An Encounter in Atlanta | Page 8

on us from out of the blue. I simply
don't know you well enough to just take your word for some things."
Shrugging again, Cade said, "No problem. Someone once said,'Trust, but verify' . It's a
good policy. Now answer a question for me, please."
"If I can."
"Who was the woman who flew off with the car?"
"I can't tell you that." Heading off his next question, she quickly added, "I don't know
who she is. Or was, I'm afraid. She was apparently dropped on us, too."
"Apparently?"
With a curt nod, she said, "I hate to admit it, but she was a complete surprise to the
Atlanta PD."
Cade met her gaze for a moment, decided that if she wasn't telling him the truth, it wasn't
worth pushing, and said, "I've seen tabloid reports of two superwomen and didn't really
believe in either one of them until today. One is supposed to hang out in or around
California and the other has been reported mostly around Las Vegas."
"That's what I've heard, too. I made a request for info as soon as I heard what happened.
Before I got out of the comm center, word had come down that I was not to ask again."

Avery came to the table and said, "Lieutenant Bain, we're going to need you in a few
minutes."
"Okay, I'll be right there," she said, then as Avery nodded and walked away, she said,
"Mr. Cade, my office doesn't seem to have your contact info."
"My boss knows where to find me."
Bain gazed at Cade thoughtfully for a moment, then stood up and picked up her purse as
she said, "In that case, I'll go see what Avery and Dolman have for me."
Her eyes flicked to the unfinished report on the table.
"I'll give that to Avery," said Cade.
He sat back down as she walked away, but he didn't take his eyes off her. Great legs. Tall,
brunette, and generally a fine example of womanhood. As she passed the coffee bar her
head turned slightly and Cade saw her looking back at him in the mirror-finish of the
coffee machine.
He gave her a nod that said, 'Yeah, lady. I'm looking.'
Bain held his reflected gaze for a moment, then moved on to join the other cops. Cade
returned to finishing the police report and -- after rereading it twice -- judged it finished
about fifteen minutes later.
Cade signed it and presented it to Avery, then pulled his DragonCon 'registered guest'
badge out of his jacket pocket, clipped it to his collar, and headed into the hotel to see if
this year's convention was still underway after all the excitement.
In the second-floor con suite, it seemed that a number of other people were wondering the
same thing. They filled the con suite practically wall-to-wall as Cade squeezed in and
looked around.
No answers there; Cade left the con suite and headed for the registration ballroom on the
first floor, taking the cell phone he'd been issued out of his pocket and dialing the Atlanta
number he'd been given for the mission.
A woman answered with, "Zero-eight-two-six."
"Dragonfly here."
"Go, Dragonfly."
"I filed a police report. Nothing to add. Am I offline?"
"Yes. John says 'good job' and you're on standby."
"Okay, thanks."

"You're welcome. Enjoy your stay in Atlanta."
She disconnected. Cade slipped the phone back in his pocket as he approached the
elevators. As usual, there was a herd of people waiting. Some began chanting in unison as
if that would somehow make the right elevator light come on.
"Down, down; we wanna go down!"
As he waited, Cade's mind returned to the moment that the blonde had dragged the car
out of the hotel's driveway. A Crown Vic's roof came almost even with his shoulders.
She'd been tall enough to easily see over it, so that made her between five-seven and
five-ten.
And her legs. By God, she'd had magnificent legs. Even from across the street, he'd seen
that she'd had the long, solid legs of a fitness diva.
How had she happened to be on hand to deal with the car bomb? He'd never seen or
heard any reports of flying blondes in Atlanta. Chances were she'd been on tap just like
more than half of the other people he'd met during this operation. That would make it
likely that she'd been in town at least a few days, stashed somewhere as an ace in the
hole.
It had to have been one hell of an explosion up there. Cade wondered if she'd still been
hanging onto the car when it blew. Yeah, probably. She couldn't very well let go of it.
Damn.
Motion in the lobby below caught his eye; the guy who'd been taking pictures