“That was awfully easy,” Neil said. “Would you expect them to be better at following someone?”
“Not really,” Sarah said. “They were hanging back so far that it was easy to put some distance between us. They were trying to keep their eyes on a silver car more than two blocks ahead, they never noticed a yellow one going up the on-ramp. If I’d had this car back when I was running blocker for my dad, we never would’ve gotten busted.”
Neil and Moose looked at each other, and Moose shrugged. “What’s that mean, running blocker?” Neil asked.
Sarah laughed. “Unless it was absolutely necessary, Dad didn’t want me actually stealing a car myself. Instead, he’d give me something fast and flashy and I’d use it to keep the cops off his ass. I’d get in front of them and slow down, weave around so they couldn’t pass me, and he’d get away with whatever car he had just snatched. As soon as he was out of sight, I’d shake the cops the same way we just shook those idiots.” She twisted her face into an irritating grimace. “That’s how I got caught and ended up at E & E. We tried it one time too many in San Francisco and the cops caught on. I was driving a new Mustang and they managed to get one ahead of me. He T-boned me in the passenger side, but my dad saw it in the rearview mirror and came back to see if I was okay. He was surrounded by the time he got out of the car and they tased him, then stuffed him in a squad car and took him to jail while they were still waiting for an ambulance for me. I woke up the next day with tubes sticking out of me and my leg in a cast, and Allison was sitting there looking at me. She told me that if I would join E & E, she would see to it that my dad didn’t do any time and would be offered a big-money job using his skills to help the FBI fight interstate auto theft. I agreed, and as far as my dad knows, I died in that wreck.” A single tear made its way down her cheek. “Anyway, if I’d had this? They could have kissed my ass!”
All three of the men were silent for a moment, but then Neil reached up and patted her shoulder. “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way,” he said, “but I’m pretty glad you did get caught. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have you to make sure we get where we’re going in one piece. I don’t think anybody could outdrive you.”
Sarah smiled again. “Mario Andretti, maybe, but I think he’s dead. Isn’t he dead?”
“Just a minute, I’ll tell you—nope, he’s not dead, he’s just old.”
It was almost seven thirty when Sarah pulled up to the gatehouse at the JSOC Compound, and two Marines carrying M4 rifles stepped out and flanked the car. Noah rolled down his window.
“I’m here to meet Squadron A. Pass code is 14 Alpha 5-9 Zulu Charlie.”
“Your name, Sir?” the guard asked.
“The name is Camelot,” Noah said.
“Yes, Sir, you’re approved for entry. Please follow the blue stars on the roadway, they’ll take you directly to the TOC. There’s a Colonel Abrams there waiting for you now.”
The guards stepped away and the large steel gate slid open. Sarah put the car in gear and moved forward, keeping it down to the fifteen-mile-per-hour speed limit that was posted.
There were red, white and blue stars on the road, each apparently leading to a different part of the compound. Sarah followed the blue stars onto a curving road, and fifteen minutes later they arrived at a large concrete building. Another gate opened as they approached, and a soldier in fatigues directed them to a parking area.
“Neil,” Noah said, “bring your computer.”
As they got out of the car, a woman in an army uniform stepped out of the building to greet them. “You must be Camelot,” she said to Noah. “I’m Colonel Jennifer Abrams. I don’t know who you are and I don’t think I want to know, but JSOC says I am to extend you every courtesy and assistance possible.”
Noah stuck out a hand and the Colonel shook it firmly. “Good to meet you, Colonel. For now, you can call me Wyatt. These folks with me are Rosemary, Jimmy and Lenny. I imagine we’ve arrived a little before Captain Hayes, am I right?”
“I’m afraid so. I haven’t been briefed on what this is about, so I’m not going to ask any questions. However, I’ve got to tell you, I get a little concerned when Delta Force gets called into town. My understanding is that they are to answer to you and you alone for the duration of whatever operation you’re running.”