"We need a plan" Hondo announced as he entered the situation room, what you got?"
"I have a reply to our bait" the analyst said
"Omsk Restaurant in an hour?" He read out.
"I know it" Street said pointing to the map. "She used to frequent there"
"Suit up" Hondo barked, "We have no time to scope the joint, let's roll"
As they collected the gear and gathered in the carpool, Deacon talked Street through the new invisible ear chip that would be stuck in his outer ear canal. They were shielded and meant to be undetectable.
"We can hear everything you can, okay" Deac said
"yep"
"You can talk to us and we can talk to you" Deac said looking at Street and nodding,
"Yep…. I got it" Street answered.
"Your burner phone" Hondo said handing it to him. "We don't know how suspicious she will be of you, so play it cool kid" Street nodded.
"I've got this Hondo" Street replied zipping up his jacket and straddling his bike.
"We will be just down the street in the van…. You need us give us the code word 'Batman'". Street rolled his eyes and shook his head smirking. It seems Chris's nickname for him was sticking.
Hondo chuckled and headed to the van. Street clipped up his helmet and rode off with the team not far behind.
'Mr Cooper' aka Street sat in a booth at the restaurant. He looked out the window and twirled the glass in his hands,
"Target approaching the doors now" Luca's voice rang in his ears. He prayed to god that these new ear piece microchip sticker things would in fact be undetectable. He didn't answer just continued to play it cool. Before he could rethink things, he saw the tall blonde in tight jeans, high heeled boots and a tight black shirt. She entered and spoke to the waiter in Russian before approaching him,
"Cooper!" She called, Street turned to smile at her "It's a been a while" she said. Her voice carried the Russian accent and was seductive and low.
"Camille" Street answered, getting to his feet to greet her. "I was hoping you would remember". She hugged him too her and a stray hand squeezed his bum. "How could I forget you?"
Street focused and played it cool to remain Mr Cooper. "Ha ha…. Still cheeky as ever". She motioned for them to sit. "When did you get out?" she asked. Referring to the jail time 'Cooper' had served for being busted with Urgen Ritcher.
"oh, a month or so ago…... been working my way back into the circuit" he answered. She nodded.
"Did you reach out for business or pleasure?" She asked seductively.
"I …. Ah…. Both I guess" Street replied reaching for her hands.
"Mmmmm…How can I help you then?" she said flirting with him and tracing her fingers along his hands.
He smiled a polite smile at her, "Well I hear some of our type of merch is being traded for big bucks and I want back in the game."
She smiled back at him, "What's the pleasure you're interested in?"
"Look…. You help me back into the world and I'll have all the time in the world to run with you like we used to" he said slowly trying to appeal to her lust.
Back in the van, the team couldn't help but laugh. Luca turned to the guys in the back and said "Anyone need some popcorn back there? …. this is better than Bold and the Beautiful". They all laughed,
"Okay…... heads back in the game" Hondo barked.
Earning some trust back with some of these big hitters was going to take a bit, Street knew that Camille was his first little step. After finishing their coffees, she offered to take him back to the garage and show him a few things. Street was nervous, but confident this was a good step. He followed her out of the restaurant and stepped to his bike parked nearby.
"mmmmm… I always loved a sexy motorcycle…..." she purred, running a hand along his bike.
"After we're done with business" Street said in character stepping to her and pulling her to him, "Let's take a trip on it" Street said gazing at her big brown eyes.
Camille smiled and nodded approvingly, "I'm glad your back" she whispered before turning and around,
"Follow me" she said with lingering look over her shoulder. Street straddled his bike and peeled around to follow her Mercedes to the garage nearby. Two heavily armed men stood at the entrance as he rode in behind her. 20 David team had followed at a safe distance and could hear every word through his ear piece. Streets mind raced, looking for an exit strategy should he need it. He parked his bike next to her car and slowly got off.
"Camille" one of the men approached,
"Kostas a Ivan jsou na cestě zpátky. Všechny zásoby jsou zabezpečeny." He said to her
"Dobré" Camille answered
Luca was in Streets ear straight away, he said to her that "Costas and Ivan are coming back and all the inventory if safe"
Street played it cool and looked at Camille. She smiled at him "follow me" as she headed up a set of stairs to an office. Inside the office the walls were covered with photos of the cars and maps of where they were or had been. Street scanned it all, trying to take in as much as he could without looking sus.
"So" he said casually wandering around the room "these are the cars?"
"some of them" she answered closing the door. Street took a seat on a stool near a table and big screen. "So, explain how you are running this operation to me? What can I do to help?" he asked,
Camille walked slowly around him, "Cooper" she said tracing her finger over his arms. "What's the rush?" she stepped in front of him, straddling his outstretched legs and leaning in closely "Can't we have some fun first…It's been forever since I had you in arms reach?" her hands ran seductively all over his body. Street took her hands in his,
"Camille…. You know me…I haven't changed" he said looking sternly at her "I'm about business before pleasure"
Camille frowned and looked disappointed. Street breathed slowly to calm himself. She stepped away from him and took out an iPad from the nearby table.
"The cars I've acquired and have access too" she said placing it in his hands.
Street began flipping through the images he saw all the cars they had been looking for.
"So, your crew personally acquires the cars? Or do you outsource that part of the operation?" He said casually without looking up at her.
"I work with people I can trust only. I keep it tight and small. 4 others that's it." She again stepped into his personal space. Street didn't look up at her, he continued studying the images to see if they could give him any clues. "You know we could be a force to be reckoned with you and I" She nudged his chin to look at her,
"You and I?" Street said…... "What are offering?"
"Oh Cooper…... Darling… why must you tease me…. You stay with me here and warm my cold bed at night and you and I could have it all" she said extending her arms out wide.
"Camille…. ….. Business" he said.
"That's not a no then?" she said looking at him sideways.
"So, you know the details on all of these cars? Prices, locations, performance stats?"
"Of course," she said smiling at him.
"So, you could get any of these cars right now on that map with all the details"
"Cooper," she said tilting her head at him "this is me you are talking about…... you know how good I am" she flirtatiously raised her eyebrows at him. "Try me" she said wrapping her arm around his shoulders.
Street chose the Aston Martin they were after. "Ok" he said "Show me this one" tapping the picture.
She went to the computer under the screen and with a few clicks had a red dot blinking on the screen. "There she is … This one is a nice choice. The owners had her all spec'd out already. We won't have to do much to make a good profit."
Street needed a way of relaying that location on the screen to Hondo without sounding suss.
"What about this one…." Street turned the iPad to show her the Range Rover,
"Mmmmm, not my favourite, too American…. but here are the stats" she said tapping a few buttons. The red dot appeared in the same place.
"So, this is where you are warehousing the cars?" he said pointing to the dot.
"A secure garage, yes" she said. "I have spread out my operation and have different locations for different aspects of the business, there are workshops here, here and here" She said pointing on the map "they are where we modify the cars and meet buyers"
'Shit…. Whip could be anywhere then and if I send Hondo to the wrong one and they raid it she will hear about it and Whip and I will be in more danger'
"Who do you usually do business with?" Street asked, "I'm just curious if I could find us better buyers who are more cashed up" Street sensed that Camille was getting tired of his questions. Street sensed he needed to give her a bit more if she was going to open up. She frowned a little and looked at him with a stare.
"Hey…." Street stood up and moved to her, he slowly placed his hand on hers on the table. "I like your offer, I just want to know it's enough to support us both" He squeezed her hand, before lifting it up and looking at her "I thought about you a lot when I was locked up" he said tugging her to him. At first, she was stiff and cold, but with Streets gentle touch she softened and began to relax into him. He hugged her against him, but his mind was full of Chris.
"I've always had a soft spot for you Cooper" she said looking at him and tracing her finger along his chin.
Street knew he needed to get a shot of that map on the screen to Hondo. He glanced around while holding Camille in his arms to see if any of the men were watching them or nearby. They seemed to all be downstairs.
He needed to distract Camille so he could sneak a snap…... how he thought? Casually placing his phone on the table with the camera already enabled.
Camille drew her head back and looked at him, Street knew he needed to act. Stalling with more questions would make her suspicious. So, without overthinking it her kissed her. She was pleasantly surprised and reacted eagerly.
Street twirled her around so he could snap a picture of the map and then slid the phone in his pocket.
"Wow…... Cooper" Camille said smiling and dazed. "I see you sometimes bend your rules"
"Ah… well… you are so beautiful, and I was overcome" he answered, cringing to himself at how lame that sounded.
There was a knock on the door, Street and Camille both turned. One of her men was there,
"Torshin je na cestě" he said
"Hned jsem dole" Camille answered
Street was waiting for Luca to speak when Camille turned to Street and said, "I've got someone who will want to meet you"
Lucas voice began he said "Torshin is on his way" she said "I'll be right down" … "be advised Street this could be Aleksandr Torshin"
Street swallowed hard. Aleksandr Torshin was a Russian mob boss who was on the top of a lot of most wanted lists but was considered untouchable due to his connections. Why was Torshin here? Was he the one behind stealing the cars? Was he the one who took Whip?
They walked down stairs to wait for Torshin, Camille was all over Street. Street was trying his best to hold her a bay without losing her trust. Just then the doors began to open and an emerald green DB9 Aston Martin and a black Cadillac Escalade. Streets senses were suddenly heightened. Camille moved towards the cars. As the doors of the DB9 opened Street swallowed hard, instantly recognising Aleksandr Torshin, emerging from the passenger seat. Street watched him closely and the remainder of the cars behind him as more armed men emerged and followed Torshin towards Camille.
"Camille" Torshin called "Privet", which was Russian for hello, Street knew that.
"chto samoye posledneye?" Torshin asked
"Ves' inventar' uchten. my zhdem vashikh instruktsiy" Camille replied and Torshin smiled.
Then in his ear piece he heard Luca,
"Street, He asked her what the latest is and she said she has the inventory and is awaiting his instructions." Street listened and was careful not to react suspiciously.
Torshin then looked his way, eyeing Street closely and beginning to move to him.
"Who do we have here Camille?"
"This is Cooper, an old friend who has helped me out a few times before." Camille said walking with Torshin towards Street.
"He is helping me at the moment with the next round of acquisitions, see he has great connections here and overseas"
Torshin nodded, and eyed Street closely, he could sense Torshin was uneasy with a new face around. Torshin turned to Camille and placed his hand on her shoulder,
"YA khochu, chtoby den'gi za posledniye 6 avtomobiley na schetu k zavtrashnemu dnyu, ponyal?"
"Da, konechno" Camille nodded.
Street waited for Luca,
"He wants the money for the last 6 cars in his account by the morning and she said yes"
Torshin and the men then got back in their cars and drove out. Street looked at Camille.
"So, what was that all about?"
"Torshin, was just checking on the operation. He keeps a close eye on it and likes to know where his money and investments are at all times."
"He is the one in charge I take it?"
"Da, he gives me the list of cars and I acquire them for him."
"Does he have a buyer lined up for each car before you acquire it? Or …"
"Depends, sometimes we freelance a bit"
Back at HQ, Officer Harris arrived in the armoury and released Chris back up the situation room. As she grabbed her things and thanked Harris, she walked quickly towards the stairs up to the situation room. She was desperate to help her team and help Street. Since he came down to talk to her she couldn't shake the worry and fear. She had to know what was going on and if he was ok.
"Captain" Chris said approaching her in the hallway. "Can I help on the case, Harris is in the Armoury now on his shift?"
"Sure, see what the analyst has found"
Chris rushed into the situation room.
"What's the latest?" She asked tech analyst Reese as she reached for an ear piece and secured it in her ear.
"Well it is odd but could be something…" the analyst began "This street light set here" he said pointing to the map "Is blinking on and off in a pattern."
"Okay" Chris began, "but couldn't that be an electrical fault, short circuit?"
"Well yeah, but look at this, watch the pattern" he said turning the screen to show her.
Chris stood staring at the string of street lights blinking. "It's a code" she smiled looking up at the analyst,
"Yeah I think so too, so I'm trying to decipher it now"
Street felt a sharp jolt shoot through him when he heard Chris's voice in his ears.
"Command to 20 David team"
"20 David go ahead" Hondo answered,
"We have detected some unusual activity with the city power grid on the 87th block of Fletcher and Howick, we have the same general area marked as a suspected location for one of their operations."
Street heard the msg and knew it could be Whip trying to signal his location. He had to trust that Hondo would know that too. He had no way right now of talking to the team without blowing his cover. He managed to distract Camille long enough to hit send on his phone. That photo was on its way to Hondo.
"20 David to Command… 30 David and 22 David are coming back to help coordinate. The rest of us will stay here with Street" Hondo's voice rang in his ears.
Deacon and Luca were climbing out of the van when Hondo called "hold up" looking at his phone. "It's Street" he turned the phone to show Deacon. Deacon smiled seeing the map. Hondo nodded at them go and they slipped back to the Charger Tan and Logan had driven here and headed back to HQ with the intel.
Chris was busily tapping on the screen and talking to the Reese when they arrived.
"What have you got?" Deacon asked them,
"The street lights here" Chris said pointing to the map "are blinking in a code"
"Like Morse code? What's it say?" Luca asked
"So far, we have decoded, Russians, Whip, 6487 flinders, 2nd floor, 8guns" Chris answered.
"Get the floor plans for that address" Deacon commanded "and cross reference that address with this map"
"30 David to 20 David" Deacon said into his radio
"20 David" go ahead
"We have a possible location for Whip, 6487 Flinders"
"Roger that, Street if you can hear me, I'm gunna give you an out" Hondo said
Moments later the burner phone in Streets pocket rang. Gently wiggling it out his pocket and sliding away from Camille, Street held a stern finger up to her to motion he would just be a minute,
"Cooper" he said, he listened as Hondo told him they think they have found Whip and he should come. They could have 50 David raid this warehouse as they go after the other one to retrieve Whip.
"Ok" Street casually said…. "I'll be there soon" before hanging up the phone.
Camille continued to throw herself shamelessly at Street, he was conscious that Chris, now obviously not in the armoury anymore, could possibly hear everything. He tried his best not to let that pressure affect him.
"What's the problem my love?" she said as Street put the phone back in his pocket and turned to face her.
"There's ah…. A problem at my workshop, I need to get back over there and deal with it."
Camille looked disappointed, "Oh… you're not leaving me here alone already?"
"I …... ah… I will be back as soon as it's resolved" Street moved to her and held her hand patting it reassuringly. She stood up and hugged him, "Do you really have to go? …. Can't somebody else handle it?"
"Camille, I will be back in an hour or so" he said firmly,
"Ok, but hurry back, I'll be here waiting" she smiled at him as he took his helmet and straddled his bike. Camille signalled for the guy at the door to open it and let him out. He started his bike and rode out, breathing a sigh of relief as he cleared the warehouse unscathed.