Edge of Tomorrow (58 page)

“Whatever you say. It’s probably a good idea
to edit my background, too. God, I hope they like me!” she
exclaimed with a sigh. “Do I look all right?”

She twirled around so he could inspect her.
She had on tight, navy blue capris, a light blue cotton blouse, and
dark blue sandals. Her bracelet was on her left wrist, as usual.
Her earrings were small diamond studs, the most expensive jewelry
she owned before she met Hatch.

“I liked you better before,” he leered.

“Before what?”

“Before you got dressed,” he laughed. “You
look just fantastic! Just the right clothes for a chopper ride.
Let’s eat, then pack an overnight bag. Their ship doesn’t leave
until 1800 tomorrow, so we’ll have all day tomorrow to visit with
them, too.”

• • •

James Gramble, Deputy Director of
Intelligence for the CIA, closed the red cover on the report on his
desk. It was marked
EYES
ONLY
. He looked at the gray-haired senior agent
sitting in front of his desk. This agent had been a handler for
Gramble in his Black Ops days.

“OK, Hank, this is good. See if I’ve got this
right. Two Iranians were killed in Marco, Florida while trying to
grab a broad. The FBI identifies them as terrorists belonging to
the terrorist group Wrath of Allah in Iran. The man who came to the
aid of the target—a woman named Sydney Steppe—was none other than
Mr. Van Lincoln himself. Correct so far?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then, not long after that, the Wrath of
Allah headquarters outside Tabriz was destroyed in a mysterious
attack by persons unknown. Flight records show that Mr. Lincoln’s
private jet flew to Israel, then on to Istanbul just before the
attack. Strange coincidence.”

“Yes, Mr. Gramble.”

“Where is Lincoln now?” asked Gramble.

“We’ve been watching him as you requested.
His jet is currently in Rome. By the way, custom records show Ms.
Steppe—a college professor, we ascertained—is there, too. She’s
used his credit card there, but nothing illegal. She’s a legal
signatory,” replied the agent.

Gramble stroked his chin. He really wanted to
get something on Lincoln if he could. Maybe that would help counter
the hold Lincoln had had on Gramble for sixteen years.

“Still in Rome, eh?” asked Gramble.

“Just before I came in here, his chopper
filed a flight plan to Athens.”

“Call Athens. I want someone on him at
all times. And do a
detailed
check on that Steppe woman. I want to know
everything
about her. Maybe there’s
something there.”

“Yes, sir.”

Piraeus, Greece

Friday, August 17, 2001

12:30 P.M.

Piraeus is about eight miles southwest
of the center of Athens. Although the port is connected to the city
bus system and the Athens metro, Hatch had a limo waiting at the
airport to make sure they had no problems getting around in the
teaming city. The current modern city of Piraeus—a major shipping
center—had been built on top of the ancient city, which had been
the port of Athens since antiquity. There were countless
seaside
tavernas
to choose
from, and by 12:30 P.M. Hatch and Syd were seated in one of them,
breathing in the smell of the sea, and the aroma of delicious,
fresh seafood cooking. They had a marvelous view of an assortment
of yachts and smaller sail and power boats. The scene was accented
by hundreds of colorful flags and banners flying from the masts of
the boats. This
taverna
was
not too far from where the Grand Princess cruise ship would arrive
around 1700. Syd had willed herself not to think of the future, but
to enjoy her new life minute by minute. They ordered wine and Hatch
lit a cigarette. Syd refused one, and looked out at the variety of
boats moving around the harbor.

She then clinked her glass against Hatch’s
glass, winked at him, then said, “I love you. Don’t mind me. I just
like saying it!”

“I love hearing you say it,” he replied, a
beaming smile on his face.

“Do you believe in coincidences?” she asked,
changing the subject for the moment.

“Sometimes. Not often. Depends on the
context.”

“Don’t turn your head just yet, but that guy
in the green shirt four tables away was at the airport when we
landed,” she said casually.

“Hmm, you are good, Syd. You spotted him,
too.”

“You made him?” she asked.

“Of course. I can’t seem to break old habits.
He’s not very good at surveillance. What do we do about him?”

Syd sipped her wine and took Hatch’s
cigarette and puffed on it, leaving lipstick on the filter. She
returned it to him and said, “It still could be mere coincidence.
If he follows us when we leave, maybe we should find out who he is.
Who would be following us? A mugger?”

“Possibly, but I don’t think so. He could
have mugged us at the airport. Also, I don’t think Lucchese is
involved. There is no way we could have been followed here in the
chopper. Someone with access to flight plans could have known we
were coming here,” Hatch mused.

“That narrows it down. SISDE? Why would they
be interested in us?”

“Or CIA. Let’s eat, then we’ll see what’s up.
That shrimp smells delicious!”

• • •

As they left the quaint
taverna
, Syd and Hatch strolled hand
in hand toward the docks where the cruise ship would arrive later.
After about 200 yards, they stopped while Hatch lit a cigarette. He
spotted Green Shirt looking in the window of a bait
shop.

“He’s with us,” he told Syd. “He would be
easy to lose, but I would like to know who he is. How about you? Up
for a little adventure?”

“I’m dying of curiosity. How do you want to
do it? I could just go ask the asshole,” replied Syd. “Divert him
with my rampant sexuality—unbutton these top two buttons on my
blouse, and …”

“Now, Syd! Since we don’t know his
intentions, we should consider him armed and dangerous, and
we
are unarmed.”

“I have my travel knife in my purse. I should
probably get that out and stick it in my bra for easier access,
just in case,” replied Syd.

“Don’t cut those beautiful boobs!” laughed
Hatch. “Unless he attacks us, I don’t want to use lethal force.
When we reach the corner of that building up ahead, let’s turn the
corner and get out of his sight and see if we can set a trap.”

“OK. Sneakiness instead of sexiness, eh?”

They turned the corner, then Hatch moved into
action. There was a door, but it was locked. Farther down was a
dumpster. He ran to it and saw that he could hide behind it.

“Syd, take my cigarettes and lighter. Run
over to that shed and light one up. Pretend to be talking to
someone, and blow a lot of smoke. Hopefully, he’ll think I’m with
you. When he passes here, I’ll grab him and have a little chat. As
soon as I whistle, come back here and watch my back. There may be
one we didn’t spot. This guy could be a decoy.”

“The old cigarette diversion
ploy,
oui
?” said Syd in her
best imitation of Inspector Clouseau. “OK, sweetie! Be careful! Do
you want my knife?”

“No. I’ll be all right. Move!”

Syd ran to the corner of the metal shed
and quickly lit a cigarette. She felt as if she were in a scene
in
Casablanca
. She wanted to
say, “Play it again, Sam.”

My, my! I’m getting to use a cigarette as a
decoy! This is just like a ride on Hatch’s Orient Express! Be
careful, darling!

The man in the green shirt casually looked
around the corner of the building and saw the woman apparently
talking to someone who was out of his line of sight. He saw billows
of cigarette smoke and remembered the man had been smoking. He
decided to move down the side of the building as if he were heading
for the building further down. He wanted to keep the man in sight.
As he moved past a dumpster, he felt a hand grab his neck and
another his left wrist. Before he could react, he found himself
face down on the tarmac with a knee in the small of his back.

Hatch whistled and Syd came running, taking a
position where she could watch Hatch’s back, and still see the man
on the ground in case she needed to assist Hatch in any way.

“OK, asshole, why are you following us?”
snarled Hatch.

“I’m not following anyone. I was on my way to
that building over there,” replied Green Shirt.

“I don’t think so,” said Hatch. He ran his
hands over the man and found and extracted a 9mm Glock
semiautomatic. He handed it to Syd.

“If he tries anything, shoot out his
kneecaps,” he told her.

“My pleasure,” she replied in a flat voice,
all business now.

Continuing his search, Hatch located the
man’s wallet. In it, he found the man’s CIA identification card. He
stood up and stepped away from him so he would not be in Syd’s line
of fire.

“You can stand up now, Agent Kronos, but
don’t make any sudden moves. She can shoot your eyebrows off,”
warned Hatch.

Green Shirt got up and brushed the grit off
his face and clothes. Blood oozed from an abrasion on his
cheekbone.

“You’re in big trouble, shithead,” growled
Green Shirt.

“I would say it was the other way around. Do
you know who I am?”

“Why should I?”

“They don’t tell you who you’re following
anymore? Who gave this order?” demanded Hatch.

“Fuck you!” spat Kronos.

“Such language in front of the lady! You’re
very close to ending up in the ER! You are a very poor agent,
Kronos. In my day, you would have been dead in less than a week!
Face the wall and lean against it!”

Kronos did as he was told, grumbling
something in Greek. Hatch got out his Blue Phone and walked a few
feet away. He did not want to be overheard. He checked his watch
and concluded that Gramble might be in the office in Langley by
now, and selected that speed dial number. It was a private number
and Gramble answered his own phone.

“Good morning, Gramble. Listen closely!”
snapped Hatch as he moved further away, making sure that neither
Syd nor Kronos could hear his conversation.

“Lincoln? What the fuck is this?” growled
Gramble as he recognized Hatch’s voice.

“Exactly my question. I have a CIA agent
named Kronos against the wall here in Piraeus. He’s been following
me all day, and I want to know why.”

“I don’t know what …”

“Oh, shut up! You never learn! The
conversation we had in 1985 is still in force. I won’t repeat it on
the phone. Take care of this situation now! I don’t need to lay out
the consequences, do I?”

With that, Hatch hung up and walked back over
and stood next to Syd.

“OK, Kronos, here’s your wallet. Your gun
goes into the harbor. Explain that to your superiors. You can leave
now. Better go call your office. I think you will find that you
have been relieved of this assignment—probably fired for
incompetence and for embarrassing the Company. If I ever see you
again, asshole, I’ll break every bone in your body!”

Kronos walked quickly away, looking over his
shoulder.

“Let’s get rid of that gun. Wipe it clean and
we’ll toss it in the water,” said Hatch.

Looking at his watch again, Hatch said,
“Three more hours to kill before the ship arrives. How about we go
back to that
taverna
and have
our coffee, sweet thing?”

“Love to, darling! You handled that quite
well! Whom did you call?”

“You keep forgetting that I know a lot of
intelligence people. I called his boss’s boss.”

“Why was the CIA following us?” queried Syd
as she tossed the gun in the water and they turned toward the
restaurant area.

“That I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out.
Trust me!”

“I’m glad this happened before your parents
got here. I would hate to have them see something like this. They
might get the wrong impression of me,” smiled Syd.

“Hopefully, this problem is solved.
Don’t worry, my parents will
love
you! But let’s keep our eyes open, just in case this
isn’t
over.”

“Oh, Christ! I hope it is! I’ll watch our
back.”

• • •

At the
taverna
, they ordered coffee. When Syd excused
herself and went to the Ladies’ Room, Hatch quickly called the
jeweler in Athens where he had ordered a ring for Syd, and was
assured that it would be delivered to the designated place at the
appropriate time. Hatch breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was
on schedule.

• • •

The cruise ship Grand Princess arrived five
minutes ahead of schedule, but it was 6:25 P.M. before General and
Mrs. Lincoln were on the dock. General Lincoln was dressed in a tan
suit with a white shirt and dark brown tie. He stood ramrod
straight as he shook his son’s hand. Mrs. Lincoln wore a smart,
knee-length dress cut from a lively floral pattern. Her hair was
silver-gray and was pulled back in a bun on the back of her head.
Hatch gave her a hug and a kiss. He then stepped back and
introduced them to Syd.

After the introductions, Hatch said, “I hope
you don’t mind that I brought Syd here to meet you. She was in Rome
with me, and I didn’t want to leave her there alone. I thought
bringing her was better than canceling on you.” This established
her importance to him. “Besides, I really wanted to see you
guys.”

His mother responded, “That’s just fine,
dear. We very seldom get to meet your friends.”

Syd detected a secret communication going on
in the undercurrent of the conversation. Polite banter continued
while they waited for the cab Hatch had called for. When the cab
arrived, it wasn’t a “cab,” it was a limo. Hatch had, of course,
had that prearranged. They all piled in and were whisked away from
the docks.