The redhead shrugged. “Not fussed either way so long as we’re together and working hard. Jemma and Sam are the ones with morals.”
“We all have our honor,” Bodie said. “Ex-soldiers come ex-criminals come… what? Government agents?” He laughed.
The jet sliced through the air, buffeted by high winds. Heidi used the seatbacks to climb her way along the aisle and get close to them. “Watch the TV,” she said. “If you need any more persuasion.”
Bodie sat in silence as a news report came on: coverage of the Athens museum. The team sobered quickly. Devastation filled the widescreen, drifting smoke and shattered walls, ambulances and police cars strewn to left and right; those structures still standing casting a sad shade over the whole scene.
“If the Illuminati did this,” Jemma said. “Their membership truly needs to expire.”
“Yeah, in every way possible,” Cassidy said. “And some that aren’t.”
Bodie waited in respect until the broadcast finished and then turned to Heidi. “Any news on this Hood we’re tracking?”
“We should be able to intercept the bus somewhere around the final Greek stop. Of course, the whole op is unbelievably delicate. We’re depending on you.”
Bodie accepted the pressure without question. “We’ll make it work.”
“Remember, this Hood is the best of the best. Maybe even better than you. Do not underestimate him.” She paused. “And his bosses.”
Cassidy choked on an olive. “Better than us? What you smoking, bitch?”
Heidi laughed, taking it in the spirit it was meant. “Just be careful and fight hard.”
“Story of my life.”
“We’re not fighters,” Gunn spoke up then. “We’re thieves.”
Many pairs of eyes stared at him, but none laughed. For the first time since he’d met him, Bodie saw real surprise and acceptance finally dawn on the young man’s face. Finally, he was starting to understand the kind of people he’d fallen in with.
“I like to consider myself an ‘all-rounder,’” Cross broke the silence. “Able to adapt to any situation.”
“All the best thieves can and do,” Bodie said. “I started young. Parents died whilst I was at a birthday party. Orphans adapt or die, and they do it very quickly. They learn to live with what they get, and forget what they once had. Except sometimes…” He closed his eyes. “Late at night.”
For a moment the only sound was the rumbling jet.
Then Bodie went on: “Adapt to hatred. Adapt to prison. Adapt to real life again. Hatred. The cycle, it never stops. I—” He clammed up, conscious he didn’t want to reveal too much and that Sam Gunn was also an orphan — a fact Bodie found hard to live with because the few orphans he’d ever dealt with turned out to be selfish, untrustworthy and downright repugnant.
In their favor though, the children of his foster families were far, far worse.
“You’d better adapt now then,” Heidi said. “We’re about to land.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Switching quickly to a chopper, Bodie and the others shrugged into flak jackets, thick civilian clothes and as much disguise as they were able. The mission was simple; the aesthetics of the operation were not. The bus, when they found it, was twisting through a Greek village, following a snaking path around grassy hills. The air was bright, the winds low; perfect to stay on top of the coach at a safe distance. Bodie may have been the first to think about weapons but he certainly wasn’t the first to speak out about them.
“Gun?” Cassidy held her hand out.
Heidi, crammed into the same chopper, made an unhappy face. “It’s a bad idea. You’re operatives on foreign soil.”
“Bullshit,” Cassidy said. “We’re thieves operating alone. That’s our forte, yes?”
“A lot of civilians in a bus station.”
“Yeah, and we wanna keep them safe.”
“It’s not you,” Heidi said. “It’s the Hood. And the event he may call in.”
Cassidy wouldn’t relent. “I understand. But we won’t be as effective. We won’t take him down as fast. We won’t be sailing at full mast without a friggin’ weapon.”
Bodie tightened his seatbelt as the chopper veered downward. “She has a point.”
Heidi relented with a sight and handed them used Glocks. “No serial numbers. No provenance. These alone, mark you as criminals.”
“Don’t worry. We won’t be as obvious as you guys are — flying around in your chopper.”
“It’s local. And registered. The CIA are not stupid, Miss Coleman.”
Cassidy opened her mouth, but Bodie jumped in fast, scared of what might leap out. “Bad news,” he said. “The bus station is right there.”
“Damn.” Heidi stared out the window. “Change of plan. Land this thing and we’re gonna have to comb the station. This is a scheduled fifteen-minute stop.” She checked her watch. “We have time.”
The helicopter descended fast. Bodie held on. The skids bounced and then the door was open, flattened grass at their feet. They landed in a field just a few minutes’ jog away from the bus station, on the blind side of the small building to help negate any interested parties. Bodie and his team, Heidi and one of the Special Forces soldiers jumped out. Bodie sensed a deep anxiety in the CIA agent and didn’t question her accompanying them. They jogged across the field, slowed at a large brick wall, then headed for the far side. This would take them into the station and among the passengers.
Heidi sent a last glance. “Remember who we’re looking for?”
The passport photo was fresh in Bodie’s mind. He moved to Heidi’s side and pretended they were a couple, sauntering around the wall and into the station. What they might have been doing behind the wall crossed his mind, and Heidi’s too it seemed, for she inclined her head toward his shoulder. Good cover.
Three buses sat in the station, divided by shelters. A melee of passengers swarmed the platforms, the road and the sidewalks; passing in and out of the ticket areas and shops. A hubbub of noise rose to the rafters. Finding anyone in here was going to be a challenge.
But they were seven strong. Gunn had insisted he come along, rather than wait around in the idling chopper and especially since there was nothing tech-driven to do. Nobody had praised him for it. Gunn had to stand without aid.
Bodie took hold of Heidi’s waist and pulled her into the crowd. He met no resistance and kept his hand there, enjoying the closeness and the human touch. It had been a while. His eyes studied every face, every contour, slipped under every baseball cap and mentally removed every tightly-lowered beanie hat. Heidi followed suit, scanning face after face as some of the others moved over to the parked up buses and still more sought out the shops.
Eight minutes had passed already. Bodie knew it was a tall order despite their skills. The crowds ebbed and flowed, doubled back and simply wandered. He’d seen the same man with the same Pooh Bear baseball cap three times already.
“All these people,” Heidi whispered. “I hope to God they don’t act.”
Bodie felt the same with every fiber in his heart and soul. “They will only act if the Hood feels threatened,” he said. “And has chance to report. We just can’t give him that time.”
“Agreed.”
A wave of noise washed over them — a party of Greek mothers flowing by. Bodie saw Cassidy and Gunn walking down the side of a bus, checking windows; Cross and Jemma exiting one gift shop and entering a small café. No signals were raised.
“This would be easier with comms,” Bodie said as they walked. “Next time?”
“I hear you,” Heidi said in reply, then smiled. “But only because I’m right here. Yeah, you’re right. Next time.”