« Okay, Chris, tell us everything, » Raymond said.
An hour had passed since he had been notified that Richard and his crew had been spotted in the area. He was now sitting in the library, flanked by Holly and Roger. Three agents, two men and a woman, were also in the room, and all of them were listening intently at the phone, waiting for the scout's reply.
A deep voice resounded through the phone's speaker. "They've been on the move since last night, on a private plane from New York. We picked up their trace near San Francisco. At first, I thought they would hide in the city until it was time for the pickup, but they immediately rented a van and came to the area."
"Where are they now?" Roger asked.
"They checked in at a hotel about five miles from here. They're passing off as a group of rich wine aficionados touring the Napa Valley. Dressed up to the nines, classy hotel, false names."
"How many?"
"Twelve. Some women among them so that they can pass as couples."
Raymond shifted in his seat, deep in his thoughts. "Did you get a sense of what their next move is going to be?"
There was a short silence at the other end of the line. "Hard to tell," Chris finally replied. "Problem is, they've been staying in their rooms since they arrived. Unless they come out to the lobby or to the bar, there is no way that I can slip into their room and plant a bug."
"And they wouldn't discuss their plan anywhere else."
"Obviously not."
Raymond sighed and turned to the others. "All right. We need to stall these lunatics until the rest of our crew gets here. We can't manage this pickup with only five agents."
The other agents nodded and they started discussing their options. "I could pretend to run into them at their hotel," Roger suggested. "I could try to get information out of them and say that the shipment will only be here tomorrow."
"Ye-es, but I'm not crazy about the idea," Raymond replied. "I need you here to organize the pickup and it would be foolish of us to risk your safety before tomorrow night."
Roger nodded reluctantly. "You're right, but it's going to be hard for any of our agents to establish a contact with them within the next few hours. They're hardly leaving their rooms and won't speak to strangers."
Raymond scratched his beard. "You're right. That's why we need to send someone that Richard already knows."
"I see," Roger said before clenching his jaws together. Holly, who was sitting near him, could actually see the muscles bulge under his skin. "Oh, you mean me?" she said, suddenly understanding Raymond's meaning.
"Yes, he means you," Roger said tersely.
"What would I have to do?" she said, feeling a little flustered.
"The most important thing is for you to stall him. We'll have you check in at the same hotel and you can pretend that you've decided to extend your stay in California, which happens to be the truth anyway."
"What if he doesn't come out of his room?" Holly asked."
"Then there's nothing that you can do, but if he does, we can make sure that you run into him."
"And then what?"
"Then, you say that you're also touring the Valley. You could invite him to dinner."
Roger, who had been broodingly silent for the last minutes, suddenly exploded. "And what? Make sure that he stays the night?"
The other agents stared at him, clearly surprised by his outburst. It was not often that they had seen Roger lose his temper. "Now, Roger," Raymond sighed, "I'm not asking anything of the sort. You don't have to try to make him talk either, he added for Holly's benefit. "In fact, it's best if you don't. The last thing that we want is for him to get suspicious. We just want to gain a little time until our men get here and if we're lucky, we can plant a bug in his room."
"You want me to get into his room?" Holly said, swallowing hard.
Raymond glanced at Roger and shook his head. "Best not. Sophia here will accompany you and pose as your friend. She'll plant the bug if necessary."
The female agent, a petite blonde with shrewd and piercing brown eyes, nodded at Holly encouragingly. "I'll talk you through it. It's going to be fine," she said in a warm tone.
Holly smiled, somewhat reassured. She noticed that all eyes were on her. "I think I can pull it off," she finally said, carefully avoiding Roger's gaze.
She and Sophia then left the room to pack their suitcases and be on their way as quickly as possible. After they left, one of the agents approached Roger who was pouring himself a glass of scotch.
"A little early for a drink, don't you think?"
"I need it."
"Are you worried that she won't be able to keep her cool, is that what's bothering you?"
Roger took a sip and looked out the window. "She's been held at gun point before, twice." She can handle it."
The agent raised an eyebrow. "Really? You were there?"
"One of the times, I was the one holding the gun."
"But I thought…I thought she used to be your wife?"
"Yes, and I used to be an asshole. I just can't believe that she is going to be in danger again, all because of me."
The agent patted his shoulder. "Sophia will be with her. "It's going to be just fine."
Roger downed his drink and shrugged. "I hope so."
There was a light knock on the door as Holly closed her overnight bag. "Come in," she said, looking up.
Roger came into the room and sat on the bed, next to her suitcases. "Nervous?" he asked.
Holly took his question as a peace offering and smiled. "I thought you would be mad at me for going."
"Any chance that you might change your mind?" he replied, jokingly but still with a hint of hope.
Holly shook her head. "I want to help."
"But you'll be putting yourself in danger."
Holly sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Her gorgeous hair, Roger thought wistfully.
"I know, but if I don't go, you might be the one ending up in more danger. Have you thought of that?"
Roger chuckled. "I can take care of myself."
"So can I!"
Roger raised in hand in surrender. "Alright! You can't blame me for trying." He got up and picked up her bags. "Let me help you with those."
She put a hand on his arm as he was about to leave the room. "I'll be back before you know it. After all, we still haven't finished this morning's conversation," she added with a smile.
"I'm going to hold you to that, but I better give you this just in case." Roger dropped both bags and before Holly could even object, she was in his arms and he was kissing her ardently.
"For luck," he panted a few seconds after. He picked up the suitcases and left without looking back.
