The Last Assassin

She turned off the light and walked out, checking to make sure the door was locked behind her. Then she ducked into one of the ladies' room stalls, hid the rake again, and took out the earpiece. She put it in and tilted her head down.

'It's me,' she said. 'Is the reception okay?'

'Loud and clear,' Rain answered promptly.

'Roger that,' Dox added.

'Okay. Leaving now.' She dropped the earpiece back in her purse and flushed the toilet. She walked out of the stall and checked herself in the mirror, already in character again. Then she headed back up the stairs.

The women were out in front of the island, helping a Japanese man and one of the hostesses with their coats. It looked like someone had managed to agree on a price tonight. One of the women buzzed Delilah out. The security guy bowed and held the door for her again.

As she reached the end of the walkway outside, one of the valets went running past her in the direction of the club. She turned around and got back to the turn in the path in time to see him pull a magnetic key from inside his suit jacket and wave it in front of the reader. He slipped it back inside the jacket, and she realized he kept it on a lanyard around his neck. The door started to open and Delilah moved out of its line of sight.

The other valet was in front, holding open the passenger door of a blue Bentley Continental GTC. The engine was idling at a low purr.

Nice ride, she thought. She smiled at the valet and walked off.

33

We reconvened in Dox's hotel room a half hour after Delilah had checked in from the club. She briefed us on everything: entrance and exit layout and procedures; security personnel and protocols; the backup generator. She hadn't missed a thing, and recollected exactly the right details. I wasn't surprised.

'The layout is good,' she said, when Dox and I had exhausted our questions. 'We can control it. The only thing I couldn't confirm was the emergency exit door off the main room, on the ground floor. It's there, but I didn't get to try it. The one in the basement, though, opens outward with a horizontal push bar. But there was a camera in front of it, and something written across it. I think that an alarm would sound if it's opened, so I didn't try. Here.'

She took out her phone and worked the keys for a moment, then handed the unit to me. 'What do you think?'

I had to squint a bit, but it was readable. 'Yeah,' I said. 'It's what you thought. Nice going.'

I considered for a moment, then said, 'I think it's safe to assume that the other door works the same way. Emergency doors in public buildings are installed to code. They always open out with a push bar. So we ought to be able to jam them from outside with nothing more than a steel rod. I'll check on that tomorrow when I recon the exterior.'

'It's an impressive place,' she said. 'Very high-end, smooth operation. And the women are stunning. All of them.'

'It occurs to me,' Dox said. 'Maybe I should reconnoiter this establishment myself. Couldn't hurt to have a second set of eyes, you know.'

I looked at him.

He shrugged and said, 'No need to get irritable about it. Nothing wrong with a man enjoying his work.'

Delilah reached into her purse and took out Harry's bug detector. 'Here,' she said. 'Don't want to forget.'

'You might want it tomorrow night…' I started to say.

'No, it's served its purpose. And nicely. Worked in the vestibule and for the camera watching the basement emergency exit, quiet the rest of the time. I can see why it's sentimental.'

I took it and shook my head. 'That's a story for another time.'

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. 'I should get some sleep.'

'You're right,' I said. 'We can finish planning tomorrow. Why don't you sleep in if you can, and call us whenever you get up.'

'That sounds good,' she said, standing up.

I stood, too. 'I'll walk you back to your hotel.'

She shook her head. 'Better to stay apart for now.'

Once again, I didn't know what was the real motivation there, personal or professional, but this wasn't the time or place to discuss it. 'Okay,' I said.

Dox stood, too. He extended his hand, and Delilah shook it. 'It's great they invited you back for tomorrow, and no surprise, either,' he said. 'You did really well tonight, on unfamiliar terrain and without a lot of preparation, and that's a fact.'

She gave him a nice smile. 'Thank you, Dox.'

'Our glorious leader thinks so, too,' he added. 'Just, like I said before, he's not very expressive about these things.'

Delilah's smile faded and she offered a tentative nod that said, Let's not go there now, okay? I was more direct, shooting him a Stop that shit look. But he plunged ahead.