Jennings didn’t even turn to see the tail collapse to the ground in excruciating pain. He assumed he’d severed the tendon, rendering the man completely incapable of pursuit. Someone had made a play at him. Perfect. One more thing he would have to think about. His other appointments were going to have to wait.
He neared his government-issue sedan and glanced at it suspiciously. Jennings turned his head and noticed a homeless man sitting in an adjacent alley close by, trying to stay out of the cold, late morning breeze. “Hey,” Sam got his attention. “Can you do me a favor?”
The scraggly fellow looked around for a moment then replied, “If you got a dollar.”
Townsend smiled wickedly. “I’ve got ten for you.” He handed the vagrant a crisp ten-dollar bill and the keys to his car.
The man was obviously confused so he explained, “I need to run up to my office for a minute and you look cold. Would you care to warm up my car for me? You can sit inside while I’m there and when I come back there will be another ten bucks in it for you.”
“What’s the catch?” the old, white man peered suspiciously at him from underneath a wool cap. His face was dirty and he reeked of the streets.
“No catch. You won’t steal my car. It has a tracking system on it so that would be pointless. I just want you to warm it up for me.” Sam began to walk away. “I’ll be back in twenty minutes or so.” Sam dropped the keys and money in the man’s hand and rounded the corner, disappearing from sight.
The homeless man stood up, checking both ways to see if there really was something suspicious going on. He couldn’t believe a total stranger had just left him with the keys to his car and paid him to do it. Feeling like it was his lucky day, he quickly opened the car door and inserted the keys into the ignition. At first, the engine didn’t turn over and just clicked once. The clueless man tried again.
Sam heard the explosion as he casually walked down the street and stopped next to a boutique cupcake shop. The earth shook violently beneath his feet for a second. His eyes scanned everyone suspiciously to see if he could find the other tail he was sure was hiding in the crowd. Hundreds of panicked pedestrians hurried in the opposite direction of the blast. Cautiously, Sam moved back towards the corner of the busy intersection, staying against the wall both to stay out of sight and out of the way of the rushing mob. It only took him a moment before he found his man. Black trench coat. Sharp jaw and nose. And running towards the burning car up the street. He was the only one going in that direction. Satisfied he’d dodged the hit, Sam blended into the terrified mob and disappeared into the chaos.
Chapter 47
The flight had taken the private jet just over five hours before landing in the picturesque city of Cuenca. Spanish-tiled roofs dotted the landscape in the city sprawled out across the high valley and up into the foothills of the Andes.
Will had been sleeping for the last few hours, apparently still exhausted from the trip back from the southwestern United States. He snapped awake as the plane landed with a sudden jolt. He rubbed his eyes and stretched out his arms.
“Have a good nap?” Sean asked from across the aisle while he massaged his face for a moment. He stared at Will, a slight grin barely visible at the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah. I was exhausted. How long was I out?”
“About three hours,” Tommy jumped into the conversation from the other side of the plane.
“Wow. Guess I was tired.” He looked out the window as the city landscape passed by. The mountains in the distant loomed enormous over colorful town.
“Well, I hope you’re rested. I just got off the phone with my contact down here, and he is taking us to Crespi’s church first thing after we check in to our hotel.” Tommy had always been one to get right to work on everything he ever did. There was no beating around the bush. It was a trait he’d carried since high school. Procrastination was a word that didn’t exist in his vocabulary.
Adriana spoke up for the first time in a while. “There is somewhere I need to go when we arrive at the hotel. I can find my way to the church and meet up with you there. Would that be alright with you?”
The men were a little thrown off by the sudden request, but Sean and Tommy both shrugged and nodded.
“Sure. We can work it out. You want me to come with you?” Sean asked sincerely.
She smiled at his offer. “I will be fine. Just need to see an old friend for a few minutes. Shouldn’t take long.”
The conversation ended as the plane slowed to a stop on the far end of the tarmac where a small group of private hangars sat against the backdrop of the dramatic Andes.
Two black SUVs were waiting just outside one of the empty hangars.
After a few more minutes, the occupants were descending a set of stairs onto the tarmac. A gusty breeze blew across the surface. The temperature seemed fairly mild compared to where they’d been just a few hours ago. Being closer to the equator certainly warmed things up, but Cuenca was a city of high elevation. At nearly 8400 feet, the mercury never really reached the higher temperatures. Off in the distance, dark-gray clouds rolled towards the city. Rain, evidently, was a pretty regular occurrence that time of year.
One of the doors opened to the SUV in the front. A short, squat man stepped out wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses and a black suit and matching tie. Apparently, he didn’t care that the sky was fairly overcast. Sean and Tommy had known Mauricio Delgado for nearly a decade.
A big grin crossed Tommy’s face as the man approached. Schultz set down his bags and opened up his arms to embrace the squat Latino. “Buenas tardes, Mauricio!” Tommy embraced the shorter man and gave him a huge clap on the back.
Mauricio pulled away and returned the slap with one on Tommy’s shoulder. His round face beamed. “It’s good to see you again, my friend. It’s been too long,” he said with a thick accent. With no hesitation, he turned to the other three and extended his hand towards Sean. “You seem to be in better health than the last time I saw you, Senor Wyatt.”
Sean shook his hand firmly. “I still owe you one, amigo.”
Delgado wagged the index finger on his free hand. “No, amigo. No one ever owes me anything. I was just glad I could help. We were fortunate we found you before,” he paused for a moment. “Before anything worse happened.”
“Whatever, man. I’m grateful,” Wyatt smiled widely.
“You’re welcome. Although,” the man paused, “it’s a shame we never found your partner. It’s as if he disappeared into thin air.” Mauricio scratched his head while he and Sean shared a silent moment, both men pondering what could have happened to Nick.
“We’ll probably never know,” Sean said. “Although, some part of me still thinks he might be alive. I can’t say why. Just a gut feeling.”
“Perhaps, my friend,” a wide grin crossed Mauricio’s tanned face. His dark brown eyes brimmed. “Let’s hope so.” Then he changed the subject and stepped towards the others. “Who are your companions?”
“This here is Will Hastings,” Sean answered as Will put out his hand. Delgado shook it heartily. “He is a police officer in Atlanta.”
Mauricio raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. “Excellent. We will make sure that local law enforcement has our full cooperation. But it is always good to have another gun, just in case. No?”