ENCOUNTER by Hep Aldridge (bill gates books recommendations .txt) 📕

theatrical voice, “Hot damn, we got the band back together.” Now, we really laughed and saluted with raised mugs and some hell yeah’s.

I suddenly realized that I was genuinely relaxed and having a good time, laughing and joking with my friends. What a great feeling. I sat there, surveying the scene of the smiling and laughing faces, and thought, this is what it’s all about. All the trials and tribulations, the tough times, and even the bad times were melting away. Not forgotten but behind us, and the bond that had grown between us kept growing stronger. Comradery, respect, trust, and dare I say, even love had forged one hell of a team. I soaked it in for a few more minutes before joining in the festivities again.

Doug and Theresa had gone back to work, and we continued to enjoy ourselves. When things had settled down at the bar, Paco came over and greeted everyone. After he had a chance to say hello to everyone, he looked at me and gave his head a slight tilt toward the back of the room. With a wave, he turned and walked in that direction. I got the hint, excused myself, and followed him. I met him in the hallway to the kitchen.

We were alone, and it was quieter. I said, “What’s up, Paco?” His reply brought back a flood of memories from a previous conversation with Doug.

“Senor Colt, I think you need to know that some men have been asking about you and your whereabouts.”

Ah, hell, I thought, I’ve heard that before… “Okay, Paco, fill me in.”

He started his story, and this one had a different twist than the one that culminated in our bar fight with the thugs from the Brotherhood.

“These men, Senor Colt, they are not like the others. They are more subtle in their questioning of the patrons. They sit at the bar and make small talk and buy locals drinks before asking their questions. And they come in at different times. I have seen four, maybe five; they move around the room, getting into conversations with different groups of people. When I deliver drinks to the tables, I often hear parts of the conversations, and the American treasure hunters are always part of the discussions. They have been coming in for the last two weeks—at different times and on different days.”

That sounded methodical to me, and I asked him to describe them. He said they were dressed as outdoorsmen, hikers, or adventurers. But their clothing was new, not worn, and some of them had an accent, European, possibly Italian.

“So, not locals,” I said.

“No, no, Senor, no way, they are from nowhere around here. They carried themselves differently; they tried to seem relaxed, but they were professionals, always looking around, and they seemed on edge. I would guess that some of them were military if not all of them.”

Holy crap, I thought. “Have they been in today?” I asked.

“No, Senor, I have not seen them in two days. As I said, they are very careful in their actions, trying to fit in and not setting a pattern in their visits. But I see the people that come in here day in and day out; they were different. For me, it was easy to spot. They were trying too hard to blend in if you know what I mean.”

“I do, and thanks, Paco; this is helpful. Doug has our hotel number and our SAT phone number; call me immediately if they come in again, alright?”

“Si, Senor, do you think these men mean you harm?”

“Not sure, my friend, but I don’t think they’re on my Christmas card list.” We shook hands and left the hallway, me first, and a few minutes later, Paco followed with some fresh bar towels in his hands and went back behind the bar smiling. Dang, the kid has got the hang of this covert meeting stuff down.

I sat back down at the table and immediately got the “Hairy Eyeball” from Doc, Dimitri, and O’Reilly. I looked at them and said, “Let the games begin.” After more questioning looks, I said, “Looks like we have some new folks interested in our business.”

“New folks?” Dimitri asked.

“Yep, Paco says a group of guys has been asking questions about us.”

“Not the Brotherhood again,” Doc said.

“No,” I replied, “these guys seem a little more professional than the thugs we had the run-in with last time. And Paco said they were not from around here; in fact, he was pretty sure they were European. He had taken drinks to their table and was sure he heard one of them speaking to the other in Italian.

There were wide eyes around the table, and Doc said in a low tone, “Italian… you don’t think… the Vatican?”

I shrugged and said, “I don’t know, but I don’t think we can rule it out. He also said they carried themselves like pros, maybe military or ex-military.”

“Ah, jeez,” Dimitri said. “Not only do we have the Brotherhood to contend with, now the Vatican’s mercs.”

I looked around the table at the concerned faces until I got to O’Reilly and Reggie. They were both grinning, and I swear there was a twinkle in O’Reilly’s eye as she turned to Reggie. “Well, this should prove interesting.”

“Indeed,” Reggie replied as she turned to me smiling and said, “Dr. Burnett, you sure know how to show a girl a good time.”

Dimitri, eyes wide and staring at them, said, “You two are crazy.”

Both ladies laughed, and O’Reilly said, “I had someone else tell me that not too long ago, and I’ll tell you what I told him. You haven’t seen crazy yet… but you will.”

Reggie looked at me more seriously and said, “So, what’s this about Vatican mercs… I mean, it sounds like it could be fun, but when did they get involved?”

I thought for a minute and realized we hadn’t connected the dots for her. I quickly filled her in on what we thought the connection might be and the fact that the