She folded her arms. “Relax, will you? I was only gonna tell you to meet me on my afternoon break.” She checked her watch. “Which is now over, by the way. Where you been all afternoon?”
“I was busy.” Trying to fix my face, he thought. “What do you want?”
“I met the Melendez security guys,” she said. “Like you said, they checked the rooms, they checked the hallway. Looks like they were more focused on figuring out the convention center.”
“You going to have any problems?” Jonny absent-mindedly flexed his jaw muscles, the pain subsiding a little further. “They might check the bedclothes before lights out.”
“Sure, they might. But they trust me so far; there’s no reason to suspect they’d change their minds. So long as I keep on using fresh toiletries and cleaning products, eyes are off me.”
“Good. Make sure you keep it that way.” He studied Mariel’s face, looking for any signs of nerves. She looked right back at him, her gaze hard and steady. Jonny remembered for a moment why he found her attractive, the girl from the Philippines who had shown up one night at his campus bar, back in his UCLA days, wide-eyed and full of secrets. Clearly not a student there, she hadn’t taken long to latch on to someone who knew his way around, knew how to keep her safe, keep her under the radar.
Her looks hadn’t faltered in the three years he’d known her, and he was still glad to have her on his arm. But she was a liability, independent-minded. Not long-term material, certainly not someone the Family would approve of. Not Japanese. Despite all that, she was fun, knew how to have a good time. But all that would come to an end, once she’d outlived her usefulness. That was the way of all things, and this too must pass.
Jonny leaned in and brushed away a damp strand of hair from her face. “This will all be over soon,” he said. “Then it’s a better life. For both of us.”
She pulled away. “People shouldn’t have to die.”
“It’s you or them. You know that better than anyone. This is the world we live in.”
“It’s a shitty world.”
“It’s the only one we’ve got.” He pulled her closer, her warm breath against his cheek. There was the smell of cigarettes and perfume. Holding her tight, he kissed her.
“What was that for?” she said, drawing back.
“I can’t kiss you?”
“You haven’t in weeks.”
“Maybe it’s nerves.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” She turned to leave. “Listen, I’m due back on shift any minute. If I’m late, people ask questions.”
Jonny nodded. “Tomorrow night. Everybody’s guard will be down. Make the move then.”
“I’ll see you after work.” Mariel walked away, back toward the main street and out of sight.
Watching her disappear around the corner, Jonny checked his watch. The target was due to arrive soon, and he wanted eyes on her. With a final glance at his cell phone, he headed back toward the hotel, hoping for a chance to find a good surveillance spot at the bar.
And hell, maybe a few drinks might take the edge off.
Chapter 18
SECRET SERVICE TEAM Leader Joanne Harper was sitting hunched over a laptop when Leopold, Jerome, and Johnson arrived. Nestling in a small office on the third floor, Harper looked up from her screen as Leopold knocked on the door, quickly shutting the laptop lid. She was dressed in plain clothes, a smart suit and white shirt, a blue rain jacket slung over the back of her chair. Stacks of paper files littered the small desk in the center of the room, the walls adorned with schedule printouts and photocopied blueprints of the building.
“You must be Melendez’s team,” Harper said.
“For our sins,” Leopold said. “I understand you’re heading up the protection detail for the President this weekend.” He closed the door and walked toward the desk. Jerome and Johnson stood behind him.
She nodded. “I’ve been over your itinerary, Mr. Blake. I’m surprised Mr. Melendez has opted for outside help.”
“After Santiago, can you blame him?”
Harper narrowed her eyes. “That was an isolated incident.” She took a deep breath. “What do you want?”
“Officer Johnson has kindly offered to escort us through the premises. We’d like your permission to sweep the areas Mr. Melendez will be using tomorrow. And copies of your risk assessment reports, if you’d be so kind.”
“You want my help? I thought Mr. Melendez would have everything under control.”
Leopold smiled. “We’re just being thorough. Your remit does extend to Presidential candidates, does it not?”