Page 29 of Game of Love
That was true. Which was why I was focusing on the parts I needed to.
“Just like that? Andintel? Intel can be wrong you know.”
I nodded. “Yes, intel can definitely be wrong but we have to go with what we know.”
“And, that’s the problem I have. It feels like we don’t know enough. Come on Xander if this was you and me we’d be looking at people like The Chameleon? Get to the head and see what the rest of the body is doing.”
He wasn’t wrong but it didn’t work that way. This was my world. Working with the unknown and filling in the blanks. It was different.
“Everything you’re saying makes sense. You are right, but in all my time I’ve never known anyone to be successful in locating The Chameleon for more than five minutes in any location. Ethan is going with what can be localized and contained.”
“I hear you but there’s gonna be a point where things start moving along and you won’t know what’s happening because we don’t know the bigger picture.”
This was all going to be hard.
“I just have to focus.”
“Well, you should know we’re being watched and I’m not moving. This meal is too good.” He smiled and nodded.
I stifled a groan.
The fact that he knew we were being watched and I hadn’t even sensed it was not good. I had to be at the hotel in an hour to meet my new boss. This was supposed to be my time to gather my thoughts before I left.
“We’re not leaving,” I agreed. I hadn’t even eaten yet.
“Well I’m glad to hear that blondie.”
“Where are they?”
“Two guys to the far left. Don’t look, you’ll look obvious. They’re Giovanni’s guys.”
I cut into my steak and started eating. Once I’d swallowed, I took a sip of my wine and rested my hands on the table before me.
“I guess they’re still impressed by last night.” I could be a real show off when I wanted to be and last night I didn’t hold back.
Attention to detail was me. I damn well paid attention to everything and saw the slight outline of the cards in Giovanni’s pocket.
I was only half certain that was where he was keeping them, then got it confirmed when I watched one guy look through nearly his whole deck of cards before the poison took him. I knew then there wouldn’t be any red queens in the stacks.
Like my childhood games, it was a game of chance. Risk. I took it and seized the chance to shine. That was why these guys were here.
“I can’t say I’m loving my new job.”
Wes shook his head. “Me neither friend, but I’m here. It gets to me that I can’t do more to help.”
“I’ll be okay.”
The most Wes could do was listen in. I was going in with a virtually undetectable wire. A state of the art flesh colored spec of a device no bigger than the nib of a pen that molded to the back of my ear. It switched on and off with the tap of my finger
Giovanni’s people would not have been able to detect it. It was something far more high tech than what Wes and I used on the usual run of the mill. Definitely impressive and most appreciated since I would have hated to get caught with something that would blow my cover. The first thing Giovanni would think was that I was a cop or a fed come to spy on him. He wouldn’t know that I was so much worse than that.
“Just gotta figure out what I need to,” I added.
Wes nodded then a smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “And the girl? You mentioned she was there last night, but you didn’t elaborate.”
How observant of him. I had my reasons for not elaborating last night, or the night before and I still had them now.
Off limits…
