Stuart Woods - Two-Dollar Bill

"And if Billy Bob doesn't have Arrington there now, and if he doesn't take her back there, what?"

"We'll be on your tail. We'll plant a transmitter on you, and we'll have a chopper on the job. When he gets wherever he's going, we'll be right on top of him."

"It sounds good, except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"Suppose he just shoots us both and dumps our bodies."

"Well," Lance drawled, "there is that. We can't cover every contingency, can we? The upside is, we'll at least take Billy Bob, and we'll roll up Block's operation."

"I'm sure that will be very comforting to me when I'm dead. How is Peter?"

"He's a sensible lad; he's curious about your and his mother's whereabouts, but Corey is handling him well, and he seems happy enough."

"Bring him back to the city, will you? When we've got Arrington back, I want to reunite them immediately."

Lance was silent for a moment.

"Take him to my house; I'm going there myself."

"Is there another way in besides the front door and your office door?"

Stone explained how to get into the common garden behind the houses and to his back door."

"All right, I'll have him there in two hours. Where's Dino?"

"He's right here."

"Tell him Sandy spotted two of his men, sitting outside Block's in a Crown Victoria, eating doughnuts. Tell him to pull them off before Block spots them. I've already got a team in the neighborhood."

"Right." Stone hung up. "Lance's man made your two guys outside Block's. You see what I mean?"

"How does he know they're mine?" Dino asked.

"They're in a Crown Vic, eating doughnuts, how else?"

"Shit," Dino said. He got on the phone and ordered the two men back to the precinct. "And when you get there," he said to them, "you'd better not be wearing black shoes and white socks."

"I'm going back to my place," Stone said, standing up.

"You think that's safe?"

"Billy Bob won't expect me to be there, and anyway, he thinks he's going to grab me later this afternoon."

"I'll come with you," Dino said.

STONE AND DINO drove back to his house and parked in the garage, while Dino's car and driver followed.

"Call your driver and tell him not to park in my block," Stone said. "I don't want anybody to make the car, if we're being watched."

"Oh, all right," Dino said and made the call.

As they approached the house, Stone took Dino's shoulder. "Get down in the footwell. If they're watching, I want them to think I'm alone."

Dino grumbled but followed instructions.

When they were inside the garage and the door was closed, Stone said, "All right, we're in. You can get up."

Stone looked at his watch. "One o'clock," he said. He led Dino upstairs to his bedroom and began unpacking the guns and ammo he had taken with him. He handed Dino the box containing Lance's Keltec. "Take a look at that."

Dino opened the box. "Jesus, it looks like a toy."

"It's a three-eighty-caliber, and it weighs ten ounces, loaded."

Dino handled the little gun. "Billy Bob is going to tell you to come unarmed," he said.

"I suppose so."

"Then go armed. Wear something on your belt. You got an ankle holster?"

"No."

Dino pulled up his right trouser leg and undid the Velcro fastening of his own, which held a snub-nosed Smith amp; Wesson.38 special. "You can take mine."

"What's the point?" Stone said. "He's going to search me thoroughly."

"You still got that Thunderwear I gave you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"For Christmas, dummy, the Thunderwear."

"Christ, I'd forgotten about that." Stone went into his dressing room and rooted around in the bottom drawer of his dresser. "Here it is."

"Put it on."

"Dino…"

"Just do it."

Stone took off his trousers and boxer shorts and put on the Thunderwear. Dino screwed the silencer into the Keltec, shoved a magazine into the butt, racked the slide and handed it to Stone. "See if it will fit with the silencer."

Stone took the gun and slipped it into the pouch in the undershorts. "Too long."

"Take the silencer off and try again."

Stone unscrewed the silencer and stuck the gun into the Thunderwear, then inserted the silencer next to it. "Fits nicely."

"Put your pants back on, you're embarrassing me," Dino said.

Stone put his pants back on.

"You've got a three-eighty or two, haven't you?"

"In the gun safe."

"Put on a three-eighty holster and a double-magazine pouch."

Stone did so and stuck his Walther PPKS into the holster.

"Now put the two spare Keltec magazines into the pouch. When they search you, they'll take the Walther, but probably not the ammo."

Stone did so.

Dino handed him the ankle holster with the S amp;W. "Now put this on."

Stone wrapped the Velcro around his ankle and secured it.

"Now, when they search you, they'll find the Walther and the snub-nose-your piece and backup piece-but guys don't like to feel around other guys' crotches, so they'll probably miss the Keltec."

"It's worth a try," Stone said.

"You bet your ass it is," Dino replied.

AT TWO-THIRTY, Stone and Dino were having a sandwich in the kitchen, when there was a soft knock at the back door. Stone opened it to find McGonigle, Corey and Peter standing there. "Come in," he said, scooping up Peter.

"Stone," Peter said, "where did you go?"

"I'm sorry, Peter, I had to sneak out for a while to run an errand. Did you and Corey have a good time?"

"We played all sorts of games, but we couldn't go outside."

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to Central Park," Stone said, setting the boy on the kitchen table.

"What's Central Park?" Peter asked.

"It's a great big, beautiful park, right here in the middle of New York, and you'll love it. Have you had lunch?"

"We went to Burger King," Peter said. "I had the double bacon cheeseburger."

"I'll bet your mother doesn't let you have that."

"No, she's nutrition conscious. Don't tell her."

"Don't worry, that's just between you and me."

"Oh, Dino, this is McGonigle and Corey; they're Lance's people."

"I've heard about you, Dino," McGonigle said.

"I haven't," Corey said, shaking his hand.

"Corey," Dino said, "will you do me a small favor?"

"Maybe," Corey said.

"Will you frisk Stone for weapons?"

"Sure," she said. She turned to Stone and said, "Up against the wall, creep, and spread 'em." She turned to Dino. "Isn't that the way the NYPD does it?"

Stone assumed the position, and Corey quickly found the Walther and the S amp;W snub-nose. She didn't take the magazines.

"Thanks," Dino said. "You proved a point for me. You can give him back his guns, now."

"You've got something in the crotch, haven't you?" she asked.

Stone nodded.

"You're too squeamish, Corey," McGonigle said.

"You wouldn't have found it, either, McGonigle," Stone said.

"You're exactly right," Corey said. "Next time I put my hands on you, I'm going for your crotch," she said to Stone.

"Promises, promises."

Stone's cell phone began to vibrate. He held up a hand for silence, grabbed a pad and pencil and answered it.

"Yes?"

"Good afternoon, Stone," Billy Bob said. "I'm looking forward to getting together in a little while."

"Oh, me, too," Stone said. "It's been too long."

"I assume you're at home."

"Right."

"When we've finished talking and you've hung up, I want you to go to your front door, where you'll find a small package. Inside is a handheld radio. Exactly ten minutes from now I want you to turn on the radio and back out of your garage in your own car. After that, you'll receive instructions. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Bye-bye." Billy Bob hung up.

"Corey," Stone said, "there's a package on my front doorstep; will you bring it to me, please?"