Dangerous Minds (Knight and Moon #2)(39)

“To stifle the urge to choke you.”

“Is it the cigar? It was a last-minute decision.”

“It’s temporary, right?”

“ ‘Temporary’ is a relative term,” Emerson said. “It should fade away in no more than two to three weeks.”

Riley decided if after two to three weeks she was still alive and not locked away in a dungeon, she’d be so overjoyed that she wouldn’t care about an octopus smoking a cigar on her back.

“I suppose you’re now going to violate my hand,” she said to Emerson.

Emerson nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

Ten minutes later, Emerson was done with the tattoos.

“I have to admit, it looks pretty realistic,” Vernon said. “But what now?”

“Riley and I are going to walk up to the guardhouse like we own the place and tell them we caught two trespassers walking in the woods.”

“Vernon and I are going to be the trespassers?” Wayan asked.

“Correct,” Emerson said. “There are four of us and only two of them, so if we can fool them into thinking Riley and I are Rough Riders, even for a couple seconds, we should be able to get close enough to distract and overwhelm them.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in some kind of uniform?” Vernon asked.

“We’re plainclothes Rough Riders,” Emerson said.

Riley followed Emerson out of the brush and onto the Jeep path.

“This is never going to work,” Riley said.

“You have to believe.”

“I do believe. I believe it isn’t going to work.”

Emerson motioned Wayan Bagus and Vernon to get onto the path and walk in front of them toward the gatehouse.

“Hold your hands up as if you’ve been arrested,” Emerson said. “Look ashamed that you’ve been caught breaking the law.”

“It is difficult for me to look ashamed,” Wayan Bagus said, “but I can look humble. I believe it might appear similar.”

“They’re pointing at us,” Vernon said. “They see us.”

“Hello,” Emerson shouted. “We found these two miscreants trespassing in the restricted area.”

“ ‘Miscreants’?” Riley whispered. “Who says ‘miscreants’?”

The first guard took the rifle off his shoulder and pointed it in their direction.

“What are they saying?” Riley asked. “Can anyone read lips that far away?”

“They’re confused,” Wayan Bagus said. “They’re saying that there are rangers assigned to reconnaissance in the surrounding woods, but they don’t recognize you.”

“Are you sure?” Vernon asked. “I can’t hear a thing. You’re not just making that up, are you?”

Wayan Bagus steepled his fingers. “Altogether, there are eight types of illusions. Magic, a dream, a bubble, a rainbow, lightning, the moon reflected in water, a mirage, and a city of celestial musicians.”

Vernon stared at the guards. “Those guys sure aren’t celestial musicians, and I noticed you didn’t mention assault rifles in that list.”

“Only one way to find out for certain,” Emerson said. He turned to Riley. “Hold up your wrist so they can see it.”

“We’re the new recruits,” Emerson shouted, pointing to the ink tattoo on his wrist. “Tin Man assigned us to recon.”

One of the guards got out a pair of binoculars and looked in their direction. He said something to the second guard, and lowered his gun.

Emerson waved at the guards as he approached. “Don’t worry about a thing,” he whispered to Riley, Vernon, and Wayan Bagus. “I’ve read several books on improvisational acting so I know what I’m doing. The most important thing is not to break character. Just follow my lead and wait for me to give the signal before we jump them.”

“Let me see your identification,” the first guard said.

Emerson waved his hand in front of the guard’s face. “I am Park Ranger Kenobi. You don’t need to see our identification.”

“Protocol is to require identification.”

“It’s critical that I get these droids to the commander,” Emerson said.

“Say what? Are we getting pranked? Billy put you up to this, right?”

“Let me try this again from the top,” Emerson said. He shook his hands and rolled his neck. “Red leather. Yellow leather. Red leather. Yellow leather. The tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. The tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Okay, I’m ready.”

“What are you ready for?” the guard asked.

“To give you my identification,” Emerson said. He reached into his pocket and rooted around. “It’s in here somewhere.” He pulled his hand out and gave the guard the stiff middle finger.

“I reckon that’s the signal,” Vernon said, jumping on the back of the nearest guard and wrestling him to the ground.

Emerson punched the other guard in the temple, temporarily disorienting him. He flipped him around into a sleeper hold, and in a matter of seconds the guard lost consciousness and slumped to the ground.

Riley stepped in and disarmed both guards.

“We need to get these guys into the guardhouse and secure them before someone comes along,” she said.