Page 71 of Very Special Forces

"Healthier than you at this moment in time. You're partiallyfueled by alcohol so I'll drive."

"Thenyou can eat half my French toast. I am being careful to fit into mywedding dress."

"Pizzaand French toast for breakfast sound very careful," saidSolomon.

"Surethey are. There're tomatoes on the pizza and that's a fruit and I'mgetting a juice with the toast. That's more fruit! And you'reeating half of my French toast."

"Oh,sweetheart," said Solomon as he kissed me properly.

Solomonstepped on the gas all the way to Chester and then navigatedsmoothly to the pancake place. "You've been here before," I said."You've been stepping out on me."

"It's aguilty pleasure."

"Ithought I knew all your guilty pleasures."

"I'm anendless path of discovery."

"That'smy guilty pleasure."

Solomonwinked and for a moment, I had a very warm feeling inside. I shookit off. I couldn't interrogate a man if I was thinking wildthoughts about my favorite man, sugary breakfasts and guiltypleasures.

Harrisand Kafsky sat in a booth opposite the doors but slightly out ofMcTavett's sight. If they ducked to one side, they could observehim, but mostly they were hidden from view. From this vantagepoint, he couldn't leave without them noticing, and nobody elsecould enter without a visual check from them.

"What'she been doing?" I asked as Solomon and I slid into thebooth.

"Heordered pancakes with whipped cream but he's been stabbing them andmoving them around the plate more than actually eating them," saidKafsky.

"Has hespoken to anyone?" I asked.

"No. Helooks glum."

"Has heused the phone?" I could see McTavett holding a cell phone. Hedidn't have earphones plugged in so he wasn't listening to music ora phone call, and his fingers weren't moving so he wasn't tappingout a text message. Perhaps he was reading emails or thenews.

"No, buthe stared at it a lot," said Kafsky.

"Isthere a possibility he's meeting someone here?" askedSolomon.

"We'vebeen here the whole time he has and no one has approached him. Idon't think he'd order pancakes for a pay drop, do you?" askedHarris.

"I don'tthink so either," I agreed. "We should talk to him before heleaves. This might be our only opportunity."

"He'llrecognize us," said Harris.

"You twowait here. Solomon and I will go. He doesn't know us. Solomon, canyou act quiet and menacing?"

Solomonnarrowed his eyes and flexed his bicep. It had the opposite effectof quiet and menacing on me.

"IsMcTavett gay?" I asked. I didn't want Solomon to have the sameeffect on him.

Harrisand Kafsky flashed each other a look. "I think he's married withtwo kids," said Kafsky. "Why?"

"Justwondered." I got up and Solomon followed me. We slipped into thebooth opposite McTavett. He stopped stabbing his pancakes at randomand looked up.

"Can Ihelp you?" he asked.

"I'dlike to buy a tank," I said, nodding at Solomon. "And he wants tomake sure I get one."

"Um, I,uh..."

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