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of the aisle. Nic struggled to breathe as she returned the big man s
affection.
 Niki, it is so good to see you!
 You, too, Bill.
Releasing her, he stepped back to get a better look at his friend.
 By God, Nic! I wouldn t have thought it was possible for you to
get more beautiful, but I can see I was wrong.
Even in her sullen mood, Bill managed to get a smile from her.
 Bill, how is it that such a sweet talker as yourself is still single?
 Many have tried, Niki, many have tried. He picked up his
bag and placed a solid arm around her shoulders as they started
walking.  I brought everything we re gonna need, and a couple of
extras I thought might come in handy. She gave him a wry look,
and he winked at her in return.  Nic, I know you re worried about
your partner s sister, but we ll get her back.
Before they reached the escalators, Nic stopped.  Bill, there s
160 D. L. Pawlowski
something I didn t tell you on the phone.
Her friend removed his arm from her shoulders and looked at
her.  What?
 Carly is more than my partner s sister. She hesitated then
looked up into the taller man s eyes.  I think I m falling in love
with her.
 You, Nicole Stone? You re actually falling in love with some-
one?
She swatted his bicep with the back of her hand.  Yeah, smart
ass, I am. Bill hadn t changed much. He was still three inches
taller than she was and built like a linebacker. The smile, the glim-
mer in the mischievous brown eyes, the infectious sense of humor,
it was all still there. The Feds hadn t squashed it out of him and for
that she was thankful.
 Well then, let s go save this young lady, because I want to
meet the person who s captured my friend s heart.
BACK AT THE station, Nic introduced Bill to Lieutenant
Raimes, Mahoney, and Sanders, as well as a few other detectives
who were in the squad room when they arrived. They all convened
in the lieutenant s office to go over the details of the plan Bill and
Nic had come up with. Bill had brought several interesting pieces
of equipment with him, which he now laid out on the lieutenant s
desk.
 Since Marcone s men will undoubtedly be watching the pier,
we need a way to keep track of Nic. That s what this little baby is
for. He pointed to a tiny electronic component about the size of a
penny.  We attach this to your belt, and we ll be able to monitor
your movements within a ten-mile radius with this device. He
pointed to a slim, silver notebook computer.  Now we also need to
hear and see what is going on, and that s what these two things are
for. He picked up a gold necklace with a large medallion hanging
from it.  This will give us crystal clear audio transmissions while
this ear piece will allow you, and only you, to hear us, so you know
where we are at all times. Next, he picked up a pair of black eye
glasses with clear, non-prescription lenses.  There are two minia-
ture cameras inside these frames right here. He tapped the two
corners.  Nic, when you have these on we ll be able to see every-
thing you see. Nic nodded her head in understanding.  This is the
latest in Kevlar vests. It s half the weight of the ones you currently
use, which will allow you to have much more flexibility.
 Now, I m going to need to train someone on how to use the
various software packages that will work with these external
devices. I ll be monitoring Nic through this unit until we get a fix
 Vendetta 161
where she s going and how many men are involved. He scanned
the room. Sanders and Mahoney were leaning against the wall,
arms crossed. Nic was standing next to the table, eyeing the equip-
ment with interest. The lieutenant was seated behind his desk.
 Once we know that, I m going to be backing Nic up. Lieutenant
Raimes, are there any SWAT guys available?
Sanders pushed himself off of the wall.  What do we need
them for? We can handle this.
 Listen...Sanders was it? The perpetually angry detective
nodded.  We need at least two other guys to go in there with me,
plus we need one monitoring the activity inside and another ready
to take down anyone who might try to escape. That s a minimum [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]