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“I hadn’t heard that. Makes sense though. So what do we do when we get back?”
“Well, I’m going to review everything they’ve done, and I asked them all to give me a list of items they have questions about or where they’re blocked. I’ve got some funding coming, so we’ve got a cash account we can use. We’ve got extra personnel I’m allowed to hire, and even though we got a house that we want to live in, and as you said we’re living in it like bait, we’re not gonna make it look like we got a dozen people going and coming. That’s going to be the trick.”
“But the property is remote, Harper.”
“Not from the sky. Not to the surrounding hills. We’re wide out in the open and not close enough for help, either. So we have to make our own help, defenses. Sally’s agreed to put some of us up, and there’s a neighbor across the hill that has a perfect view of our property. There’s also got several large structures, a water tower, and some tall trees that would be perfect for sniper perches.”
“What do you tell these people?”
“We tell them we’re DEA, looking to bust some druggies. Most people buy that.”
Harper retrieved some waters and gave Lydia one.
“Speaking of snipers, I don’t know if you’re aware, but we brought on a female sniper, Mallory Cruz, and she’s pretty damn good, the guys say. She beat out the entire class in her BUD/S unit, including the instructors. That’s hard to do, unheard of.”
“So she’s going be a SEAL?”
He shook his head. “She’s going be my girl. She’s coming to Silver. I’m not going let those Bone Frogs get a hold of her and ruin her. She’s on our team. You’re gonna like her.”
They were beginning to do their final approach to the airport when he got a call from Patterson. Lydia could heard the admiral’s voice loud and clear.
“Admiral, I’m at your disposal, even though I’m still two thousand feet in the air.”
“We got a tentative location for the couple. We did some digging. This didn’t come from Lipori. Apparently, one of the neighbors in Florence came up with a name. I think this is our couple. They were granted a visa, so apparently, they’re both Italian citizens. The visa was granted roughly thirty days ago. They’ll be able to stay through the end of the year, but they gave a local address. We’re gonna be having you check that out ASAP.”
“Cool. Text me the address, and I’ll send it on to Danny and Greg. Anything else?”
“For the transfer next week, we’ve got special guys replacing the local guards just to make sure there isn’t any hanky-panky during the hand-off. When a guy has a few million dollars in the bank and doesn’t hesitate to spend it, especially for his own benefit, it can make prison guards a little susceptible to some bribery. I’ll let you know if anything comes of that. We also relocated him just in case he was working up to a crew at the supermax. He’s located in a prison in Virginia, well outside of the city.”
“Roger that. You have the handoff scheduled?”
“Done and ready. Vetted the Italians coming over.”
“We don’t need to have any direct communication with him, then? You’re handling everything?”
“Not at this point, I don’t think so. Oh, and you can tell Lydia, the president thinks she’d make a fine actress.”
Lydia heard the squawking on the other end of the phone and shouted back, “Well, I’ll take that as a compliment, Admiral, but I have no plans to go Hollywood.”
She heard the admiral chuckle.
Coming home wasthe best part of Lydia’s week. The boys walked Venom on his leash down to meet them at the upper gate. The dog was beside himself as he saw the black car and then was held back from dashing forward. Harper opened the rear door and allowed him to jump inside.
He commented to the driver. “I’m sorry, sir. The dog is just—I was afraid he’d jump up and scratch the car all to hell. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Understood sir, not a problem. He’s one of you.”
“Yes, he is,” Harper said as he palmed Venom’s ears and gave him a nuzzle. Venom sat across both of their laps, licking Lydia’s chest, her arms, and her face, trying to nip her ear. He whined and then rolled over on his back and exposed his belly, so they both began scratching him.
“That a puppy, sir?” the driver asked.
“No, sir, he’s eight years old, but he’s always this way. He’s the best dog in the world.”
“Okay, well, you let me know if there’s anything else we can do for you,” the driver said as he pulled to a stop, got out of the driver seat, and then picked up their suitcases from the trunk. Several guys came out of the front of the house and relocated the suitcases inside while Harper and Lydia extricated themselves.
Relief spread over her body. She stood there with her arms out, arching her back.
“This is the smell I’ve missed. Pure heaven. I missed this place so much, Harper. I don’t think I’ll ever travel again.”
