“That’s quite a jet you have there,” Adriana commented as they approached.
Sean grinned. “Thanks. Having your own company plane certainly has its advantages.”
“I can imagine,” she said, her mind drifting off as she spied the sleek vehicle.
Tommy noticed them as they drew near and handed the clipboard to his driver who acknowledged him with a nod and retreated to the black car forty feet away. He reached out and offered to take one of the bag’s Sean was carrying. “I’ll get that for you,” he said with a smile. “Did you guys get some sleep last night?” There was a playful tone in his voice.
“Yes, it was nice to get some proper sleep,” Villa commented as they followed Schultz up the steps into the cabin of the jet.
He was either going to get no details or there were none to get.
At the entrance to the plane, the passengers were greeted with a luxurious aroma of leather and rich wood. The plane’s interior opened up into a lavish space decorated in cream-colored floors and walls, accented by dark wood panels and furniture.
Several rows of tanned, Napa-leather seats faced each other with plenty of space in-between each. A wall jutted out towards the aft of the cabin and was separated with a doorway.
“This is our main travel quarters and meeting room,” Tommy said, extending his hand.
“All of these seats recline but in the back,” he pointed to the door, “we have some sleeping rooms as well for the longer trips.
“Impressive,” Adriana said as she stepped over to a window and leaned over, taking a look outside.
Tommy took the baggage and stowed it in an overhead bin near the exit. “If you will excuse me, I’ve got to take care of a few other things before we head out.”
Sean plopped down in a comfortable leather seat and leaned back while Adriana took a seat opposite of him. He cast her a casual smile, which she returned in kind.
“Thank you for being a gentleman last night,” she said after a brief moment of silence.
The grin eased over to one side of his mouth. “Don’t give me more credit than I deserve. I was just tired, that’s all.”
She wasn’t buying it but decided not to press the issue. What she hadn’t determined was whether or not he was holding back because of choice or because of some deeply seeded pain from his past. Maybe it was a touch of both. He seemed genuinely attracted to her. Men usually were.
Villa had had her share of suitors through the years, none of whom captured her interest. As a younger woman, boys had shown little interest in her. They had always paid more attention to her school friends than her. As a result, she’d spent much of her time in high school and college doing things like rock climbing, traveling, and studying.
The ugly duckling, though, had grown up. Now men threw themselves at her on a regular basis. She was glad she had the experiences of her youth because she had learned a lot about human nature. Most men didn’t seem to look beyond the exterior of a woman. For the last few years she’d blown off several different men and she rarely associated with women. Adriana was comfortable being a loner.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Tommy re-entered the plane. “Look who we just picked up.”
Will stepped through the entrance with a duffle bag in hand.
“Hope you don’t mind if I crash this little party,” he said with a grin.
Sean returned the smile. “We’ll take all the help we can get.”
The young detective sat down in a seat next to Adriana, across from Sean. She had an uncomfortable look on her face but said nothing.
“So,” he began, “this morning I got a call for a homicide in Piedmont Park.”
“Aren’t you on vacation?” Sean interrupted.
Will lifted his hands, “When the boss calls you gotta go.”
Wyatt nodded in understanding.
“Turns out it was a government agent. Former FBI guy.”
At this news, Sean leaned forward. “Who?’
“Jack Turner.”
Sean thought for a moment, staring off to the vacant side of the plane. Then shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”
Tommy stood quietly listening to the conversation. He didn’t know the victim either.
Will went on, “It shouldn’t ring a bell. He’s with the Hoover Directive.” He let the news settle on his audience.
Adriana clearly didn’t understand. Sean gave her a quick version, “It’s a top level government agency. They operate outside the bounds of most of the other parts of the justice department. To the general public, they don’t exist. Very secretive.”
Will assumed she understood and continued, “Looks like he was executed last night in the park. We still don’t have any leads. Just a few bullet casings and the body. No witnesses. No suspects.”
“So Trent didn’t want you on the case?” Tommy spoke up.
“He called me early this morning but by the time I got there, feds were already taking over.” A serious look came across his face. “I can tell you this much, that little story is not going to reach any of the media outlets. They’re calling it a drug-related shooting.”
Sean was pensive. “What do you think it was?”
Will leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know. Our connections are limited. But Trent was able to get the guy’s name, which is probably more than the Directive would have liked. They prefer to remain anonymous. Real anonymous.”
“You look tired,” Sean commented casually.
For a brief second, Will looked uncomfortable but then resumed his casual demeanor.
“I just need some sleep.” Then he changed the subject. “Since Atlanta PD was taken off of the case, I went back on vacation and called Tommy to see if you guys wanted me to tag along. Never been to South America.”
Tommy beamed. “We can always use another gun.”
Sean nodded in agreement. “Hopefully we won’t need them.” He looked out the window, thoughtful again. “But my guess is this Golden Dawn group is not going to go away easily.”
Chapter 46
The streets of Washington always seemed busy. Traffic lights were too short and it seemed one could get stuck at a crowded intersection for hours. Congested city streets, however, were not at the forefront of Sam’s thoughts at the moment. After he’d left Starks’ office at Axis headquarters, he had intended to head back to his own building a few blocks away and get back to his normal routine, if there were such a thing. Instead, his thoughts were focused on the dark-haired man in the cliché-black trench coat following him about thirty feet behind. The tail was a younger guy, probably early twenties. Sam didn’t recognize him, which immediately placed him in the ranks of some foreign contractor or agency, probably eastern European. That and the fact that his gray business slacks were slim and slightly shorter at the ankle than they should have been were two major giveaways.
Given his career choice, Sam was accustomed to being observed but it was always a little disconcerting to have a tail. He could wonder who the stranger was or who had sent him but at this point, he really didn’t feel like playing any games or worrying with all of that. So he took a different approach and turned, walking straight towards the man.
Townsend’s sudden move and change of direction threw off the pursuer. It was probably what the kid had least suspected would happen. The moment of confusion was all Sam needed. He stepped quickly towards the target, deftly dodging the people busily walking the other direction. At the same time, he withdrew a small knife he kept in his jacket pocket and unsheathed the weapon. The tail never saw the blade in Townsend’s hand as he reached within his own jacket to pull out what Sam assumed to be a gun. Whatever it was never made the light of day as he deftly dropped down to one knee and ran the sharp edge of the knife across the back of the younger man’s heel. The Achilles tendon snapped up into the back of the man’s leg, causing him to scream out loudly. Sam was already heading back in the direction from which he’d come. None of the confused passersby knew what was wrong with the man on the sidewalk, clutching his leg.