I’m glad Jean went to bed early yesterday.”
“Me too.” He guided Rachel over to his notebook computer set up on the desk with his satellite uplink attached. “Fletcher Exports definitely ranks up there with Tanus. I can understand why they want to get their hands on the flash drives. I did some hacking around and found some interesting new hires on their payroll sheets. We may not be flying blind when we get to Sarasota.”
She looked over the pictures Nick had on the screen and gasped. She pointed to a husky, clean shaven man with dark hair. “That’s the guy I saw with Tanus, when they finished torturing Rick. He’s working for Fletcher now?”
“Yep. He’s among the hired-muscle I think would be waiting for us in Florida,” Nick answered, nuzzling her neck. “I guess it explains how Fletcher Exports all of a sudden knows the drives are in Florida. I’m surprised Tanus didn’t whack this Javier Martine before he had a chance to switch sides.”
Rachel moaned, her hands dropping to her sides, as she jutted back against him. Suddenly she spun around, grabbing his hands. “Nick, I want that Javier guy.”
“To play with or just do yourself?” he asked curiously.
“I…I don’t think I could torture him.”
“Good. One step at a time, Nikita. I believe you’ve earned it. Let’s see what part our Javier plays in Sarasota before you carry out the death sentence.” He pulled her right hand up to his lips, while he ran his fingertips up and down her arm until she shuddered.
“Huuuuummmmm…don’t do that. You know it drives me nuts,” Rachel complained, but moved into him instead of pulling away.
Nick lifted her up and into him, his hands supporting her bottom. Her legs wrapped around his hips and their open mouths met in tense anticipation. She groaned, feeling him poke into her through the flimsy nightgown. She reached down and tore it upwards toward her waist. She unfastened Nick’s shorts, never parting from his lips. A knock on the door startled them both as Nick had been on the verge of impaling Rachel.
“Hey, in there…Deke and me want to play Frisbee before breakfast,” Jean’s voice called out, followed by a short gruff bark from her sidekick.
“Oh my God!” Rachel whispered, panting for breath as she slid down away from Nick, her face flushed.
“We’ll be out in a minute, Danger,” Nick yelled back. “You and Scruffy the Wonder Dog go back to your room and we’ll be right there, okay?”
“Okay, Nick.”
“So, this is what married with children is all about.” Nick gave Rachel a quick kiss before turning away to get dressed.
Rachel seethed. “She has your timing.”
“I like staying here, Nick,” Jean commented as they walked toward the restaurant at the Days Inn. “How long can we stay?”
“Maybe one more day,” he answered, exchanging glances with Rachel. “Deke really likes this place too. We still have a ways to go on this leg of our journey, kid. Tell you what, when we finish in Florida, we’ll head back to California this way. We’ll make a real sightseeing trip out of it with no more than a few hundred miles a day driving.”
“I’m flying back if we don’t stop at least three times in Kansas,” Rachel added.
“Three times it is, then,” he agreed. “I -”
He looked out at the parking lot, where three young men were walking along, checking out cars. Jean had wanted to stay late at the pool, because her three friends were there, so they were eating late. The parking lot security lights had come on as the sensors detected the approaching night. Rachel followed Nick’s line of sight toward the lighted parking lot.
“What’s wrong?”
“Those three gentlemen wandering around out in the parking lot are looking to boost a car,” Nick answered, stopping to watch them. “I’ll go put in a word at the office. I’m sure they have some security guys here. I don’t know what level of expertise they have, but I damn well don’t want the Escalade taken right under my nose.”
“This is Missouri, not New York, Nick. Are you sure they’re not simply checking out the different models?”
“I’m pretty sure.” He grinned over at Rachel.
“Why don’t you go get them, Nick?” Jean looked around Rachel at the parking lot. “Where’d they go?”
“Around the corner, looking for an easy one. I’m not Batman. I don’t want to draw any attention, so I think I’ll leave this up to the proper authorities. You two go on in the restaurant and order me up anything that looks good.”
“Don’t do anything that’ll put us on the road again tomorrow, Batman,” Rachel warned. “I need another day and night break after Kansas.”
“We won’t have anything to be on the road with if they get the Escalade, Nikita,” Nick pointed out with some exasperation. “It is one of the most stolen vehicles around.”
“You should have Lojack.” Rachel giggled at his reaction.
“That would fit right in with my secret identity. Get moving.”
He waited until Rachel and Jean entered the restaurant before jogging toward the office. The same desk clerk who had checked them in the night before was on duty. He smiled at Nick.
“Hello, Sir, may I help you?”
“I believe you have three young guys looking to steal a car in your parking lot. Right now, they’re looking for a quick one with the keys in the ignition. Do you have a security man on staff?”
“Yes, we do,” the clerk answered, picking up his phone. A few seconds later he engaged someone on the phone, and then hung up. “Our assistant manager handles security matters after six. She’ll be right out.”
“Okay, should I wait?” Nick wondered if the trio had reached the parking lot where his Cadillac was parked yet.
“Yes, Ms. Tobler will, ah, here she is, Sir.”
Nick turned around. He watched a brown-haired woman in her late thirties, dressed in a black skirt and light blue blouse approach. She had on black shoes, flat at the heel and was only a couple inches shorter than Nick. Her brown hair, cropped in short straight fashion, lent a lean hard look to the woman’s face. She stuck her hand out as she approached.
“Leslie Tobler, Mr…”
“Weatherby, Ms. Tobler, Roscoe Weatherby.” He shook her hand, appreciative of the solid grip. “I saw three young men out cruising your parking lot on foot. Two were about my height, light complexion, wearing jeans, white t-shirts, and ball caps. The third was a couple inches taller than me, dark complexioned, wearing jeans and a black parka. He had on a ball cap too.”
“Wearing a parka, in this heat… maybe you’re on to something, Mr. Weatherby. Would you walk with me and identify these three men?”
“Ah, do you have a weapon, Ms. Tobler? The guy with the parka’s probably packing something lethal, and the other -”
“Why don’t we have a look first, Sir?” Tobler smiled reassuringly at him. “I have my cell-phone with the Concordia police on speed dial. If the three look suspicious, I’ll call it in while we keep an eye on them.”
“Sounds good. They were on their way around the building to our left.”
“Fine,” Tobler acknowledged, setting a brisk pace toward the entryway. “Where do you hail from, Mr. Weatherby?”
“Nevada, Ma’am.”
“Leslie, please,” Tobler urged with a slight English accent, veering to the left as they cleared the entryway. “Anywhere near the Las Vegas area?”
“Yes, we have a house there,” Nick answered, not liking where the questions were going.
“Have you heard about the bodies they’ve discovered in the desert? It was on all the newscasts.”
“No, we’ve been taking in the sights on the way, trying to keep clear of the news.”
“I know what you mean.” Tobler glanced over at Nick’s bearded countenance. “I guess they still lose a few
