“Outside. I show you later.”
“Snakes?”
“Outside.” He pointed at the ceiling. “For walk in night.”
Brodie looked up at the thatched roof and saw four battery-operated lanterns hanging from the ceiling rafters on pulleys, which might be safer than an open flame close to the thatched roof. He pictured himself trying to find the outhouse at three in the morning, carrying a lantern and a Glock.
Well, thought Brodie, if a Caracas hooker could stay here for a night without complaint, then surely a former infantryman could do the same. He wondered if this was the Carmen suite. In any case, this hut could hold six European tourists with low expectations, and in fact César suggested, “You pilot sleep with you here. You save money.”
Brodie and Taylor exchanged glances. Three guns were better than two, so the smart, tactical thing to do would be to stay together through the night. On the other hand, there was no bedroom door in this hut for Ms. Taylor to shut on Collins. So… safety in numbers? Or three’s a crowd? This was not a call he wanted his dick to make, so he said to Taylor, “Your call.”
She said to César, “The pilot will want his own room.”
“Sí, señora.”
“Good call,” said Brodie.
Taylor looked at him. “I might want my own room too.”
“It’s not in the budget.”
César gestured around. “Okay?”
Taylor assured him, “Perfecto.”
César smiled. “Good. You leave bag, you come with me. Breakfast for you.”
Brodie replied, “We’ll unpack and meet you outside.”
“You come.”
Taylor said something to him in Spanish, and César left.
Taylor said to Brodie, “He understands English, so please watch what you say.”
“He probably learned his English from Kyle Mercer.”
She nodded. “Will César report our presence here?”
“I’m sure that’s part of his standing orders.”
“All right… so…?”
“We’re bird-watchers.”
“That might not fly, pardon the pun.”
“I think we’re okay for now.”
“I told you we shouldn’t stay overnight.”
“But we should give the appearance we’re staying overnight.”
She nodded.
“We’ll take a boat upriver, and if we’re satisfied with our Intel, we can fly out of here before nightfall.”
“Good.”
