Afraid of the Dark - James Grippando [128]
“That’s not important,” said Chuck.
“I’d like to know,” said Shada.
“I’m not telling you,” said Chuck, his tone taking on an edge.
“What do you mean you’re not going to tell me?”
“It’s better that you don’t know,” said Chuck.
“Better for whom?”
“It’s for your own safety.”
“That’s bullshit, Chuck, and you know it. Tell me which one has the damn chip in it.”
“Shada, back off,” said Chuck.
Jack could see the anger in her eyes, and even though Shada had expressed remorse for what she had done, it was also clear that she was approaching her limit with Chuck. Jack jumped in before they could tell each other to shove it.
“Folks, can we all take a deep breath and remember why we’re here?”
Slowly, the tension drained from the room, and before anyone could stoke the fire, Jack changed the subject.
“I understand that there is no talking Shada out of making this delivery,” Jack said. “I can also understand why she feels the way she does. But I’m here for a reason, too.” He paused as thoughts of his friend caught up with him. “If Shada is going to put herself at risk, I want to provide backup.”
“No,” said Shada.
“Why not?” asked Jack.
“It’s better that you don’t,” she said, glancing at Chuck’s image on the screen while parroting his words. “It’s for your own safety.”
“Now we’re getting petty,” said Jack. “I’m sure everyone is overtired.”
“I agree with Shada,” said Chuck.
“What?” said Jack.
“There’s no reason for you to tail her,” Chuck said. “We’ve got the GPS tracking embedded in the bills. If something goes wrong, we’ll call the police.”
It didn’t sound like Chuck—taking the safe route and suggesting that they call the police in a pinch—but Jack was getting too tired to argue. “We have a little more than two hours until the call,” said Jack. “Let’s all try to get some rest.”
Reza said, “There’s a two-bedroom flat upstairs that you can use.”
“Works for me,” said Shada.
“Me, too,” said Jack.
“Shada, no hard feelings?” said Chuck. It was the first bone he had tossed since finding out about the Dark, and it seemed to take Shada by surprise.
“Whatever,” she said.
“Good night, everyone,” said Chuck.
Reza logged off the computer and led them from the storage room, locked the door behind them, and reset the alarm. A back stairwell led them up to the second-floor flat. Reza directed Shada to the bigger of the two bedrooms, and Jack took the small one with the twin bed. He needed sleep, and he hoped his mind would shut off and let him rest.
“I’ll wake you at five,” said Reza.
“Thanks,” said Jack. He sat on the edge of the mattress, and even though it was lumpy, all worry about falling asleep vanished. One shoe was off when his phone chimed with a text message. It was from Chuck: Just between u and me, it read, and the last two words were in all caps: FOLLOW HER.
Jack pulled off his other shoe, typed a response, and hit SEND: Do you trust her?
He settled back onto the mattress, exhausted and staring at the ceiling, his phone resting on his chest. Chuck’s response came sooner than he’d expected: Would you trust your wife after she cheated?
The question hit Jack hard. Shada had been so contrite that he’d actually let himself believe that Chuck should be more like those I-love-you-no-matter-what guys who forgive and forget. But when the question was turned around on him—would you trust your wife?—he realized that this was the real world, not Lifetime TV or the Oxygen Channel. Jack typed out his response, then rolled over and turned out the light as he hit SEND once more:
OK. I’ll follow.
Chapter Sixty-nine
Sid Littleton watched from his office window as the snow fell on the illuminated buildings and monuments of the capital.
The phone call from London had been unsettling, but Littleton always had a backup plan. The plan’s name was Lisa Horne—or whatever her real name was—and he just hoped the weather wasn’t going to screw things up and keep her from coming to the office on short notice.
“She’s in the building,” said Bahena.
Littleton turned away from the window and saw his right-hand man