He turned his attention back to the creeping traffic and tuned the radio to an AM news station to get some background information before starting his calls. Unfortunately, most of the chatter relayed useless theories and guesswork designed to panic the population. He quickly gained the sense that details were scarce and the government wanted to keep it that way.
Chapter 35
Daniel stood to greet his guest. He wished their first meeting could be under different circumstances, given the debt he owed the young man. He took Enrique Melendez's hand and pulled him in for a man hug and a pat on the back, which was a stretch for Daniel. He'd never been an expressive kind of guy. He glanced briefly at Jessica over Melendez's shoulder, noting that she remained focused on the Cosmopolitan in her hand, still paying little attention to the man sitting next to her at the bar.
Jessica had kept the seat available for Benjamin Young's arrival, which had been no easy feat on a Friday night in Buckhead. The swank Lobby Bar at the Ritz Carlton proved to be a popular destination for the affluent, after work crowd, which hung around sipping cocktails well past the dinner hour. Gradually, the expensive suits and slacks surrendered to country club chic, replete with muted pastel blazers, tailored dress shirts, tight cocktail dresses, and more wheat-toned gabardine than he'd ever seen in one place.
Young arrived at 7:45, and Jessica lifted her Chanel 2.55 black lambskin bag from the seat as he approached the bar. He took the bait and ordered a scotch served neat, cordially confirming with her that the seat was still available. Daniel had noticed that Young's eyes had followed the handbag. He was impeccably dressed in an expensively cut navy blue suit, with white dress shirt and gray tie. It was easy to tell that he appreciated fine goods and the people that chose them. A faded pink pocket square peeked out of his jacket's left breast pocket at the requisite half-inch height. Thick brown hair, tan skin, chiseled features, blue eyes — he looked like a Brooks Brothers model.
He took notice of Jessica immediately, but didn't initiate any contact. Likewise, Jessica didn't invite any additional attention at first, wanting to let his situation simmer for a little longer. As the eight o'clock hour passed, and Young started to fidget, she began to exchange glances with him. His "date" hadn't arrived, which heightened his anxiety. He touched his nose several times, indicating his need for a little nose candy booster.
Daniel was amazed to see how quickly Benjamin Young unraveled, as the prospect of being stood up by a prostitute became more likely.
"Good to see you again, my friend," he said, releasing Melendez and putting a hand on the chair meant for him.
He had selected a table at the back of the lobby, giving away two of the four chairs to an ever-expanding group of well-groomed men at the table next to them. The remaining chairs were arranged behind the table to give them both a full view of the Lobby Bar, which would be a necessity given the number of people pouring into the tight room. By 7:55, it had become standing room only, and he couldn't keep an eye on Jessica without moving his head in an obvious manner. Given the recent arrival of two men, who had taken an obvious interest in Benjamin Young, he couldn't afford to tip his hand here in the bar.
"Likewise. Young's eight o'clock appointment is taking a nap in the parking garage. We're clear for at least three hours. Here's her phone," Melendez said.
The stocky Latino took his seat and casually scanned the room, signaling for the cocktail waitress two tables away. Daniel's anxiety level dropped a few notches with Melendez at the table. He'd been nervous using Jessica like this. True America wanted Benjamin Young off the street sooner than later, a fact reinforced by the quick replacement of the original assassination team. The two men standing at the end of the wide, mahogany bar gave away their intentions as soon as they arrived. Sipping club sodas, the two had spent the last twenty-five minutes stealing impatient glances at Young.
Their tradecraft skills were nonexistent, which signified that they were either operating well out of their comfort zone or that they had never been trained for the more subtle aspects of their work. Either scenario worried Daniel. A combination of the two terrified him. There was little doubt that "Ben and Jerry" had been given orders to kill the man sitting less than six inches from Jessica. The hazard lay in their interpretation of the orders and their professionalism. Had they read the situation correctly and realized that he'd be headed up to his room shortly? Would they panic when his escort failed to show and try to kill him in the bar? Daniel wished Jessica would double her efforts. Based on the increasing severity of their facial expressions, he calculated that Ben and Jerry would make a bad decision within the next ten minutes, maybe sooner.
He saw Jessica lean over and say something to Young. Finally. She could read the situation better than any of them. If he knew Jessica, they'd be out of there shortly. Daniel smiled and faked a quiet laugh, turning to Melendez.
"Time to send Young a text from Natasha's phone. Type this…ready?"
Melendez pulled the phone out of his blazer and held it under the table. "Shoot."
"Something came up. Sorry. Will call later," Daniel dictated.
"That's it?"
"That's it. The message should frustrate him enough to turn all of his attention to Jess."
"Sending," Melendez said.
Daniel watched Young shake his head upon reading the message. Jessica immediately leaned in and said something, which caused Young to put the phone down on the bar and engage her in conversation. It looked like their mark had conveniently forgotten all about Natasha. Jessica could have that effect on men. He noticed that she had started to touch the bottom of her nose like Young. She was definitely expediting the process. Daniel took a sip of his vodka martini and shifted his gaze to Ben and Jerry, who looked even edgier than before. The mystery text had probably shaved three minutes off their bad decision timeline.
"She'd better hurry this up," Petrovich said.
"You got that right. Those two look ready to start shooting," Melendez said.
"If this gets out of hand, grab Young and get him out of the hotel," Daniel said.
"What about you?"
"I have Jessica."
"Got it," Melendez said.
"We'll get a real drink when this is over. I owe you my firstborn. I'll never forget what the two of you did for her," Daniel said.
"As long as the kid comes with a return option. Fucking scary concept, the two of you having kids," Melendez said, and they both laughed for real, though it was short lived.
Jessica moved her purse, and Benjamin Young put his cell phone away. A few seconds later, Jessica swirled her index finger around the rim of her half-finished cosmopolitan and removed the maraschino cherry inside. She slipped the cherry in her mouth, sensuously pulling the stainless steel pick clear of her lips.
"Time to move," Daniel said and placed a pair of twenty-dollar bills on the table.