She said, “Got it.”
“You follow until the bag exits, get a line of march, then go get Bobby and intersect them. Knuckles and Veep are on the way. They’ll be on you soon. It’s not all on your shoulders.”
“Don’t worry about me. You want me to snatch that satchel?”
“No! Do not snatch the bag. If it comes to that, Knuckles and Veep will do it.”
She said nothing, and I knew what she was thinking. I saw the elevator reach the ground floor and the thugs exit, still wearing their hoodies over their heads. For the first time, I noticed the hoodies had a cleaning service logo, and they were both carrying containers of cleaning supplies, either as real hotel staff or as crooks pretending to be employees.
I said again, “Donottry to interdict. I know you can, but I just want you to tag it. Understood?”
The targets exited and came around the elevator, away from the front entrance, walking towards the fountain and Amena. She went into kid mode, crawling onto the fountain’s base and throwing coins into it, letting them walk behind her, her face hidden.
Smart girl.
I said, “Good call on the fountain. They’ll go right by.”
With her eyes focused on the water I didn’t get a shot at their direction of travel. I waited a pregnant second, then said, “Get eyes on.”
She casually looked around, but they weren’t in the atrium. The glasses beginning to swing left and right in a panic. She said, “Pike, I don’t see them.”
I said, “Calm down, they’re here. There are two ways out. The south and the west. Go to the southern exit first.”
She did and just about smacked into them in the small alcove leading back to Marion Square. The doors were exit only, meaning a patron could go out, but would have to return to the front to get back in, presenting a dilemma. Amena would be burned if she hung around within the alcove with them, waiting on them to commit, but if she exited, and they didn’t, she’d be locked out.
I said, “Exit, exit.”
She kept going, exiting the hotel and taking a left, moving back to the entrance. She reached a low wall and scurried behind it, taking a knee and facing the doorway.
I said, “Hold what you got. If they don’t leave here, I’ll send in Bobby from the front.” Something I really didn’t want to do.
I turned to Creed and said, “What’s Knuckles’ status?”
“He’s there, but he’s trying to find a place to park.”
Amena said, “Pike, Pike, I’ve got ’em. They came out the door and are walking across the square.”
I said, “Drop your glasses on the wall. Line them up with them and go get Bobby.”
She left and I followed the two thugs all the way across the field, seeing them walking towards the light at the intersection of Calhoun and King streets, then lost them.
I heard Amena say, “We’re back, where did they go?”
I said, “Put on the glasses. They went to the Calhoun–King Street crossing, but I lost them from the angle of the camera.”
She said, “I see ’em. I see ’em. They’re crossing now, staying on King Street.”
“Is Bobby ready to go?”
She turned to him and said, “You got the Grail working, right?” He nodded his head and she said, “We’re going to be moving at a jog, like we’re late for something. We’ll pass them by, then you’ll act confused, like we’ve gone too far. I’ll start looking at a map on my phone, and you turn on the Grail. They’ll pass right by us and you’ll have your hit, understood?”
I would have interjected some words of wisdom, but that plan was about perfect. Finally, my radio clicked with, “Pike, Pike, this is Knuckles. Where do you want me?”
“King Street. Go down past the Chipotle but no further than George Street. Use the west side of the road. Targets and Amena will be coming down the east side. Break, break, Amena, you copy that transmission?”
“I got it.” She was out of breath, and I was getting the first-person shooter effect again. She jogged through a red light, causing a car to honk, and was on King Street. She said, “I can see them a block ahead, moving slowly.”
“Get on them. When complete, link up with Knuckles on the other side.”
