Page 22 of Operation: Silent Angel
Laura Lee couldn’t help but chuckle. She put her hand on his shoulder. “He’s a man of deep faith, and he really helped me regain my faith at a time when I needed it.”
The New York woman laid her hand over her own heart. “Oh, that is so wonderful.”
They all continued to chat as the shuttle bus made the drive to the resort. Once parked in front of the lobby, they all collected their luggage and then stood in line in front of the two agents available to check in the guests. A bellboy was assigned to each as they completed their check-in. He brought them and their luggage to their rooms, giving them the grand tour of the facilities on the way.
Cooper and Madison were the first of the Shepherd Security couples to check into the resort. Their bellboy brought them to the edge of the lobby, which overlooked the four pools, mature foliage, many buildings, the beach and ocean. The view of the resort from the elevated lobby was spectacular. From there, the bellboy pointed out various places of interest, including their building on the far-left side of the property before leading them to their room.
Lambchop and Saxton slid in front of one of the lobby staff as the couple from New York followed their bellboy to the edge of the lobby. They presented their passports and were assigned their room. A bellboy also took them to the edge to give them a spectacular view of the resort before bringing them and their luggage to their room, also in building one.
Yvette stood on the balcony watching the building across the resort for any sign of Cooper or Madison. Finally, they both stepped out onto their balcony with the bellboy who’d shown them to their room. The room was located where it was supposed to be, per Angel’s reservations, in order to best surveil Ruiz. Yvette slipped her comms into her ear. As all team members were in the solitary confines of their rooms, the team would touch bases as planned.
Yvette then turned her attention to the walkways from the main lobby in the center of the horseshoe of buildings. She scanned the walkways, which were partially obscured by the dense tropical foliage and the many buildings the paths wound around. Finally, she caught sight of Lambchop and Saxton, being led by their bellboy, who pushed their luggage on a cart. She followed their progress until they entered her building at ground level.Her attention went back to the lobby building, watching for Roth and Woods.
“Xena and Coop on comms,” Madison broadcast.
“Roger that. Lambchop and Lah-lee have just entered their building,” Yvette acknowledged. “Should be on comms within ten minutes.”
In the raised lobby, Woods and Roth peered over the edge as the bellboy pointed out the different structures, the coffee shop, the various restaurants, all four of the pools by name, and which building their room was in. The buffet was below them; the spa behind them. He highly recommended a visit to the spa for a treatment. It was also where the gym was located. Then he escorted them and their luggage to their room, which was in building three, the building right before their target, their onsite Ops Center, and Lambchop and Laura Lee’s room.
Once the bellboy left. They each removed their comms from the case and inserted them into their ears. “Crash and MP, on comms.” Briana had been an MP when she was in the army. On the mission several months earlier when Roth had assisted her with a client who’d been murdered by her husband, Brody ‘BT’ Templeton, who’d been covering Ops, had referred to her as MP in communications. The callsign stuck even after her Operator training.
“We’re all on now,” Cooper broadcast. “We’re getting the long-range camera and mic set up on the target’s slider. The wind will be a factor on the mic.”
“If he does business by the Preferred Club Pool as it appeared he was earlier today, you may be able to pick that up from there. If not, we can move it to one of the rooms on this side of the resort,” Yvette added. “We have one camera installed pointing at his slider, picks up the first six feet into the room. Razor will install one with a mic inside his room if he goes out for dinner after his nap.”
“We’ll need several of you on active surveillance and available to intercept him if he returns before I’m done and clear,” Garcia said.
“Just let us know when,” Cooper said. “We’ll all be ready to move on a moment’s notice.”
“Everyone should get dressed for dinner. We’ll let you know when he heads out and to which restaurant or bar he’s going to. We should have a good vantage point of the whole resort from here,” Yvette said.
“Lambchop, you and Saxton should head out ahead of our target and get a drink at that bar in the middle of the restaurant area, so you are ready to follow him wherever he goes. I see people strolling around the resort with their wine glasses, so grab a drink to blend in,” Cooper said. “And everyone stay on comms.”
“Roger that, Coop. We’ll change and head out right now,” Lambchop answered. “Switch your comms to receive only,” he told Laura Lee as he did the same to his. “How fast can you get ready?”
“Two minutes,” she answered. “I just need to change into a sundress and sandals.” She glanced around the room at the lack of privacy. Even from within the semi-frosted confines of the shower and toilet room, more would be seen than she was comfortable with.
“We both keep our backs turned,” Lambchop said, as though he could read her mind.
She chuckled. “If it were anyone else but you.” She paused and shook her head.
Lambchop also chuckled as he pulled clothes from his suitcase and then turned his back to her to change. A few minutes later, they were both dressed in resort casual attire. Her floral sundress and sandals gave her no place to hide her weapon, so she carried a small handbag with it inside. Lambchop wore a pair of black dress shorts, a black form-fitting T-shirt with a dark striped, short-sleeved button-down shirt worn open. His weapon was easily hidden in the small of his back.
After activating the do not disturb feature in their room, they walked to a beautiful circular building in the center of the resort restaurant area that was one of the many bars in the resort complex. Once seated on a comfortable sofa, the server came over to take their order. Lambchop ordered them both a club soda with lemon.
In Madison and Cooper’s room, they finished getting the camera and super mic set up. They tested the super mic out, focusing its laser beam directly at several windows on the building across the resort. “The wind is definitely an issue,” Cooper said. Hehad the headphones on and strained to hear. Then he directed it towards a group of men who sat in one of the cabanas near the closest pool. “I’m picking up the conversation in that cabana well, though,” he told Madison.
Madison had her eye trained through the scope of the camera. “I’ve got good sightlines to the target’s building and almost everywhere else from here. If he’s conducting business in the open, we’ll get good shots of all the players.” Their comms were still set to transmit, so all heard.
Briana stepped out onto the balcony and gazed across the expanse at the building she knew Cooper and Madison were in. She couldn’t make out anything that looked odd, like the camera or super mic. All the glass doors seemed to have a privacy coating, either that or the sun was reflecting just right so her gaze couldn’t penetrate into anyone’s room.
Roth stepped out beside her. There were privacy screens between each balcony, so he couldn’t see if anyone was out on theirs nearby enough to hear them. He raised a finger to his lips to warn Briana not to speak openly. “It’s a beautiful resort — paradise. I’m so glad we booked our vacation here,” he said.
Briana was on the same page. “It is. Let’s get changed and go for a drink before dinner.”
“Crash and MP, picked you up loud and clear,” Cooper broadcast.
“Okay, so we know the super mic’s uses and limitations in the wind,” Garcia said. “Coop, I’m going to send Mother to babysit the equipment in your room so you both can go to dinner to help surveil our target. I want to get that equipment planted in his room this evening.”
