The Stake-out

This is another scene from Perilous that got cut because the villain's POV was cut. In this scene from The Hand (or Truman)'s POV, we see his strategies to find the girls after they narrowly evaded him in Canada. We also get to know a little more about his henchmen, names and characters that don't really appear in Perilous. (I think The Hand deserves his own book, don't you?)

Grey and Sanders entered Truman’s office, their faces glistening with a sheen of sweat. Truman glanced at Claber, whose mouth twitched and a vein on his neck pulsed.

Truman tapped his fingers on the wooden desk in a solemn staccato, letting the silence draw out. The men shifted and kept their eyes on the floor.

“Well?” Truman said. “What are your projections? Where are they now?”

Sanders cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. “We followed the tip to a gas station in Victoriaville. The girls were gone, but we followed their path. They ditched the vehicle on the side of the road. They either have a new one, or they're walking.

“We’re monitoring all routes to the American consulate, the RCMP, and the border. Our agents are looking for any vehicle with a blond woman driving and three or more girls in the car.”

Truman's mind conjured up things he would do to get past his agents. Dye the blond’s hair. Get a different driver. Divide the girls. Head different directions. He shook his head. They wouldn’t think to do those things. “If our agents don’t find them, then what?”

Grey answered. “They only have two options: hide out in Canada or head for the States. The girls want to get out of here. I think they’ll try and hike it out. There’s plenty of unguarded land between here and the border, especially by Vermont.”

Truman nodded. His agents were going to be stretched thin, looking for these girls. He couldn’t pay them, either, not unless they found the girls. “I want people in that forest. Keep a satellite phone and any gear necessary to sedate them until back up arrives. I want people patrolling the border. I want men staking out the suburbs around possible points of entry.” He swiveled his head to Claber. “Get me a list of our agents in America. We need to get them on this, fast. If the girls make it to the States, they’ll find allies at every turn. We have to make sure we find them before someone else does.” His head pounded at the thought of all the effort going into this. He only had a handful of agents stateside, and they weren't fully embedded in his circle. He'd have to make certain of their loyalties before trusting them with this.

“On it.” Claber strode from the room. 

 "Grey, get men into those border cities. Here are their orders: First, I want that necklace. Second, I want the blond. Third, I want the Latin girl. Alive. Sanders, I want someone patrolling the border.”

Sander's round blue eyes widened. “How many men can I use? The border is quite long.”

How many men. How many more men did he have? “Get with the police. See how many they can spare. Get your camping gear together and get into that forest.”

Sanders and Grey still stood there. What were they waiting for? "You have your plan of action. Move!”