“They think I’m planning to kidnap Gage, but they’ve only sent two men to snatch him from me?” That was just insulting.
“We expect a couple more to join them,” X said. “Pasco’s working on intercepting all the security cameras in and around the hotel, so we’ll be able to spot the rest of his people when they arrive. For now, keep your guard up and your neighbor in sight.”
“Shouldn’t I neutralize Greenly?”
“Not yet. We’ll have a team embedded at the hotel within a few hours, then we’ll watch them and wait for them to make the first move.”
I, like every field operative in the agency, hated the watch-and-wait approach. That’s why our opinions were rarely asked and even less often regarded in these types of operations. “I have to tell Gage, though, now that the threat is imminent.”
“No, actually, you don’t. If we can complete this mission quietly, he might never need to know he was a target.”
“But if—”
“You will tell Mr. Halifax if and only if it’s necessary to keep him safe. Is that clear, Kat?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Keep your comms unit on you at all times. Pasco will activate it if we need to contact you and can’t reach you by phone.”
“Of course.” It was standard protocol, so I wouldn’t have argued the point anyway, but X had already hung up on me.
“Let’s look at the bright side,” I said to the cat sleeping under the tree. “If we can take care of Greenly and his thugs this weekend, I won’t have to lie to Gage anymore. This could work out for the best, after all.”
Mr. Whiskerbottom Fuzzypants opened one eye, stared sadly at me, and closed it again.
“Yeah, I give that possibility about a zero percent chance of working myself.”
CHAPTER 23
GAGE
Afew other groomsmen and I stepped into the hotel lobby, rubbing our hands together and shivering. Manly men that we were, we’d decided to walk the block from the church to the hotel, and most of us hadn’t bothered with overcoats. I’d been too busy replaying my afternoon with Kat to remember mine. I don’t know what everyone else’s excuses were. I just knew we’d nearly frozen our balls off, which had me thinking about Kat and her warm hands on me all over again.
I concentrated on thinking about the Knicks’ stats as a distraction while I straightened my navy blue suit jacket and light blue tie.
“You look fine,” Brody, another buddy from college, said. “Almost respectable. Must be the influence of this new lady in your life.”
“I always look respectable, smartass,” I said, grinning.
“Keep telling yourself that, G-man.”
Will approached us with a drink in his hand. He greeted Brody and Ford, Rex’s Aussie friend, then stood beside me as the other two moved amongst the throng of wedding attendants and relatives.
“Why are you alone?” I asked.
“Because my wife wanted to meet Mr. Fuzzywuzzy, or whatever the hell the name is of the cat you”—he lowered his voice to a whisper-hiss—“smuggled into The Plaza for your girlfriend.”
“It was a joint effort,” I said. “And it was for a good cause. Poor guy has separation anxiety.”
“And you just had to take care of her by taking care of him.”
“That’s not what’s happening here.”
He took a long sip of his drink and waited for me to say more.
“The lady had a plan. She asked me to help her with the execution, and it… It was fun. I’m having fun, just like you advised. Remember?”
“Okay. If you tell me you’re not playing the knight-in-shining-armor routine, I’ll believe you.”
