Asset Management Read online

  Toni glared at Sophie, who she suspected had the good sense to realize her initial reaction was wrong, as she looked away in embarrassment.

  “Sorry,” Sophie mumbled to Toni’s retreating form.

  “Soph, you came. You my hero, I lub you,” Kim slurred.

  Sophie’s face turned a bright shade of fuchsia as she continued to dress Kim and apply the latex face of an old woman.

  Toni was quickly donning her own disguise as another old woman. As she finished with her latex mask and popped in the new contacts that would turn her eyes to the watery blue of an old woman of eighty, she sighed.

  “God, I hate all these theatrics that Kim always prepares for us. This latex is so God damned itchy I want to scratch my freaking face off the entire time I have to wear it,” Toni complained.

  “Shut your piehole. You know as well as I do that her disguises keep our lame asses from jail and your sweet tushy from being Bertha’s beeotch.” Sophie was stroking Kim’s hair as she put the finishing touches on her disguise.

  “Fine. Whatever. You better get your ass in gear and get into your old man’s outfit before those goons wake up. As soon as they do, you know they’ll start doing a room-to-room search for us. How long do you think Byron will be out? He is going to wake up, right? You didn’t kill the poor bastard, did you?” Toni asked.

  “No, I didn’t kill him but I wanted to. We have a good half hour.”

  “Good. That’ll give us time to get that retinal scan into the computer and make the transfer of funds.”

  Sophie grabbed the suit and tie that was just a bit too large for her, creating the illusion that her advanced age was the cause for the ill-fitting suit. She added a hat and cane to her outfit and adjusted her posture to appear hunched. The transformation was compelling.

  “Come on, grab Kim’s other side and put the walker in front of her. Hopefully, we can act like she has difficulty walking and the added prop will lend some authenticity to the disguise. I’m glad Kim thought to bring that.”

  Toni grabbed the collapsible walker and helped Sophie place Kim’s hands on the rails. Sophie and Toni each took a side and moved forward slowly creating the appearance of three people of advanced age shuffling to their next destination.

  “All right. Here we go. It’s show time. Do you have all the computer equipment we need in our getaway vehicle?” Sophie asked.

  Toni lifted her lip in a snarl. “Why do you always do that? I’m not an imbecile. Of course everything is set up according to plan.”

  “I never said you were an imbecile. It’s just that you sometimes get distracted with extracurricular activities. You had to take that redhead to the bathroom, didn’t you? I don’t think tonight was really the time or place to get distracted. Now look what’s happened.”

  “Hey, I’m not the one who offered up Kim to go up to that prick’s room and have a drink, just so we could get the retina scan. She offered because you know that Kim is the only one who could pull that off. I’m sure no actress and I’m not even going to comment on your lack of finesse. If we left it up to you, your inner Neanderthal would have surfaced and you would use toothpicks to pry his eyes open after you bashed in his head. Oh, wait, you bashed his head in after that chop to his neck. Just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

  “I did not bash his head in for no reason. After I temporarily cut off his oxygen supply with a quick blow, I had to make sure he would be out for a while. Hmph. Why am I even bothering to explain myself to you? You overgrown, hormonal, oversexed, miscreant.”

  “Ah, ah, ah. Careful or I’ll start thinking you don’t love me anymore. Come on time’s a wasting.”

  †

  Shuffling out of the suite, the three friends managed to make it to the elevator just as the door was opening. Toni waved her gnarled hand to signal to the occupants of the elevator that their entrance might be a bit slow.

  “Going as fast as we can,” Toni’s old woman voice said.

  “Lobby, please,” Toni warbled out as they settled in the elevator cab. A man punched the lobby button and, in sync with acceptable elevator behavior, looked the other way, politely waiting for the elevator to reach their desired destination.

  Toni reached in her pants pocket for the valet parking ticket that would bring their non-descript car around to the circular drive in front of the hotel. The parking attendant was patiently waiting as the three friends slowly made their way to him. The attendant jogged to the car and pulled up at the exact moment they reached the front of the hotel. Toni handed the attendant a five-dollar bill. She would like to have given him more, but that would have called too much attention to them and they couldn’t afford to do that. He smiled at her and she suspected he was grateful for even the small amount.

  “Thank you, ma’am. Do you need any assistance getting into your car?”

  “No thank you, young man,” Toni responded. She was almost positive the young man was working his way through college. Noting his nametag—Brian—she would find out the parking attendant’s full name so an anonymous donor could provide him with a college scholarship.

  “You have a great evening.” Toni settled Kim into the backseat then, waving at the man, she got in on the passenger side while Sophie climbed in on the driver’s side.

  †

  Sophie drove the car slowly away from the curb and cautiously entered traffic.

  Sophie glanced at Toni. “If you stowed away the right laptop, the program is all set up for you. All you have to do is load the disc.”

  “Humph. I stowed the right equipment—you arrogant shithead.”

  Toni pulled the specially designed laptop from under the seat. Her fingers flew across the keys at a record pace. She pulled the digital photo disc from her pocket and inserted the specially designed mini CD into her laptop.

  One hundred strokes later, she leaned back and smiled. “Gotcha, you bastard.” The screen flashed a transaction complete message confirming the transfer of funds. “Oh, what a wonderful sight to see.”

  Chapter 2

  Two days had passed since the fund-raiser when she got the call letting her know that the asset had surfaced. This was one mission that Char was looking forward to participating in. Her previous encounter at the fund-raiser with the witty and charming Toni had been especially pleasurable.

  Char smiled to herself when she remembered how Toni had introduced herself as Camille. She was impressed at how Toni had donned not one, but two different disguises that evening. She grudgingly gave the woman props for voluntarily ingesting the drugs that would facilitate her need to leave her bartending post due to illness. Now that’s dedication to a mission. No wonder she was such an important asset.

  The organization rarely failed to achieve their missions but ever since the botched assignment two years ago, Char had something to prove and had honed her skills. Now, without fail, she always got her man—or in this case, women.

  There wasn’t enough time to don a disguise to make her less noticeable and it didn’t really matter anyway because Char knew her undercover persona as Heather Stiles, attorney at law, was rock solid. Char knew that she stood out in a crowd—both an advantage and a disadvantage in her line of work.

  Taking the chance that the trio wouldn’t recognize her, she boldly entered the small café and looked around for a location with an unobstructed view of her mark. As she walked by their table, she was surprised when Toni winked at her.

  She didn’t hesitate to stride to the table to take the offensive and control the situation as was required of her.

  “Did you just wink at me?” Char asked as the corners of her mouth lifted up in a wry smile.

  “Yep,” Toni answered.

  “Have we met before? I think I would have remembered you if we had.”

  “Nope, but I bet you wish you had, right?” Toni grinned.

  Char chuckled. “As a matter of fact, yes. I think you’re right about that.”

  Char pushed back her hair and touched the emergency bu
tton on her earring. Three seconds later, her cell phone rang. “I’m sorry, will you excuse me, I need to get this.”

  Char took several steps away from their table and spoke brusquely into the phone. “Yes. All right… I’ll be there in ten.”

  Char turned back around and addressed the trio of women. “I’m terribly sorry, but I suppose I’ll need to take a rain check on the getting to know you part.”

  Before leaving Char stumbled into Toni and managed to attach a tracking device no larger than the head of a pin onto her jacket.

  †

  Many had told her on more than one occasion that her emerald green eyes were a stunning contrast to her long red hair. When she smiled, it no longer reached her eyes. The innocence and warmth were no longer present—they were the eyes of a predator. She mesmerized her prey and they never recognized her cold and calculated appraisal.

  Unfortunately, two years ago, her sense of security shattered. It was especially rough on her sister Dani and Char was determined to rewrite the tragic story—the ending unknown. She knew they needed to devote more agents to the mission to put closure on the situation. Unfortunately, the enemy controlled vast resources.

  Char glanced quickly at her surroundings before getting into the backseat of the nondescript black vehicle. Tonight she presented a genuine smile to her mentor, Maggie, as she turned her gaze in her direction.

  Maggie was a stunning woman with an air of sophistication and confidence that drew men and women to her like the female version of the Pied Piper. She had a commanding presence that created an instant veil of safety. Maggie was the only person, other than Dani that she allowed inside her inner sanctum. She owed her life to Maggie as well as the life of her younger sister. When her eyes met her mentor’s, she hoped they reflected the warmth, love, and respect that she had for her savior.

  Char was not naïve and knew Maggie had zero guilt about using her to further the cause. Obviously, she was the best suited for the mission because she had a personal stake in the outcome.

  “Did you get visual confirmation?” Maggie broke the silence inside the vehicle.

  “Yes, I did. Toni is back to her natural appearance. Kim and Sophie are also free of any disguise. I can’t figure out if Toni is careless or more cunning than we thought. She actually winked at me.”

  “She what?”

  “You heard me. She was downright cheeky and winked at me.”

  Maggie chuckled. “I guess her brash reputation is accurate. What did you say to her?”

  “I asked her if we had met before, because I was sure if we had, I would have remembered her.” Char grinned.

  “You are just as cocky as she is.”

  “Maybe, but it did allow me to confirm the trio. Sophie usually hides her scar with makeup and clothes, but not today. I presume the third person sitting in the booth is Kim. Kim is good…she actually managed to get a picture of me.” Char’s voice held a hint of respect.

  “Interesting. It would seem that they are just as intrigued with you as we are with them. How do you know the blonde at the fund-raiser was Toni?”

  Although Maggie asked the question, it didn’t fool Char, for she was like a sponge learning all of her mentor’s tricks of the trade. She suspected that her mentor wanted to know about the tactics used to make this determination.

  “Her lips are pretty hard to forget. Fortunately, the disguise she was wearing that night didn’t alter her lips. So what do you think?”

  “I think we need to see just how good Toni is before we make our move.”

  “Do you actually think she has any chance of identifying me?” Char hesitated then frowned.

  “Doubtful, but I want to see what their next move will be. It wouldn’t surprise me if Sophie at least suspects that you are not what you appear to be on the surface. Whether she remembers anything, or can put two and two together, remains to be seen,” Maggie assured.

  Char clearly remembered when their paths crossed—Dani was almost a casualty. Revenge is a dish best served cold and she would have her revenge. She knew that her emotions weren’t logical, for Sophie was as much a victim as Natalie and Dani, but at times, even for her, feelings weren’t logical.

  “We have to be prepared to get them all. I assess them to be impossible to break apart. They would never turn their backs on one another. I think Toni may be the weak link, and I would personally like you to assign me to her. It appeared to me that the other two are in love with one another, so I have no chance with either of them. Besides, I sense that Sophie has a vague remembrance of me, even though I was in disguise.”

  “Very well. Get Toni first and the rest will follow.” Maggie paused then shook her head. “Don’t underestimate Toni for she is brilliant and may not be what she appears to be on the surface.”

  “Won’t happen. I believe her weakness for attractive women will be the opening we need. I must admit to looking forward to the chase. I planted one of Dani’s tracking devices on her jacket. I’m pretty sure that is the one she always wears so hopefully we’ll get lucky.” Char smiled.

  “Be careful. Her charms are legendary. I can’t have my best agent inadvertently falling in love with the target.”

  “Ha. I’m not like Dani. That will never happen to me.”

  “My mother always told me, never say never. Not all love is destructive and Dani survived. The same cannot be said for Natalie.” Maggie sighed. “We were so close, we almost had her. My arrogance got in the way, and I thought we had time. We cannot make the same mistake again.”

  “Dani barely survived. Love makes us stupid and careless. This is why I’m your best agent—I’ll never be stupid or careless.”

  “Do you need Dani to work up another identity and disguise for you.”

  “No, I plan on taking the offensive and letting Toni think she’s in control. Besides, I didn’t spend eighteen months undercover as Heather Stiles, attorney at law, for nothing. We’ve carefully planned this out and those long months playing lawyer are about to reap the benefits.”

  “Very well, you are the master strategist. I defer to your expertise. I only ask that you have this wrapped up in the next month. I won’t tolerate another loss. Sophie will be the hardest to get because of Natalie. The time to strike is now. After last week with them almost getting caught, they are more vulnerable and that gives us the upper hand.”

  Chapter 3

  “What the hell were you thinking by winking at her? I swear, Toni, you are worse than a guy. You’re always letting your coochie lead the way. I can just see the invisible connection between your poon and your brain,” Sophie barked, sneering at her friend. “I’m totally disgusted with your antics.”

  Toni shrugged and directed her trademark unrepentant half grin, half smirk at her two best friends and partners in crime.

  Sophie, Toni, and Kim had been best friends since their first year of college. Their recent job at the Republican fund-raiser had allowed them to emancipate fifty million dollars from Byron, a rapacious bank executive who deserved that and more.

  “What? Am I the only one to recognize her total hotness?” Toni asked.

  “Coochie?” Kim scrunched up her face.

  “You probably prefer lady garden or nether regions.” Sophie’s expression softened as she smiled at Kim. “But my eighty-seven-year-old grandmother calls it her coochie. I’ve been hearing that slang since I was five years old.”

  “Really? Nana calls it her coochie? I never knew that,” Toni interjected.

  There she goes again trying to divert the conversation just like she always does, Sophie thought.

  “Stop right there. You are not going to distract me, Toni. What you did was reckless and stupid. I’m telling you that it’s no coincidence she came into this café so soon after our recent activities. Especially since she was at the fund-raiser too.”

  Sophie turned her penetrating gaze back to Toni. “I swear I recognize her from somewhere.”

  “You think she’s a feebie? Maybe she was t
here to nail our mister BA. I’m glad we got to him first. So what if she’s a feebie, there is no way she recognized us, thanks to our very own Mission Impossible makeup artist.” Toni grinned at Kim and bumped her fist.

  Kim frowned. “BA? I wish you both would stop using slang I don’t know.”

  “Big ass, versus BS which would be big shot, or maybe bull shitter, you never know with Toni. I don’t think she is a feebie—I mean—FBI agent. Sorry, Kim.”

  Sophie gave Kim a look of apology. “FBI agents are not that subtle. I’m pretty sure she glanced at my scar. You would have to be watching pretty close for anyone to notice but I caught her.” Sophie lifted her left hand as a visual prop. “Typical spook behavior though. The way she walked in and noticed all the entry and exit points and took in all the details is classic CIA.”

  Toni cringed. “Okay, sorry. Do you have any ideas for mitigating the risk?”

  Sophie noticed her expression and wondered if she was remembering the night that Sophie had to save her ass. She shook her head as she touched her most recent war wound that incident had caused.

  “We need to find out more about her. Nice job getting a photo, Kim. I’m sure Toni will do her computer magic with face recognition.”

  I shouldn’t have said that. Because I complimented her just now, she’s going to think all is forgiven.

  “Are you sure you were never a CIA agent? How did you know I got a picture?” Kim said with a broad smile.

  “I pay attention.”

  Toni looked at Sophie and smiled.

  Sophie was in love with Kim and the only person who actually knew this was Toni. She had admitted that to Toni in a momentary lapse of judgment and Toni had insisted that it was obvious that Kim shared her feelings. Sophie wasn’t willing to take the chance and possibly ruin their friendship. Although she disagreed with Toni, Sophie often questioned what Kim’s feelings were. It didn’t matter to her that there were a mountain of unspoken words—she was definitely not ready to make an overt declaration of love.