Don't Stand So Close to Me Act 3

"I am literally in a van down by the river," Barber's voice filled the van Annie and Auggie were sharing with Hollman.

"Have any motivational words?" Annie snorted.

"None," Barber lamented and crunched on something.

"We have him," Hollman said suddenly as Hector appeared on their video feed.

"Is he going into the Plaza?" Linda asked.

"No, it looks like he's headed for Orquideorama," Annie sighed.

"We can't lose him, Annie, the other two have not shown yet," Barber pointed out.

"Yep, I'll continue on foot," Annie confirmed as she shook her hair out and grabbed her tourist bag of tricks.

"We are not engaging him," Linda reiterated.

"I know, we're just going to play tourist," Annie repeated.

"We?" Auggie grinned.

"Hope you wore your walking shoes," Annie chuckled.

"You're clear," Hollman noted they could exit the van without suspicion.

Annie stripped off her trench coat, the day had warmed up enough for the sun dress she chose for just this situation. Auggie was down to a tee shirt and jeans and with their sunglasses and Annie's wide-brimmed hat, they definitely looked like tourists.

"You know what's strange?" Auggie asked as they moved slowly but purposefully towards hector's position.

"What's that?" Annie asked, her eyes peeled.

"After everything we've been through the past 2 years, I feel the same exact level of giddiness right now as I did that day we danced here," he realized.

"Yeah?" she said with surprise.

"Am I crazy?"

"Possibly, but not about this. I feel the same Auggie, maybe even more so. We had no idea then what we could truly be, we were…. I got him. Kiss me," she whispered the last bit.

Auggie did as he was told, pulled her close with a flourish and kissed her deeply.

"We're outside," she teased and pulled back, play acting and rotating their position so she could get a better angle.

"I don't see anybody watching," he teased back and pulled her again, shifting their perspective again and she found the right path and led him that way.

"I want to see the bougainvillea," she read the signs quickly and moved them along.

Hector seemed oblivious to them, but he did cut across a small path that would have been very obvious for them to try and follow. Annie was able to stay on the path they were on and double back, tucking both her and Auggie behind some impressive fauna. Hector was keeping an eye on his watch, a bulge under his shirt certain to conceal a weapon.

"Gun," Annie whispered, but her tone indicated it was informative not a warning.

Auggie squeezed her elbow to acknowledge.

Within seconds two men joined Hector, they were the other two known associates Linda had id'd – Hans and Maxim. They spoke in rapid fire French, which confused Annie for a second until she remembered one of them was Hungarian, one Swiss and one Russian. They likely all knew some French.

Annie heard them set a meet with a buyer for 6:00 pm at a restaurant downtown, she couldn't figure out what they were planning to sell, but they had time to get in position to find out. The three men dispersed in different directions, after Annie was certain she was safe she relayed to the van's.

"All 3 are here and on foot heading out of Orquideorama. We have their meet info and are on route back to the van."

"10-4," Hollman replied.

***555***

Hollman pulled up the address of the meeting location and with 2 hours before the meet each member of the team was able to go in and place a listening device at various spots throughout. Annie sipped her wine and mapped all the ins and outs of the place for Linda who would be on site for the actual meet.

"I wish it was us," Annie sighed.

"Can't take the risk that Hector would recognize us from earlier. This is why working with a team is a good thing," Auggie said rationally.

"I know. I'm just not used to being the one in the van."

"It's not so bad, Barber will bring snacks," Auggie assured.

They finished the wine and headed out one door as Calvin made his way in to place a tracker in the men's room.

"Good work everyone," Auggie commended as he monitored all the various listening devices, Calvin taking lead on the visual surveillance they were also able to get.

"This will also give us visual," Barber presented a necklace to Linda who slipped it on.

"Does it look OK?" Linda asked Annie, one woman to another.

"Yeah, maybe better with your hair up," Annie offered some hair picks for a quick twist.

"Definitely," Linda smiled in agreement as they shared the small mirror, "thanks."

"Good luck," Annie nodded.

***555***

With their targets all set to be in the same spot the team consolidated to one van, Hollman in the driver's seat with Auggie shot gun and the other 3 in the back watching and listening on the various monitors.

"How you doing?" Hollman asked quietly as he pulled them into a safe spot a few blocks from the restaurant.

"Good," Auggie nodded.

"I'm glad," Hollman kept his eyes straight ahead.

"Thanks," Auggie smiled.

The words were few, but Auggie could hear how genuinely concerned Hollman was. He had always been the counter to the overly-effusive Eric Barber and Auggie appreciated that about him.

"Guys?" Annie's voice broke in.

"Yeah?" Auggie turned back.

"I think we have a problem," she got closer and touched Auggie's arm.

She negotiated his tall frame out of the front seat and into the back with the rest of them.

"What?"

"Hans isn't at the meet," Annie said.

"What?" Auggie replied.

"Linda is in place and only Hector and Maxim are there," Annie explained.

"Maybe Hans is running late, we know they are travelling independently," Auggie reminded her of the earlier meet.

"It doesn't feel right," she bit her thumb nail.

"OK, hang tight," she put his hand on the chair Calvin just vacated and watched as he got the headphones on and began scanning Hummingbird.

It took 45 long seconds.

"He's way across town," Auggie said with a frown.

"He's not running late, he's somewhere else. A double cross? Or is this part of the plan?" Annie worked through it.

"Linda," Calvin communicated through the comms, "heads up, Hans is across town, we are trying to figure out what is going on."

Linda took a sip of water to indicate she got the message.

"I'm going after Hans," Annie said as she changed once again into black leggings and a jacket, swapping her tourist sandals for sturdier boots.

"OK," Auggie nodded, unhappy with the idea of her alone again.

"There's a car two blocks East," Barber handed her some keys, "yellow daisy on the dash."

"Thanks. I'll be fine," she said the last bit to Auggie and kissed him soundly despite the audience in the van.

Then she was gone.

***555***

Calvin and Barber watched and listened in the restaurant until Annie got in place. They got photos and captures of the face and voice of the man Hector and Maxim met, but nothing came up in facial recognition. The guy was young.

When it came time for the transaction Barber cocked his head to one side.

"Did we assume our guys were selling something?" Barber asked.

"Yeah, why?" Auggie turned.

"Because it appears they are buying something."

"Annie, Korlova's men are buying not selling," Auggie relayed.

"They're leaving," Linda reported slightly confused as the transaction only went one way.

"Hans must be getting the merch," Calvin replied.

"I'm in position, I can see Hans and I am sending photos of everyone approaching," Annie reported in.

A shrill cell phone ring brought her attention to an older man, unassuming. He answered, said a few words in what appeared to be German and approached Hans. He opened the small briefcase he had with him.

"This is our seller," Annie sent the photo again.

Annie continued to snap photos of the meet. The briefcase held a small canister, the kind of canister Annie always hated to see. The two men spoke quickly and quietly, she only caught a few words of caution.

"Who is this guy?" Annie whispered sharply.

"Nothing in the database, but we found him on Google," Auggie sighed.

"What?"

"He's a biochemist from the University of Marburg in Germany," Auggie pinched his nose.

"Is this a bioweapon?" Annie asked.

"Could be," Auggie replied knowing what she was going to say next.

"We can't let Hans leave…"

TBC….