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“Ready?” John glanced at her before looking at his watch. “We have ten minutes to meet Myron and Raymond in the garage.”
She pulled her coat from the bed and shrugged it on, wishing she had a dependable weapon for that last bit of added security.
“Ready.” She glanced out the window to see the heavy snow falling outside. She wondered if the wea
ther would make tracking more difficult.
John hadn’t been able to describe the safeguards he and Travis had in place. Travis had left an hour before, his cover being orders from John to begin work on the transportation lines they had already prepared for the sale. It was a reliable story, and one that neither Myron nor Raymond had questioned.
Moving from the bedroom, she felt John’s hand against her lower back as they descended the back stairs to the hall outside the kitchen, then walked the short distance to the heavy metal door that led to the garage.
The four-by-four Hummer limo was waiting for them, warmed and running, a driver and guard standing by the doors.
“Mr. Vincent. Miss Serborne.” The driver nodded as John helped Bailey into the back where both Myron and Raymond awaited them.
The two men were silent as the limo pulled out into the falling snow, following the driveway that curved around the cabin, cut through the small valley, and merged into the main road.
“I think you’ll be very pleased with our acquisition, John,” Myron stated as the limo began to gather speed. “It’s the culmination of a lifetime of connections and contacts. Warbucks has found that most men and women, even the most patriotic, will do anything to cover their human weaknesses. Everything is for sale, if you simply know that weakness.” Myron seemed almost paternally proud of Warbucks’s ability to procure America’s ultra-secret weapons.
“What makes a man weak can also make him undependable,” John reminded the other. “Warbucks has been incredibly lucky as well.”
“Yes, Lady Luck does often smile down on him.” Myron grinned fondly. “As though he’s blessed.”
Or cursed, Bailey thought.
“Warbucks will meet you at the warehouse,” Raymond stated then. “You’ll verify the product before your meeting with him in case you have any questions.”
It was all very business-like, very civil. Bailey was once again amazed at how normal criminals could sometimes seem. As though it never once entered their mind that they were breaking the law, or that they were responsible for lives lost. All that mattered at the end of the day was that almighty dollar and how many of them could be accumulated in the shortest amount of time.
“Transportation routes have been laid out for you,” Myron said. “The routes we have in place are exceptionally secure. You’re more than welcome to use those, or you can use your own. But once the missiles are in your possession, Warbucks is no longer responsible for them.”
John inclined his head slowly. “I’m well aware of that, Myron. Travis is gathering our team together now and preparing for transportation. If your lines are better than ours, though, I’d be more than happy to accept your generosity.”
Myron gave a quick, brief nod of acceptance, his expression approving, as though he were staring back at two well-behaved children.
The bastard.
“The missiles were definitely a coup,” John stated. “How did he pull it off?”
Myron’s smile was filled with pride now. “As I said, some men will do anything to ensure that their weaknesses are hidden. Warbucks came across a rumor that a particular general enjoyed a rather perverted sexual taste. He managed to acquire pictures of the man partaking of the act, showed them to him, and then requested the information he needed to acquire the missiles.”
Bailey felt John’s bicep as it tightened behind her head. A dozen soldiers had been severely wounded and several had died when Warbucks had acquired the weapon. Myron spoke of it as though it were something to be proud of, rather than the heinous act it was.
As the Hummer moved through the heavy snowfall, conversation waned into an almost comfortable silence. Bailey was plotting, planning the acquisition of a weapon. She knew John would be doing the same. Weapons would be the first priority.
If John’s plan succeeded, then the team backing him would be in place within minutes of their arrival at the warehouse. Once the weapons were verified and Warbucks identified, the eight-man team backing John would move in.
It was John and Bailey’s job to acquire weapons and restrain Warbucks.
As John’s fingers played with her hair along the neck of her jacket, she felt the skin tag on her arm activate and begin to heat.
The sensation lasted for two minutes, the heat building to a pinprick burn before easing away.
“Warbucks has been hoping to bring you back into the fold for many years,” Myron mentioned as he pulled a flask from his jacket, opened it, and drank from it. The scent of aged whiskey drifted through the back of the limo.
“I was never out of it,” Bailey stated. “I was merely rebelling for a while.”
“As all children do.” Myron nodded as he returned the flask to his pocket.
