One Plus Two Equals... - 21

Auden checked his weapons, although only someone in the know would recognize them as such. Better safe than sorry was his mantra when it came to his job. "It's too bad I don't practice that in my personal life," he murmured as he approached the front door to the Crown Building. For a second he was tempted to look up at the roof of the building across the street to see if Julyan was there, even though he was certain he wouldn't be.

Entering the building, he strolled casually down the long hall, checking out some of the shop windows. Music and laughter wafted through the door of a restaurant on the second floor as someone entered or left. He wished he was up there, enjoying a good meal with a glass of fine wine. Maybe tomorrow night, if everything goes as planned.

His hand drifted down to the ornate buckle on his wide leather belt. He pulled it back quickly, cursing himself for such an amateur move. A quick glance around told him no one was watching him. Even the security guards seemed to have more important things on their minds than one lone tourist checking things out.

Auden stopped in front of the elevators, pressing the 'up' button, and waited. It arrived and a few moments later he was stepping off on the fifth, and top, floor of the building. The long hall was vacant, all the offices closed and locked for the night. He moved quickly down to the one he needed, unlocked it with a swift motion of his hand, and stepped inside. A touch to the code box beside the door disarmed it. With that done he crossed to the interior door and from there to the window, easing it open.

From where he stood, he had a full view of Julyan's roof. He chuckled softly when, with his enhanced eyesight, he spotted a coffee mug beside the parapet where he and Julyan had sat just two nights ago. I wonder how long before he misses it?

A slight sound and then a spray of light from the window below him brought his attention back to why he was here. From one pocket he took a thin, strong cord with knots in it every two feet. He tied one end around the leg of the radiator beside the window. In a newer building he'd have had to find something else to anchor it to, which he'd done other times in his career.

With the cord firmly attached, he dropped the rest of it out the window, peering down to make certain he'd judged the length correctly. The end hung just above and to the side of the lighted window. He looked across to Julyan's building again, only this time he was more interested in the windows. He found one which reflected the interior of the room below him. Again his excellent eyesight made it unnecessary to use any sort of binoculars to see what he needed. Even though the view was blurry, it was enough so he could make an educated decision about when to make his next move.

That came half an hour later. He saw the two men he was interested in finally come into the room. The others greeted them with submission in their body language, which didn't surprise Auden in the least considering what Vicario and his companion were.