Boone took it from her, dropping it to the floor, and smashed it with his boot.“Problem solved.Now sit,” Boone ordered firmly.
“So bossy,” she muttered, but she sank gratefully into the desk chair he pulled out.Radley looked at the camera feed and then toward Gage.“Tell us what’s going on.”
Gage quickly brought them up to speed about the suspected terrorist.“You already know Quinn figured out he was on the 8thfloor through communications where she posed as another terror cell member.I’ve been watching the feed and am positive it’s him.A man hauled multiple suitcases up to his room.It’s more luggage than any one person would reasonably travel with.Then I spotted him returning again, this time with a woman who looked absolutely terrified.”
“Do we have a name?”Boone asked, studying the footage as Gage replayed it for them.
“Affirmative.Once we figured out the room number, Quinn got into the hotel’s reservation system.His name is Damon Miller, age twenty three, dropped out of college several years ago, and has taken odd jobs ever since.He likely became radicalized while in school and has been on the wrong path for several years.The guy is close with Blake Shepperd, another man we were monitoring.”
“And Damon Miller has the missing sister?I thought she was with Shepperd,” Radley murmured.
“I don’t think she’s doing anything willingly at this point,” Gage said, his voice uncharacteristically dark.
“You think they’re passing her around?”Radley asked in disbelief.“Sick.”
Boone eyed them both, a feeling of resolve washing over him.They’d ID’d the guy.They’d found the missing sister.All they needed now was the location of the explosives.If this went down how he suspected it would, they wouldn’t even need to intercept the self-driving vehicles—not here in L.A., at any rate.Everything they were looking for was likely in that damn hotel room.
“We need to get into that room,” Radley declared, echoing his thoughts.“I’ll go with one of you.We can pretend we’re in the wrong place—at the wrong room number or something.”
“You need to stay here and rest,” Boone stressed.
“I won’t do anything crazy—just stand there at the door with you.It will look less suspicious if a couple shows up than some big, muscular guy.You know that as well as me,” she said firmly.“Gage can hide around the corner.It’s almost too damn easy.”
“And if they don’t open the door?”Boone pressed.
Gage eyed him.“We bust in.”
***
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, Radley was giggling, clutching onto Boone’s arm as he escorted her down the hallway.They’d decided to play a couple who’d been drinking too much and were adamant that Damon Miller’s room was actually their own.
Boone had a sidearm concealed under his jacket, his knife sheathed in his ankle strap.Radley was armed as well.
Gage spoke clearly into his mic, informing the rest of the team of their actions.“I’m positioned around the corner,” he said calmly.“LAPD is on standby.Once we take down the suspect, they’ll be moving in to confiscate the explosives materials and secure the scene.”
“Copy that,” Holt said.
Boone was thankful they were already working in coordination with the local authorities.Rather than ending this Saturday, however, he hoped like hell it would all be over tonight.
Radley exchanged one last glance with Boone, then gripped the hotel room door handle, trying to open it.She’d even brought her keycard and slid it in, despite knowing it wouldn’t work.“Baby, I can’t open the door!Why isn’t our keycard working?”
“Did you insert the card right?”Boone asked.“Give it to me.”
He took it from her, pretending to try it as well, then jiggled the doorknob.
“It’s not working for you either,” Radley said.“What’s going on?”
They heard footsteps from inside the room approaching the door.This guy could be armed to the teeth.They could be walking directly into danger.And Radley was giggling, completely playing it up despite being held captive hours earlier.
“You’ve got the wrong room!”an annoyed voice called through the door.
“This is our room!”Radley said, managing to slur her words.“H—how did you get inside our room?Baby, do something!”she whined.Radley grabbed the doorknob, rattling it.“Why won’t our door unlock?”she asked loudly.“Why can’t we get inside our hotel room?”
Boone lifted his hand and rapped on the door.“Hello?Why are you inside our room?”
“Someone’s in our hotel room!”Radley said, her voice growing louder.“Let us in!You’re in our room!”
Just then, the door swung open, a scruffy guy with a full beard glaring at them.He was tall, although not bigger than Boone.Young.And fire shot from his gaze.“You’re at the wrong room,” he said.“You need to leave.”