Page 26 of Into the Gray Zone

I said, “Probably right, but they only had five guys, not dozens. Andthey didn’t have any long guns, just those same old exotic integrally suppressed Makarovs like was found in the prison. Wouldn’t you come boiling out with AK-47s and hand grenades if you intended to slaughter a bunch of people? Start out with shock and awe?”

“Yeah, those weapons are weird, that’s for sure. Seems like it would be a hell of a lot easier to get AKs than those pistols, and why use a silencer anyway? They didn’t need stealth.”

I thought about it, then said, “On the other hand, maybe they intended to eliminate the guards quietly before starting the big show once inside. And maybe they had more men coming. They might have been just the advance force, preparing the battle space.”

Knuckles tapped the table and said, “Well, two things are for sure: One, Bostwick’s meeting will be the most secure in history, as this place will probably go into lockdown from local Barney Fifes. There’s no way whoever it was will try a repeat now.”

I said, “And two?”

“And two, these guys should be giving us a medal for saving their ass. Thank God we put in those cameras.”

I laughed and said, “Jennifer did pretty well, didn’t she?”

He nodded and said, “She’s got the same luck as you. When she sent him over her back, he hammered his skull into the chapel wall. I saw it running in. He stood up and did a Scooby Doo shaggy-dog shake, like he was clearing his vision before shooting. Gave her time to get behind cover, and time for you to eliminate your guy.”

I let out a rueful grin and said, “I missed Jennifer’s guy. Couldn’t believe it when I saw the bullet go wide. Thank God Nadia was armed.”

I glanced at Knuckles and said, “Did you know that before?”

“No way. No idea. Came as a complete surprise. I was just as shocked as you were. I was yelling at her to get behind me as I was running. I knew she hadn’t heard the radio call of guys with weapons.”

I nodded and said, “Well, she can shoot.” I turned in my chair, stuck my feet out, and said, “Why isn’t she telling them her suspicions about us?”

He ran his finger in a circle on the table for a second, then said, “I think she’s afraid of saying she was with me. I think she’s protecting me and, in so doing, herself.”

“Awww, bullshit. She was targeted against you. She’s here collecting just like we are.”

He grew incensed, saying, “She wasnot. We just hit it off.”

I shook my head and said, “Don’t become blind. She saw you were interested, and she used that to target you.”

I saw him getting wound up and held out my hands in a gesture of surrender. I said, “Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with it, since it saved my life, but she was just doing her job.”

He shook his head again, saying, “No, she wasn’t. I’ll give you she might have targeted me initially, because I came on to her. That’s probably true, but we really connected. She might have been trying to glean information, but she was enjoying my company. She’s a good egg.”

“Oh, come on. Take off the blinders for a second. What you’re saying is exactly what I’m saying. You followed her around the pool, and then she followed you around the church ruins. Then you took her up on the invitation for dinner. It’s not like you boinked her or anything.”

He said nothing. Just looked at me. I said, “It’s not like you boinked her or anything, right?”

He kept his eyes on mine, remaining silent. I said, “Are you shitting me? You slept with her? When? How?”

I stood up, waving my arms and saying, “Did you do it in the rental car? In the broom closet? What the hell, man?”

He said, “Keep your voice down. If this place isn’t wired, you don’t need to announce it to the people outside. Yes, I slept with her, but it’snot what you think. We just clicked. It was at her place, after we came back from the church, before the camera tests tonight. Did you think she gave me an invitation to dinner on the lawn?”

That just made me more aggravated. “Inherroom? She’s probably got a tape of the whole thing. What the hell were you thinking?”

“She doesn’t have a tape. That’s not what this was about.”

“How do you know? You’re doing your thinking with your dick instead of your brain.”

“Because Iknow, that’s how.”

“Did you check the bedroom before you got under the sheets? How do youknow?”

“Because if she was going to film anything, it would havebeenin the bedroom.”

“Yeah, so?”

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