Raleigh, at least. I’m going to be there, and Brian should wear a tracker, in case they decide to continue the conversation elsewhere.”
“No can do,” Damon said. “They’re going to scan us for bugs, trackers, cameras. I’ll hand out burners ’cause they’ll take our phones before we get close to Boris. He may be just a small fish, but they still don’t take chances.”
“He’s not going in there with no backup.” Nick got up in his face.
Brian held his breath, but Damon actually nodded. “You can come to Raleigh. Hang around outside, but be fucking careful. Boris travels with security. Four guys, at least. Two glued to his side and two outer perimeter, minimum. There’s a chance they might know your face.”
“I can be careful, and I’m fucking good at keeping a tail on someone, even without Brian’s help.”
“Me, too,” Charlie put in.
Damon turned to him. “No way, Tonto. I need you to stay here with Joshie. In the worst scenario, he’s yours. Keep Luger with you. He’s better than any electronic alarm.”
Lori said, “Yes! Charlie, please, you take care of the baby.” She held Josh out, wrapped in his blanket.
“Fuck. All right.” Charlie settled the baby on his good shoulder and swept them with a glare. “But you all better fucking come back with no holes in you. Got it?”
Damon grinned. “Have faith, Charles. Now, Brian, you need some non-Bry clothes. Do you have any jeans that actually fit? If not, we’ll swing by Walmart. Lori, heels. You wore flats on the boat. Let’s add a couple of inches. Move it, people.”
Brian cast a look back at Nick as Damon propelled him toward his bedroom, wondering if Nick felt as nervous as he did. From the blank poker face Nick wore, he’d bet the answer was yes, but Nick gave him a firm nod. That shouldn’t have made him feel better, but it did. Nervous or not, Nick had his back.
****
Nick was on his second circuit around the building that’d swallowed up Brian in Damon’s car, ten minutes earlier. They’re probably up in the meeting by now. He tugged his knit beanie lower on his forehead, even though he was still sweaty after jogging the eight blocks from where Damon had let him off. Messing with his hat let his raised arm screen his face from a narrow-jawed man standing by the front door. Boris might think his guards blended in with the scenery, but that guy could’ve posed for a hit-man recruiting poster, complete with dark glasses and a holster visible under his jacket.
Nick kept an even pace past the building and stopped outside the one next door, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He took his time, shaking one out, clicking his lighter several times to get a flame. The plate glass of the window in front of him gave him a view of the other side of the street. All seemed quiet. He put his back to the wind, letting him look behind him, took a drag of the cigarette, the taste familiar from a dozen undercover roles, and tipped his head back to send a stream of smoke skyward.
Nothing, nothing. He’d spotted the man at the back door of the building already, so if Boris had a team of two outer perimeter, he had them both made. Never trust advance information. He ran his gaze up the building to the sixteenth floor, where the meet supposedly was happening. Tinted glass turned the windows to mirrors. The building he was in front of was shorter, perhaps fourteen stories, and—
What’s that? Movement on the roof of the nearer building caught his eye. Someone’s head in a dark hat. No big. Anyone outdoors today is wearing a hat. Even as he thought that, he got moving, grinding out the cigarette and hurrying into the building lobby. His subconscious caught up with him as he hit the elevator button. A ski hat and the face mask was down.
It could be nothing. He kept his expression neutral as two men in suits and a woman in a sharp coat joined him in the elevator. They all wanted the tenth floor, which at least cut down on the stops. He stared at the mirrored wall, waiting till they were out and he was headed on up before he grabbed his phone. Do I remember Charlie’s number? Fucking burner phones. He hated every bit of today, every precaution and threat that dragged them back into Damon’s world. He got it on the