The Beck Building tenants and customers were well aware of the four parking levels attached to the building, but they’d have been shocked to learn that the double-wide garage door labeled “Emergency Exit” actually led to a private parking area for the law partners and their underworld guests. The partners changed the access code before and after every meeting with their criminal clients.
Sal Bonadello was the key to my plan working. He and Big Bad had been met by Chris Unger’s bodyguard and escorted to the private suites moments earlier.
The suites were soundproofed, surrounded by empty offices. No one who worked at the law offices knew of the existence of the private suites, nor could they access them from the occupied offices. The walls of the suites were heavily concreted to provide a high level of safety and privacy.
When a driver dropped off a mob client, the protocol was to stay put, in his car, until the meeting was over. The only other person in the suites during this or any other meeting was Chris’s secretary, whose job was to keep an eye on the private parking area from a monitor at her desk.
The way I’d planned it, Sal would create a diversion and signal his driver, who would pop the trunk. Quinn would get out and call me with the access code. Then I would join him and put the plan into action.
My cell phone rang. I answered it, and the lady on the other end said she’d thought about me all night and wanted to know if I’d been studying how to be a better lover. Then she laughed.
“I confess, I haven’t had time to bone up on the subject yet.”
Kathleen laughed again, and I pictured her eyes crinkling at the edges. “That’s perfect,” she said, “because I can’t wait to teach you!”
“I’m still trying to recover from the exam you gave me last night.”
“Well, be forewarned,” she said.
“Why’s that?”
“The next test is oral!”
“Wow! You promise?” I said.
“Mmmm,” she said.
I could have gone on talking like this a bit longer, but not without putting on a dress.
I flipped on the TV, found the headline news channel. They were hitting the hotel bombing four times an hour, so I couldn’t help but see it again. For the millionth time, they dragged out the footage showing rows of body bags lined up on the sand, waiting to be loaded into ambulances that were in no hurry to leave. There were mangled men and women, family members sobbing for loved ones, expressionless children with bloody faces-all the typical crap you’d expect from the nightly news crews that made shock and horror a dinnertime staple.
When they’d sucked every ounce of pathos from that story, they turned to Monica’s husband, Dr. Baxter Childers, surrounded by shouting reporters as he made his way to a car.
Until recently, Baxter had gotten a free pass from the press, but I knew that wouldn’t last long. Murder-for-hire speculation gives fresh legs to stories that have run their course. For this reason, some talk show hosts had begun digging into possible connections between Baxter and the kidnappers. One moron was even trying to make a connection between the names Monica and Santa Monica. Maybe the next victim would be Monica Seles, he speculated. Yeah, I thought, or maybe Santa Claus.
Even more delicious to newsrooms across the nation, rumors were circulating about a possible love triangle involving Monica Childers and a yoga instructor.
I already knew what was coming for Dr. Childers, it had all been prearranged. Abdullah Fathi and his son had gotten their money’s worth from Monica until there was nothing left to enjoy. Then either she died or they killed her, and now Victor’s people would plant enough phony evidence to get Baxter convicted. In the end, Baxter would get a life sentence and Victor would have his revenge.
News crews were standing by in Washington, waiting for Special Agent Courtney Armbrister’s press conference, during which she planned to name persons of interest to both investigations. I suspected Courtney was delaying her press conference in order to build interest for a future career in broadcast journalism.
Mercifully, Quinn sent me the access code, which meant he was in position. I took the stairs to the lobby and crossed the street to the Beck Building’s parking entrance. I walked to the end of the ground-floor parking lot, looked around to make sure I hadn’t been observed, and entered the code. The big garage door opened slowly. Quinn was inside, waiting for me by one of the elevators. I joined him, and up we rode.
CHAPTER 39
The elevator doors had barely opened before Chris Unger’s secretary let out a blood-curdling scream and jumped below her desk.
“Poor dear,” said Quinn. “I should comfort her.”
“That work for you in the past?” I asked.
The musclehead who was obviously Chris Unger’s bodyguard suddenly appeared. He looked at Quinn, did a double take, and said, “Jesus H. Christ!” There was something about the guy I couldn’t place. Up close, he looked familiar. Perhaps he came to earth with powers far beyond those of mortal men, at least that’s how he comported himself. In any event, he was a big, heavily muscled guy, built thick like a fireplug. His head was shaved completely smooth and on his forehead, above the bridge of his nose, someone had carved XX.
Quinn sat his duffel on the floor.
“What’s in your purse?” asked Musclehead. “A tampon?” He pursed his lips and smacked a kiss in Quinn’s direction.
Augustus noticed my left leg had buckled. He shot me a look.
“I’m okay,” I said.
He nodded. Nobody moved. The musclehead kept his voice calm. He said, “Miss, come on out and get behind me.”
She scrambled out from the desk well and shielded her eyes as she ran behind Mr. Muscles. From what I could tell, she had a nice enough figure, but I wasn’t a fan of the tight, angry bun she wore in her hair. She was hyperventilating, and her voice made a funny huffing sound as she struggled to get herself under control.
“Your severe reaction toward my associate suggests poor training,” I said, trying to be helpful.
To Augustus, she shrieked, “You keep away from me!”
The musclehead whispered something, and she backed up a few steps and slowly circled around us and disappeared through the elevator doors. I could have stopped her, but I knew Sal’s driver would handle it.
Now that he was alone in the room with us, the body builder let us hear his street voice.
“Who the fuck’re you turds and what do you want?”
“We’d like to see Garrett Unger and his brother Chris,” I said, trying to be polite about it.
“I work for Chris Unger,” he said, “and you don’t talk to Chris Unger without my okay. You got something to say to Chris Unger, you say it to me.”
“Very well,” I said. “Tell Mr. Unger his body guard is a pussy.”
The musclehead kept a watchful eye on my giant and the space between them. Then he said, “Okay, so you know who I am, right?”
I looked at Quinn. He shrugged.
“We don’t know,” I said, “but you look familiar to us.”
“You always speak for the dummy?” he asked.
I noticed that he noticed my limp as I took a step toward him.
“I’m Double X,” he said, as if that explained everything.
Quinn and I exchanged looks again.
“You carve that in your head when you turned twenty?” asked Quinn.
Double X frowned. “It’s my nickname. On the circuit.”
“The circuit,” I said.
Double X sighed. “Hello-o, the UFW circuit? Ultimate Fighting Warriors?”
“Oh, that circuit,” I said.
I took another gimpy step toward him. He shifted his weight into a fighting stance and said, “I’m the former heavyweight world champion.” He said that part with a healthy measure of pride. “How nice for you,” I said. “Maybe we can talk about it after I see Mr. Unger. Would you be a good little warrior and take us to him?” Double X sneered.