Chapter Seventeen
The dinging coms interrupted Eric and Nancy’s disagreement about how best to approach Alexandra. Nancy wanted to meet her mother alone, but there was no way he would agree to that. He ignored the dinging and said, “We’re both going. That’s final.”
Nancy smiled bitterly. “It’s my mother.”
“We’re using OTM assets, and we’re going to meet a woman who worked for the OTM. That makes it an OTM problem.”
Nancy slammed her fist against the table and glared at him. He waited patiently, and her glare faded to a resolved weariness. “You’re impossible.”
He offered his own smile. “Not impossible. Just improbable.”
His coms dinged again, and Nancy nodded at it. “Are you going to answer that?”
“I don’t want to,” he said. “It’s probably someone wanting to tell me something I don’t want to hear.” She reached for it, but his hand caught hers, and he squeezed gently. “I’ve got it.”
He clicked the button, and Karen appeared on the video screen. “We’ve got a lead, boss. The second-to-last leak? The one with the financials? It came from Dallas.”
“Finally,” he said. “What else?”
“We think the last leak was from a different party. Dewey is still working on it.”
“Okay. What about Dallas? Do we have an address?”
“We have a WAP, but we think it’s been hacked. With a little work, we can track it down.”
“Can Martin and Redman operate the gear?”
Karen smirked. “You’ve got to be kidding. I might as well go myself.”
“Sounds good to me. Take Martin and Redman, if Bill is up to it.”
“I think he’s still in a lot of pain,” Karen said. “But, boss? I’ve never been in the field.”
“You’ll do fine,” Eric said. “With Martin and Redman, you couldn’t be safer.”
Karen nodded. “You got it, boss.”
“Contact me when you find something.” He turned off the coms and keyed the cabin mike. “How long, Hot Dog?”
The whine of the Gulfstream’s engines lowered in pitch. “I’m starting our descent,” Clayberg answered. “We’ll be on the ground in five minutes. The OTM’s Orlando office has a car waiting.”
“Excellent,” Eric said. He smiled at Nancy. “A lot is going on, but let’s focus on meeting your mother.”
Eric wheeled the Chevy Suburban through the 7-Eleven parking lot, glanced at the men and women pumping gas, then continued through into the Holiday Inn Express parking. He shut off the engine and inspected Nancy. “Are you nervous?”
Nancy flexed her fingers. “Yes. I don’t normally get nervous.”
“You’re meeting your mother for the first time. It’s only human.”
Nancy frowned. “I….”
“You’re not a machine,” Eric said. “You like to think you’re this damaged thing, but you’re not.”
Nancy withdrew her M11 handgun from her shoulder holster, checked the magazine, then put it back in the holster and pulled her suit jacket tight. “The meeting point is clear.”
He smiled. “You really think you’ll need that gun?”
“Do you think you’ll need yours?”
He removed his Colt M1911, checked it, then reholstered it. “Like a boy scout, I like to be prepared.”
Nancy rolled her eyes. They sat for a moment and watched people pumping gas.
“We should go,” Nancy finally said.
“Just remember, she’s probably as nervous as you are.”
“Doubtful,” Nancy said as she got out and slammed the door shut behind her.
I hope her mother isn’t as much of a pain in the ass.
He followed Nancy to the 7-Eleven parking lot, carefully watching the entrance. “You see anything suspicious?”
Nancy shook her head. “She must be inside.”
“I’ll follow you in. Remember, I have your back.”
She gave him a look that was both irritated and apprehensive. Eric followed her inside and headed down the east aisle that faced the pumps.
The 7-Eleven was mostly empty except for an older Indian man with wire-rimmed glasses behind the cash register and a fat Latino man fumbling for cups in front of the Slurpee machine.
Nancy strolled along the south wall. Her head tracked back and forth, and when she reached the end of the aisle, she turned and subtly shook her head.
According to his watch, it was a few minutes past midnight. He was still checking his watch when the electronic bell above the door dinged.
The woman entering the 7-Eleven was stunningly beautiful, with long blond hair, high cheekbones, and piercing blue eyes. She wore a tight-fitting blue silk blouse and black slacks that hugged her hips.
Alexandra Batalova was almost a dead ringer for Nancy, and he felt his mouth drop.
She caught him staring, and her eyes widened, then Nancy approached, and she turned to look at her daughter. Her lips parted into a thin smile, and she held up a hand as if she were about to touch her daughter’s face.
Nancy came to a halt, and Alexandra’s hand dropped. Eric hustled to join them just as Alexandra said, “Hello.”
Nancy stood as still as a statue, and he put his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezed.
Nancy turned to him and her eyes were shining. He nodded and gave her an encouraging smile. “It’s okay.”
“H — hello,” Nancy said to her mother.
“My… daughter,” Alexandra said, then rushed forward and threw her arms around Nancy, squeezing so tightly that Nancy huffed out a breath. Alexandra pulled back, and tears streamed down her cheeks. “I was afraid this day wouldn’t come. I never gave up hope, but it seemed…”
“What — what do I call you?” Nancy asked.
“For now, call me Alex. Until… we get to know each other.”
“Alex,” Nancy said as if she had never heard the name before. “My… mother. Alex.”
Alexandra turned to him. “You’re Eric Wise?”
He nodded. “I’m the director of the OTM.”
“Of course,” Alexandra said. “We need to leave. This is”—she waved her hand in the air—“too public.”
“Come with us,” Eric said. “We’ll take you home.”
“And where is home?”
Nancy smiled. “You wouldn’t believe us if we told you.”
Alexandra noticed their roving eyes and said, “Don’t worry. I wasn’t followed.”
Eric cleared his throat. “We have a jet waiting if you’ll come with us.”
Alexandra nodded. “Of course.”
Eric led mother and daughter outside and pointed at the blue Dodge Caravan farthest from the door. “Is that your vehicle?”
“Yes,” Alexandra said. She stared at it for a moment, then shook her head. “It’s ubiquitous and nondescript. I’m abandoning it.”
“What about your other possessions?” Eric asked.
“Unnecessary attachments,” Alexandra said brusquely. “I need nothing but the clothes on my back.”
Nancy nodded approvingly. “Exactly.”
Great. Now I have two of them to deal with.
“We look suspicious,” Karen said. She pointed to the curb in front of a one-story brick house without any lights. “How about there?”
Taylor Martin sighed and brought the transit van to a stop. “You think two men and a woman looks suspicious? Or is it because I’m black?”
“Tell him to go to hell,” Redman said from the back of the van.
Martin turned and shot Redman a dirty look. “Pipe down, hillbilly. She’s just lucky we’re not smart enough to handle her gear.”
Karen smiled. Martin and Burton had become almost like older brothers, and she found their constant bickering and insults hilarious. Plus, thanks to Eric’s insistence on constant training, they amazingly fit and easy on the eyes. “You guys could figure it out. The search program will control the drones.”