Ambush (Michael Bennett 11)

Chapter 79

Alex Martinez was in a good mood. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel on this job, which seemed to go on and on. All she wanted to do was go home to her ranch and her daughters and live her life.

She’d already turned down a job offer she’d gotten earlier in the morning. A Swiss banking cartel needed her to clean up a mess in Marseille, France. They had a bank president who had showered his family with gifts paid for through embezzlement. News of the scandal would cripple the stock price. But a fatal hit-and-run would solve everything.

She politely turned the job down, then they offered her more money. She turned it down again, and they said what everyone says: “It’s an easy job. You could phone it in.”

Alex said, “If it’s that easy, why don’t you handle it yourself?” She felt invigorated when she hung up the phone.

Now she was walking onto the set of Century’s End. Dressed in a very sharp skirt with a very conservative blouse, she walked through the hallway with purpose and drive. Not one person questioned her presence.

Sitting at the far end of the set in a director’s chair was the young woman she was looking for. She ran it through her head one more time to make sure she called her Jules, not Juliana. She wanted this to move quickly and smoothly. She just needed to lure the girl away from the set, then make contact with her father.

Alex didn’t like using a stunt like this. She was not much for traumatizing a young person not involved in any crime. But she had to make a choice. Bennett had proved to be resourceful and dangerous. And she wanted to get home. Immediately.

The other issue was the girl herself. She’d be able to identify Alex if anyone could find a photo. Alex wasn’t too worried about that. First she had to get Bennett into the right position. Then she’d worry about witnesses.

Juliana Bennett was having a serious conversation with an attractive young man. The name on the back of his chair was Cade Jason. She had no idea who he was. She’d only done research about Juliana.

Both young people looked up as she came to a stop in front of them.

When she concentrated, Alex had almost no accent when she was speaking English. She looked directly at Juliana and said, “Hello. Are you Jules Baez?”

The girl hesitated, then said, “Yes. Yes, I am.”

“I’m Alice Marshall with the Suzanne Grossman Talent Management Company. Have you heard of us?”

Juliana’s face lit up as she said, “Of course I have. You guys are one of the biggest agencies on the East Coast.”

Alex didn’t rush it. She felt a surge of confidence in her plan. She said, “If you have a few minutes, I’d love to talk about representing you.”

T

he girl smiled from ear to ear. “Yeah. I don’t have a stage call until after noon.”

“Great. Can I take you out to an early lunch somewhere close by?”

“Absolutely.” She was standing, gathering her purse.

As Alex started to turn, the young man who was sitting next to Juliana said, “I’m Cade Jason. Would you like to talk to me, too?”

Alex could recognize the smugness on this young man’s face. She couldn’t resist saying, “No, thank you.”

She was rewarded with a snicker by Juliana.

Everything was going as planned.

Chapter 80

I almost regretted my stop at Holy Name. Not only did it give traffic a chance to build, I also had two passengers I’d have to drop off at the church again on my way back.

Sometimes dealing with my grandfather was like dealing with a child. It was easier to just give him his way.

Father Alonzo, sitting in the backseat, leaned forward and said, “How goes your investigation? Any leads on the men who tried to shoot us?”

I didn’t know how much I should say.

Father Alonzo said, “I’m sorry, but it just gave me a glimpse into my past life. Perhaps I miss the action more than I thought.”