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“Hell no.”
“Then she’s the bait,” said Danny.
“Not really. Only when he’s in a secure location will she talk to him. She’s not going to have to deal with him outside of that cell.”
“You think he’ll keep his promise?” Lydia asked.
“He’ll bargain. He’s going to try to surprise us. That’s why I need everyone on their toes. We need to be one step ahead of them, all the time.”
“If he gets out, he won’t be set free in the U.S., will he?” Lydia asked.
“We’re working out a deal where he’ll be turned over to the Italians.”
Lydia had a sinking feeling about this plan all of a sudden. “This is your idea, your plan, or was it—”
“It’s mine. I think it will work. I’m counting on the fact that he’ll do anything he can to gain his freedom. That’s the prize he wants.”
Greg and Danny were tasked with looking over the property for other poison drops. They found a handful, but all in the front yard area. Nothing was found in the rear yard where the vegetables and flowers were. That area was fully fenced to make it deer proof, so it was thought Venom might be able to run loose there, but never in the front yard.
Lydia and Harper took the dog down to the hospital for his blood test. His toxicity levels were improving dramatically.
Harper made arrangements for their flights to D.C. in two days. Sally was brought into the conversation. They brought up Carl Womack and a new team member, Mallory Cruz, who had tried out for the SEAL Teams and gotten through BUD/S but was placed on hold until they could find a place for her. Rather than wait, she opted to join Silver Team, even though she was the youngest of the crew. Her specialty was that she posted the highest scores in sniper school, beating out all the older competition hands down. Harper wanted that expertise on his side.
Hamish and others might come later, but with this crew, they could prepare while Harper and Lydia were in D.C..
The appointment was scheduled. Lipori promised to give out the location and name of the couple working in Sonoma County and assured them there were no others. But he wanted that interview with Lydia first.
Just as Harper had told her, it all hinged on her.
Chapter 11
The hardest partof leaving their home in Sonoma County was saying goodbye to Venom. He’d only been home for two days since his recovery at the hospital, and although they both tried to give him the lion’s share of attention, whenever he wanted it, it was still difficult, perhaps even more so for Harper than Lydia.
The black sedan took them to Santa Rosa airport where a special chartered jet waited for them for the trip to Washington, D.C.. Once they settled in and the plane began its takeoff, Lydia’s nerves encroached on her peace of mind. Her stomach began to churn.
They held hands as the forward thrust sent them into the air. There would be one stop over to refuel and then the remainder of the trip without a stop.
They were offered light refreshments, but Lydia couldn’t keep anything down. She’d had an annoying feeling in her stomach for days now, ever since Harper left to go back to D.C..
“I felt bad about not spending more time with him. I wish we could’ve brought him,” she said to Harper.
He was having a whiskey, a little early in the morning for that, but these days, Lydia didn’t criticize anything, and she assumed Harper was doing the same.
“Me too. But he’s better off and safer at home. The boys will spoil him crazy. I know they’re on the lookout for anything suspicious, so in a way, this whole trip would be a lot easier if this couple would just show up while we’re gone and get the piss knocked out of them.”
She chuckled. “Or they’ll stumble on Sally’s house thinking it’ll be an easier ride, and she’ll knock the piss out of them.”
They both laughed at that.
“I’m glad you’ve lightened up about all this,” he said.
“Well, it’s partly because I don’t know what I’m getting into. I’ve learned around you sometimes not to ask too many questions. Just go with the flow. I can’t say that’s my preference. So let me ask you this. Are you able to elaborate anything or give me some pointers?”
He didn’t look her in the eyes when she asked this. She knew he was hiding something. Not anything that would cause her harm, perhaps something that would protect her.
“Not sure I can tell you what to do. He’s very smart, he reads people well, and don’t forget, he’s lived around you for more than two years.”
“That’s the only part I remember.”
