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“Watching the nightly news.”
“Did you disable her cell phone?”
“Yep.” Duser took another drag from his cigarette. “What’s the skinny on her boyfriend?”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s his story? Is there anything I should know about him?”
Cameron looked out across the lawn. The neighbors were about fifty feet away on both sides, and there was a lot of vegetation dividing the property lines. “There’s a chance he might be armed, but I wouldn’t worry. He won’t do anything as long as we have the girl.”
“You sure?”
“How many men do you have?”
“Six counting me.”
Cameron smiled. “He’s no match for you and your boys.” Duser was cocky and more than willing to believe the shit Cameron was shoveling at him. After checking his watch, Cameron said, “It’s getting late. I doubt it’s going to happen tonight. I want to talk to her, and then I should head back into town and grab a few things.”
“Why don’t we just tie her up and wait for him to show?”
“I don’t want to leave any marks on her unless we have to.” Cameron opened the door and walked into the house. Two of Duser’s bruisers were sitting at the kitchen table playing cards. Their suit coats were off, and their weapons were clearly visible in their shoulder holsters. Cameron nodded to the two men and continued into the living area.
“Hello, Ms. Rielly, my name is Barry Lenzner.” Cameron stuck out his hand.
Rielly was sitting in the oversized chair with her legs crossed. She grabbed the stranger’s hand and said, “Hello.”
Cameron sat on the couch. The first thing he noticed about Rielly was her stunning green eyes. “I work for the Agency.” He gestured to the men in the kitchen. “I hope none of this has alarmed you?”
“No…not too much.” Rielly brushed some of her hair back behind her ears.
“Good, because I don’t want you to get upset over nothing. There is a small chance Mitch might make it by tonight, but I doubt it.” Cameron saw the look of despair on Rielly’s face. “Don’t worry. Nothing bad has happened. It’s just that a few things came up.”
“What?”
With a grin, Cameron said, “You know I can’t get into that, Ms. Rielly.”
“I know what Mitch does for a living.”
“I know that you know certain things, probably far more than you should, but it’s not my place to discuss these issues with you. Mitch is in the middle of something very important, something with huge national security implications.”
“Is he safe?”
“Yes, he’s safe.” Cameron smiled. “It’s the other guys I’d worry about.”
“What other guys?”
“The bad guys.”
“Oh.”
“Listen, I don’t want you to worry. I’m pretty sure Mitch will be here in the morning. If you want, we can take you back into the city and then bring you back out here bright and early, or you can spend the night here. We will, of course, stay out of your way.”
“Is there a chance he still might come tonight?”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to get your hopes up.”
“Then I’ll stay here.”