“Secondly, kill the listening and homing devices immediately. The only thing these devices and your surveillance will accomplish is guarantee Kira Miller never tries to contact me again.”
“They didn’t stop her the first time,” noted Smith.
Desh shook his head. “I know how she thinks,” he said firmly. “The reports all say she’s brilliant. And she is. But I know she’s also something far more dangerous: she’s savvy. And she doesn’t make mistakes. She knows you’ll try to use me to get to her and she’ll be more careful than ever.”
“We can track you in a way she can’t detect.”
“Really?” said Desh skeptically. “I wouldn’t count on that if I were you. You’re underestimating her. Trust me, she’d smell you if you were in the next galaxy. I don’t think she’ll come within a thousand miles of me now, knowing that I’m bait. But if she does and then catches your scent, she’ll bolt and we’ll never have another chance.” He stared at Smith with an unwavering intensity. “I want your guarantee on this.”
Smith paused in thought and then sighed resignedly. “Okay,” he said finally, clearly not happy about it.
“Good. I’ll continue my efforts to find her as I was tasked to do, since I don’t think she’ll come to me again. And Smith,” he added, “I will call you in when I find her as per the original plan.” He paused. “Just so you know, I also intend to continue working with Griffin. He’s very good at what he does and my gut tells me he’s a good man. It goes without saying that the no surveillance rule goes for Griffin and anyone else I’m working with as well,” he added pointedly.
“Can he do an effective job for you without having a glimmer of what’s really going on?”
“I think so, yes,” said Desh. He popped the last piece of his first banana in his mouth, swallowed, and then chased it with a long drink of water.
“So now let’s turn to point number three,” said Desh. “I have to have full authority to capture her myself. I have the tranquilizer gun I borrowed from your colleague, and I can add other non-lethal weaponry to my arsenal. If I’m wrong and she does come after me again, I won’t pass up the chance to take her down.”
Smith frowned and looked unconvinced.
“Trust me,” added Desh. “Your fountain keeper is in good hands. I’ll only act if I think I have to. Otherwise, I’ll call you in. And I won’t use lethal force.”
“It’s not like I have a choice,” muttered Smith. “If you’re in a position to capture her and I’m not there, you’re going to do whatever the hell you want, regardless of what I agree to.”
“I will take her alive. And I can’t be bought. You’ll just have to trust me.”
Smith drained the last of the orange juice as he considered. “Okay,” he said, shoving the empty juice container into the cup holder. “I’ll agree to your conditions.” He eyed Desh intently. “But I have one of my own. My men told me they discovered you had used the cell phone you had, ah … borrowed, to contact Jim Connelly. From now on, I’m your only contact. You agree not to contact Connelly again no matter what happens. We know there’s a mole at USASOC. Calling the colonel plays right into Kira Miller’s hands.”
“Will you tell him it was you and your men who crashed the party tonight and fill him in on the longevity angle?”
Smith’s expression turned to one of disbelief, as if Desh had lost his mind. “She’s doubled the span of human life,” he said emphatically. “There’s no greater secret in the world. It’s on a need to know basis. And Connelly still doesn’t need to know.” He frowned and shook his head. “If we don’t keep this under wraps we could have dozens and dozens of factions all warring with each other trying to get their hands on her. You think this Op is a clusterfuck now—” He raised his eyebrows and let the thought hang. “I’ll tell him it was me at the motel, but that’s where I’ll stop.”
Desh considered. “Agreed,” he said. “We have an understanding.”
Desh directed Smith to turn right. “I’ll expect you to send me an e-mail message with the locations of all bugs and homing devices you’ve planted anywhere near me or anyone I’m working with.”
Smith nodded.
“Oh, and check the list twice, will you,” added Desh pointedly. “I wouldn’t want you to accidentally forget any.”
David Desh stood in the parking lot of Griffin’s apartment and waited for Smith to drive out of sight. Satisfied, he returned to where he had parked his Suburban and removed a sleek leather case from the passenger seat, which contained state-of-the-art bug detection equipment and an inch-thick sheaf of hundred-dollar bills, compressed tightly by a money clip. Connelly had provided a ridiculously large advance and Desh had withdrawn far more than just Griffin’s retainer from the bank the previous morning. Case in hand, he quickly made his way back to Apartment 14 D. He had walked down this same hallway, and into an ambush, only the night before; yet it seemed like ages ago.
Griffin’s apartment was unlocked and the giant was sprawled out on the floor right where he had been left, although he was now breathing more deeply and Desh guessed he could be awakened at any time. He carefully cut the plasticuff bracelet from around Griffin’s wrist and tossed it into the kitchen trash along with the link Kira had removed the night before.
He removed the bug-detection equipment from the leather case and began a careful sweep of the apartment. Proficiency at detecting and removing listening devices was critical in the executive protection business. Fleming had the most advanced equipment made, which was out of the price range of all but the wealthiest private citizens. Desh found two wireless bugs and placed them in a soundproof container he pulled from the case. Smith had assured Desh he would kill all bugs immediately. Desh didn’t believe him for an instant.
Desh changed into his own pants, pulled his cell phone from the pocket where it had spent the night, checked it for messages, and rearmed himself. He retrieved his windbreaker and zipped it over the gray sweatshirt to hide his shoulder holster. His shirt and undershirt had been cut from his body the night before and were ruined. He gathered them up, along with the sweatpants, and piled them nearby for later disposal.
This completed, Desh gently shook Griffin until he began to stir.
Griffin opened his eyes and appeared to be in a fog, struggling to make sense of the man standing before him. Finally, a name and a context must have swum into place to match the face. “David Desh?” he mumbled drunkenly in disbelief.
“Yeah. It’s me. Time to wake up.”
“Why am I on the floor?” he asked, confused.
“How do you feel?”
Griffin’s brain hadn’t quite finished rebooting and his responses were slow. “Great,” he said at last, almost in surprise. “Never felt better.”
Desh nodded. Kira Miller had assured him this would be the case and in this, at least, she hadn’t lied.
While Griffin roused himself and finally got up, Desh made a pot of coffee. Several minutes later Griffin joined Desh at his kitchen table, sipping the coffee gratefully.
“You had a visitor last night,” began Desh. “Do you remember anything about it?”
Griffin searched his mind but finally shook his head in frustration. “Not a thing.”
“It was Kira Miller.”
“Kira Miller!” repeated Griffin in alarm.
“Don’t worry. She just knocked you out and left. She used a benign drug. You’ll be fine. And she won’t trouble you again, I guarantee it.”
“What did she want?”
“Me.”
Griffin looked at Desh as if seeing him for the first time. “You really look like hell, you know that?”