Page 52 of Exit Strategy
“It’s fine.”
* * *
Nevada turned to Arizona.
Charlie Team turned up empty-handed and were diverted south to assist Echo team with the nearly impossible task of trying to keep one vehicle from getting into Mexico, when they didn’t know what they were looking for, and refused to reach out to authorities. That part made my ass itch. Feds could be discrete when the people doing the asking were highly public figures.
Arizona turned to New Mexico.
New Mexico turned to Texas.
Sigma Team turned up the fact that Worthington owned a red GMC truck, and they gave the plate information out to everyone involved in the search, even us. It only took them two days to figure that out.
Texas turned to Oklahoma and a brand-new fueling station in Oklahoma City.
“Where are you, Kurt?” I asked the sunset. “And Calanthe better be okay, or I’ll kill you myself.”
* * *
“What’s your status, Delta?”Soren’s personal-attack chihuahua, Florian Sanchez, demanded in my earpiece. I winced and reached up to dial his volume down.
“Status is Memphis, heading east,” I answered.
“Why are you heading east? All of our projections have Worthington’s trajectory running due north. It’s likely that he is attempting a Canadian extraction point.”
“Copy that. We couldn’t be back in your time zone for maybe two days. I have a hunch, and we’re investigating it.”
“The Dragon has reminded me to tell you the stakes of your operation, and that if this hunch of yours doesn’t produce results, your contract with us is done, and you’re to be expelled from New Eden.”
“I’m aware, and I haven’t forgotten.” I ground my teeth in frustration. “Do you have any more information on Worthington’s vehicle, anything tied to it?”
“Negative, Delta. The vehicle was registered in Maryland, where his last job was. We have discovered that his previous employer was a narcotic trafficking organization, and that he has no friends or assets in the state.”
“No property?” I asked. This was odd. I knew he had something there. He had mentioned it once or twice when he had a few too many shots of whiskey, and his lips were loosened. Never quite got that belt loosened though. I wasn’t his type, but that wasn’t a surprise.
I was no one’s type.
That was my normal, and I was used to it.
“There is no property registered to Kurt or Curtis Worthington in Maryland. Well, that’s not one-hundred-percent accurate, there are six property owners in the state with that name –none of them are British ex-pats, three of them aren’t Caucasian, and the other half are too old, too young, or otherwise not our missing head of security.”
“Good to know,” I said.
“Did I uncover your hunch, you chasing black cats in a dark room, Oberisk?” he asked.
“My hunch is still solid, don’t worry about that. Good hunting to the rest of the teams, but all they’re doing is burning resources for nothing,” I said.
“Where are we going?” Lisa asked.
“I’m going to have to hold that for now,” I said. “I’m going to be honest, I don’t know who I can trust right now, and the only thing as important as getting Calanthe back is that I’m the one that does it.”
“If you don’t, are they really going to expel you from New Eden?”
“They will,” I said. “TheDragondoesn’t make idle threats, and there have been other people kicked out before. Heresy isn’t new, Lisa.”
“Oh, I guess,” she said.
“C’mon, where do you think Fallout came from? Half the members of that organization used to belong to New Eden, but they lost their way, they were cast out. They failed, and now they blame us for their failure.”
