Black Ops (Presidential Agent 5)

> " . . . There's an old pal of mine who fell off the side step of the Vice President's limo. It didn't matter that it was covered with ice. He fell off. And he was off the detail."

"And what happened to him?"

"He's in Buenos Aires."

"So . . . is this what you're saying?" Britton asked a bit bitterly. "That Buenos Aires is sort of a Secret Service gulag? The dumping ground for Protection Service rejects?"

"Enough is enough, Jack," Castillo said, his tone now cold. "What's it going to be?"

"If we go down there, what happens to my job?" Sandra asked.

Castillo didn't reply.

Sandra then answered the question herself: "The same that would happen if we went to Saint Louis, Kansas City, or wherever that guy said. How long would we have to stay?"

"As long as Tom and I think is necessary," Castillo said.

"And the AALs walk on this," Britton said more than a little bitterly.

"Not necessarily," Castillo said. "But you're never going back on the Protection Detail."

"So then what finally happens to me?"

"Tom and I will, sooner or later but probably sooner, find something for you to do."

"You mean go to work for you?"

Castillo nodded.

"You didn't mention that," Britton said.

"You didn't give him much of a chance, Rambo," Davidson said.

"I'd like that," Britton said simply. "Thank you."

"When do we go?" Sandra asked.

"As soon as we can get you on a plane," Castillo said. "Maybe even tonight."

"All we have is an overnight bag," Sandra said.

"They have wonderful shops in Buenos Aires," Dona Alicia said.

"Let's give Tony a heads-up," McGuire said, and added to the Brittons: "Tony Santini's the old pal who fell off the limo."

"We have a state-of-the-art communications system down there," Castillo said, "but in his wisdom the kindly chief of OOA figured the odds of anything happening today were slim to none, and so told the guys sitting on the radio to take Christmas day off. So we'll have to use this primitive device."

Castillo put his cellular telephone on the table, pushed a speed-dial button, then the speakerphone button.

Proof that the system worked came twenty seconds later when a male voice answered, "Boy, it didn't take long for Munz to call you to tell you, did it, Charley?"

"And a merry, merry Christmas to you, too, Tony. It didn't take Munz long to call me to tell me what?"

"You haven't heard about your Irish pal Duffy?"

"What about him?"

"They tried to take him out about seven o'clock last night. He had his wife and kids with him. Out in Pilar. He's one pissed-off Irishman."