Page 24 of Meaner Than Evil

I nod. “I’m all ears, man.”

“Direct eye contact is intimidating, so intimidate. Touching your chin, stroking your beard means you are listening. Tapping your fingers says you are impatient. Smirking can be misread. Don’t do it—either smile or frown. Be clear with your expressions. Don’t offer to shake hands. But if one is presented, grip it more firmly than they are even to the point of crushing them. If you can put your other arm on their arm, then do it. It shows a willingness to be open but not submissive. Don’t make eye contact with Logan even if you can. Stay stoic with her until it’s cool for her to acknowledge you are there. You don’t want her demeanor changing when she recognizes you.”

“She may not recognize me. I was four inches shorter and fifty pounds lighter. Not to mention I didn’t have enough facial hair to have a mustache, much less a beard.”

He chuckles. “Don’t kid yourself. She may not recognize your body, but she will recognize your eyes. Women see with their hearts. She will know you.”

I nod. “No eye contact. Gotcha.”

As I slide my belt through the belt loops, Crockett says, “We’ll be right behind you, and we will get there as soon as we can.”

I nod as I cinch it up.

Mike says, “Dude, that buckle is killer. I’m going to need to get one of those.”

“You are right about that,” I tell him as I release the longhorn emblem and flip the dagger through my fingers. “It’s killed before.”

“SWEET!” He says, and I toss it to him to examine as I slip on my boots.

Justin asks, “You got any other surprises?”

I show them the two buck knives concealed inside my black silver-toed cowboy boots. “Just these babies.”

“Fuck yeah. I’m getting a pair of those too.” Mike grins as he hands back the dagger. “We’ll be twinning.”

I smile despite the situation.

Crockett checks the time as another helicopter flies overhead. He cues up Dirk. “Our boy’s ready for pickup.”

“Roger. I’ll sink on top of you as soon as the helo clears the yacht.”

“Good copy.”

The other helicopter flies back over, and within seconds, Dirk appears over us. He lowers the copter, and Meghan tosses a ladder down. I grab it and begin climbing up. When I’m inside, she hands me a headset, and then she and I pull the ladder into the copter as the team jumps into the water and begins their swim to shore.

On the short flight in, she reviews the plan, then gives me several necklaces to wear, a watch, a ring, and a phone. “The necklaces are nothing but show. The watch is a listening device. The ring has a camera. The phone is a burner with your ticket in the photos.”

When we arrive, the nets have been removed from the tennis court, and there is a crowd of people surrounding it. Dirk lowers the helo and sets it down with precision. I reach for the door, but Meghan holds her hand up to stop me. “Hammer, stay frosty.”

“That’s a good copy, Ambassador.” I smile at her and remove the headset.

She opens the door, and I jump out. She immediately closes it, and Dirk pulls pitch, and they climb back up into the night sky.

A party of five men approaches. Luis Morales, himself, greets me. “Welcome, Abdul-Fattah.”

I bow slightly, looking him directly in the eye. His stare is cold and hard as he also sums me up.

“May I see your ticket?”

I take the phone Meghan provided and hand it to him. He acknowledges my invitation, then passes it to one of the men. “Your phone will be here waiting for you.”

I nod.

As he leads me to the auction, he tells me, “I wish you luck. I’m pulling for you.”

I respond the same way I did to Pete, “I don’t need luck, but thanks.”

He chuckles and grins. “Your English has a Southern Texas drawl.”

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