Dead Love - By Wells, Linda Page 0,39

thought.

.

41

Greg and Max found a private spot in the back of a small Greek restaurant tucked away on a side street near Greg’s office. There were several comfortable booths to the right of the front door, a leather sofa and chairs with a coffee table in front of the window, and some small glass-topped tables in the back. It was a great place for coffee and delicious Greek specialties, including stuffed grape leaves, pita pies, and other traditional choices. Greg suggested they try the Kolatsio, a Greek snack, perfect for brunch or a main meal. Greg also chose the spinach pie and regular coffee, and Max decided on an egg and vegetable omelet with coffee, as well. The pretty waitress with a slight European accent took their order and said she would be back soon with coffee.

“Never tried this place,” said Greg. “Thought it would be a nice change.”

Max agreed. “Yes, it smells good in here. Hope she hurries with the coffee. And I am starved.”

After the aromatic coffee was served in small china cups, Greg pulled out a sealed manila envelope and said, “Here is the report you wanted.”

He handed it to Max, and Max opened it, pulled out the lengthy report, and started reading. Greg was silent, sipping his coffee. He was waiting for a reaction. Max calmly put the pages back in the envelope and asked Greg, “Did you verify this?” already knowing the answer.

“Yes, we have great analysts. It didn’t take long for them to figure it out,” he said. “Your girl is interesting. One of our agents in Hong Kong did a lot of research on her background.” He hesitated. “We’ve added her to our watch list, Max.”

“Fuck!” said Max, slamming the envelope down on the table, and several people sitting nearby turned and looked at him.

“Careful, buddy, hang tough here,” Greg whispered. “You wanted to know, and we’re glad you did, though I understand your shock.”

“Hey, man, I love this girl, and I can’t get my mind around this now.” Max was both angry and worried. “She is in this thing, and it is obvious why. But she is in deep shit. They fucking knew how to bag her. God damn it, what the hell am I supposed to do now?”

“You say nothing, Max. Keep track of her—maybe you will learn something. We will do standard surveillance. She has an impeccable reputation, and hopefully we can keep her safe and try to understand what she’s involved in, but it must be big. The numbers refer to a Swiss bank account with no name listed. A password is needed to access it. I can only speculate.” He stopped with that thought.

“Our cipher people are always cautious when there is a specified date. There are adders or subtractors that could change the target date. Looks like we have several months. There must be someone or several ‘someones’ pulling the strings. With your help, we could get them.”

“And nail Suzy too, right? Fuck you!” Max shouted. People were really starting to stare now, and Greg knew when to keep his mouth shut.

The food was served, and both ate silently. Max’s appetite was gone.

“Let’s get the hell out of here. I need a drink!” Max threw his napkin down and walked out.

Greg followed him, throwing some bills on the table as he left.

.

42

Wesley, Delaney, and the rest of the crew were at a hotel near the Miami International Airport. Operations was more than comfortable with John’s decision to scratch the flight, especially since they had received a call ten minutes later from Homeland Security, grounding the flight. Wesley had made the right call. The rerouted passengers were disgruntled and complaining, but tough shit.

John and Allen, exhausted from the day’s events, were eating dinner in Allen’s room. Their eyes were glued to the television set.

The reporter was saying, “The number of those with flulike symptoms is rising. Medical facilities are filling rapidly as the scope of the pandemic widens. Flights in and out of New York City have been cancelled, and the New York City subway system is shut down until further notice. New York City residents are being asked to remain at home unless it is an absolute emergency.” John and Allen just looked at each other.

“Let’s call the hospital again about Terry.”

“Yes,” nodded John, and he added, “Let’s check on Maggie as well.”

“Maybe I can talk with Terry’s parents,” Allen said.

“I need to call my wife, too. Who knows how long we are going to be stuck