"Thank you for meeting with us so quickly, Mr. Deline," the agent shook Ed's hand as he entered the office. "I'm Agent Davis and this is Agent O'Dell."
"Nice to meet you guys. This is my head of security Danny McCoy," Ed gestured to Danny who had risen from his seat and extended his hand to the agents.
"So, the message I got said you had some urgent information. I'm taking that to mean you've found something that indicates the Montecito might be a target." Ed led both men to one of the sofas before joining his young protégé who was seated across from them.
"Yes, sir, we have," Agent O'Dell reached into his briefcase and began pulling out various photos and documents.
"As you know, the Masquerade Group has hit three casinos in the last year. They seem to have some sort of inside information because they're able to track the movements of their targets. Even though we went to great lengths to conceal our involvement in Atlantic City we're pretty sure they knew from the moment Mr. Mason contacted us since we determined his niece had been dead for over a week when we found her. They're patient and meticulous and as far as we can tell they have every aspect of the job planned out to the smallest detail. Once the heist is complete they slip away without a trace."
"Do you know anything about them?"
"Well, both of the surviving victims described 3 or 4 men in mardi gras-type masks and all of them use some sort of distortion device to disguise their voices. The victims were kept at remote locations--and only after the money was delivered and the suspects were safely away from the scene--was the target given instructions on where to find their loved one. Until now they've always stayed one step ahead of us."
"Until now?" Danny questioned.
"Yes. We got a tip that led us to an apartment in Madrid. The men who had been staying there were gone, but we found information regarding the previous kidnappings and heists. We also found signs they'd tried to destroy some evidence. These burned scraps of paper were found in a pot in the sink. As you can see, this one clearly shows the logo of the Montecito," Agent Davis passed the photo to Ed. "There was only one other piece of paper that had any identifiable text."
"What did it say?" Danny questioned as he stared at the first photo.
"It's a series of numbers. We were hoping you might be able to tell us what they mean." As Danny took the photo he considered the numbers: 11 2 79. Turning them over in his head, but coming up with nothing he handed the photo to Ed as the FBI agent spoke again, "Maybe some sort of security code or an account number. Anything you can tell us would be helpful."
It took only a second for all the color to drain from the older man's face. "Omigod," he whispered under his breath.
"Ed, what is it," Danny asked worriedly. "Do you know what they mean?"
"Yeah, I know exactly what they mean. November 2, 1979—Delinda's birthday."
Ed immediately stood from the couch and picked up the phone on his desk. "Find Delinda and send her up to my office."
"Mr. Deline, we'll put your daughter in protective custody. She'll be transported to a safe house until such time…,"
"You're not taking my daughter anywhere. She stays here under my roof with my people. No offense, guys, but at this point I don't trust anyone I don't know."
"Mr. Deline, I strongly advise you…,"
"I strongly advise you to find these guys before they get anywhere near my casino or my family. You can bug my office, my phone, whatever you need to do that, but Delinda stays here. I've got cameras covering every square inch of this place and I guarantee you she'll be protected."
At those words the door to Ed's office swung open to reveal the subject of their conversation, "Rita said you wanted to see me, Daddy."
"Yeah, sweetie, can you give me a minute. I'll be right with you," Ed kissed Delinda on the cheek and escorted her to one of the couches they had all recently vacated. Handing the photos and papers back to Agent O'Dell, Ed led the way out of his office with the two agents following close behind and Danny bringing up the rear.
"Danny, I want you to set these guys up in a room. They can have access to everything they need, just make sure someone from our security team is with them."
"Let's try to keep whatever we do low profile," Agent Davis interrupted, "No need to advertise that we're here—the group would probably be less inclined to make a move."
"Understood. Gentlemen, please keep me informed," Ed shook both of their hands as they moved to exit the outer office.
"Danny," Ed pulled the younger man by the arm until they were out of ear shot of the agents. "I'm really going to need you on this. Promise me that you'll make Delinda's safety your number one priority."
"Ed," Danny started to say something, but the pleading look in his boss' eyes caught him off guard. He didn't think he'd ever seen the man so scared. Danny put his hand on Ed's shoulder before assuring him, "You have my word, Ed. I won't let anything happen to her."
The older man gave a curt nod before disappearing back into his office.
Danny walked briskly toward the stairs which led to the casino. He'd gotten the FBI agents settled and filled Mike in on the situation. He'd just spied Mary returning from her spa day at Green Valley Ranch and he was both anxious to see her and dreading it all at the same time. Hearing that your boyfriend is going to have to spend all of his free time with another woman was bound to be upsetting. Add in the fact that the other woman was his former girlfriend who had trouble keeping her hands to herself and Danny felt the stirrings of the headache he'd been fighting all day return.
Mary had been stopped by one of the desk managers and was signing some papers when he'd caught sight of her on the monitor, but by the time he descended the stairs she was engrossed in an entirely different conversation. He increased his pace until he reached her and the man who seemed to have captured her attention—both of them in a fit of laughter. The stress and exhaustion of the day finally caught up with him and all Danny could see was red.
"Uh, Mark, right?"
"Yes, sir, Mr. McCoy. Mark Benton." The young man reached out his hand in greeting, but Danny ignored it.
"Yeah, your shift over?"
"No, sir. I was just taking a break."
"Yeah, well. We don't take breaks around here. If you don't have anything to do then I'd be happy to find you something," Danny told him with a hard stare.
"Sorry, Mr. McCoy. I'll get back to the security room right away."
"Yeah, you do that."
Danny watched the young man scurry away before turning his attention back to Mary. Just by her stance Danny knew she was angry. She had her arms crossed and her mouth drawn into a thin line as she glared at him.
"What?" he questioned.
"I'm just wondering if you're going to try to mark your territory—because these shoes are new."
"Very funny," Danny rolled his eyes and swiped his hand across his face for what must have been the hundredth time today.
"Danny, that was extremely rude. He was just talking to me."
"Oh, come on," he protested louder than he intended. "He was hitting on you Mary," he said after lowering his voice. "I could see it from across the room."
"So?"
"SO!"
"Danny, lots of guys hit on me. It doesn't mean anything."
"Yeah, well. If you'd even acknowledge our relationship then maybe I wouldn't have to worry so much about it," he snapped and instantly regretted it when he saw the hurt look on Mary's face. He didn't know how to take it back so he simply turned away and tried to take some deep breaths.
"Wow, that was…," Mary sighed as she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the tense position of his shoulders. She took a step forward and turned his head to look at her.
"Look, you're tired, you're cranky… I'm going to finish up these papers and head upstairs. When you're ready to tell me what's going on then maybe you can stop by."
She stood on her tip toes and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before turning back to the counter. It only took a second before she sensed Danny's presence beside her. He placed his palms flat on the cool marble and dropped his head. Stretching his fingers until his pinky was resting on top of Mary's he lightly caressed her skin with just the tip of his finger. It was the tiniest of touches, but Mary thought it was one of the most intimate moments they had ever shared. She signed the last form and placed her other hand on top of his.
"I'll be upstairs, baby," she said quietly, waiting for him to look at her. Once he glanced her way and nodded his understanding she ran her hand up his arm, across his shoulders and down his back before breaking the contact and walking away.
How was it possible that he deserved this woman? She had a capacity for forgiveness that was beyond words. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone—ordering dinner from Mary's favorite restaurant. It was a small gesture, but if he was going to beg her forgiveness for being such an ass and then drop the Delinda bombshell-- the least he could do was make sure he fed her first.
