“How the hell do you know she’s bedding down Sorenson?”
“Looks mostly, Gus. If you didn’t see them, then my explaining them to you would be like explaining passionate sex to a celibate monk. Anyway, we’re not the morals committee for the US Marshal’s service or their bosses. I trust Grace and Tim to come get the damn ‘Hack Chip’, and hear the story without any extracurricular activity. If I ever catch that Sorenson asshole hanging around, it’ll be the last time anyone sees him.”
“There’s our trio waiting for us by the Pirate’s Cove.”
“When we get to the house, you’d better take Tina home. I’ll be fine with this. We’ll meet at the point at eight, okay?”
“Are you sure? They could bring an army with them to your house.”
“No offense, Gus, but what exactly could you do if they come with an army?”
“I see your point. It’s just I know you’ll do something if they did.”
“Yeah, get you killed.” Nick waved at their female counterparts. “I see bags. Did you all find something you like?”
“We did,” Rachel answered. “How about you and Gus?”
“We found Grace and Tim. They’re coming over to the house in an hour. They had a couple people I didn’t like with them, but they’ll be leaving those people somewhere else while we have a small reunion. Let’s call it a night. That dinner hit the spot.”
“I can’t wait to see Grace and Tim,” Jean said, clapping her hands together. “Do you think they got married yet?”
“I would have to say no,” Nick answered. “They were still basically happy people.”
That earned Nick a host of derogatory replies, all of which he waved off. “They’re fine. You can ask them yourselves. I don’t trespass into other peoples’ business on a whim. Mark my words though. The two of them are single.”
*
As Nick escorted Grace and Tim into the house, they were set upon by Rachel, Jean, and Deke the dog. A frenzy of happy faces, words of greeting, and heartfelt hugs ensued. The two US Marshals had helped Nick end the coast to coast death race, by providing support when needed, and watching out for his charges while Nick and Gus engaged in a final reckoning. When the greetings played out, Nick led the group upstairs to the deck, where again clear night skies made a wonderful vista from the enclosure.
“Rach… can you and Jean give us a few minutes to work out some business?”
“Sure, Nick. Jean and I will go put together a snack tray.”
Nick waited until they were out of the room and the door was closed. “Can I get you two something to drink? I’m having a sip of whiskey.”
“Sure Nick, we’ll have one with you,” Grace said.
“After our meeting in the parking lot, I could use one,” Tim agreed.
Nick poured them each a shot, and set down a USB drive, along with the enclosed ‘Hacker Chip’ in a clear plastic baggie. “There’s a folder on the traitorous clown, Pence Didricson, who sold the chip on the USB drive. The AG and the FBI can handle him without my help. The ‘Hacker Chip’ comes with a bit more story to it. The answers as to why and where are on the drive, along with the name in the Saudi Government, who directed Fahid Al Mady to acquire the chip in the first place.”
“I gave this all to Carol Allison, my former handler with the Company. She’s now dead, although I doubt if she has been discovered yet, killed by the guy working under her. Carol informed me in a text I still have that her employee, Ty Brody would be coming over to my house to accept transfer of the chip. He came without a secret tell Carol and I used for a long time when we had to deal with a third party transfer between us. It didn’t end well for him.”
“Damn, Nick… Al Mady’s the Saudi National who disappeared off… oh… okay then.” Grace picked up the baggie. “Al Mady’s dead, Carol Allison is dead, and this Ty Brody is dead.”
“The Chinese agents wanting to clone the chip overseas, and a couple of Al Mady’s confederates are still in play, meeting down in San Diego. I’m hoping Carol directed that part into the hands of Homeland Security or the FBI, but the AG will have to determine what was and wasn’t done with the info I gave Carol. With your boss, Sorenson, pulling the Taser stunt out in the parking lot, you can imagine the bad thoughts I’m having about what could possess him to do something like that. Will you two be flying the chip back to DC when you leave here, I hope?”
“That was our plan,” Tim replied. “With everything that’s happened, we’d damn well better. We agree on the Sorenson stunt. He wouldn’t listen to anything Grace and I said. You gave him a hell of an attitude adjustment. Do you have a secure way for us to contact the AG, so we have people meeting us when we arrive in DC?”
“Be right back.” Nick left the room.
*