Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

Woodley

New Orleans sucked. Who gave a shit about the Big Easy, with its nightlife, beignets, live music, Mardi Gras, restaurants, and steamboats.

Admittedly, the city was perfectly fine, even above average, but this mission skewed his view of the place, and for good reason. Last night might be the last time he and Harris ever saw each other in person if the mission went to hell.

Half the team was headed to the secret rental house, while the other half was headed for their very public hotel in the Mid-City area. Woodley, Jennifer, Spencer, Stryker, Gunner, Conor, and Jason flew into New Orleans in their private plane without using the regular channels and would be staying at the rental. Harris, Brick, Fletcher, and Shaw flew in on a commercial flight out in the open to appear as normal as possible in case they were being watched, with Elias, John, and Gator staying back in Fire Lake to watch over those left behind.

Both teams constantly communicated, sometimes through Jennifer and Harris’s mental link, but Woodley was still anxious. He had to get his head in the game and detach all emotion if he was to be of any use during this mission.

“ We’re here,” Spencer announced as they pulled up to a two-story brick house at the end of a long lane surrounded by a tall chain-link fence and hulking oak trees.

“ Looks like a fortress,” Jennifer said from the backseat.

“ It’s not yet, but it will be when we’re finished,” Gunner stated.

“ We’ll have comms up and running within the hour,” Spencer said.

“ The place will be wired and covered in surveillance before nightfall,” Stryker added.

“ Shit, you guys are always on, aren’t you?” Jennifer asked.

“ We train for war and fight to win,” Stryker stated without a hint of doubt.

Jennifer looked around the vehicle at the men gathered. “My brother just might have a fighting chance, after all.”

“ That’s the plan,” Woodley replied. “Everyone gets out of this in one piece.” Otherwise, he’d be sure to burn the place to the ground and wouldn’t need Gator’s explosive knowledge.

***

Harris

“ Four o’clock,” Brick whispered as they unloaded their luggage from the Uber and walked into their hotel lobby.

They didn’t usually take public transit, preferring to rent their own vehicle in advance, but they needed to be as visible as possible for this mission. That way, the men they were trying to attract would have a better-than-average chance of seeing them.

“ Got him,” Fletcher answered.

Harris had noticed the guy the moment they got out of the car, and he couldn’t help but notice their Uber driver had sent off a quick text when they were picked up at the airport. Hmm. Seemed the powers that be knew they were in town as they’d suspected and counted on. The Noah Group likely had people stationed around the city to keep an eye on things.

“ Might as well have a neon sign hanging over his head,” Shaw chuckled. “‘Thug here.’”

“ They’re not very good at this,” Harris agreed.

“ Should we start the show?” Fletcher asked. “You know, lay some groundwork.”

“ No better time than the present,” Brick agreed.

Harris sped up his pace and intentionally slammed his duffle bag into Brick’s thigh.

“ Hey, asshole. Watch where you’re going,” Brick growled on cue. “Did they add the clumsy gene into your DNA, or do you come by it naturally?”

“ You don’t always have to be a hard-ass, you know,” Harris shot back.

Brick stopped mid-stride and turned to face Harris. The look on his face was deadly.

“ You’re standing on my last nerve. I’m beginning to regret letting you tag along.”

“ I’m not some lost puppy,” Harris argued.

“ Then stop acting like one,” Brick shot back.

“ Okay, okay,” Fletcher said as he stood between them, acting as the peacemaker. “You two gotta learn to get along.”

“ Not likely,” Brick growled before turning and heading straight toward the elevators at the other end of the lobby. They’d already done the online check-in and could use their phones to unlock the door.

When the sliding doors opened, the four of them got on and hit the button for the sixth floor. Once the doors closed, all their demeanors relaxed.

“ You think he bought it?” Harris asked.

“ Oh yeah,” Shaw said. “The dude was enjoying his front-row seat, that’s for sure.”

“ Good,” Brick said. “Let’s get to the room. Once we sweep it for bugs, we’ll bring the rest of the team up to speed.”

“ Already done,” Harris chuckled while tapping the side of his head. “My sister’s got her own front-row seat.”

“ That’s going to come in handy,” Fletcher said.

“ I’m counting on it,” Harris agreed.

The elevator chimed, and as the doors opened, they took defensive positions out of habit, always prepared for every eventuality. They reached their two-bedroom suite and immediately swept through all the spaces, searching for listening devices, cameras, and other hidden equipment. Once they were satisfied the rooms were secure, Harris set up his laptop and connected it to Spence at the comms in the rental house.

“ That didn’t take long,” Spence said. “Already got a tail.”

“ Yeah, we got lucky,” Brick chuckled. “Though the dude sucks at his job.”

“ It feels odd to say we’re lucky we’ve got a tail when, typically, we’re trying to stay off the bad guys’ radar,” Shaw commented.

“ True, but I think it won’t be the last time we do things out of character on this mission,” Harris said. “As long as we remember the long-term goal is stopping these groups from harming anyone else.”

“ Agreed,” Brick said. “How’s the rental?”

“ We’re all settled in,” confirmed Spencer. “Sensors and cameras are up and operational, and the perimeter is secure. Information is still coming in from my contacts regarding the makeup of this group, but so far, it appears likely this group is an offshoot of the California cult. There are ten to fifteen individuals involved in operating the dive bar as their front.”

“ Do we know who’s in charge?” Brick asked.

“ Not yet, but I should have a better idea before the end of the day,” Spencer answered.

“ Good. We’ll be heading out for chow soon.”

“ Let me double-check to make sureall your trackers are working properly,” Spencer said before facing something off-camera.

Woodley came into view when Spencer moved, immediately capturing Harris’s attention. Neither said a word, but there was no need. The angry look on Woodley’s face and his furrowed brows indicated that he still wasn’t happy about the mission.

Spencer came back onto the screen. “Okay, I have all four of you tracked, and your hidden cameras are recording.”

The trackers weren’t attached to them or their clothing. They’d been implanted using a special needle that hurt like a son-of-a-bitch when shoved under the skin. For him, they’d done it twice as a precaution in two different areas of his body. Harris wouldn’t be going anywhere without the team knowing. It was reassuring but creepy at the same time. The cameras were no bigger than the head of a needle and attached to their watches, sunglasses, and buttons on their shirts. The team would be able to see and hear everything they did.

“ We’ll be in touch,” Brick said, and the transmission ended.

“ Wow, he’s pissed, eh,” Shaw said, followed by a long whistle. “Woodley’s still not on board with this mission.”

“ No,” Harris said, hoping that would end it.

“ You can’t blame the guy,” Fletcher chimed in. “I wouldn’t be too impressed if Elias went out on a dangerous police call without any physical backup.”

“ You idiots are my backup,” Harris said.

“ Yeah, but we won’t be in there with you,” Shaw said.

“ It doesn’t matter. We aren’t in the same type of relationship you have with Elias; hell, the two of you are engaged,” Harris stated.

“ I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” Shaw said.

Before Harris could argue, Brick spoke up.

“ Let’s go make an appearance at the restaurant downstairs. I’m sure the first guy has called in some of his friends by now, and they’re ready for Act Two.”

The four men stood and headed out. Harris tried to clear his mind of Woodley, but it was useless.

When they arrived, the restaurant was half full, and the waiter seated them in a semicircular booth in the back, as Brick had requested. This position gave them the perfect view of the entrance and the rest of the restaurant so they could keep tabs on the place.

Brick fell into his role the minute they stepped out of the elevator, acting agitated and scowling at Harris. Fletcher and Shaw placed themselves between them to make it appear they were still trying to keep the peace between the other two men.

“ Six and eight,” Fletcher whispered, indicating where he’d spotted their potential audience.

“ Got ’em,” Harris answered. Jeez, whoever was in charge of this faction of the Noah Group needed to invest in some training for its goons. They stuck out among the other restaurant guests, and anyone with a trained eye for their surroundings could have picked them out.

The first guy looked to be in his early twenties, while the second was closer to fifty. The younger man sat at the bar, and the other sat alone at a table, each with a glass of beer sitting untouched in front of them. Harris snorted. The idiots should at least order some food or something to make it less obvious. Newbies were playing spies .

Brick handed out the menus, chucking one at Harris with more force than the others, and he wondered if the leader was enjoying this game a bit too much. Harris was oddly enjoying himself and fought not to smile and give them away. He felt more like part of the team, despite Brick giving him death stares.

“ You better have brought some cash, dude. I ain’t paying for you,” Brick said to Harris.

“ Don’t worry about me. I can take of myself, asshole,” Harris huffed.

“ I doubt that, or we wouldn’t be stuck with your useless ass this long.” Good one.

“ Okay, you two. Can we have one meal without this shit,” Fletcher growled. “I’m losing my appetite.”

They all returned to their menus and pretended to ignore each other but continued their conversation in code. The waiter came and went, and all four ordered beers; two got burgers, one steak, one fish, and all with chips. Harris was hungry and downed his burger in record time when their meals arrived. Once he was taken, Harris doubted he’d get fed like this if he was lucky enough to get any food. He sat waiting for the other three to finish when he got an idea.

“ I’m going to the john.”

“ Do I care?” Brick shot back.

“ Doubt it,” Harris said before standing and heading toward the sign indicating the men’s washroom. When he shut the door behind him, he quickly checked the stalls to ensure he was alone. He was.

“ Let’s see how long it takes before I have company,” he said, knowing the team would be listening.

He was zipping up his jeans when the door opened behind him, and the younger guy of the two watchers walked in and sidled up to one of the urinals. Harris turned and began washing his hands as if unconcerned, but it didn’t take long for the man to take the sink beside him and initiate a conversation.

“ Hey,” he said.

“ Hey,” Harris replied.

“ In town for business or pleasure?”

“ Both.”

“ You?”

“ Same,” he said. “Can I buy you a beer?”

That was fast.

“ Look, I’m not looking for a date,” Harris wouldn’t make it too easy.

“ No,” the guy said and stood back with his hands up. “I didn’t mean that. It’s just that I’m here alone, and I thought it’d be cool to have someone to sit and have a beer with. No strings, man.”

Harris took his time and gave the guy the once-over for good measure.

“ I’m here with some people, but maybe if you’re around later, I’ll take you up on the offer.”

The young man smiled. “Sure, I’ll be staying at the hotel for a couple of days; I’m sure we’ll cross paths again.”

“ Sure,” Harris said with a nod before walking out of the bathroom and back to his booth.

He knew the team had heard the entire conversation, and thanks to the hidden cameras, Spence got a good visual ID of the guy and was probably already tracking down his information. Mission complete, first contact made.

Now on to step two.