Page 19 of Stuart Woods' Smolder

“As far as the press and public will know, I’ll be at Camp David, but really, I’ll be staying at Kate and Will’s in Santa Fe.” Kate and Will Lee were her two immediate predecessors as president. “They’ll be there tomorrow night, then they’re leaving for Hawaii the following day. The place would be all ours. Well, ours and the Secret Service.”

“When will you arrive?”

“I should be there in time for dinner.”

“Then so will I.”

Once they’d said their goodbyes, Stone buzzed Joan. “Call Faith. Tell her we’ll be flying to Santa Fe tomorrow. I’d like wheels up at ten a.m.”

“Taking my advice, I see.”

“Accepting an offer I have no desire to refuse.”

“You say potato.”

“No. I believe I said, ‘Call Faith.’ ”

—

“Wake up,” Devin said, shaking Benji’s arm.

Benji cracked his eyes open and looked around. They were driving down a street lined with dingy fast-food joints and old mixed-use buildings.

He stretched and sat up. From the angle of the sun, he guessed it was late afternoon.

“Welcome to Chicago,” Devin said.

“How close are we?”

“Half mile.”

“Anything from my brother?”

“Yeah. He texted about fifteen minutes ago. He’s already there.”

“Of course he is.”

Benji smelled his armpits, then blew into his palm. He immediately cringed. “Please tell me you have gum?”

Devin pulled a pack from his pocket and tossed it to him.

After the heist in Aspen, they had gone to Denver. They dropped Sticks off at the airport, so he could fly to Vegas and wait until they needed him again. Next, they ditched the car they’d stolen, picked up a rental, and then spent a few days at the Lazy C Motor Lodge near downtown, keeping a low profile.

Confident no one was looking for them, they had set out that morning in the wee hours, and except for a few stops to fuel up and stretch, had been on the road ever since.

Devin turned onto a side road that was home to several unmarked buildings and nodded at a particularly ratty-looking one half a block away. “I think that’s it.”

Benji checked the address. “Yeah. Pull into the lot and go around back. There’s supposed to be a roll-up door there.”

Devin did as instructed.

The door was right where it was supposed to be, and as they neared, it began to churn upward.

Benji’s half brother, Simon, stepped out and signaled for Devin to drive inside. Devin did so and parked next to a Mercedes S class. Behind them, the door rolled down again.

Benji climbed out first. “Hey.”

“Any problems?” Simon had never been one for niceties, at least where Benji was concerned.

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