Wild Card (Stone Barrington #49)(42)

“There’s always somebody who can be bought,” Lane said. “Or maybe they’re just checking airports.”

They hustled Jamie down a back hallway to where an electric cart waited, then rode back to the set-down entrance, where their bags were tossed into the waiting SUV.

“Where are we going?” Jamie asked, once the car was moving.

“Teterboro,” Lane replied. “You’ve been upgraded.”

“But there’s no scheduled service from Teterboro, is there?”

“No, but there’s unscheduled service,” Ida replied.



* * *



? ? ?

A half hour later, at Teterboro, they drove into a rear door of a hangar marked STRATEGIC SERVICES and stopped next to a small jet. Moments later they were buckled in and being towed onto the ramp, and shortly afterward engines were started.

“This is very nice,” Jamie said, looking around.

“It’s a Citation CJ3-Plus,” Lane said. “We’ll beat the airline to Atlanta.”

“You planned for all this?” Jamie asked.

“There’s always a plan B,” Ida said. “Sometimes a plan C, too. If you’d like some music, put on your headset.”



* * *



? ? ?

In Atlanta they landed at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport, where another SUV awaited them. And soon, they were installed in a suite at the St. Regis.

“Surely these people will have my signing schedule, won’t they?” Jamie asked.

“Your schedule is unpublished,” Lane said. “All the promotion is being done at bookstores. I’m told we can expect a crowd tonight. Drink?”

“Oh, please,” Jamie said, getting out her cell phone.

“Hello,” Stone said.

“Well,” Jamie said, “we’ve already dodged the first attempt on my person.”

“What part of your person?”

“My neck, I guess. These women with guns are very, very good.”

“Viv Bacchetti handpicked them.”

“She has a good eye.” She told Stone what had transpired.

“Did you get ruffled?”

“Only in my head. We went to Teterboro and got onto a smaller jet.”

“That’s my old CJ3,” Stone replied. “I did a trade with Strategic Services.”

“I wish you were here.”

“I guess Strategic Services isn’t supplying that service,” he said.

“Not yet,” Jamie replied, “but the women with guns are starting to look pretty good.”





33


Stone sat and thought after Jamie had hung up. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was too risky for the Thomases to try such a bold move in a public place; the fact that they had worried him. He called Bob Cantor on his throwaway phone, but all he got was a beep.

“Bob,” he said, “this is Stone. Please call me right away. The opposition made a move on Jamie.” He hung up and waited. And waited. He checked his watch. They had had time to get to Brooklyn, even if they had stopped at Bob’s house to pick up some things.



* * *



? ? ?

After a couple of turns around the block, Bob pulled into his garage and closed the door behind them. “I need to pick up some clean clothes,” he said to Sherry. “You want to come in?”

“Sure,” she replied.

They left the car and went inside. Bob went upstairs to pack a bag. Fifteen minutes after their arrival, they were back in the car while Bob checked the outside cameras on his iPhone. No threats.

Bob drove to Brooklyn, to the tree-shaded street where he had bought and renovated a house years before. He rented out apartments on the two lower floors, both to cops, and occupied the top two. He drove around the block twice and saw nothing of interest, then he went back to the house and parked in front. They each took two bags from the trunk and started up the front steps.

Bob heard a slight noise, then Sherry collapsed on the stoop while he dove into the doorway and freed a weapon. He reached out, got Sherry by an ankle, and pulled her into the shelter of the doorway. Her head left a bloody trail behind her, and she was unresponsive.

Bob got out his throwaway and saw a missed call on the screen.

“I was worried,” Stone said.

“You had good reason,” Bob replied. “Sherry has taken a bullet to the head. I can’t tell how bad. She’s alive, but unresponsive. I need an ambulance now. I also need two squad cars. I can’t move her into the wagon while the threat is still out there.” He gave Stone the address.

“I’m on it,” Stone said. He hung up and called Dino.

“Bacchetti.”

“It’s Stone. We weren’t careful enough. Bob’s at his place in Brooklyn with Sherry, and she’s taken a bullet to the head. He needs an ambulance and a couple of cars for protection while they load her.”

“Address?”

Stone gave it to him.

“Three minutes, tops,” Dino said, then hung up.

Stone thought he should go to Brooklyn, but then thought better of it. He called Bob back.

“Yeah?”

“Help is on the way. I don’t know which hospital they’ll take her to, so call me as soon as you find out, and I’ll meet you there.”