In Sheep's Clothing (16 page)

“He could tell you,” Moose said, “but then he might have to kill you. And if you know the Boss, you know he’d do it.”

Molly’s eyes shot open wide and she stared at Moose. “Good point,” she said. “Noah, forget I asked.”

Sara switched the car back to its original silver color and took a different route back to Molly’s place. She wasn’t surprised to see one of the three cars that had been following them sitting outside the gate that led into the subdivision. She pointed it out to Noah, who nodded.

“I see them,” he said. “I would have been surprised if they weren’t waiting for us here, but they won’t make a move on us here, not with the security on this place.”

Sarah pulled in and stopped at the gate, and the guard on duty stepped out to the car.

“Good evening,” he said politely. “How can I help you this evening?”

Molly leaned forward. “Hey, Ray,” she said. “These are some friends of mine, they’re giving me a ride home.”

Ray looked the other occupants of the car over, then smiled at Molly. “Okay, Ms. Hanson,” he said. “Oh, by the way, I’m supposed to get your signature on a receipt for something that got delivered today. Could you come inside the guard shack for a moment?”

Molly rolled her eyes. “Sure, Ray, no problem.” She turned to Moose. “Open up, Muscles,” she said. “They’re not going to let us pass here until I go inside and assure them you’re not holding a gun to my head.”

Ray grinned as Moose opened the door and stepped out, allowing Molly to get out as well. “Sorry, folks, it’s our protocol, and I have to follow it. Everything I do here is being videotaped and recorded, and I happen to like my job.”

Noah smiled at him. “Trust me, I understand completely. You need to frisk us?”

“No, that’s okay. As long as she’s able to get out of the car and step inside, it’s a pretty safe bet you’re not forcing her to take you in with her.” Ray followed Molly into the guard shack, where she could be seen through the windows smiling and talking with the other guards. A moment later, he escorted her back to the car. “Okay, folks, you can go on in. And by the way, I appreciate your cooperation.”

“Not a problem,” Sarah said, and Noah nodded his agreement. As soon as Molly and Moose were settled back into the car, she put it back in gear and eased through the opening gates.

“Sorry,” Molly said. “I should have warned you about that. This whole complex is owned by DR, and they get pretty sticky about security.”

“Yes, but under the circumstances, that’s a good thing,” Noah said. “Nicolaich isn’t one who would be stopped for very long by your average security company, but these guys are professional enough to make him stop and think it over. Let’s get you home, then we’ll go play cat and mouse with whoever’s in that car out there.”

“Wait a minute,” Molly said, her eyes wide. “You think you’re just gonna drop me off and leave? I don’t think so. You guys are coming in and filling me in on what’s going on here. I want to know everything.”

“I’ll fill you in,” Noah said, “but not tonight. Right now, it’s extremely critical that the watchdog out there at the gate sees us leaving. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re reporting directly to Nicolaich, and what I’m hoping is that he’ll decide to leave you alone and come after me, now that he knows I’m here.”

Molly glared at him. “Fine, but come by my office tomorrow, we can talk freely there. Make it about 10 o’clock, will that work? I’m guessing you’re not using your own names, right now, so what names should I put on the approval list?”

Neil produced a notepad and pen and wrote down the four names they were using for her. She stuffed the note into her purse as Sarah maneuvered through the subdivision. Noah noticed four Blackstone Security SUVs patrolling the streets, which told him there were probably several more he hadn’t seen. The homes were townhouse-style, each one sharing an adjoining wall with at least one other unit. The GPS in the dashboard led Sarah directly to Molly’s place and she pulled into the driveway.

“Okay,” Molly said as she got out of the car. “Don’t forget, 10 AM. I’ll make sure no one else is around, so we can talk.”

Noah nodded. “We’ll be there. Maybe you can help us figure out how to handle this whole situation.”

They waited until Molly was inside, then drove away. As they passed through the gate and turned right, the dark sedan pulled away from the curb and followed them.

“Want me to lose them?” Sarah asked. “Or no?”

“Let them follow us for a bit, but don’t go back to the hotel just yet. Let’s take a ride up to Arlington and shake them there.”

Sarah grinned as she headed for the interstate.

While Sarah took care of their shadows, Noah called up on his phone the files on the four DEA agents. He called them one by one, introduced himself as Camelot and then instructed them to await his further orders.

W
hen your car can change color, it’s not hard to avoid being noticed by people looking for a particular shade. They got back to the hotel without picking up another tail, and gathered in Noah and Sarah’s room.

“There’s no doubt Nicolaich knows we’re here, now,” Noah said. “I’m sure those guys managed to snap a few pictures of us, and I’m sure Nicolaich will recognize us easily. From here on out, we need to stay alert and ready for anything. Neil, I have to give you a weapon, but I haven’t had a chance to look into that shotgun.” He reached into a bag sitting on the dresser and produced one of the MP9 machine pistols, along with a pair of long, stick-like magazines. “I think this will do for now. It’s a full auto pistol, but it’s set for three-round bursts, which means you’ll fire three shots every time you pull the trigger. If you’ve got it pointed at someone, there’s a good chance at least one of those rounds will hit him.”

Neil’s face lit up in a big grin. “Excellent!” he said. “I’ve fired one of these at the range, I know how to handle it. And yeah, I hit the target more often with it.”

“Sarah, I know you’re pretty good with your pistol, but there’s another of those if you want it.”

She shook her head. “Daniel says my little hands are the reason my Beretta is perfect for me. It’s got a smaller grip than most pistols and I can actually get a squeeze on the trigger. I’m accurate enough with it up to fifty yards, and anybody trying to get to me will probably be within fifty feet. If I can get a shot at them, I can hit them.”

Noah nodded and looked at Moose. “It should be dark enough now,” he said. “Take the airgun and put some of Neil’s little cameras out where we can keep an eye on the parking lot and the lobby.”

Moose started to get up, but Neil stopped him. “The dart cameras are okay for outside, but I doubt you can get one in the lobby without being noticed. However, since I’m a genius, I still have a few of the little sticker microphones we used before. If you stick a couple of them up in the lobby, I’ve got a program that can listen for keywords. If I put in all of our names, including our real names and fake ones, it will sound off if anybody comes in asking about us.”

“That sounds good,” Moose said. “Give me a couple of them, and a couple of the dart cameras.” He picked up the air rifle as Neil opened his bags to get the gadget, then opened the door and peeked into the hallway before slipping out. He was back in less than ten minutes. “Got one camera facing the parking lot entrance, and one focused right on our car. The microphones are in place in the lobby, too, one of them stuck under the lip of the front desk and the other on the wall by the door.”

Neil pushed a button on a small black box and then turned to his computer. A couple of minutes later, he had a split screen showing the views from the two cameras, and had told the computer to listen to the microphones for their names.

“That’s as close as we can get to setting up a perimeter of security,” Noah said. “Neil, you take first watch while Moose gets some sleep. Wake him up in four hours and let him take over. Moose, that will put your shift ending at about seven. We’ll plan on going down for breakfast around seven thirty.”

Moose and Neil left the room, taking the computer with them. As soon as they were gone, Sarah got up and began stripping. “I’m headed for the shower,” she said. “Come with me?”

Noah didn’t answer, but stood up and began taking off his own clothes. The bathroom simply had a tub with a shower curtain, and it was a little tight. They spent a couple of minutes just holding each other under the spray.

“Noah, I’m scared,” Sarah said. “Nicolaich is good, we probably won’t see them coming.”

Noah pulled her a little tighter to his chest. “It’s me he wants most,” he said. “And he seems to be just a little bit crazy about it. Crazy people make mistakes, that’s what I’m counting on. We’re going to get him this time. I want him dead so that he can’t ever cause us problems again.”

Sarah held onto him for another moment, then let go and turned to pick up the bottle of body wash. Noah took it from her hands and squeezed it into one of his own.

* * * * *

T
he hotel had a continental breakfast, but none of them were in the mood for waffles that morning. Neil had studied the view from the two little cameras and concluded that no one was sitting outside, watching for them, so they walked out and got into the car. The GPS said there was a Bob Evans restaurant not far away, and Sarah started in that direction.

They sat at a table so that each of them could watch in a different direction as they ate. The breakfast was good and they lingered over it for a bit, finally leaving at just before nine. The drive into DC took most of an hour, so they arrived at the Dexter Reedy office building just a few minutes ahead of schedule.

Sarah found a parking space that was almost in front of the entrance, and they walked inside. Two security guards at a desk in the lobby looked up with smiles on their faces.

“Good morning,” one of them said. “Can we help you?”

Noah smiled back. “Yes, I’m Wyatt Wilson, I have an appointment to see Molly Hanson this morning.”

“No problem, could I see some identification, please?”

All four of them produced the IDs they were using and the guard looked at them as he scanned a list of scheduled visitors on the computer. Satisfied, he handed them back and then passed each of them a visitor’s badge on a lanyard.

“Just hang those around your necks,” he said. “I’ll call Ms. Hanson and she’ll be down to get you in just a moment.”

They did as they were told and Molly appeared only a couple of minutes later, stepping out of an elevator. “Yoohoo,” she called. “Come on up.”

They followed her into the elevator and she pushed the button for the fifth floor. “How’s the sky looking out there?” she asked. “There’s a rumor going around that there might be a storm coming.”

Sarah blinked. “Looked pretty clear to me,” she said, and then it dawned on her that Molly was actually asking whether the situation was likely to blow up anytime soon. “But you never know, sometimes lightning can strike out of what looks like a clear blue sky.”

“Don’t I know it,” Molly said. “I swear, sometimes things you just couldn’t possibly expect come at you from your blind side. It’s a weird feeling, almost like somebody coming back from the dead, you know?”

The twinkle in her eyes caused Sarah to smile, but she didn’t respond. The elevator stopped and opened, and they followed Molly down the long hallway and into a conference room. She closed the door behind them and then held up one finger as she crossed the room to a cabinet that held a coffee urn. She opened a drawer that was apparently full with an electronic device of some sort, pushed the button on it and then turned back to face Noah.

“Okay, we’re secure. That’s a signal generator that can jam any transmitter within a hundred yards, so nobody’s going to be listening in on us. Let’s sit down, shall we?”

All three of the men got themselves a cup of coffee, but the girls declined. Once they were all seated, Noah began to explain to Molly how he had been railroaded by the Army’s justice system and then recruited by E & E. He told her about the mission that took him to Russia to rescue a kidnapped girl, and how Nicolaich had been stripped of his authority in Russia and gone rogue after trying to get revenge on Noah for the death of his son. She listened with rapt attention as he told her about the mission that had led to the situation they were in, and then about the attacks on Neverland.

Molly listened in silence until Noah was finished, then leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. “So Uncle Sam found a way to turn your problems into an asset. Not surprising. Noah Foster, super assassin: almost sounds like a movie.”

Noah shrugged. “Noah Foster is dead,” he said. “He died in the prison cell in Leavenworth, and I was resurrected. My name is Noah Wolf, now, and that’s partly because of you. You’re the one who showed me that I was a lot like a wolf, remember?”

She grinned. “Oh, I remember. We were at Mrs. Connors’ house.” She suddenly leaned forward and put her chin in her hand, her elbow on the table supporting it. “Now look at you. You’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You look like one of us, you act like one of us, you move among us completely unnoticed—but all the time you’re simply waiting for the chance to strike.” She sat back again and shook her head. “Andropov—he’s after you personally, right?”

“It appears that way,” Noah said with a nod. “The thing I don’t understand in all this is why he attacked Neverland. According to everything we’ve been able to learn, he already got into the personnel files before that happened. He would have already found everything he needed to try to come after me.”

“You’re not looking at it the right way,” Molly said. “He’s not just after revenge, he wants to hurt you even worse than you hurt him. Look at the things he’s done up to now.” She pointed at Sarah. “He abducted this girl and used her for bait to draw you into a trap, but you managed to turn the tables on it. He tried to use his Russian agents and assassins to take you all out, but that only led to him being exposed as a rogue factor, someone they could control. He was ousted, so to his mind he’s lost everything that was important to him. He can survive in the world just fine; I mean, he’s got God knows how much blackmail material on God knows how many powerful people, so he can make a lot of money trading in information, assassinations, whatever his market happens to be looking for.”