Garret's Gambit by Dale Mayer (book club books .TXT) 📗

“Close your eyes,” he said. “It’s all good.”

“Says you. I’m not used to sleeping in a vehicle like this.”

“You’re also not used to being in a vehicle on a stakeout,” he said. “These things can be long and drawn out, so enjoy yourself while you can.”

“Not sure how much of this is enjoyment, but—”

“Stop,” he said. “Close your eyes, and get some rest. It’s all good.”

She chuckled and said, “Are you always this forceful?”

“Always,” he said. “Now rest.”

*

Garret, with Kano at his side, did a quick visual on the outside of the house—no lights were on, no sign anybody was home, and no vehicles in the garage. They tested the front door and found it locked. They slipped around to the back. It was also locked, but the kitchen window was wide open. He always wondered at people who locked the doors but left everything else wide open and accessible.

Pushing the window fully open, Kano slipped inside, Garret right behind him. They spread out, scoping out the left and right side of the house on the main floor, finding nothing. They slipped downstairs, again nothing. The basement was completely empty. In a way that was nice because they didn’t have to worry about somebody hiding among the boxes and relics of a time gone by that so many basements were full of. When he got back to the main floor, he pointed upward, and they scooted up the stairs, but again the place was empty.

He stared at the space over the garage and said, “So that’s our goal.” At least no one else was here for them to contend with.

Back out of the house Garret slowly lowered the kitchen window down to precisely where it had been open before, and they moved quietly through the darkness to the garage. Inside the garage, they checked for an interior entrance and exit to the upstairs but there wasn’t one. Back outside they found a set of steps with a bit of a covering overhead to keep it dry from the moisture, and they quickly moved their way up to the entrance. It wasn’t in great shape, definitely not to code, but that was typical of a lot of these places. He had the door unlocked in seconds.

Going on instincts, Garret pushed open the door, then kept to the back. Inside, he heard movement, but nothing that made a cry, no bullet, or anything that suggested danger. It could be mice, for all he knew. A sound that small, more of a scurrying noise.

With Kano’s gaze hard, the two of them pulled out the weapons that Charles had supplied and entered slowly.

They followed along a single long space with a bedroom at the very end, and, from the looks of it, a bathroom, kitchenette, and living room. It all appeared to be empty. Garret moved slowly through the space, avoiding the windows, in case anybody approached. This was the point in time when they could easily get caught.

Kano came up behind him and said, “It’s empty.”

“It appears to be, yes,” he said.

“I don’t like the fact that there’s only one entrance. If we get caught in here, we’re screwed.” They immediately turned and headed toward the steps. As they did so, headlights came up the street.

Garret swore and said, “New arrivals are here.”

“The good news,” Kano said, “is that your brother could be in that vehicle.” They barely made their way down the steps before they heard a single set of footsteps coming toward them. Making a quick decision, Garret grabbed Kano and pulled him into the trees. The two watched as someone slithered around the corner and up the steps, quickly looking around the area to make sure he wasn’t being seen. But he came alone.

Garret and Kano checked out the new guy’s vehicle, parked on the far side of the road. Garret texted Charles, who confirmed he already had the license plate and was searching it. Garret held up his phone to show Kano, as the new man came back out the door and quickly slipped back down the steps again.

He was already on his phone. “It’s empty. Nobody here. It’s perfect timing. … Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll get him here soon.” With that, he raced out to his vehicle.

Kano and Garret had slipped behind the nearest bushes, then after the new guy pulled away, hopped into their vehicle, and tore out after him, trying to find out where his brother was being stashed.

Charles asked, “Is that him?”

“He was talking to his boss about moving someone,” Garret said. “I can only hope it’s my brother.”

“God, I hope it’s him,” Astra said. “Imagine if they are holding somebody else.”

He turned to look at her. “I thought you were asleep.”

“I was,” she said, “until we took off like a jet engine.”

He chuckled. “Well, the good news is, we’re on the tail of the person who’s supposed to be delivering someone here.”

“So why didn’t we just wait there?” she asked in a reasonable tone of voice.

“That was one option,” he said.

Charles piped up then. “Jonas is coming in with somebody to watch the place,” he said in an almost apologetic tone of voice.

“Great,” Kano said. “All we need is MI6 interference.”

“Let’s hope it’s not interference,” she said, “and look at it as backup instead.”

Both men shot her a look and shook their heads, returning their attention to the road ahead. The other vehicle didn’t drive for very long and didn’t appear to notice they had a tail. Garret presumed it was because he was spooked about what his job was. As the guy pulled into a driveway, he turned the vehicle around, as if to load something. They pulled up past the house and turned around, then killed the lights and pulled up on the side. Immediately Garret and Kano shifted out of the vehicle and raced off into the darkness.

Chapter 9

As soon as Garret and Kano returned to the car, Astra leaned forward