One Rough Man - Brad Taylor [144]
“Yeah, I’m right outside your Internet café. I’ll be within a couple of blocks of you at all times. How’re you holding up?”
“I’m okay. I’m about to fall asleep on my feet, but I’m okay. Nothing like exhaustion to tamp down stress.”
“I hear you. I just about ran over a kid five minutes ago. Look—I’m having second thoughts about how far we should push this today. I think you should just pinpoint his hotel. We can find some other way to figure out his room. I think we’re risking too much by you going in.”
Why’s he changing the plan now? “Would you think this was too risky if you were walking behind him, or is it because you’re afraid of me getting hurt? We only have another twenty-four hours, and I don’t think we’ll get another chance. I’m going to finish this.”
“Damn it, this isn’t a game. There’s no trophy at the end. If he figures out what’s going on, he’s liable to freak out and launch the device right in the hotel. Yeah, I’m worried about you, but I’d be just as worried about any teammate.”
She watched Carlos pause outside of a hotel, looking left and right. She saw him glance at his watch like he was trying to decide what to do. She vaguely heard Pike continue.
“I’m just saying that I’m not sure a plan hashed out on an airplane after four days without sleep is the one we should go with. Let’s figure out where he’s staying and take a long, hard look at our options.”
She didn’t reply, focused on the terrorist. She saw him turn to the hotel entrance. Holy shit. This is it.
“Hello? Jennifer, you still there?”
“He just went into a hotel. I have to go.”
“No! Jennifer, wait—”
Jennifer hung up the phone and rushed forward, reaching the door in time to see Carlos moving to a stairwell inside. Focusing on the backpack he was wearing, she gave a half-thought of quitting, Pike’s warning reminding her of the stakes. Stop that. Get it done.
To her right she saw a wizened old man at the front desk, reading a newspaper and paying her no mind. Crossing quickly to the stairwell, she heard footsteps above her, separated by a single landing. How am I going to figure out his floor if I can’t see him? It dawned on her that she would only need to listen. When she heard his footsteps cease, she would simply exit on the next floor.
No sooner had she come up with the plan than she realized she was hearing nothing but the echo of her own footsteps. Carlos had exited the stairwell.
I FLUNG THE PHONEagainst the dash. What the hell is she thinking? What was I thinking coming up with this dumb-ass plan? I didn’t even know where she was. From where I was parked outside the café I could see about forty different ways the terrorist could have gone. Calm down. Think. From what Jennifer said, they were somewhere within a four-block radius. How many hotels could there be inside that? Logically, they were probably west, toward downtown. I threw the car into drive and headed deeper into the city. Please don’t get hurt. Please, please.
HURRYING TO THE NEXT FLOOR, Jennifer paused outside the stairwell doorway, listening for any sign that someone was just beyond. Hearing nothing, she gathered her courage and opened the door.
Carlos stood directly in front of her, fumbling with his key and softly cursing the old lock. At the sound of the stairwell door, he turned. Jennifer stumbled back, preparing to flee into the stairwell in a fight or flight response. Get a grip. He doesn’t know who you are. Her eyes locked with the terrorist’s. He smiled, nodding hello before returning to work his key. She smiled back and moved past him, seeing the hallway end about fifty feet away at a men’s room. What am I going to do when I reach that? Shit. I’ve got no reason to be here. Should’ve turned around.
She kept walking, feeling his eyes on her back, wondering what the hell was taking him so long. Get in your damn room. As she approached the bathroom, her mind began to work in overdrive. What if this is a men-only hotel? Or has floors separated by gender? He’s going to know something’s up. He’s going to kill me. She envisioned him stalking