Chapter 7

The next morning Elsa joined Sam at his meeting with Russ and Fiona. The man who resembled Michael a bit was taken aback by the woman sitting in the chair Sam offered her at the table before seating himself to her left. Russ and Fiona sat across from the couple, and Russ kept his eyes on Elsa as he leaned back in his chair.

Sam, seeing the distrust in Russ's body language, spoke first. "Russ, this is Elsa Darabant, my lady and owner of this hotel. Elsa, this is Russ Belliveau." He leaned closer to her and spoke softer. "He's a CIA agent."

"What does a... uh, Mr. Belliveau have to do with what you're working on? Don't tell me they recruited you," Elsa said, the tightness in her voice almost cutting off her ability to breathe. "Last night you told me not to worry. Well, now I'm worried."

Everyone ordered coffee and tea, and the table remained in an uncomfortable silence until the server hurried away to get their beverages.

"I haven't been recruited," Sam replied, voice low so only the table's occupants could hear him. "After seeing everything Mike's been through, you think I'd do that? Really, Elsa?"

"No." She glanced at her nervous hands playing with the wide gold ring around the napkin. "I don't know what to think when you come home exhausted and almost shot." She closed her mouth as the server returned.

"Would everyone like to order?" The four made it short and simple, and she disappeared again.

"Ms. Darabant, Sam and Fiona have been instrumental in my investigation, Sam especially." Russ paused, leaned closer, and his blue eyes softened. "In a couple of days it'll probably all be over and Sam can go back to whatever he was doing before he and Fiona got sucked into this."

Elsa wasn't satisfied by his answer, but she knew it was the best she would receive. She asked, "Did Sam tell you about the man who was here yesterday snooping around the hotel and loitering in the lobby for far too long?"

"He mentioned it. If he showed up again could you point him out?"

"I can do better than that," Elsa replied with a smirk as she reached into her briefcase. She pulled out a set of five 8 by 10 photographs. "I picked these up at the security office this morning. The photos were taken off our cameras, and there are time and date stamps on them. He was out at the pool, in the lobby, the bar, the restaurant, and he went up to the ninth floor."

Russ stared at her. "You have some good cameras," he said as he studied the photos.

"Thanks. Sam helped me upgrade our systems here not too long after we met. Since he's been home, we've implemented a few other upgrades," she announced and her eyes turned to Sam with admiration in them. "This is probably one of the safest hotels in South Beach, if not the safest. But it disturbs me that this man was able to wander around so freely and get up to the ninth floor without anyone asking him questions. My chief of security is sifting through some other files to find pictures of him on that floor to determine where he was. Maybe that'll help you make sense of why he was here."

"I've been staying here the past couple of nights, on the ninth floor," Russ declared. "Room nine nine-teen."

"You don't recognize this guy," Sam asked as he took the photos from Russ and studied each one before handing them to Fiona.

"Nope. He may have something to do with this, or another case. I don't know."

"One thing I remember from yesterday, was that one of the guys said they were trying to keep the Charger from you," Sam said. "It didn't make sense to me at the time. Did Johnson and those guys know you were a Fed and that you were onto them? Maybe this guy in the hotel was sent to find you and take you out."

"That could be," Russ said. "Truth is, there isn't much I can do about this guy at the moment. We have to come up with a plan to go to Orlando, get the..." He hesitated and glanced at Elsa before he resumed, leaving out the crucial piece of information. "Thing, and come back to Miami."

"Oh, so this was supposed to be a strategy session," Elsa said as the realization hit her. "Don't you think it's a little risky to be talking out here?"

"That's why we're off to the side," Russ countered. He knew she was right, but sometimes plans had to be made in less than secure locations. If he had any hope of seeing who this mystery man was, sitting in the hotel restaurant was as good as any place to observe the lobby while conducting business.

"Well, I suggest you just spend this time with small talk, and after breakfast, you're welcome to meet in my office," Elsa offered, surprising everyone at the table. She leaned forward, closing the space between her and Russ, her voice low and menacing. "If you're going to do something that endangers the man I love, I'm going to do everything I can to minimize the risk. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Russ leaned back, creating more space between them, and he looked at her with a new respect. This woman understood the dangers of the spy world. She didn't like that her beau was involved with it, but she loved and respected him enough to let him do what he did. A slow smile crossed Russ's face. "I like you, Elsa. You're a tough cookie."

"You have to be when you're a business owner," Sam said, his voice oozing with pride. "And the hotel business can be a killer, right honey?"

The defensive stance in Elsa retracted like a cat's claws when he spoke, and she looked at Sam, threaded her fingers through his on the table, and gave him a private smile that spoke volumes. Looking back at Russ, she said, "You'll have to forgive me if I turn into a she-devil now and then. Sam hasn't told me everything about his work, but I know enough that every night he isn't home with me I worry." She sighed and gave her cup of coffee some attention. "So, are you anticipating being home today?"

"That's the plan if we can locate what we're looking for," Russ replied.

"You don't want to bring the Charger back to Miami and then look," Fiona asked. "It's Michael's car. It should be here."

"There are already two similar cars in impound." Sam shook his head. "It could get confusing. I know my head's spinning when I try to think about this whole scheme you had going, Russ."

Russ laughed. "Tell me about it!" Then he sobered and continued. "No, I want to keep Michael's car in Orlando, to keep it safe. It's in a secure location and I want it to stay that way until he's finished with the agency and he comes back to Miami. I'll personally drive it down here myself and present it to him."

"It's just a car," Elsa broke in. "What's the big deal?"

"Just a car?" Russ gaped at her. "Ms. Darabant, it's not my car, but it brings back a lot of memories. The first car I fixed up was a Charger just like it," he revealed with a small smile that grew as he spoke. "Only mine was bright red. That baby purred like a kitten and sparkled like a... well, it was pretty hot. It was a chick magnet." He chuckled.

"So you also have emotional ties to a Charger," she said with a nod. "I suppose I just see cars as a way to get around, but that's just me."

"Excuse me, Madame." An older man in the hotel's dress uniform sidled up to Elsa's elbow and spoke.

"Yes, Lawrence?"

"There's a Mr. Hathaway on the phone for you, and he was quite adamant about speaking with you now." The man looked apologetic, his gloved hands clasped into a ball in front of him.

Elsa sighed, wiped her mouth with her napkin, and dropped it next to her half eaten breakfast. "Well, that's my cue. I'm sorry, I really do have to take this call." She leaned to her left and kissed Sam's cheek. "My offer still stands, though. If you want to use my office or one of the conference rooms to work on your plan, let me know."

"Thanks again, Ms. Darabant," Russ said with a grateful tone.

She smiled at him. "You can call me Elsa, Mr. Belliveau." She stood and held out her hand to him.

Wiping his on his napkin, Russ shook her hand. "You've got a deal, Elsa. Call me Russ."

"I will, Russ. You make sure my Sammy comes back in one piece, or I'll be calling you a whole lot of other less complimentary names." Her smile held some bite.

Not one to back down from a challenge, Russ responded, "I'll do my best, Elsa."

"Good. See you all later." She turned and walked away with Lawrence tagging along beside her, getting her up to speed on the conversation he had with Mr. Hathaway.

"She's a barracuda, Sam. You better be careful with her." Russ remarked as he turned his attention to his meal.

Sam laughed. "Don't you worry, I know how to tame her. She loves me, what can I say?" He sobered as he picked up his fork. "She worries too much sometimes, just because she doesn't know what we're doing. I don't tell her anything, and her imagination runs wild. If I tell her enough to try to ease her mind, she wants to know more and more, and then I have to be careful to squelch her imagination without giving away anything vital. It's a fine line I walk, let me tell you."

"It's never easy being in a relationship with a spy," Russ agreed, not knowing that his words hit Fiona square in the gut.

"I know that too well," she said and fell into silence.

Russ sighed. "Let's talk about what we're going to do today."

"There's one thing I'd like to ask you before we start plotting and planning," Fiona said, getting Russ's attention. "Why didn't Michael tell you exactly where the chip is in the Charger?"

"He wanted to, but we were interrupted by someone who had no business hearing that information," Russ replied. "Someone within the Agency that allied with Card, but claims to be all about the Agency and the government and what's best for the people." He snorted.

"You think this person might be on the list," Fiona asked.

"Possibly."

"So you understand how difficult it is to trust those around you." Fiona gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm starting to believe you, Russ."

He smiled. "I'll take that as a good thing."

Sam's phone beeped and he picked it out of his pocket, frowning as he glanced at the screen. "Elsa says our guy is in the lobby again. He watched her like a hawk as she went to her office."

"Which guy," Russ asked and turned his head as if looking around in a casual manner.

"He's wearing a light blue suit with a white shirt," Sam answered as another text came in. "That must be our man over there, trying to hide behind the tourist guide."

Russ caught sight of him and turned white. "That's him, Sam. Agent Brandon Green, the guy who tried to hear what Michael told me about the chip in the Charger."

"What would he be doing here?" Sam kept the tension out of his voice. "Hoping to follow us?"

"I don't know." Russ glanced at Fiona, then Sam. "I'm calling this in."

Sam stopped him with a hand on his wrist. "Can you trust your own people, I mean, the Agency?"

"Yes. Like I said, Michael is working with me, and while he's cleaning up from the outside in, I'm working the inside outward. It's like trying to untangle a spider web. It's too intricate and sticky, and has to be done delicately." He paused and looked at the two faces staring back at him. "I know whom I can trust within the agency."

"I've never known anyone able to deconstruct a spider web," Fiona declared with a seriousness in her eyes. "What makes you think that you and Michael can do it?"

"We're making progress," Russ assured her. "I'm sorry, that's all I can say."

Sam nodded, glancing at Fiona. She knew as well as he did how likely it would be that they would never get the whole truth on what went down with Card. As frustrating as it was, Sam was a little glad. He knew enough about treachery in government. He could put two and two together and have an idea, but if he knew what it all added up to, he would probably lose all faith in his country. In some cases, ignorance was bliss. Besides, at the moment, he and Fi had enough to worry about with helping this CIA agent and Mike.

"Okay, I texted my team, and they'll take care of him. We're supposed to just stay here and pretend that we don't know we're being watched."

"Easier said than done." Sam rose from the table and with a cocked smile said, "Let's go to Elsa's office. That'll be intriguing enough for him to want to stick around until your guys get here."

"It'll allow us more privacy to plan, too," Fiona added.

"You bet," Sam glanced at the bill that the server left at the table. He signed it, mentally calculated a tip, and dropped the cash on the table.

"Your lady makes you pay for your meals," Russ asked, incredulous.

"Nah. That's just for accounting purposes. I give the employees a tip like anybody else. They really bust their butts for that cash," Sam declared as he walked away from the table.

"Have a nice day, Mr. Axe," the server called after him with a warm smile on her face.

Sam led the trio across the lobby and down a short hall to a door. He passed the receptionist who gave him a flirty smile and returned to her typing.

"Elsa's not busy," Sam said as he grabbed the door handle and entered the office.

"How do you know?" Russ followed, puzzled at how he knew.

He glanced at Russ and answered his question. "If she'd been on the phone or something, the secretary would have given me a signal."

"I take it you're ready to begin planning your secret operation," Elsa said as she logged out of her computer, picked up the laptop, and headed for the door. "Perfect timing, since I have to meet a potential client in the lounge." She passed Sam and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Will I see you tonight?"

He returned the kiss, slipped an arm around her waist to stop her, and replied. "Maybe. It all depends on how long it takes us to get to Orlando, pick up what we're going there for, and get back."

"I could lend you my plane and you could fly up there." She suggested and added, "It would take less time and be more secure."

"That's a good point." Sam turned to Russ. "Well, what do you think?"

"I could get an Agency plane..." Russ began, but Fiona interrupted him.

"No, this is perfect," she said with a grin. "An Agency plane could be bugged or maybe even tampered with."

"So could your lady's plane," Russ countered as he looked at Sam and Elsa.

"We'll check it out before we leave," Sam parried. "I think it's a great idea."

"And I agree." Fiona nodded, a determined tone in her voice. "The sooner we get this done, the closer Michael is to finishing this." She paused and swallowed a small lump in her throat. "Russ, you don't know how long I've waited for him to be free."

"My wife has no problem with me being in the CIA, except for those times I leave the country," Russ admitted. "But then, I was never burned and never had to fight and claw my way back into an Agency that disowned me based on one man's lies. And to make it worse, the man was his trainer, like his second father." Russ shook his head in sympathy for Michael and his predicament. "I wouldn't wish anything like that on anybody." He stood in thought for a moment, nodded, and agreed to the plan. "Okay, let's do this. Ms. Dar... Elsa, how long will it take for your plane to be ready?"

"I can call now and probably by the time you get to the airport they'll have a flight plan and take off time for you." She turned back to her desk and got on the phone. The three waited while she spoke with someone on the other end and arranged for the flight. When she hung up, she smiled at them. "You're all set. Good luck, and hopefully when you return tonight we can have a celebratory dinner."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Sam said as he took her into his arms and kissed her, a soft, sweet press of lips that wasn't too out of line in front of Fiona and Russ. "You just bottle the rest of that up for later tonight." He winked, she ran her hand over his back, a wordless agreement, and she let him go.

By the time Fiona, Russ, and Sam exited Elsa's office, the spy was gone from the lobby. Russ's phone beeped and he showed his friends the text. 'Mission accomplished. Another one down.' Russ sighed in relief.