Chapter XVII

ROSE ARRIVED ALMOST TEN HOURS on the dot after Maddux ended their call. She didn’t need much time to gather her belongings and equipment as she rushed to his aid. The drive had been tiring and one she feared would draw much suspicion, but her fake credentials posing as a nurse allowed her to get past border security without any questioning. Despite the fact that women had been spying for years, she knew it was easier for her to fly under the radar than her male counterparts.

After she pulled into the hotel parking lot, she grabbed her bag and found Maddux’s room number. She tapped softly on the door.

Maddux peeked through the window before welcoming her.

“It’s so good to see you,” he said, gesturing for her to come inside.

“I got here as quickly as I could.”

He glanced at his watch. “You made great time. How did you get here so fast?”

She nodded to her car, a Jaguar E-Type. “It helps to have a nice set of wheels.”

Maddux shut the door behind her and took her bags. “Let’s get you up to speed on what’s going on.”

She scanned the room. “Where’s Dex?”

“That’s what I need to get you up to speed about.”

“What do you mean?”

Maddux sighed. “I don’t trust Dex. He was acting strange during our ride over, and I found this in his pocket.” He held up the photo and a key.

“What are those of?”

“This is a key to my apartment and a picture I took from the Belgrade station that Dex lifted from my belongings.”

“He went through your stuff?”

“When we got here, I took a shower, but when I came out, I noticed something sticking out of his pocket. I yanked it loose, confirming what I suspected about him. Then I later searched him and found my apartment key. That added with the fact that he had been acting strange the whole trip over made me incredibly uncomfortable. And I don’t want to attempt to break Pritchett out with someone I can’t trust.”

“Did you ask him about any of this?”

Maddux shook his head. “Not yet. I had to cool off first—and to be honest, I’m still hot about it.”

“Perhaps there’s a logical explanation for it all. We might want to talk to him first before jumping to conclusions.”

“He said some things on the drive over that made me start to wonder about him already. I don’t think I’m imagining anything.”

“Maybe not, but I’ve found jumping to conclusions in this business can have devastating effects.”

“It can also save your life,” Maddux quipped.

“Why didn’t you tell me about any of this before?” she asked.

“I couldn’t risk having anyone hear us—either Bearden on your end or the SDB on mine.”

She nodded, signaling that she understood. “So, where is Dex?”

“He’s tied up in the wine cellar out back.”

“And you’re just going to leave him there? Someone may go in there and find him.”

“I wanted to wait until you got here before I brought him inside. If he’s going to talk, it will help to have you here.”

“Well, what are you waiting on? Let’s go get him.”

Madux and Rose stepped outside into the cool early morning air. The sun had yet to rise in all its glory, but the mountains to the east of them were backlit from dawn’s early glow. The motel employee who had welcomed Maddux caught him off guard.

“Hello, my friend,” the man said. “Headed out early today?” He did a double take, glancing back at Rose. “You have a new friend? She’s much prettier than your other companion.”

Maddux forced a laugh. “No, it’s not like that. She’s just—”

“You don’t need to explain anything to me,” the man said, holding up his hands. “The room sleeps four. If your occupancy goes over that, we need to have a talk. Otherwise, enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you,” Maddux said. “You’re also up rather early, aren’t you?”

“I have to go fetch the wine for today. We like to bring each day’s supply in the morning when all is quiet and we aren’t so busy.”

Maddux tried to remain clam but was panicking inside. He hoped the man couldn’t tell. Maddux’s only hope was that Rose would follow his suggestive poke in the back.

“Your English is excellent,” Rose said, stepping forward. “Where did you learn to speak it?”

“I need to get something from my room,” Maddux said. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Rose continued to engage the hotel employee in conversation, while Maddux slipped back inside his room. He slid open the bathroom window and crawled through it and then hit the ground with a thud. After racing across the field behind the motel, he approached the cellar door and opened it. He flicked on his lighter and hustled down the steps and then into the room where Dex was still tied up and fast asleep.

Maddux shook him, and he squinted as his eyes adjusted to the dancing flame. Dex grunted and moaned, unable to speak due to the gag still stuffed in his mouth.

“You’re coming back with me, but we have to hurry,” Maddux said.

Dex tried to say something again, but Maddux couldn’t understand nor did he have the time to do so. He picked up a board and smashed it on top of Dex’s head, splintering the wood. Dex went limp and slumped over again.

Maddux hoisted up Dex and ascended the steps. After checking to see if the area was clear, Maddux hustled toward their room, praying that no one looked out the back and saw him. He stopped around the corner of the building to see if Rose was still talking with the man. Maddux breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was. He made eye contact with her, gesturing to her to end the conversation so he could sneak Dex into their room.

A few seconds later, she gave the motel employee a pair of kisses on the cheek before taking his arm. She led him in the opposite direction, away from Maddux and around the far end of the motel.

Maddux hustled toward his room when a door two rooms from theirs swung open. A portly gentleman toting a briefcase stepped into Maddux’s path.

The man scowled and looked at Maddux caught in the awkward situation. Saying something in Serbian, the man shook his finger at Maddux.

Maddux didn’t know how else to diffuse the situation due to the language barrier other than a pantomime scene.

“My friend here drank too much last night,” Maddux said, pretending to throw back alcohol before staggering around. “He’s very ill. Hopefully he learned his lesson.”

The man nodded as if he understood. He smiled and patted Maddux on the shoulder before getting in the car.

Maddux hustled into their room and dropped Dex onto the bed. Scouring the room, Maddux used an extra set of bed sheets tucked away in the top of the hanging closet to bind Dex again. Maddux moved Dex to the floor and secured him to one of the legs on a sturdy oak desk.

Dex was regaining consciousness when Rose slipped into the room.

“You’re amazing,” Maddux said as he tightened the knots on the sheet.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes widening as she watched Maddux work.

“That was interesting,” she said. “It’s not every day that a man you just met tries to proposition you in a wine cellar.”

“He probably thought—”

“Don’t say it. I know good and well what this looks like,” she said, pointing back and forth between them. “I’m just doing my job. Well, sort of.”

“I’m just glad you understood what I wanted you to do.”

“You looked terrified,” she said.

“It was that obvious?”

“We need to work on your poker face. You might be able to get by with a motel clerk in the shroud of near darkness. But other people you may come in contact with will be able to sense your angst.”

“Okay, there will be time for that later, but right now, we need to put together a plan for breaking out Pritchett before the SDB moves him.”

Maddux and Rose spent the next twenty minutes drawing up a strategy for how they could extract Pritchett without inciting a full-blown international incident.

“You think this will work?” Maddux asked when they were done.

“There’s no such thing as foolproof, but I think this plan is as close as it gets—as long as the SDB doesn’t decide to move him early.”

“Sounds good. Do you have everything you need?”

“There are a couple of gadgets in my car that I want to bring. Other than that, we should be good to go.”

Maddux clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Then let’s get to it.”

They both grabbed their bags and headed outside. Maddux lingered in the doorway and stared at Dex. After saying a short prayer for Dex to stay put, Maddux secured the door, unaware that Dex was wide awake.