The Bouncing Buns Gentleman's Club

Chapter 16

A look crossed Tom's face that could only be interpreted as a combination of shock and extreme concern.

"Beverly, it was a woman. I assigned her to the detail myself and there have been no changes. How could you know if it wasn't a woman?"

"I had a good look at him when I came through the basin control gate. He apparently didn't have an access code and had to follow close behind me to come in before the gate closed. I could see that it wasn't a woman when I looked back in my rear view mirror."

"And that's the Ford that's sitting in the lot now?" Tom asked, frowning.

"Yes, unless he left since we came in. What's the matter, Tom?" Beverly asked. She was beginning to sense she really didn't want to hear the answer.

"Listen Beverly, I do the assigning and I definitely assigned a female to follow you. She was to contact the basin on her way to get the code for the gate and would have no reason to get close and follow you through that way. Something's very wrong here."

Beverly paled as the implication of what he was saying hit to its fullest...it was THEM. The mob had followed her and knew where she was after all. She was right all along. How could they not have known?

Tom was immediately on the phone with the League City Police Department and to his own agents stationed in observation posts around the basin. As fast as that, there were three high powered rifles trained at the Ford and its occupant.

"What are you going to do, Tom?" Kevin asked.

"We have to see who's in that car and find out what happened to my agent. The police department hasn't heard anything and we didn't know there was anything wrong until now."

"Tom, I'm sorry. I should have thought to say something sooner. I was so upset over Dan."

"You had no way of knowing the significance of it. All of you stay here. I need to get down there and resolve this. I may have an agent down."

Tom checked his pistol and sprinted down the pier, phone in hand. He hadn't gotten fifty feet when he heard the sputtering of a gas engine as Kevin pulled up behind him with the golf cart.

"It'll go a lot faster in this," he said.

"Thanks, Kevin. Now that I think about it, I can probably get closer to the car without raising suspicion if I look like someone from the marina. I want you to stay at the edge of the parking lot, out of danger. I'll take the cart on from there myself."

Tom contacted his agents and told them of his plan to drive the golf cart as close as he could to the car before drawing his gun. His agents were to hold their fire until he indicated the need to do otherwise.

"I've got to get this done without shots being fired," he thought. "No one will get hurt and the people on the Azimut won't get spooked and take off with the girl." Then, an unwelcome thought came to mind, "unless he's already tipped them off that the doctor's here somewhere. They could even know which pier she's on! If that's the case, this operation has already been blown."

When they reached the parking area, Kevin reluctantly got out and turned the cart over to Tom. Gun drawn but out of sight, Tom drove toward the car trying to stay behind parked vehicles to remain unseen for as long as possible.

It would be too much to hope that the guy had decided to take a nap or read a paper or anything that would distract him, but it would be nice, Tom thought as he edged closer and closer.

He was now within fifty feet with one car left to shield his approach. Continuing closer until there was nowhere left to hide, it was time to make his move. Gun in hand, but hidden at his right side, Tom drove the cart parallel to the car's orientation which took him next to the driver's side. The driver was taken totally by surprise when a person he thought was a local driving by in his cart, suddenly jumped out and held a gun to his head.