Page 87 of S.O.S. Mizzay

“Hello?” he called out again, still not budging.

“What?” she huffed, continuing her trajectory.

“Coffee,” he stated again, this time loud enough to turn a few heads.

“I’ll have someone bring us some,” she said over her shoulder. “Move it, Cobble. I don’t want to spend too much time here.” She beckoned for to him to follow, and he reluctantly complied. Morning refreshment would obviously have to wait.

Andy walked up to a door that read “Director Baskins”, knocked once, and after a barked response, went in.

A well-toned, older gentleman stood up from behind his desk and came around with his hand extended toward Cobble. “Mr. Blue, I assume,” he greeted. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Cobble accepted the shake. “Sawyer, please, or Cobble,” he replied with a nod.

“Cobble, it is,” Baskins agreed easily. “And these gentlemen are Agents Georgio.” He indicated a wiry man whose smarmy half-smile Cobble instantly disliked. “Agent Fleischerman.” The second of the two men was jacked, and without a change of expression on his chiseled, stoic face, he gave a chin lift. “And over there we have a member of Missy’s SOS team, Mr. Prancingdeer.”

“You can call me Wiley,” the man said, coming forward with a genuine greeting, and Cobble relaxed his shoulders. This man was the real deal, and he liked him immediately.

“How was your drive in, Missy?” Baskins asked Andy.

The two FBI agents attending had no idea where they’d come from, so Baskins kept it vague.

“Traffic-y, but we made pretty good time.”

Now was the moment for Andy to start spinning the false narrative they’d concocted. They didn’t want the agents knowing that Cobble had actually been in town for a while, and had been well established in the place to which they’d soon be heading back.

“We flew Cobble in last evening, and spent the night in a hotel, but he’s anxious to get settled into his new digs and get this over with.”

They were playing this like no one but Baskins knew, yet, where they’d be stashing Cobble, when in reality, the entire SOS team—at least those who hadn’t been tasked with transportingEl-Umar—were already setting up in covert positions in and around the bungalow.

“Actually, right now, I’m anxious for acup of coffee,”Cobble interjected.

Just because things might get dangerous soon, he wasn’t going to give up on a perfectly fine caffeine fix.

“We can make that happen,” Baskins stated with a chuckle, lifting his own to his lips and taking a sip.

“I’ll get it,” Wiley interjected. “You want one, too, Mizzay?” he asked.

Damn.It was comical, the number of names Andy answered to; Andy, Missy, Mizzay. It was a bit confusing for Cobble, but he guessedshemust be used to it by now.

“I could go for a cup,” Andy responded.

“Anybody else?” Wiley asked politely.

Georgio pursed his lips and shook his head. Fleischerman grunted.

Okay then.Three coffees, no small talk.

Andy got down to business once Wiley took his and Andy’s orders and left the room.

“Have you heard from Mistah Songen?” she asked her boss of old.

“I have,” Baskins replied. “He and his team got into Logan with El-Umar an hour ago. They’re still tied up with customs, even though I fast-tracked them, but as soon as they’re cleared, they’ll head here, where our terrorist, gold-smuggling friend will join Agent Tertia in our holding area below.”

Cobble almost snorted.

From what Andy had told him, “holding area” was a nice name for the jail in the basement.

Andy grunted. “Sounds good. And now, moving on, I know it had to stay hush-hush until now, but where, exactly, are we putting Cobble?”

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