever she put her mind to.
“Do you recognize the tune, Mister Mitchell?” asked Atsuko, without stopping or even looking over in Mitchell’s direction.
“Sorry, I do not,” replied Mitchell, wondering how she even knew that he was in the room.
“It’s the “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven. I find it quite relaxing. It allows me to focus my mind before I do something important.”
“Well, you play it beautifully,” replied Mitchell honestly. He saw that Atsuko Satomi was a striking woman with deep, almond-colored eyes, a slight up-turned nose, high cheeks, and a long delicate neck.
Atsuko stopped playing and turned on her bench, so she could look over at Mitchell. She was drawn to his penetrating blue-gray eyes. She had never seen such burning intensity in a man’s eyes before. He stood just over two meters tall, was quite handsome, and appeared to be in superb shape. His brown hair was cut short. He looked every bit the ex-special forces soldier whom she had been told would be looking after her. For a moment, she wondered if he was single, but quickly erased such thoughts from her mind. She was here for a very specific reason, and allowing herself to be distracted wouldn’t do… at least not tonight.
“Is everything set for tonight, Mister Mitchell?” asked Atsuko, turning her head slightly so she wouldn’t look into Mitchell’s eyes anymore.
“Yes. Everything is as it should be,” replied Mitchell, seeing the turn of the head away from him. Mitchell grinned to himself; for all her beauty, she wasn’t Jennifer March and that made him realize that he missed her even more. She was flying in tonight, but because of his assignment, he wouldn’t be able to pick her up from the airport. A friend of Jen’s would be meeting her, instead. The thought of being able to take her in his arms made him want this task to be over as soon as possible, so he could be with Jen.