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“I’m pushing to make this happen fast. I’m going to upload the photos now, send them to the buyer, and get things rolling.”
Two hours later, Simona and I are in our nearby hotel room when we get the call.
I put the phone on speaker. It’s Mako. “It’s set. We’re meeting for the exchange in six hours. Marshall and the others will be back just in time.”
“Where’s this happening?”
“Right here in England.”
In the background, Wolf yells, “My stomping grounds, mate!”
Simona leans over the phone. “Perfect. At least someone knows the lay of the land.”
“So, what now?”
Mako says, “We take a little drive. Get set up near the exchange site.”
Simona hops up. “Roger that. We’ll be ready in five.”
As the nerves in my gut hit high alert, I confirm and disconnect. The needle on the clock is ticking. I’m just thankful as hell that it will be Mako and Wolf walking into that exchange.
There’s two hours left when we stop at a small Inn somewhere deep in the countryside.
Mako rolls down his window. “Let’s grab a couple of rooms and lay low.”
“Roger that.”
Simona and I walk in and book a room. Mako follows immediately after. We gather in our room for some last-minute plans.
Wolf pulls up a satellite image on his computer. “So, this is how it’s going down. The exchange is supposed to take place at this gate.” He points to a mark on the screen. “This building here, this is a guard shack. This one is a mansion, but it’s actually just an empty shell. The real facility is behind this, a half mile down a country lane.”
“Wow, elaborate place. How do you know this?”
“I have a good connection. This place has been on the radar for a while as being suspicious.”
Simona asks, “What goes on there?”
“Nothing like smuggling or commerce, but this man, he’s got some kind of multibillion dollar business.”
I whistle, “Wow, and he’s taking a chance on bringing this right to his front door.”
Wolf nods and grins. “Not very smart, huh?”
Simona groans, “I hope I didn’t inherit that fatal flaw.”
I stretch out the tension in my neck. “Where are the rest of the team?”
Mako checks his watch. “ETA, one hour.”
“Too damned close for my taste.”
Simona bumps my shoulder with hers. “They’re always on time.” I just hope they are this time.
Wolf closes his laptop, “I’ve got this. Don’t worry. This is my kind of gig.”
“You’re just going to grab this man, whoever he is, in the midst of his place, in the middle of his secured estate.”
“Yep. And I’m going to do it before the trade goes down.”