“Let’s see what’s inside the room.”
“Okay.”
35
I PUSH THE door open and duck back behind the wall while Callie gets a view of the room. As the door starts to rebound and close I say, “Good to go?”
“Yes! Bathroom’s on the right.”
“Be careful!”
Before the door swings shut on its own, Callie pushes it again, and hurls herself past the open area that leads to the bathroom. It’s a thing of beauty, watching Callie fly through the air, gun in hand, ready to shoot whoever might be lying in wait. It’s a fraction of a second in real time, but when you do what we do, as long as we’ve done it, time stands still, giving a guy like me time to admire the athletic grace of a truly amazing killing machine like Callie Carpenter. It’s like watching Michael Jordan in his prime. You know you’re seeing something special, a once- in-a-generation talent.
I come in high, just behind her, running directly toward the bathroom, in case someone’s trying to draw a bead on Callie.
But no one’s there.
“Bedroom’s clear,” she says.
“Closet’s clear,” I say.
I wait for her to retrieve her purse from the hallway. She does, and re-enters the room and closes the door. I’m standing in front of the closed bathroom door. A sitting duck if Sam starts shooting.
I motion Callie to stand out of the line of fire.
She does, but says, “He’s being awfully quiet for a live guy.”
I call out, “Sam?”
“Before you go in,” Callie says, “I’d like to put some money on it.”
“You’re that sure he’s dead?”
“Yes.”
I think about it. Everything in my experience tells me Sam’s in the bathroom, lying in the tub, unconscious. Of course, this would mean he’s been unconscious a long, long time.
Highly unlikely.
But Callie said Maybe was cool as a cucumber when she left. Crimes of passion leave you edgy, and haggard. Not to mention if Maybe had blood on her clothing, Callie would’ve noticed.
“A hundred says Sam’s alive,” I say.
“A hundred grand?”
“No. A hundred dollars.”
“Make it five hundred,” she says.
“Fine.”
I turn the bathroom door handle, open the door.
36
Callie Carpenter.
CALLIE LOVES WORKING with Creed. When the two of them are together, it adds an element of fun to the job. Plus, they’re unstoppable. Whether it’s something simple, like charging a hotel room, or huge, like attacking an enemy stronghold, they have the perfect chemistry for orchestrating lethal violence.
Callie loves his quirks!
There’s no one on earth she adores more than Creed, though she’d never admit it. She’s naturally in tune with him and has been, since the day he brought her into the business.
When he’s around, there’s nothing she’d rather do than tease or torment him.
Take today, for example. She had all afternoon and evening to think about the best way to fuck with his mind. Being Callie, she managed to come up with five great possibilities. But the one she knew would drive him crazy is if he couldn’t figure out how she managed to pee.
Why would it cross her mind in the first place?
Those who follow people for a living, or spend hours staking out homes, hotel rooms, or businesses, know there’s nothing more important than having a plan for using the bathroom. How many times has a person escaped surveillance at the exact moment the investigator left his post to find a place to pee?
It never fails.
Creed knows this and knows Callie would never take her eyes off the target. Therefore, he’d expect Callie to have something in her handbag. A large to-go coffee cup with a lid, for example.
Which is exactly what Callie used twice while maintaining her surveillance on Sam’s hotel room door.
Knowing Creed would arrive soon, Callie climbed on top of the ice machine, lifted a ceiling tile, and hid her pee cup on top of the adjoining tile. Then she put the first one back in place, dusted the top and sides of the ice machine, to remove any ceiling tile particles that might be visible.
Callie smiles, thinking about it.
Most people would say she’s crazy to go to so much trouble to make Creed wonder how she managed to pee while watching a hotel room door. But Callie knows it’s the little things, the unexpected, unexplained details-that get under the skin of a man like Creed, and hold his interest.
Like the way he thinks she’s a lesbian.
Creed is fascinated by the whole girl-on-girl dynamic.
But Callie’s little secret? She’s just as comfortable being with a man. Would actually prefer a man, if she could find one she could respect. The reason she dates women? They’re easier to find, easier to love. While her looks and strong personality are intimidating to men, they’re catnip to women. Cool, sexy, fun women are easy to find because they approach her. And Callie can accept them for who they are. They don’t have to measure up to some ideal standard.
And they don’t keep score. In other words, if Callie beds both John and Jane Doe, only John will run out and tell all his friends about it. Callie likes to keep her personal life private.
As for men, being around Creed has spoiled her. Of course she’s met handsome, powerful men in her life. But none measure up to Creed. After hanging around Superman, could Lois Lane ever be happy with Jimmy Olsen or Perry White?
Of course not!
But Lois could find any number of fun women to date, and it would never cross her mind to compare them to Superman.
The million-dollar question is, could Callie ever fall in love with a man like Creed?
Of course.
She already loves him!
Naturally she has no current plans to reveal her feelings. Not until she’s convinced he’s ready to settle down. Since Creed’s still enjoying the company of hookers, he’s not even close to being ready.
Callie stormed the room low, while Creed went high. Good as she is, she would’ve been nervous diving into a hotel room unarmed. Especially facing a rank amateur like Sam Case, who wouldn’t be where he should be, or doing
