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done. They’re ready to execute the plan.”
“Oh shit.”
“Oh shit,” he repeated.
* * *
Decker set the beer down and wiped his mouth.
Mars mirrored this move next to him at the bar they were in. As he put his beer down, he winced.
“How’s the arm?” asked Decker.
“Hurts a lot less than when you hit me on that screen pass back in college.”
“You’re just trying to cheer me up. That was the only time I tackled you all game.”
“Still a good hit.”
“Yeah. You hit me so hard about fifteen times that I stayed in bed for three days because I couldn’t feel any part of my body.”
Decker refocused on his beer, but his attention was obviously far away.
“Things not going so good?” asked Mars.
“I wish I could tell you, but you’re not cleared for it. Hell, I’m probably not cleared for it either.”
“Nothing you can tell me?”
“You could say we only half finished the job. And the most important half is still out there.”
“Alex was a little more forthcoming. She said there was big shit maybe going down soon, only you guys didn’t know what.”
“That sums it up pretty well, actually.”
Mars took another sip of beer. “Anything I can do?”
“You got a miracle in your pocket?”
“Not last time I looked.”
“Then, no, I don’t think there’s anything you can do.”
“That bad, huh?”
“That bad. You seen Harper since the shootout at her house?”
“No.”
“How come?”
“I think she wants to cool things, at least for now.”
Decker looked surprised. “Why? I thought she liked you.”
Mars sighed. “She does. Maybe too much.”
“I’m not following.”
“I think she’s afraid I’ll get hurt if I keep hanging around her.”
“Well, the same could be said for me.”
“Hell, I need to hang out with somebody, Decker.”
“I won’t stop you.”
Mars looked at him quizzically. “How come?”
“Because I don’t like you as much as Brown does. For obvious reasons.”
Mars grinned and lightly punched him on the arm. “Asshole!”
Decker’s phone buzzed. It was Jamison. Well, it was her number, but it wasn’t Jamison.
“Mr. Decker?”
“Who is this?” said Decker sharply.
The voice said, “Irrelevant to the matter at hand. What is relevant is that Ms. Jamison is a guest of ours.”
Decker stood. “Where’s Alex? What do you want?”
“Excellent question. The answer to that would be you.”
“I want to talk to Alex. Now!”
Mars had put his beer down and was standing next to Decker looking concerned.
A moment later Jamison came on the phone. Her voice was shaky.
“It’s me, Amos.”
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know. I was getting out of my car when—”
There was a scuffle and the man’s voice came on again.
“She’s alive, for now. You’re a very intelligent man, so you know what I’m going to ask you next.”
“Where?”
“Not quite that easy, since we don’t want your mates at the FBI to join the party.”
“How, then?”
“We understand that you have a good memory.”
“What of it?”
“I’m going to talk fast. Don’t forget a thing. Your friend won’t appreciate it.”
The man spoke for about a minute.
Decker clicked off and looked at Mars. “I gotta go.”
“So do I.”
“See you later.”
“No, I mean I’m going with you.”
“That’s not going to happen, Melvin.”
“Then your ass ain’t leaving this bar, Decker.”
“Melvin, I—”
“I heard what you said on the phone. Alex is in trouble. So it’s either we both go or neither one of us is going.”
“Do you remember the last time we went somewhere to meet somebody?”
“Considering we almost got blown to shit, yeah, I remember.”
“Well, these people have no incentive to let any of us live.”
“Never doubted it.”
“And you’re still in?”
“Like you got to ask. Lead the way, dude.”
