Ambush (Michael Bennett 11)

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Someone else called for the set to be changed, and I watched Juliana as she walked toward me with the young man.

“Hey, Dad.” She gave me a mechanical hug.

I took a breath and said, “You looked great up there, sweetheart.”

That brought out a big smile.

Juliana said, “Dad, this is Cade.”

The young man stuck out his hand and gave me a firm handshake as he looked me in the eye and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Bennett.”

“So you know Juliana’s real name.”

“Oh, yes, sir. My real name is Carter Javits. But around here I’m Cade Jason. I’m trying to go by that all the time now.”

“Your parents must be very happy.”

Juliana cut in. “I have to get my stuff.” She looked up at Cade and said, “I’ll see you later tonight.”

I said, “What’s going on tonight?”

“Cade is taking me out to dinner.” She wandered off to gather her purse and school clothes.

I decided it was time to get to know this young man. “Is this your first acting job?”

Cade said, “No, sir. I’ve had a few bit parts here and there since I graduated three years ago.”

“What high school did you graduate from?”

“I graduated from Stony Brook University three years ago with my degree in communications.”

Like any father, I did the math in my head quickly. He had to be twenty-five or twenty-six. I played it cool. “Would you like to eat with us tonight, Carter—I mean, Cade?”

Juliana saved him. “Thanks, Dad, but we’ve already set up our plans.”

With that I was served notice that my daughter had grown up.

Chapter 33

Alex Martinez took Avianca flight 244 directly from Bogotá to New York. It was a flight known for being watched by the DEA. Now that drugs came in by the truckload across the border, the flight had lost some of its mystique.

That night, Alex wasted no time checking into an older, funky hotel she liked, the Skyline Hotel on West 49th. There was something about the retro feel of the place that gave it charm. And the hotel had a decent indoor pool.

In the morning, Alex immediately started researching her next target.

Alicia Toussant was an attractive middle-aged Canadian woman who financed much of the violence the Canadian mob used to keep people in line. She was here in New York gauging her organization’s efforts to control the synthetic drug market.

Alex preferred not to take contracts on women, but she felt that if a woman was in some kind of nasty trade like drugs, then all bets were off.

Alex knew that no one would show her mercy if she was ever targeted because of her job.

After only a short time conducting surveillance on the woman, Alex discovered that Ms. Toussant had a security man who stayed well out of the way and out of sight. It was the mark of a true professional, not drawing any extra attention to herself.

Alex first noticed the man when she started following the Canadian from her hotel. She appreciated her choice of the Hotel Giraffe on Park Avenue South and 26th, which was under the radar but boasted a good restaurant and comfortable atmosphere.

The man was dressed in casual clothes, his loose shirt probably covering some kind of weapon. He was in his midforties and had a little extra weight on him. He wasn’t there to scare people; he’d been chosen because he was discreet and knew his business. Alex wouldn’t take any chances when the time came.