Saturday, July 21, 2012

The Thief and the White Knight - 10


"So far, so good," said the man in charge. He stood in a darkened room directly across the street from the building Pia had just entered. "Now she and her friend have to make it down two floors, avoiding the security guards in the process, and get into the attorney's office."

Kerry scrubbed a hand over his face. "Sometimes you take this reality thing a bit too far. Would it have hurt anything to let the guards know what the hell's going on?"

"Yes, Kerry, it would have because one of them is on Demarco's payroll. And before you ask, we don't know which one it is. Our informant didn't have a name."

"Well you could figure it was the man responsible for checking the fourth floor."

"They use a rotating system so that no one guard covers a specific floor."

Kerry nodded. "Excellent idea from a security stand point, lousy as far as we're concerned. But if one works for Demarco he'll be certain to check that floor even if it takes him off rotation for a few minutes."

"Undoubtedly, and he'll notify Demarco when Pia and her friend are on it, which should be right about now unless they run into trouble on the way down."

* * * *

"Someone should tell the maintenance crew to rinse their mops better," Tito whispered under his breath.

Pia clapped a hand over his mouth as she pressed the stethoscope to the door. A moment later she cracked the door open a fraction of an inch, then enough to slip into the hallway. Tito was behind her a second later. She pointed to the exit at the far end of the hall. He nodded, followed in her footsteps, and then waited, every sense on alert, as she disarmed the alarm so that they could get into the fire exit stairwell.

"Any more security we have to worry about between here and our destination?" he asked quietly.

"The door to hall when we get down there, and of course any more guards." She gave him a pointed look. "You, il mio dolce, get to deal with them if we do."

Tito cocked an eyebrow. "Won't that sort of give the game away?"

"Hopefully there won't be a problem. They're on a half hour rotation schedule, which should give us time to get in and out unless I run into any more surprises."

"I'll take your word for it."

* * * *

"Demarco's here, let the games begin," Kerry's superior said as he headed to the door. When Kerry started to follow, the man shook his head. "I'm afraid you're too personally involved at this point. You stay here."

"Like hell," Kerry growled.

The man sighed. "It's here or I have one of my men escort you to the station house and sit on you until this is over. You're choice."

"Here," Kerry replied shortly, not intending to do that.

"Watch him," the man said succinctly to one of the officers before leaving the room with the rest of his men in tow.

"Sorry, Kerry," the officer said, leaning against the door, arms crossed.

"Not your fault. Now move please."

"No can do."

Kerry shrugged. "Shit happens." He crossed to the side door of the room and was through it before the officer realized what he was doing. In no time at all he was heading up the fire stairs to the next floor and then out of the building via the fire escape.

Rounding the corner out of the alley moments later, he watched from the shadows as a man stepped out of a dark car and strode to the entrance of the attorney's building. Because he knew they were there, he was able to spot the cops who were on surveillance. He hoped Demarco hadn't.

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