Forty-Eight

The room was empty except for their group, but it was still uncomfortable for Hollis to be standing in the men’s room. She positioned herself as far from the urinals as possible, but then she had another problem. All the men were taller than her. Standing where she was, all she saw were the backs of men’s heads. She nudged Finn to move over. He put his hand on her back and guided her toward the center. That also seemed like a mistake. Away from the public, everyone was showing their guns except for Hollis and Finn. She briefly considered getting it from her purse, but she was worried that there’d be another incident like happened with Declan. Better to look like she wasn’t concerned than look like an amateur.

Sato noticed that Hollis and Finn hadn’t gone for their weapons.

“You’re interesting bodyguards.”

“We’re not bodyguards,” Finn said. “We take care of problems, and it doesn’t look like this is our problem.”

Once again Hollis wanted to kiss him. He was amazing under pressure. She wondered if his throat was dry, like hers, and his heart was pounding.

“They’re working with Blue,” Bryan said. “They’re helping Declan and the South African agent to bring down TCT.”

Now all eyes were on them. And all the guns.

“What gave you that idea?” Sato said.

“Last night, I was in their hotel room. They took me, tied me up.”

“You’re here now. They had you and they let you go?”

Bryan hesitated. Bless Peter, he wasn’t joking when he said it would be an absurd story to tell.

“They are setting me up to be the fall guy.”

“They’re doing an excellent job.”

“He killed my grandson,” Carlos said. “Please give me the pleasure of killing him.”

Sato looked at Carlos. “If this is true, why is the man still alive?”

“He isn’t,” Carlos said. “He just doesn’t know it yet.” He stared at the young man. “You came to me hungry and poor, and I gave you a purpose. I gave you clothes, a place to live. I taught you about wine and food. I took you with me around the world. And you betrayed me for a promotion?” His eyes filled with tears.

“I’m switching partners,” Bryan said.

“But the music is still playing.” Carlos’s voice was soft.

“Not for Silva,” Bryan said. “Not for Eduardo. When would it have been my turn to die?”

An interesting choice. He was letting Eduardo remain dead. Or, he was pointing out, dead or not, Carlos had ordered the hit. Either way Hollis was grateful, for the moment anyway, that the real fate of Teresa and Eduardo was staying under wraps.

Sato was impatient with the drama that had nothing to do with him. “This is what you had to tell me?”

Bryan turned to him. “No. I came to save you money. Maybe your life. I saw Declan make the book that Carlos gave you. It’s a fake.”

Hollis felt herself go numb. Sato already had doubts.

“He put a small plastic tracker in it between the end page and the front cover. He and the South African argued about it, but the spy won,” Bryan continued.

Hollis glanced over at Carlos. She saw the color drain from his face. He knew. And he was stuck. To say that he found the tracker would be to admit that the book was a fake, and that he’d been fooled. He’d be a dead man. So he said nothing. It would keep Hollis and Finn alive. For now.

Peter was just outside the door, she told herself. Hopefully it was close enough.

Sato took the book out and opened it. He removed a small file from his pocket, and just like Carlos had done, he ran it carefully up from the bottom of the page to the top. They all watched in silence. He reached the top.

“There’s no tracker.”

Bryan started breathing heavily through his nose. “Then these guys removed it.”

Sato sighed. “These two Americans are working with Declan and a South African spy. They kidnapped you and held you last night, then let you go this morning so you would be free to come here and ruin their mission. They put a tracker in the book so as to follow its whereabouts, then took it out before it was delivered,” he said. “This is your story?”

Bryan shook his head. He looked once more at Carlos, then pushed Hollis back, and ran for the door. One of Sato’s men aimed his gun, but Sato stopped him. “Too much attention for something that isn’t our problem.”

“And these two?” the man asked, pointing his gun at Hollis and Finn.

Before the door to the men’s room could fully close from Bryan’s exit, it swung open again. Declan walked in. The men quickly put their guns away.

“Seriously?” Finn mumbled.

Declan looked at all of them with the innocent face of a stranger looking to relieve himself. He rested his eyes on Hollis.

“This is the men’s room?” He said with a flawless American accent.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “We’re done in here.”

Sato turned to Carlos. “Your operation is sloppy, old man. You should think of retiring.”

Carlos stared at Declan. Hollis could see that it took every bit of effort not to say his name, not to admit that Bryan had been right. Instead Carlos left the room. Finn was a few steps behind. Hollis lingered. She felt as though something was about to happen, though she wasn’t sure what. Then she realized Declan was walking toward Sato. He stood inches from him, his hand moved up as if he were reaching for his own pocket, then swiftly down again. In one more step, he walked into one of the stalls and closed the door.

She wanted to play the moment in slow motion to make sure she’d witnessed Declan taking Sato’s cellphone, but before she could process the information, Sato and his men walked past her and into the hall.

“Are you coming?” Finn whispered.

She nodded. It was time to go home.