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She grinned. “Get closer to the vehicle so you can make out the numbers, you mean.”
“That too.” He brushed the crumbs from his hands, winked at her and walked to the outside door. “See you later.”
“Maybe not. I might be in my own car, waiting to tail them.”
“Good. You can pick me up.”
“Or you can stay here while Sloan and I do our jobs.”
“Or that.” He waved and left.
***
Alia had a hard time keeping her eyes open. Watching a house where nothing was happening called for a person who was wide awake and not one ready to pass out. Her head kept nodding and she lifted her millionth cup of coffee to her lips only to find it had turned cold.
Her stomach churned, making her nauseous. Not partial to the constant stress over the last few days, it had decided to repay her now with intermittent cramps. She stood and did another set of bends and stretches, hoping against hope that the exercise would keep her from falling asleep.
The door opened and she turned to give Sloan a piece of her mind. She’d fought with him over whose watch it had been and he’d given in, but not gracefully. The man wanted to protect her; she got it, but she was an FBI agent who had a job to do, and by golly, she’d be doing it.
She’d gotten twice as much sleep as he had. Fair’s fair. He’d finally agreed to go into his room and she’d wake him in a few hours. In the meantime, he’d left Kean with Roy, fed and happy to be together.
“Sloan, give it up. I’m good here.”
“It’s not Sloan. Can I come in?” Roy stood waiting for permission. Alia glanced around the room and gave the sliding screen a yank, hoping it covered the equipment behind sufficiently. She pushed the binoculars under her chair and slid the camera behind it.
“Sure, Roy. Of course. I was just dozing anyway.”
“Kean decided to have a nap. I coaxed him after he’d fallen asleep for the tenth time during our chess game.”
Alia pointed to the wicker chair across from hers. “I’m so glad you like chess. Kean picked up the game at his last school and when we moved here, he had no one to play with. He loves it.”
“He’s almost as good as I was at his age. Maybe better. I have to go to the senior’s home around the corner to be able to play anymore. Les never did enjoy games, he’s an outdoor freak, loves the water and his Harley. And Sloan, he never wanted to learn, too busy with his drawings and sports.”
“Roy, where does your family originate from?”
“I was born in San Francisco, and came to Hawaii as a young man with Lester and Tommy Booker. I’d left a girl back home, one I wanted to make my wife, but when she chose to have an acting career rather than marry an old farm boy like me, I took my broken heart to the docks, signed up to crew on a ship and met up with those other two.” He pulled his wallet from his pocket and showed her a black and white photo of a pretty girl, dressed in a costume and her signature scrawled illegibly across the bottom.
Suddenly, Alia’s interest heightened. Before she could ask Roy if the girl’s name was the one she suspected it was, she saw the door across the street open and Yasir and Leah appear.
Reaching across to touch him, she stopped halfway and let her hand drop. “Ireallywant to talk to you more about your travels, Roy, but something has come up. I just need to go out for a short time. Can you tell Sloan, I’m leaving for a while when he wakes up?”
Not totally understanding her, but being a gentleman who didn’t argue with women, Roy quickly stood as she rushed out. “Sure, Alia. I’ll tell him.”
She only had time to grab her sandals and her cellphone and rush through the French doors. Making sure they wouldn’t see her, she stayed on her side of the street and held her phone in her hand in case they turned around. She planned to pretend she was taking pictures, hoping her phone would hide her face.
The pair walked slowly, meandering as if they had all the time in the world. Until suddenly, a car pulled up next to them.
Friggin’, shittin’ hell!If they got in, she’d be screwed. By the time she could run to get her vehicle, they’d be gone.
Wait.They weren’t getting in. Something strange was going on. She ducked behind the nearby bushes and started taking a video. Two younger men got out of the car and met up with the couple on the sidewalk.
They carried on a conversation, one she wished she could hear. Quickly, she skimmed though the gardens in front of her and drew closer. She couldn’t chance going any further without drawing their attention and so she stopped.
Aiming her phone, she took shot after shot of all four gathered together.
Leah appeared upset, while the three men overrode her protests. Then she nodded and they retrieved a small package from the back seat of the car and handed it to Yasir. One last hand clasp and they withdrew into their vehicle and drove off. Alia took a picture of the license plate, and this time the numbers showed up clearly.
Leah still appeared upset, and Alia waited while Yasir listened to his sister’s tirade. The other girl was speaking in Urdu, their official language, her hands gesturing her obvious disagreement. Alia recognized the sounds but she wasn’t close enough to hear the words.
