Street Game (GhostWalkers, #8)(87)

She walked back over to two other women and she’s pointing away from the coffee shop, Gideon said, and there was relief in his voice. Sergeant Major is on the move again and the three women are headed away from him. Skull-boy broke off target and acquired the three women.

Lucas, you’ll have to watch Skull-boy, so move into a higher position. I want to know if he talks to the women. Watch cell phones and if they drop something for him to pick up, Mack commanded. He doubted if they would have such a big team on the Sergeant Major, but he had come to meet with the GhostWalker team and they would want to know what he was up to, no matter how much it made sense. Did we get a picture of them for Jaimie?

Jaimie’s on it, Mack, Kane said. Skull and Bond are military or at least have been in the past.

Just like the two who came after Jaimie, Mack said.

Exactly, Kane confirmed. Look at the way Bond-boy moves. He’s a fighter all the way.

Jaimie, Javier, Sergeant Major is approaching the coffee shop.

Javier made another teenage joke, got his group laughing, and then he glanced at his watch. Muttering, he dropped his board and pushed off with a casual wave and glided right up to the door of the coffee shop. Kicking the board up, he caught it, tucked it beneath his arm, and swaggered into the shop. He shoved the board into the double loop built into his backpack, freeing his hands as he stood in line at the counter to get his coffee, just a kid looking for his caffeine fix.

Jaimie didn’t look up. Her setup on the back wall was perfect. It would be impossible to approach her from any direction other than straight on, and no one could see her screen. The one glance he’d given in her direction had assured him anyone coming in wouldn’t be able to recognize her. Her signature curly hair was pulled back from her face into a ponytail, giving the illusion that she had straighter hair. Her ball cap was pulled low, shadowing her face. The glasses were wider frames, a thick black that seemed to swallow her face. She chewed gum, staring straight ahead while her fingers flew across the keyboard. Occasionally she lifted the large coffee and took a sip without taking her eyes from her screen.

Sergeant Major entered and moved into line. Javier took his coffee and moved toward the back where the three posters were. He set up in the shadows. In position, Top. Jaimie’s doing her thing and is in a perfect position. Sergeant Major is getting his coffee and bagel as instructed. Bond-boy has entered the building. He blends so well.

Mack chose not to reprimand Javier’s snicker or urge him to take the enemy seriously. Javier would never change. Life seemed a great adventure to him. The more the adrenaline rush, the more he liked it.

Javier waited until Sergeant Major settled into position, sipping his coffee and reading the posters before leaning over to look into the backpack he’d put beneath his table. He “accidentally” brushed up against Griffen’s coat, extracting the cell phone.

I’ve got his cell. Jaimie, you ready?

Yes. Do they have a chip? Or are they working with a mirror program?

Chip. You can back-trace with no problem, Jaimie. Javier dropped the cell back into the Sergeant Major’s pocket as he bent to pull his book out of his backpack. Everything’s in place.

Initiate the call, Mack, Jaimie advised. They’ll begin tracing and my program will begin the trace instantly.

“Incoming call, Sergeant Major. Stay on as long as possible,” Mack said. “You’ll be talking to Paul. Talk about fishing. Tell him you’re in a coffee shop and will see him after the meeting. Follow his lead.”

Sergeant Major dipped his hand into his pocket as the phone rang, sipping at his coffee, his back to the room.

Oh, yeah, Javier said, they’re recording his call just like you figured, Mack.

Mack hadn’t realized he was so tense. He let his breath out. Jaimie?

I’m on it. I already had a good idea where we were going with this, Mack, Jaimie said. They’re bouncing all over the place, but they aren’t going to get away. Not this time.

She was referring to the trace she’d started in her home. He still wasn’t comfortable involving Jaimie. Strange, it had been so important that they work together before. He’d wanted her on his team, believing her special skills could keep them all alive. Now he just wanted her safe and happy. It was much more difficult than he’d imagined trusting her safety to someone else, even to Javier, who he knew loved Jaimie.

He could hear Sergeant Major talking to Paul. His voice was a little strained, but he managed a laugh in all the appropriate places. His respect for Paul rose sharply. The boy sounded relaxed and very much a son calling his father, looking forward to seeing him. He led the conversation skillfully, talking about a fictitious woman he’d met a few nights earlier and was hoping to see more of. He asked about his father staying over and maybe going out to the Farallon Islands to whale watch, and seemed genuinely disappointed when his father declined and said he had to get back to Washington. Several times Griffen shifted restlessly, but he didn’t break position.

Got it! There was triumph in Jaimie’s voice. Let’s get him out.

Mack signaled to Paul to end the conversation. The boy talked a few more minutes and told his father he would see him after the meeting. Griffen’s voice was gruff as he told Paul he loved him. There was a small silence. Mack had the feeling expressing emotion for his son wasn’t something the sergeant major did often.

“We’ll get him out safely,” Mack found himself reassuring Paul.