Page 65 of Battle Mountain

“Is anyone suspicious?”

“Not that I can tell,” she said. “I got bumped up to senior server already, thanks to a woman named Peaches. I’ve been in the room and seen them all.”

“Those bastards,” Soledad said.

“It was so strange to see him in person,” Double-A said. “He was not more than two feet away. I took his order and served him a couple of drinks. He’s a scotch-and-soda guy. Shorter and older than he looks on television standing next to the president. Also cruder. He tried to flirt with me, even though he’s here with his wife.”

“I figured he was an asshole,” Soledad said. “No one could be that pious in real life.”

“I can confirm they’re all here, just like you said.”

“Of course they’re all here. These criminals wouldn’t miss this gathering for the world. Did the shipment arrive on time?”

“Yes. It’s secure.”

“So that’s what they make you wear?” Soledad chuckled. “They make you dress like a sexy little cowgirl?”

Eisele couldn’t help himself. He opened his eyes slightly, because he wanted to see her outfit. He’d only seen her in baggy fatigues before, but now she wore a skintight Western shirt tucked into tight blue jeans. It was worth the risk to look, he thought.

“Don’t waste too much of your time on him,” Soledad saiddismissively while throwing a side-eye toward Eisele. “We might need those medical supplies later.”

“I don’t need to change his dressings at the moment,” she said. “He’s healing up nicely.”

“Great. We need him to be healthy and recovered when we put him in the meat locker next to his buddy.”

“I can’t just let him suffer,” Double-A said. Eisele suddenly loved her with all of his heart.

Soledad snorted a laugh. “I don’t care about that, as you know. Our mission here isn’t to nurse anyone back to health.”

“I know that, Axel.” This time, her tone was sharp. “I’m not an idiot.”

“I know you’re not. I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind right now.”

Eisele kept his eyes closed and his face passive when the light from her headlamp fell back on him. He got the feeling she was looking away from Soledad more than checking on his condition.

Soledad said, “I got the word that we might have a problem.”

“Oh?” she asked.

“A guy called Nate Romanowski is looking for me again,” Soledad said. “He’s with a big Black dude named Geronimo Jones. They’re both ex-operators and falconers. Romanowski could really be a problem.”

“I’ve heard you mention his name,” she said. She was still not fully reengaged with Soledad, Eisele thought. There was a rift between them he’d been unaware of until that moment. It was obvious Double-A didn’t like being addressed in the derisive manner Soledad had used at first.

“Yeah,” Soledad said. “If it wasn’t for the network of patriotsout there I wouldn’t have the intel. It seems those two paid a visit on a weak man named Reese in Montana, who told them I tried to recruit him. I’ll deal with him as soon as this operation is over.

“And just today, they met with a lawyer I’ve had dealings with. They must have spooked her enough that she talked out of school. I’ll deal with her, too.”

“Are they getting close to us?” Double-A asked. There was alarm in her voice.

“I’d say they’re getting warmer,” Soledad said. “I sent a couple of our dipshit anarchists to take care of them this afternoon, outside of Laramie. I’d sent them there for supplies and redeployed them to intercept Romanowski and Jones.”

He paused. “It didn’t work out. Our dipshits got jumped. I don’t know if they did any damage before they were taken out, but as you know, those idiots are pure amateurs. It’s one thing to stage a student protest in the office of the dean, and another thing to intercept a couple of armed ex-operators. But they were all I had available. I wish you or a couple of your team had been there instead.”

“So where are Romanowski and Jones now?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Thank God we’re hard to find here in Soledad City.”

“Axel,” Double-A said, “we can’t have them screwing this up. There are too many moving parts as it is.”

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