Page 20 of In Too Deep

“No way, nohow. I hate that asshole. He’s not seeing a penny.”

“How do we say no?”

“We don’t know he’s found out. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

“But if he has? We should be prepared. We should have a plan.”

“I do have a plan. You know the stranger that was with Gibson?”

“What about him?”

“Fletcher let him escape.”

“Seriously? How?”

“The guy overpowered him would be my guess. But that’s not the point. The point is that Fletcher doesn’t know where he is. I do. And he’s going to help us. I had something else in mind but we could use him for this, too.”

“Why would he help us? He doesn’t know us.”

“He thinks there’s something in it for him.”

“Is there?”

“Of course not.”

“So what do we do?”

“We make sure the Russian job goes ahead. Soon. It needs to be wrapped up tomorrow. The day after tomorrow at the latest. So if Fletcher balks, I need you to back me up. We still do the job. We just alter the timetable, OK?”

“And the stranger? Another loose end? How does that help?”

“Don’t worry about him. He won’t be a problem at all. Not for us, anyway.”

Chapter11

Reacher stepped out of thediner and took a moment to scan the parking lot. He didn’t expect that Vidic would have come back but he was a cautious man. A teacher in shop class had drummed into him,Measure twice, cut once,back when he was barely a teenager.He had never forgotten. He had foreseen little use for woodworking in his life but he appreciated the sentiment, all the same. So he adapted it. Made it into something more relevant.Look twice, act once.That became a key principle. It had served him well over the years. It had helped him stay alive while the fools who rushed in had wound up six feet underground.

There was no sign of the Jeep but one shape did attract Reacher’s attention. A man’s silhouette. He was in front of the motel office, ten yards from the door. He was maybe six feet two or three. He was wearing jeans and a black leather vest and the light from the office window was reflecting off his shaved head.

It wasn’t so much the size of the guy, or his clothing, that caught Reacher’s attention. It was his movement. He seemed agitated. Hewas pacing from side to side. Fifteen feet one way, then fifteen feet the other, back to where he started. Over and over. He didn’t pause. He didn’t change his pace. It was like he was mad about something and was looking for someone to take his aggression out on. The direct route to Reacher’s room led right past the guy. That was fine by Reacher. He wouldn’t bother the guy. Not as long as the guy didn’t bother him. It was his rule.

—

The guy inthe leather vest turned and started to walk away from Reacher. Reacher set off at the same time. In the same direction. The two men were sixty feet apart. They stayed that way until both had covered fifteen feet. Right on cue the guy turned and started walking back toward Reacher. Reacher continued, directly toward the guy. The gap closed to fifty feet. Forty. Thirty. Then the guy broke his routine. He didn’t turn. He stopped and stood still with his head tipped to one side. Reacher kept moving but adjusted his course slightly so that he would pass the guy on his left-hand side. The guy stepped across to block Reacher’s path.

Reacher thought,Mistake. He shifted back to his original course. The guy stepped over to block him again.

Bigger mistake.

The guy stood with his arms bowed and his fists clenched. He scowled for a moment, then said, “You the one who’s been bothering my girl Mary?”

Reacher said nothing.

“Don’t deny it. It was you. She described your ugly ass. You were asking questions. Poking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Reacher said nothing.

“Questions about girls and missing husbands. That stops now. Get it?”

---