Charlie was around five foot nine with dark brown shaggy hair and brown eyes. He was an average-built man with average features which made him perfect for blending in.
Charlie didn’t seem upset he’d almost been stabbed. The opposite actually. He had a grin on his face. “You’d have to catch me first.”
It was true, the man was lightning fast and smart. Charlie never explained his past and Greg didn’t ask. All he knew was that the man provided results and that was good enough for him.
Greg knew better than to ask how Charlie had gotten into what should be a fortified garage against intruders. The man was part ninja. It was one of Charlie’s better qualities.
“Why the hell do you look like a bellhop?” Greg looked him over; Charlie was wearing burgundy pants, a white shirt, and a vest with a name tag.
His contact looked down at himself. “It’s housecleaning.”
He wasn’t going to argue with him. “Whatever, why are you dressed like that?”
“You wanted me to get close to Viktor,” Charlie reminded him, as if that explained everything.
He did, but this wasn’t how he imagined Charlie would accomplish it. “Did you?”
Charlie’s lips pursed together in irritation. “In a matter of speaking. He was occupied so I put a bug on his phone so you can track him and listen to calls.”
“And no one noticed you do that?”
“Please, no one ever looks at the help.” His contact waved him off.
“Excellent work, man.” Charlie had been a huge asset to him over the years. The man was a chameleon. Able to blend into any environment and never being seen. Some of his costumes were pretty creative, like this one. And he always got results.
“Don’t mention it. If you don’t mind, I’m going home to change.” Charlie started to pull at his collar. “It’s starting to chafe. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Wait, what about the bug? How do I access it?”
“Everything you need is in your pocket.”
His pocket? Greg patted himself down and pulled out a small device half the size of his cell phone from his front jean pocket.
Greg looked up, but Charlie had already vanished as if he had never been there at all. That wasn’t the first time Charlie had done that to him, but it still creeped him out. Greg re-pocketed the device and headed upstairs where the whole team was huddled around what they’d nicknamed the war table. Everyone looked up at his entrance.
“About time you showed up,” Jack snickered.
“Zoe let you up for air?” Barry said next, a shit-ass eating grin on his face.
Greg rolled his eyes. He should have known he’d get grief from the guys for seeing Zoe. He was surprised only two people said something. Everyone, including himself, had ribbed Luke when he’d started dating Shay.
“Where are we at?” Greg muscled his way in between Daniel and Sam, on the opposite side of Barry and Jack. If he stood next to them, they’d never get anything done. Those two would never stop heckling him, or Jack would rib him and wink.
“I’m going over the route.”
“How much are we letting DEA play a role?”
“Minimal, I don’t want us all tripping over each other. With only the four agents, we should be able to achieve that. Everyone is to have full gear; I want Jack to be on sniper duty on the roof of the adjacent building. Two of her people will cover the base. Barry and Rob are to cover the north corner. Drew and Carson the south. The other two members of Zoe’s team will cover the east.”
“The main road?” Greg asked.
“You and I will cover it.”
It wasn’t enough, not in Greg’s opinion. Eleven taking on three drug lords and their people—it was a suicide mission, but he had an idea.
Greg pulled out his phone and dialed his friend’s number. “Kane, it’s Greg. I’m calling to collect on a favor.”
Chapter 22
